His name is William Dar, but he prefers to be called Manong Willie, being Ilocano and approachable.
As Acting Secretary of Agriculture, since 05 August 2019. 4 months ago, Manong Willie has been all over the Philippines, acting on many a problem in farming and fisheries.
As official, non-interim Secretary of Agriculture, since today, Tuesday, 17 December 2019, Manong Willie was sworn in by the legislative Commission on Appointments, CA.
Manong Willie knew he was going to pass through the eye of the CA needle, so he condensed himself into a thin but long line of facts, acts and accomplishments, from birth (10 April 1953) as youngest child in Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur to poor parents, to retirement in high honor from being the singular 15-year long (3-term) Director General of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, ICRISAT, having brought this India-based institute from dead last to proud first among the 15 international centers in the CGIAR Group. They don't come more than qualified as they used to anymore. Katrina Domingo says somebody said Manong Willie was "over-qualified" for the post[1]. Say I, an ICRISAT international consulting writer based in Manila for 8 years:
Manong Willie is perfectfor the job.
He is a manager, not simply an administrator.
He is a scientist, not simply a technician.
He is a scholar, not simply an academic. And:
He knows The Man (embracing Woman) for The Assignment.
He is a manager, not simply an administrator.
He is a scientist, not simply a technician.
He is a scholar, not simply an academic. And:
He knows The Man (embracing Woman) for The Assignment.
I positioned the double-image above to show as if Manong Willie is swearing to what he says are the necessary "8 Paradigms To Level Up Agriculture" in the Philippines. He knew that he – and we – have to change perspectives if we wanted PH Agriculture not only to survive but thrive.
Senator Cynthia Villar, Chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, said in seconding the CA nomination[2]:
His appointment comes at an opportune time. To quote Lao Tzu, "when the student is ready, the teacher will appear," and I believe that the agency is ready to be under his tutelage.
Madam Senator, Manong Willie's is more than tutelage – it is stewardship, nay servant-stewardship. I being ICRISAT international consulting writer for 8 years, from January 2007 to December 2014, know that he went about his headship of ICRISAT insisting on servanthood along with leadership, emphasis more on the Team and less on the Captain. And so he brought ICRISAT from kulelat to kagulat-gulat – from wander to wonder:
And that is how he is going to bring about the rebirth of Philippine Agriculture from traditional to exceptional.
Manong Willie's team is actually a partnership that includes not only the DA but also the local government units, business sector, and civil society. Nationwide.
Senator Francis Pangilinan said in his cosponsorship of the nomination[3]:
(I) believe that Secretary Dar's background – both in his personal history and in his professional experience – would do well in the job for the benefit of millions of Filipinos who work in agriculture.
Personally and professionally, so do I believe.@517
[1]https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/17/19/ca-confirms-dars-appointment-as-agriculture-chief
[2]https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/economy/719377/ca-confirms-dar-as-agriculture-secretary/story/
[3]https://senate.gov.ph/press_release/2019/1217_pangilinan1.asp
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