Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. has designated lawyer Paz Benavidez II as assistant secretary for policy and regulations.
Benavidez will head the secretariat of the DA oversight panel on the issuance of regulations, a body created in compliance with provisions of the Anti-Red Tape Act.
Prior to Benavidez’s new assignment, Tiu Laurel issued Administrative Order 1 which sets guidelines on the conduct of Regulatory Impact Assessment, or RIA, for proposed DA regulations.
Undertaking RIA, according to ARTA, will ensure regulations are subjected to proper consultations and evidence-based analysis before their issuance.
The RIA process is expected to help government agencies, local government units, and other government instrumentalities to pass sound and effective regulations that provide the most benefit to Filipinos.
The administrative order also sets up a Regulatory Clearinghouse System to subject draft regulatory policies and guidelines to review. The DA’s Policy Research Service will conduct the initial review before prior to the assessment of the Policy and Regulations division.
Other appointments include lawyer and veterinarian Asis Perez as the undersecretary for Policy, Planning, and Regulations.
Also appointed by Tiu Laurel were Noel Padre as assistant secretary for planning and project development; Arthur Dayrit, regional technical director for operations at the regional field office III; IIrene Adion as officer-in-charge of the regional technical director for research, regulations and integrated laboratory sessions at RFO III; Fidel Libao as regional technical director for operations at RFO IV-A;
Celso Olido as regional technical director for research and regulation at RFO IV-B; Maria Melba Wee as regional technical director for operations at RFO IX; Maria Gemma Genaldo as officer-in-charge of regional technical director for research, regionals and integrated lab services at RFO IX;
Redeliza Gruezo as officer-in-charge of regional technical director for research and regulations, in concurrent capacity as chief, field operations division at RFO IV-A; Lawyer and director IV Jennilyn Dawayan as regional executive director at RFO Cordillera Administrative Region; and Vener Dalig as regional technical director for operations at RFO IV-B.
