Incoming Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said he would not think twice in firing government officials who stand in the way of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte’s reforms in the industry.
“Anybody in government who does not share President Duterte’s vision for the Filipino farmer is free to leave and find another job,” Piñol said on his Facebook account Friday.
Piñol was reacting to a statement made by Pilipina P. Bermudez, National Irrigation Administration (NIA) public affairs manager, in a TV interview that free irrigation for farmers would adversely affect the operations of the agency.
Bermudez said the government stood to forego about P2 billion in yearly revenues if irrigation fees were scrapped as the incoming Duterte administration has promised.
Piñol said he already told NIA administrator Florencio F. Padernal to find a way to make sure free irrigation would be implemented by 2017.
“The issue of free irrigation for Filipino farmers is a presidential commitment and it is non-negotiable,” he said.
“To hear a statement from the NIA questioning that commitment is not only irritating but also a manifestation of the malady afflicting people in government—that is the failure to think outside the box to help people,” he added.
Data from the NIA shows the agency collects P1.8 billion to P2 billion in irrigation service fees (ISF) yearly.
The ISF is primarily used to fund the agency’s operations and maintenance expenses. It is also a major source of salaries and allowances of employees working at NIA units.
The former Cotabato governor also expressed “exasperation” with a NIA director in Cagayan Valley for failing to release water despite repeated requests from farmers.
Piñol said if irrigation water was not released, “my first official act as Secretary of Agriculture by July 1 will be to fire him [the NIA director].”
“I hope people in government now, especially those who will work with me in the agriculture department and its attached agencies, will understand this—we are here not to lord it over the people but to serve them,” he said.
“If you find this hard to understand and difficult to implement, I will place a big garbage can in front of my office on July 1,” he added. “You could throw in your resignation letters in that trash can and leave government.”
The NIA is currently under the authority of the Office of the Presidential Assistant on Food Security and Agricultural Modernization (Opafsam), and not the DA. In May 2014, President Aquino issued an executive fiat creating the Opafsam, naming then Senator Francis Pangilinan as head.