CA confirms DA Sec. Laurel

Newly-confirmed Agriculture Secretary Francis Tiu Laurel went through the wringer of the Commission on Appointments without much difficulty because of the complete trust reposed on him by his best friend whom he supported in the national race, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr..

He vowed to make the entire agriculture sector profitable and attractive enough for the youth to engage in its development and to attract more private sector investment.

He told the CA of his vision to modernize the agriculture sector. “Feeding 118 million Filipinos is a daunting yet ‘achievable goal’ with a whole-of-nation approach to the modernization of the long-neglected agriculture sector,” he said. 

Laurel was appointed on November 3 and went to CA for confirmation on December 5. 

“I am now 56 and I’ve been called to serve the country—to lead it out of high food prices; low food production; broken food supply chains; lack of irrigation, cold storage, credit, and other key inputs; and aging farmers and fisherfolk. Add climate change and geopolitical disruptions to this mix, and the task of feeding 118 million Filipinos becomes even more daunting,” Laurel told the CA’s Committee on Agriculture chaired by Bataan Rep. Albert Garcia.

“But I view these problems as a challenge. And I shall apply my knowledge and experience in building a diversified global company to this achievable goal. I shall apply these lessons to serve our larger family of the Filipino people,” Laurel who made his family’s company, Frabelle, what it is now, said.

Laurel was just 28 when he took over the reins of Frabelle, a deep-sea fishing company established by his parents. 

He joined the family business at age 19, spending months at sea as he joined Frabelle’s fishing expeditions. He may not have had a college degree but he learned much from the conferences and seminars abroad that his father sent him to had made him develop Frabelle into a diversified conglomerate with interests in food manufacturing, deep-sea fishing, property development, shipyard operation, aquaculture, cold storage chain, and renewable power.

“Natutunan ko na dapat ring humingi ng tulong. Humility and faith in fellow journeymen take discipline/. Because we cannot do it alone, I abide by the oft-repeated whole-of-country and whole-of-society approach. The boat will get nowhere if we paddle in different directions,” he said.

Laurel said he would make sure that DA under his watch will rely on science and market data to ensure timely interventions to modernize agriculture to realize food security and sufficiency, as well as sustainability.

“As  former chairman of the World Tuna Purse Seine Organization, I have seen firsthand the dire consequences of setting aside the issue of sustainability. Yet, sustainability encompasses every aspect of human existence, and thus needs the collective understanding, commitment, and action of every sector of society now and every day,” he said.

Laurel said he treats all facets of agriculture as equally important not just the production of rice—the national food staple. He said there is vast potential in fisheries, livestock, poultry, and high-value crops. 

The agriculture chief said making investments and a career in agriculture profitable is essential to attract the next generation of farmers and fishermen, avoiding a food crisis in the coming decades. 

“My vision for agriculture is to make it sustainable, profitable and appealing to the younger generation,” he added. (RDLC with reports from DA-AFID)