TACLOBAN
CITY, Dec. 12 (PNA) -– The Department of Agriculture (DA) regional
office here is eyeing the return of agricultural extension workers and
technicians as “detailed” workers of the national government next year.
Citing
inefficiencies on the way the local government handled these workers,
DA Eastern Visayas Regional Executive Director U-Nichols Manalo said
there’s a need to transfer their supervision to the farm department.
“Presently,
they can’t go around to check our farmers since they don’t have
mobilization funds. Many of these agriculture workers just stayed in
their offices,” Manalo said.
The farm department noted that some
of them are assigned as tax collectors, market supervisors and even
security officers, and other jobs not related to farming.
These
technicians and extension workers used to be DA employees assigned to
the provinces and towns. Their functions were "devolved" to the local
government units after the passage of the Local Government Code in 1991.
The
new DA regional chief is optimistic that the move will push through
next year following the signing of agreement between the Department of
Interior and Local Government, DA, and local government units for the
reassignment of thousands of farm technicians and extension workers.
“Under
the agreement, the local government will still shoulder the salary of
extension workers while the farm department will provide allowances, per
diems and trainings to them. They will also receive directives and
orders from the DA regional office,” Manalo added.
Aside from
this, the DA will also hire new technicians who are graduates from
agriculture school since most of existing workers are already old,
according to Manalo.
Earlier,
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol discussed the plan in his visits
to Leyte and Samar provinces and the proposal was “roundly accepted” by
governors and mayors. (PNA)
LAP/SARWELL Q. MENIANO
No comments:
Post a Comment