Imee: PBBM still refuses to leave Agriculture post
Sen. Imee Marcos revealed on Friday, May 12, that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. still refuses to leave his temporary post as Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary.
Sen. Marcos said the President still wants to stay as temporary DA Secretary because “sabi niya, kailangan daw andon siya (he said he is needed there).”
After the May 2022 presidential elections, the President decided to take over the helm of the problemplagued DA.
During an interview in Bulacan, the presidential sister said she told the President that he could have been used as there are many smugglers at the Bureau of Customs and that there are many stories circulating at the Manila ports.
“Ang daming kuwento at ang media nauna na sa pag-eexpose ng mga smuggler pati address ng bodega, laman ng bodega, kinunan na ninyo ng litrato (There are many stories and media are first in exposing the smugglers, including their warehouses (bodegas) and contents of these warehouses, and have taken pictures of these),’’ she said.
“Tanging Customs at Agriculture na lang ang di nakakaalam (It is only the Bureau of Customs and DA that do not know these),’’ she added.
Adding to the problem at the DA is a resolution of Sen. Risa Hontiveros which triggered a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the alleged State-sponsored smuggling of 440,000 metric tons of sugar last February.
Hontiveros questioned why DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban was able to get an authority to import the 440,000 tons of sugar without the prescribed approval of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).
The second hearing on Monday was postponed anew when Cabinet officials, particularly Panganiban, were out of the country.