The President’s Men and Women: DA chief promises better life for farmers

MANILA, Philippines – Newly appointed Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala assumed office last Monday with the promise of a better life for farmers and fisherfolk.

But he also issued a stern warning to DA field officers that he will not tolerate “fake” reports as he is prepared to do the necessary field visits to verify data collected by DA regional units.

At the simple turnover ceremony at the DA head office in Quezon City, Alcala likewise told current DA officials to stop advising him on how things are normally done at the DA since he has his own way of doing things.

But he was quick to say that he would not immediately start firing DA personnel and would make sure that in case of changes, people will be assigned to where they are most qualified and needed.

In a press conference following the turnover, Alcala revealed that he is willing to compromise on certain controversial issues such as allowing industrial estates – which local farmers oppose and which is contrary to agrarian reform laws – because such endeavors can provide massive employment.

But the DA would give priority to Filipino-owned rather than foreign-owned industrial estate projects.

Former Agriculture secretary Arthur Yap had stirred up controversy over the grant of industrial estates to Chinese investors.

Additional importation

Alcala also indicated his desire to hear the sentiment of local stakeholders in issues involving importations such as the planned additional importation of 100,000 metric tons of sugar.

The new DA chief is holding back on allowing the additional importation, even as some sectors are already warning of a shortage, until he has met with sugar sector stakeholders to verify if there is indeed a need for the additional importation.

Alcala – who had earlier said that he is ambitiously targeting zero rice importation within three years – acknowledged that he is not shutting the door on additional rice imports if the need arises.

“Even though I may have said that I am against imports, I have to be practical if there are no more stocks,” Alcala said.

However, the DA head could not yet state his position on sugar production for biofuels – in the face of a sugar shortage – as he is not aware that there is already biofuel production using sugar cane.

While the new DA head has the small farmers and fisherfolks’ interests at heart, he goes round in a P6-million Range Rover.

Alcala reportedly earned a fortune from a construction deal denominated in US dollars at a time when the exchange rate of the peso to the US dollar was high.

‘Call me Procy’

The new DA secretary, echoing the informality of his boss, President Aquino, asked to be addressed simply as “Procy.”

The new DA head, who was the representative of Quezon province’s 2nd district before his designation as the new DA chief, is a civil engineering graduate from the Luzonian University Foundation.

He is married to Corazon Asuncio Maano and has three children.

But even if he is a civil engineer by profession, Alcala has been a staunch agriculture and environment advocate.

In his stint in Congress, Alcala was instrumental in the passage of the Organic Agricultural Act of 2010.

He was also responsible for filing the Hazardous and Radioactive Waste Management Act which was also passed by Congress.

Alcala served as vice chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture and Food, as well as the House Committee on Public Works and Highways.

His pet projects include the Sentrong Pamilihan ng Produktong Agrikultura sa Quezon, rehabilitation of post-harvest facilities of the Susi Foundation, Inc., provision of full scholarship for agriculture students in partnership with the Southern Luzon State University, and rehabilitation of the coconut industry in Quezon, to name a few. –Marianne Go (The Philippine Star)