Ex-BFAR chief named DA undersecretary

MANILA: Former Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) director Asis Perez has been designated as new Department of Agriculture (DA) undersecretary for policy, planning and regulation. DA Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. recommended the appointment under special order no. 181 dated Feb. 8. 'Perez shall provide policy and regulatory advice to Secretary Tiu-Laurel as well as policy, planning and project development support to various DA offices, bureaus and agencies,' the DA said in a news release Monday. Tiu-Laurel also designated Joan Jagonos-Oliva as officer-in-charge and director of Internal Audit Services; and Christopher Banas as officer-in-charge (OIC) and executive director of DA-Regional Field Office IV. For the six-year national project under the Philippine Rural Development Project, Director IV Milo delos Reyes was appointed as deputy project director for Project Support Office-Luzon B and program director for the national corn program. Other OICs designated were Director IV Nichols M analo for the Office of Assistant Secretary for Operations and the Office of National Project Director; Assistant Secretary for Regulation Paz Benavides II for the vice-chairmanship of Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund Program Management Committee; supervising agriculturist Lorna Belinda Calda for the Office of the Director of Field Operations Services; Accountant III Nelson Vagilidad as Accounting Section head of the Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering Administrative and Finance Division; and supervising science research specialist Mark Matubang as data protection officer of the Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Standards. Source: Philippines News Agency