Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. is taking a two-week medical leave starting July 9, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Tuesday.
Mr. Laurel is expected to undergo an unspecified procedure in Hong Kong, which he said had been deferred since he joined the government in November 2023.
“I will continue to monitor developments on the ground. Tuloy-tuloy lang ang trabaho (the work continues),” he said in a statement.
He added that he made the announcement “to prevent any speculation about his impending prolonged absence from activities of the DA.”
In Special Order No. 874, DA said that Undersecretary for Operations and Agri-Fisheries Mechanization and for Rural Credit Roger V. Navarro was designated officer-in-charge during the period.
“As such, he shall perform the functions, duties, and responsibilities inherent to the designation and such others as directed by the secretary in concurrent capacity with his regular functions, duties, and responsibilities,” according to the order.
However, the DA said on Tuesday that Mr. Laurel is expected to resume his duties by July 24, days before President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s State of the Nation Address.
In a separate statement, the DA said that it partnered with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to roll out P20 rice for beneficiaries of the DSWD’s “Walang Gutom” program.
Walang Gutom is a food stamp program employing an electronic benefit transfer card.
“Through this partnership, our beneficiaries can now buy rice at an unprecedented P20 per kilo from DA-accredited retailers and Kadiwa outlets,” Social Welfare Secretary Rexlon T. Gatchalian said.
“This significantly increases the value of their food credits, helping families access healthier meals,” he added.
Initial beneficiaries of the program include solo parents, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities.
Walang Gutom beneficiaries currently number over 300,000 families, and will expand to 750,000 households by 2028.
Mr. Laurel said that the P20 rice program also benefits rice farmers, as “every bag of rice sold frees up storage for two sacks of palay (unmilled rice) that the National Food Authority (NFA) must buy from farmers at fair prices.”
At a forum on Tuesday, NFA Administrator Larry R. Lacson said the grains agency held reserves equivalent to 12 days’ demand as of two weeks ago.
“We try to do our best to absorb (rice) from our farmers. But we have limitations. So hopefully these limitations will be corrected, probably within the year,” he said. — Justine Irish D. Tabile