The National Food Authority Council, led by Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr., on Monday unanimously appointed during a special meeting, Department of Agriculture director IV Larry Lacson as officer-in-charge of the agency, whose main task is to ensure the country has sufficient buffer stock of rice.

Lacson, a newly-appointed Director IV of the Department of Agriculture, brings to the NFA a unique perspective in running the day-to-day operations of the agency given his extensive experience in both the private sector and in government. Lacson is a member of Philippine Food Expo Inc. (PhilFoodex) and a former co-chairman of the agriculture and fisheries committee of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry ,  and was a former  director of the Bureau of Plant Industry.

A doctor of Agricultural Science, major in crop science, from the De La Salle Araneta University, Lacson will help ensure the smooth operation of the NFA, whose top management has been suspended by the Ombudsman due to allegedly anomalous disposition of rice buffer stocks.

A total 141 executives and employees of the NFA, a government-owned and controlled corporation, had been preventively suspended by the Ombudsman pending its investigation of the allegations. The Ombudsman has lifted the suspension of at least two dozen NFA employees.

“The NFA Council has unanimously appointed Director Larry Lacson as OIC-Administrator to make sure the operations of the agency runs smoothly, especially during this harvest season. The NFA is an integral part of our effort to ensure the country’s food security,” said Agriculture Sec. Tiu Laurel.