The Department of Agriculture is expecting some changes following the appointment of business tycoon Francisco Tiu Laurel as its new secretary.

“We can expect some changes. Every new administration (it is expected) that there will be changes,” DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said during a news forum on Saturday.

De Mesa said the changes may happen in weeks to improve the management and operations of the agency.

The DA official also believed that the appointment of Laurel would be beneficial to the agency, considering the latter’s expertise and experience in the sector.

“Our new secretary is not new to agriculture, not just (about) fisheries. We have been with him for a long time in meetings at the Palace through the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) because he is a member,” de Mesa said.

His expertise does not only cover fisheries, de Mesa said, as he has been involved in government efforts to address numerous issues and concerns of the agricultural sector as a PSAC member.

“We want to infuse his experience from the private sector and his perspective will help a lot when it comes to policies, implementation and management of the entire department,” he added.

On Friday, Laurel was sworn in to the DA post, which President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. held since assuming power in June 2022.

The new DA chief is the president of deep-sea fishing company Frabelle Fishing Corporation, which supplies fresh, frozen, and processed sardines, mackerel, yellowfin tuna, among others, to domestic and international markets (PNA)

Photo credit: Facebook/pcogovph