AGRICULTURE Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has appointed Isidro Velayo Jr. as officer-in-charge of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
In a statement, Laurel said the appointment of Velayo came following the order from the Office of the Ombudsman dismissing BFAR director Demosthenes Escoto, who was found guilty of grave misconduct in a graft case arising from BFAR procurement of communications equipment in 2018.
Laurel said this is to ensure BFAR's continued operations and implementation of the agency's major projects.
“OIC Isidro Velayo, director IV and assistant director for technical services, is a career professional and respected official of BFAR,” he said.
“My marching order to him is to ensure that operations of the agency will not be affected by this legal development,” he added.
Velayo was a former national coordinator of BFAR’s seaweed program and previously regional director for the Zamboanga Peninsula. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)