(Eagle News) – Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol has submitted his courtesy resignation to President Rodrigo Duterte, requesting him to “relieved” from his present position.
This was revealed by Senator-elect Christopher “Bong” Go, Duterte’s former aide, on Thursday.
“With the best interest of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and its stakeholders in mind, may I request that I be relieved from my present position as secretary of agriculture and reassigned to whichever agency you believe I would be effective, including the Mindanao Development Authority,” Piñol said in his courtesy resignation.
The former head of the Mindanao Development Authority (Minda), Datu Hj. Abul Khayr Alonto, passed away on May 9.
The agriculture chief has reportedly recommended three undersecretaries of the Department of Agriculture to take over the department for about a month.
They are Waldo Carpio, Ariel Cayanan, and Francisco Vilano.
This will reportedly give the President enough time to choose a replacement for the position.
Before this, Piñol had talked with the fishermen involved in the June 9 Recto Bank incident and tried to get the story of what happened straight from them, including the cook who supposedly was the only one awake when the incident happened.
He also gave a dozen 30-footer fiber glass boats to the fishermen that can venture up to six kilometers from the shoreline.
They were also each given P45,000 in cash, P25,000 of which was a loan that can be paid without interest in the next three years.