South Cotabato governor says he turned down offer to head DA

KORONADAL, Philippines – South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. on Monday, September 11, claimed he turned down an offer by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for him to become the agriculture secretary.

Speaking during Monday’s flag-raising ceremony at the capitol grounds in Koronadal City, Tamayo said he begged off because he was committed to serving South Cotabato which gave him the mandate as provincial governor.

“I cannot abandon that mandate. There are many other ways that I can serve and help the President and our farmers,” he said.

The offer came at a time when the country’s consumers are confronted with surging rice prices, prompting Marcos Jr., who is concurrent head of the Department of Agriculture (DA), to impose price caps on locally-produced rice – P41 per kilogram for regular milled rice and P47 per kilogram for well-milled rice.

The President’s offer to Tamayo to be the agriculture secretary was first made public by South Cotabato Vice Governor Arthur Pingoy on September 4. He said it would be an honor for the province but put so much pressure on Tamayo.

Pingoy said Tamayo was offered the agriculture portfolio because Marcos Jr. was impressed with the provincial government-initiated consolidated rice production and mechanization program.

During the President’s visit to South Cotabato in June, Tamayo committed to delivering an average of eight-ton rice yield per hectare with the capitol’s consolidated rice production and mechanization program. 

Based on available data from DA, the current average yield per hectare in the province is around four tons. 

Marcos Jr. has acknowledged the efforts of the South Cotabato provincial government in coming up with the program, saying it would ultimately increase farmers’ yields and bring down the cost of production.

Tamayo is a known supporter of Marcos Jr. and is the president of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP). Marcos Jr. is the party’s chairman.

In 2022, Tamayo was elected as president of the League of Provinces of the Philippines.

Marcos Jr. also appointed him in April as vice chairman of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC). – Rappler.com