The Department of Agriculture has formalized the appointment of additional key members of Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr’s official family, particularly his chief of staff and the undersecretary for operations.
Alvin John F. Balagbag, a corporate lawyer who served as general counsel of the Frabelle Group of Companies and of PNOC-Renewables Corp., was appointed as Secretary Laurel’s chief-of-staff. Balagbag, also appointed as DA undersecretary, earned his law degree from the University of Sto. Tomas and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Ateneo Graduate School of Business.
Roger Navarro was designated as undersecretary for operations in concurrent capacity with his other designations. Although an engineer by training, Navarro has listed himself as farmer by occupation working for the Navarro Farms in Misamis Oriental. He graduated from the University of San Jose Recoletos in 1989 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering.
Secretary Laurel also signed the appointment of the agency’s representatives to the technical working group drafting the implementing rules and regulations of The Internet Transactions Act of 2023. Named DA representatives were Director IV Honorio Flameno Ph. D. and Information Technology Officer III Xerxees Remorozo.
Designated as officers-in-charge are Director IV Roland Tulay, a lawyer, for the Office of The Assistant Secretary for Administration and Office of the Undersecretary for Administration; Director III Eduardo Lapus for the office of the Regional Executive Director for the field office in Region III; Agriculture Center Chief II Mario Ruinata for the officer of the Regional Director at the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ operations in Region VII in Cebu City.
Also appointed Director IV Christopher Banas, also a lawyer, as regional executive director of the DA field office in Region IV-B.
