MANILA — Despite his removal at the helm of the inter-agency National Food Authority Council (NFAC), Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr. still has his hands full with other duties and responsibilities, Malacañang said Wednesday.
“Marami pa naman pong trabaho si Secretary Evasco at talagang trabaho naman po niya ay bilang Secretary to the Cabinet (Secretary Evasco still has a lot of work and his main job is to be Secretary to the Cabinet),” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a TV interview.
“Habang merong Cabinet at merong Cabinet meetings ay may trabaho pa rin si Secretary Evasco at napakarami pa ring ahensiya na nasa ilalim ng kanyang opisina (So long as there is a Cabinet and there are Cabinet meetings, Secretary Evasco will have work. And there are still other agencies under his office),” he added.
Roque pointed out that the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) still remains under the Office of the Cabinet Secretary.
On Tuesday, Roque announced Evasco’s removal as NFAC chairman following the return of the National Food Authority (NFA) to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
“Because the NFA is now under the DA anew, CabSec Leoncio Evasco will no longer be part of the NFA Council,” he said in a press briefing in Boracay on Tuesday. Aside from the NFA, the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) and the Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority (FPA) will also return to DA.
The NFA, PCA, FPA were placed under the Office of the President during the term of former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.
Evasco, in an earlier statement, said he respected the decision of President Rodrigo R. Duterte to strip him of his NAFC chairmanship and urged Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol to “continue the systems transformation.”
Piñol will take over as NFAC chairman since the NFA is now under his agency.
Evasco also said that he could “never” break the trust given to him by Duterte. (Azer Parrocha/PNA)
