CHILDHOOD FRIEND Fishing magnate Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. takes his oath of office on Nov. 3 as secretary of the Department of Agriculture, a post concurrently held by President Marcos for 16 months. The childhood friend of Mr. Marcos contributed P30 million to his presidential campaign in 2022. 鈥擬ARIANNE BERMUDEZ
After 16 months since he assumed office, President Marcos on Friday chose his own replacement as full-time secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA), which is tasked with ensuring the country鈥檚 food security.
Marcos appointed his childhood friend and presidential campaign contributor, fishing tycoon Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., 鈥渨ho understands very well the problems that agriculture is facing.鈥�
鈥淎nd the reason that I held on to the position of Secretary of Agriculture [all this time] was that I truly believe, and I think I was proven right, that there are many things that only a president could do and the problems were so important and were so deep,鈥� he said at a press conference in Malaca帽ang.
But with Laurel whom he knew 鈥渟ince we were boys,鈥� the President said someone with 鈥渁 good understanding of what it is that needs to be done, what are the problems鈥� in the agriculture sector would be leading it.
鈥淚 am confident about his appointment because I personally know him,鈥� Marcos said.
鈥淲e have come to that point where we have a very good idea of what needs [to be done] and where the problems lie and what we need to do to solve those problems,鈥� he said.
The Laurel family owns the Frabelle Group of Companies, which started with its fishing business in the mid-1960s and expanded into 12 industries as diverse as power generation, real estate, meat and seafood processing, cold-chain network, and shipbuilding and repair.
The 56-year-old tycoon led the expansion of the business that his father (Francis Sr.) and mother (Bella) established in 1966 with the Frabelle brand.
Prior to his appointment, he has been serving as president of Frabelle Fishing Corp. (FFC), one of the top fishing companies in the Asia-Pacific region, since 1985 and director of Frabelle Corp. since 2010. He was also a member of the President鈥檚 Private Advisory Council in the agriculture sector.
Marcos said he had ordered the new agriculture secretary to control the unabated rise in the prices of agricultural products and to find ways to increase production and lower its cost.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the first thing that our new secretary will have to do,鈥� he said.
According to the President, the country could learn how to do this from its neighbors, such as Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.
Speaking at the same press conference, Laurel said farmers and fishermen 鈥渁re close to my heart because I have personally seen their struggles and dreams.鈥�
In an interview with CEO Magazine in 2016, Laurel said he started to learn fishing under his father鈥檚 guidance in his teens.For five years, he said, he spent an average of 45 days at sea on one of their fishing boats.
Modernizing agriculture
鈥淚 was at the front line, connecting with our people, our captains and our crew,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hile you are onboard a ship, there is so much machinery and engineering to use and operate, which I gladly helped out with. I learned so much from those experiences.鈥�
Laurel said his father regularly sent him to Japan to train in, among others, refrigeration, food manufacturing and shipbuilding.
鈥淚 became competent in so many real-life situations out in the field. I traveled all over Japan and all over Asia to visit factories, see how they were run, and understand what they produced,鈥� Laurel said in the magazine interview.
He told Malaca帽ang reporters that one of the top items on his agenda would be to modernize the agriculture sector.
鈥淢y main goal is to ensure that our harvest is abundant and make sure that it reaches the table of every Filipino,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y goal is to ensure that there is enough and healthy food that our countrymen can buy at the right price.鈥�
鈥楶olitical payback鈥�
In an interview with the Inquirer last July, retired crop science professor Teodoro Mendoza said Mr. Marcos 鈥渟hould make sure, too, that farmers will have a fair and just income.鈥�
Laurel, a computer science graduate from the University of Santo Tomas, holds other positions, such as president of Markham Resources Corp., Bacoor Seafront Development Corp. and Diamond Export Corp.; and chair of Westpac Meat Processing Corp., Bukidnon Hydro Energy Corp. and Diamond Export Corp.According to Frabelle鈥檚 website, Laurel also trained in net manufacturing, engine overhauling, electronics, hydraulics and ship repair.
One lawmaker criticized his appointment for being a 鈥減olitical payback鈥� for his P30-million contribution to Mr. Marcos鈥� 2022 campaign kitty, while other representatives said the President made a prudent choice.
ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro questioned the qualifications of Laurel in heading the agriculture department, aside from being a 鈥渃rony鈥� of Marcos and president of a deep-sea fishing company.
Laurel also donated P20 million to Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri鈥檚 campaign and supported Sen. Robin Padilla鈥檚 nearly P8.75 million worth of airtime on GMA Network.
Castro cited an allegation by the fisherfolk group Pamalakaya that FFC was the 鈥渄riving force鈥� behind a 420-hectare reclamation project that displaced over 700 fishing families from two coastal villages in Bacoor City, Cavite.
In 2020, Pamalakaya said the reclamation project would violate a 2008 Supreme Court directive ordering 13 government agencies to clean up, rehabilitate and preserve Manila Bay.
鈥淪o aside from producing canned fish and reclaiming land that is causing floods in Metro Manila and Central Luzon, what are the qualifications of Laurel to head the DA? Mr. Marcos should not be using government posts to pay off his political debt. It is better to look for someone else who is more apt for the position and will truly serve farmers,鈥� Castro said.
鈥榃ealth of experience鈥�
She also warned that the importation of agricultural products, which became 鈥渕ore pronounced鈥� during Mr. Marcos鈥� leadership of the DA, may 鈥渏ust continue or even become worse鈥� under Laurel.
Other House members led by Speaker Martin Romualdez disagreed with Castro.
Romualdez said Laurel鈥檚 30 years of experience in the private sector equipped him 鈥渨ith a wealth of experience that will be invaluable in steering our country鈥檚 agriculture and fisheries sectors鈥� and that it made him 鈥渨ell-suited鈥� for the job at hand.
鈥淗is firsthand experience in managing a large-scale operation gives him insights into the intricacies of supply chains, market demands and global trends,鈥� he added.
Innovative, sustainable
House Majority Leader Rep. Manuel Jose Dalipe agreed that Laurel鈥檚 familiarity with cutting-edge technologies for food preservation and storage 鈥渨ill translate to lesser food wastage and longer shelf life鈥� for agricultural products.
Kabayan Rep. Ron Salo said he was 鈥減articularly excited鈥� about the possible creation of a new Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, which is now under the agriculture department.
鈥淲ith his strong background in the fisheries industry, I anticipate innovative approaches and sustainable practices that will not only boost the fisheries sector but also preserve our aquatic resources for future generations,鈥� Salo said.