Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol described as “ridiculous” the decision to take out the National Food Authority (NFA), the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) and the Fertilizer, and Pesticide Authority (FPA) from the supervision of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Piñol said the PCA should not be detached from the DA because “it’s the number 1 agricultural product of the country.”
“How can you separate that from the Department of Agriculture?” he said during the INQ and A on Wednesday.
“It’s [also] ridiculous for an agency that’s involved in irrigating rice farms to be separated from the agency that handles the rice farms,” the DA chief said.
But Piñol said he and President Duterte have already discussed the Agriculture department’s plan to regain control of the PCA and NIA.
In May 2014, the four agencies, then under the DA, were transferred to the Office of the President during the Aquino administration.
Then President Benigno Aquino III said the transfer was needed to “enhance and coordinate the efforts of the NFA, NIA, PCA and FPA in fulfilling their respective mandates.”