Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization
| Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization | |
|---|---|
| Member of | Cabinet of the Philippines |
| Reports to | President of the Philippines |
| Constituting instrument | Memorandum Order No. 70/2014 |
| Formation | May 5, 2014 |
| First holder | Francis Pangilinan |
| Deputy | Fredelita Guiza |
The Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization (PAFSAM) is a Cabinet-level position under the Office of the President of the Philippines. It was created on May 5, 2014 by President Benigno Aquino III.
The PAFSAM has oversight responsibilities for the four largest executive agencies which were formerly under the purview of the Department of Agriculture (DA): the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA), the National Food Authority (NFA), the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA). Former Senator Francis Pangilinan was named as the first PAFSAM.
The post of PAFSAM was created amidst accusations of DA involvement in the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam. Agencies under the DA had allegedly used PDAF monies to make payments to NGOs with links to Janet Lim-Napoles; in Congressional testimony, she provided a list of names of people involved in the scam. Secretary of Agriculture Proceso Alcala was not mentioned in this list, but he was still reported to be under pressure to resign. President Aquino's Memorandum Order No. 70 of May 5, 2014 created the post of PAFSAM, while Executive Order No. 165, signed on the same day, reassigned four former Department of Agriculture agencies to the Office of the President so that they could be overseen by the new PAFSAM.
The transferred agencies represented three-quarters of the DA's P68.59 billion budget, leading the Manila Standard Today to describe the situation as Alcala "los[ing] Agri control" and being "reduced to a mere titular head". However, the DA retained control over the National Dairy Corporation and thirty-five smaller agencies. Opposition politicians including Jonathan dela Cruz of Abakada were dissatisfied with the mere reduction in Alcala's powers, and continued to call for President Aquino to dismiss him.
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