President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday said he would temporarily take on the role of agriculture secretary as his administration readies to restructure the Department of Agriculture (DA).

In a media briefing, Marcos said the agriculture sector was facing “severe” problems.

“As to agriculture, I think the problem is severe enough that I have decided to take on the portfolio of secretary of agriculture at least for now,” he said.

“The other priority, which is equally important, although it’s a long-term process, is the restructuring of the [DA],” he added.

Marcos said the DA had to be restructured for it to be “more responsive to the global situation.”

He also floated his plan to “rebuild the value chain of agriculture” as the DA earlier warned of a possible food shortage in the fourth quarter of 2022.

The country’s food supply has been affected by the Ukraine-Russia crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Marcos will assume the presidency on June 30. John Ezekiel J. Hirro