Confirmation hearing for DA secretary set

THE Commission on Appointments (CA) is set to conduct its confirmation hearing on the appointment of Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. as Agriculture secretary in early December, a ranking member of the bicameral commission said.

CA Assistant Minority Leader and Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel said the commission's Committee on Agriculture, led by Bataan Rep. Albert Garcia, scheduled Tiu Laurel's confirmation hearing on December 5.

Pimentel said the biggest challenge Tiu Laurel faces is how to modernize and boost the productivity of the agricultural sector.

«Right now, many Filipino families are struggling to put enough food on the table due to high prices. [Thus] we must increase domestic food production by leaps and bounds in the years ahead. This is the only way we can suppress unwanted upward pressures on food prices,» Pimentel added.

Tiu Laurel, whose family owned the Frabelle Group of Companies, was appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on November 5.

Meanwhile, reappointed Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa's confirmation hearing has yet to be scheduled by the CA's Committee on Health chaired by Sen. Christopher «Bong» Go.

Meanwhile, 55 Foreign Service officers are also awaiting their confirmation hearings before the CA.