Agriculture Secretary Edgardo Angara has been obviously peeved these past few days.
Operations of the National Agricultural and Fishery Council (NAFC), which he chairs, are almost at a standstill as middle managers and rank-and-file employees await the outcome of a power struggle between NAFC executive director Valerio Kalaw, a presidential appointee, and Jovy Bernabe, a lawyer closely associated with Angara.
It can be recalled that Angara had fought for control of the NAFC when the Office of the President wanted to remove it from the Department of Agriculture and place it under the office of then Presidential Adviser on Food Security William Dar.
Bernabe, former deputy director of NAFC, was appointed by President Estrada as the council's new executive director last Feb. 28. His appointment was relayed to him officially by Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora on March 3.
However, Kalaw would not hear of it. While Angara was in the United States, Kalaw, along with his mother, former Senator Eva Estrada Kalaw, reportedly went to the President and asked that he be retained at the NAFC.
This developed even as Kalaw, before Angara left for the US, reportedly promised that he would leave the agency peacefully and probably stay as consultant.
The President is said to be politically indebted to Mrs. Kalaw who was reportedly responsible for his acceptance into the Liberal Party.
Last March 30, Angara swore Bernabe into office as the new NAFC executive director. In spite of this, Kalaw refused to leave his office, especially after he got a letter from the President dated April 4, stating, "It is my desire that Mr. Valerio Kalaw continue as executive director of the NAFC."
On April 6, Kalaw instructed the NAFC's division heads to submit "all receipts and disbursements incurred by the NAFC when (Deputy Executive Director) Bernabe unilaterally assumed and discharged my functions as executive director..., and all official contracts, transactions, papers, or other matters, whether internally or otherwise, undertaken by Bernabe during the same period."
On the same day, six NAFC officials wrote Kalaw, saying they could not comply with his directive because of Bernabe's appointment.
They were Danilo Isada, chief of the finance and administrative division; Lito Fernandez, ADCD chief; Bernardino Solano, legal officer; Elgie Namia, assistant chief for special projects; Elmer Estiandan, AFC-CMD chief; and Celeste Villena, MCISS chief.
Agriculture Undersecretary Demaree Raval, a close associate of Angara, said in an interview that as far as they are concerned, Bernabe's appointment still stands in spite of the President's letter to Kalaw.
"There is so much bad blood between Secretary Angara and Mr. Kalaw, especially after Mr. Kalaw has been implicated in several controversies. I know for a fact that the Secretary wants Jovy Bernabe to run NAFC," Raval told The STAR.
Recently, Angara wrote Kalaw, asking him to explain why he sold wheat obtained under the US commodity grant through a negotiated sale at a price much lower than the floor price set in the failed biddings.