Alcala accepts Usec Delima’s resignation

By: Ronnel W. Domingo - 11 years ago

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala’s “right-hand man,” Undersecretary Dante S. Delima, has resigned amid an organizational upheaval following the appointment of former senator Francis Pangilinan to oversee four key agencies of the department.

The Department of Agriculture’s spokesperson, Undersecretary Emerson U. Palad, said in an interview that Alcala announced at the department’s executive committee meeting last Tuesday that he had accepted Delima’s resignation.

Delima joined the department at the same time as Alcala, shortly after the elections of 2010. He started as director of the department’s high-value crops development program.

By the time he left the department, Delima was undersecretary for operations as well as head of the national rice program, mainly responsible for the government’s efforts to attain self-sufficiency in rice production.

Palad himself takes over Delima’s responsibilities regarding operations.

“Secretary Alcala assigned the rice program to Assistant Secretary Edilberto M. de Luna,” Palad said.

He said Delima’s absence was not expected to cause the department to hobble, especially with the distribution of the resigned official’s responsibilities.

Asked why Delima resigned, Palad said: “I think he wanted to return to the private sector, although he told me that I could call him if I needed help.”

According to members of the DA staff with access to Delima, he would rather not talk to the media at the moment.

Anticipating the question, an insider said Delima’s resignation was not related to Pangilinan’s appointment as presidential adviser on food security and agriculture modernization.

Sources said Delima had been intending to tender his resignation for the past several months. One source said Delima had talked about having revised his resignation letter a number of times.

Also, insiders talked about Delima having had a falling out with his “close in” staff. Another source said his resignation would take effect on June 1, and that he was already on terminal leave.

Delima had been working with Alcala even when the latter was still a lawmaker representing Quezon province’s second district.

The Iligan City-born resident of Davao City was a trainer on natural or organic farming practices, an expertise that he developed as a farmer himself.