Branding Cito Lorenzo

This early, adversaries of newly-designated Agriculture Secretary Luis "Cito" Lorenzo are reportedly gearing up to derail his confirmation by the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA). Groups opposed to modern agricultural technologies, both international and local, have openly declared war against the new agriculture chief because of fears that his assumption would further open wide the door to these technologies.

Also this early, Lorenzo is being branded with emotional terms that are obviously designed to create an emotional wedge between him and his constituency. Among the lethal verbal darts being thrown at him is "pro-big business". This, of course, has colored references to his association with the highly-successful Del Monte agri-business concerns in Mindanao which he chaired, and with Lapanday Foods Corp. which he captained during its remarkable penetration of the world market for fresh fruits.

To journalists like myself who have covered the agriculture beat for a long time, it is obvious that Lorenzo is the type who would be vulnerable to this kind of verbal assault. This is because he does not fit the traditional paradigm of an agriculture secretary. His resumé does not contain the extensive association with peasant groups and non-governmental organizations that has traditionally been the brand of his predecessors.

In fairness to the new secretary, he is a farmer in the real sense of the word. Notwithstanding his Ateneo and Wharton School academic degrees, he does have a real love for the soil, evidenced by his hands-on involvement with his farming endeavors. Except that Lorenzo also has a strong businessman’s perspective which makes farming for him not just a social vocation but also an enterprise that has the usual elements of business – technology, marketing, competitive edge and profits.

As a farmer with a different brand, Secretary Lorenzo also does not possess the proverbial servility and timidity of the tiller of the soil. He is a gladiator at heart, always waging war in the agricultural arena. It is worth mentioning that it was he who steered Lapanday into its conquest of international markets traditionally controlled by foreign-owned multinationals.

The feat earned him the prestigious Agora Award for Export Marketing Excellence.

Secretary Lorenzo’s brand of farmer language is also markedly different from the traditional. He does not sound "peasant". His farmer lexicon includes terms like marketing, productivity and agricultural biotechnology.

Secretary Lorenzo is redefining the farmer as a "countryside-based entrepreneur," abreast with current technologies and one who looks at his farm as an instrument of production which must be coaxed to yield at optimum levels. He thinks in terms of trends, productivity, technology and increased revenues that come from the systematic management of his agricultural resource.

Admittedly, his choice of words cannot be depended on to endear him to a sector that has gotten used to the language of the oppressed.

But while he may not fit into the traditional mold, it will be good to give the new secretary a chance to prove that his business perspective on farming could work. Maybe the entry of the new agriculture secretary can help the country rethink its definition of "farmer".

We hope Secretary Lorenzo will be given the chance to prove that a modernized agriculture sector could get this country out of the rut. A world-market slugger like him just might be the right leader for a sector that must fight for survival during this era of trade liberalization.

From DAR to OPS

Would a President bent on "making the most of one’s God-given talents" (as she mentioned in her Vin D’ Honneur speech) condone a Cabinet misfit by pulling out of the agency where he messed up only to be given a new portfolio?

Specifically, would President Arroyo condone Hernani Braganza, object of a long-running attack as a misfit at the Department of Agrarian Reform, and appoint him instead as Press Secretary?

Only the President would know for sure. But after she made the difficult decision of delisting from the 2004 presidential race this early to devote her time to reforming the country under a dire "reform or perish" scenario, it is highly unlikely that the President would let a "misfit" continue working in her Cabinet.

True, Nani Braganza has several cases filed against him. But records also show that in his 18 months as DAR secretary, he resolved 80 percent of about 30,000 agrarian-related cases pending when he assumed office.

Most of the cases filed against him were initiated by officials of the DAR employees union. But they are far from being "impartial." For instance, the union president was barred from seating in all the three committees that determines promotions at the department, mainly because holding of multiple positions is contrary to law.

The union leadership is also making a big fuss out of the removal of rice allowance and the replacement of the bundy clock with a high-tech finger scan equipment. What it does not understand or cannot accept is the fact that no less that the budget department and the Commission on Audit disallowed the rice allowance. On the one hand, the finger scan is a fool-proof device that will no longer make possible the practice of letting someone else time in or time out for you.

Probably, the most serious charge filed by the union leadership against Braganza was overspending. But how can one overspend when despite the DAR budget being slashed by P1 billion last year, Braganza was still able to meet the land distribution target, release record bonuses to the workforce last December and still end up with substantial savings.

In fairness, Braganza was among the first in the Cabinet to accomplish the targets set by the President in her first State of the Nation Address. During his first year in office, the department distributed 104,261 hectares of agricultural lands to 72,188 beneficiaries as against the President’s target of 100,000 hectares.

The DAR stewardship is a thankless job. One has a constituency that is difficult to please. And the President probably realizes this.

For comments, e-mail at [email protected]