Villar: Many agri experts, but DA chief must love farmers

There are a lot of experts in the agriculture sector, but the Department of Agriculture must be headed by someone with a love for farmers, Senator Cynthia Villar said Tuesday.

The chair of the Senate committee on agriculture, food and agrarian reform made the remark when asked about President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s recent statement that the next secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA) should be an expert in the field.

"Maraming expert kaya lang kung wala namang heart for the farmers, aapihin din ang mga small farmers," Villar said in an interview with reporters.

"Ako maganda rin yung may secretary of Agriculture but be sure na 'yung secretary of Agri e mahal ang farmer kasi kahit ikaw ay may secretary of Agriculture, kung hindi mo naman mahal ang farmer e di wala ring serbisyo," she added.

(There are many experts, but if there is no heart for farmers, they will abuse small farmers. We must be sure that the Agriculture secretary loves farmers because if you don't love farmers you will not serve them.)

Villar added that a DA secretary who has a heart for farmers would likely resist "temptations" from individuals seeking to influence their decisions.

"Kasi alam mo ano e, mahirap din pag maraming nag i-influence sa iyo to do something that's not good for the farmers and minsan hindi na rin maka-resist, kaya dapat talaga may heart na devoted sa farmer para maka-resist doon sa mga temptation na ganon," Villar said.

(It's difficult when there are many people trying to influence you to do something that's not good for the farmers, and sometimes you won't be able to resist, so you really must have a heart that's devoted to farmers in order to resist those temptations.)

Asked if she has a someone to recommend to Marcos to head the DA, Villar said: "I don't want to comment on that... sabi ng husband ko, huwag magko-comment ng ganon...Di ako nagre-recommend sa president mamaya mapalpak yun ako pa ang masisi."

(My husband [business magnate and former Senate president Manny Villar] said not to comment on those...I do not make recommendations to the president because if that person is a failure then I will be blamed.)

"'Di ako naghahanap e kasi di naman ako presidente. Ba't ako maghahanap?" she also said.

(I'm not looking because I'm not the president. So why would I be the one to search?)

Marcos concurrently holds the DA portfolio.

In an interview with television anchors Monday, Marcos said that there were things that he could do as President that a secretary might take time accomplishing.

"For me sa DA, there really are things that I can do that if there was a secretary and he or she did it, hindi—magagawa pero matagal, madaming diskusyon [they'll be able to do it but will take time and involve many discussions], and they’ll have to come up," Marcos said.

"The President they cannot say no to. And ‘pag hindi nila ginawa ‘yung utos ko, puwede kong sitahin [And if they don't follow my orders, I can call them out]," he added.

At least three senators have called on Marcos to appoint a full-fledged secretary of Agriculture amid the increase in prices of food in the country. — BM, GMA Integrated News