MANILA – Two high-ranking officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA) must perform better in the coming year, according to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.
In a recent interview, the DA chief said he is giving a half-year ultimatum for the involved officials to improve their performance.
“The first six months of next year will tell me… Hindi ko naman sinabing hindi ako natutuwa. I’m expecting more doon sa obligation nila. Hindi naman grabe, parang sanay lang ako sa (I didn’t say that I’m not happy. I’m just expecting more in their obligations. It’s not very serius, but I’m just used to)… my expectations are quite high. So, they fell short,” Tiu Laurel said without disclosing the names of the officials or their offices.
“Ang pinaka-ayaw ko mangyari, tapos patapos na iyong taon, iyong mga kailangan mong ayusin (What I hate the most, when the year is about to end, what you should have done) needed my intervention despite my busy, busy schedule,” Tiu Laurel said, adding the need for him to “stop” some of his works just to ensure all necessary documents are signed.
Despite this, the DA chief expressed satisfaction in the overall performance of the agency, especially in the face of challenges brought by the El Niño phenomenon, La Niña, successive typhoons, threats of African swine fever and avian influenza, and other natural disasters.
“I think the DA, we’ve addressed iyong mga kailangang gawin (what must be done). As far as DA is concerned, we acted quickly to all the calamities that we’ve faced,” he said. (PNA)