MANILA: The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Wednesday named Isidro Velayo Jr. as the new officer-in-charge of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

Velayo’s designation came after the Office of the Ombudsman ordered the dismissal of the agency’s director Demosthenes Escoto.

In a statement, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the BFAR’s function must remain unhampered to ensure the implementation of its major projects.

‘My marching order to him is to ensure that operations of the agency will not be affected by this legal development,’ he said.

Velayo served as BFAR assistant director for technical services. He was also the national coordinator of the agency’s seaweed program and a former director of the agency’s Zamboanga Peninsula regional office.

Meanwhile, the DA said Escoto may still ‘seek reconsideration or file an appeal at the Court of Appeals’ following the move of the Ombudsman.

According to the Ombudsman’s order received by the DA, Escoto was found guilty of gr
ave misconduct in a graft case that stemmed from the purchase of communications equipment in 2018.

Source: Philippines News Agency