DAVAO CITY (September 16) — President Rodrigo Duterte wants Philippine Army Commander Major General Rolando Joselito Bautista to head the National Food Authority (NFA).
Duterte said he wants Bautista to replace sacked NFA manager Jason Aquino.
Bautista, who is set to retire from government service this coming October, was handpicked by Duterte during the Typhoon Ompong briefing at the Cagayan Provincial Capitol in Tuguegarao City on September 16, 2018.
During the conference, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III was narrating about the problem on NFA rice delivery in Cagaan Province. Bello suggested to Duterte to designate Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol to temporarily lead the office pending the appointment of Aquino’s replacement “Si Manny lang muna habang wala pang head sa NFA.”
To this, Duterte replied, “Si Rolly, mabait ‘yan. In the meantime na ‘di kita malagay sa Central Bank, puwede ka muna sa NFA siguro, to rationalize the idiotic structure… para maplano, make it structural,”Wala man akong ibang mailagay.”
Addressing to Bautista, Duterte said “In the meantime please help the country, ikaw na.”
With his impending official appointment, Bautista was instructed “Help the country to rationalize everything there, purchase truck para kung may ano.. may magamit.”
Bautista, a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Sandiwa” Class of 1985, was also a former commander of Presidential Security Group (PSG) before he was named as commander of the Zamboanga-based 1st Infantry Division of the PA.
Prior his designation as PSG chief, Bautista was commander of the Army’s 104th Brigade, which oversees Basilan, the stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf Group.
He also served as battalion commander of the 73rd Infantry Battalion in Davao from 2005 to 2007 and later to the Compostela Valley-based 10th Infantry Division from 2007 to 2010.-Editha Z. Caduaya/NewsLine.ph
