(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte is eyeing the transfer of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol to the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), saying the needed someone who knows Mindanao well to help him to coordinate efforts between the national government and the newly formed Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
“I cannot see anybody in the horizon except Piñol who knows and grew up…was born in Mindanao and grew up there. He is a farmer, then a governor,” the President said In a recent iinterview in Malacañang
“So, sabi ko kailangan ko ng timon. And that Mindanao [Development] Authority position is a Cabinet position. Sabi ko, ‘pumunta ka na lang doon, tulungan mo na lang ako.’ Get them started…hurry up, hurry them up so that they would have the first regular organized government that they have long wished for,” he said.
Before his remarks, Piñol submitted his courtesy resignation to the President, saying he could be reassigned to whichever agency the President believes he would be effective.
“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 President, however, said he has yet to accept Piñol’s resignation.
He said he needed to talk to BARMM Interim Chief Minister Al Hajj Murad Ebrahim
The chief executive expressed reservations over the lack of progress in BARMM even after a transition body was organized.
“He wants an effective and well-functioning government, which he said, would be necessary to exploit the region’s resources, particularly Liguasan Marsh, believed to be containing large reserves of natural gas,” a statement from Malacanang said.
“There seems to be disconnect dito sa akin…pati sa kanila. So, I was looking for Murad, eh wala doon. Sabi ko, ‘hurry up. Set up the government that you have long wanted,’” he said.
The region is all for the Muslims to exploit and the national government may ask a minimal contribution in form of taxation, the President added.
The former head of the Mindanao Development Authority (Minda), Datu Hj. Abul Khayr Alonto, passed away on May 9.
Piñol 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.
