President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is considering delegating the Department of Agriculture to someone else, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said on Thursday.

Bersamin said that Marcos is aware that he probably needs a regular secretary to head the DA, especially given the numerous issues facing the agriculture sector.

"But I think he's carefully considering who should be the agriculture secretary because the agriculture portfolio has a lot of issues," Bersamin said in an interview with Anthony Taberna.

Bersamin said that he does not have any information yet on who Marcos favors, but he believes the President is on his way to making a decision.

"He can't just leave it in the hands of people who can't decide quickly on a regular secretary. So I do not like to second-guess the President," Bersamin said.

When asked if there is a shortlist of candidates, Bersamin said that there may be one, but he did not elaborate.

Bersamin also said that Marcos has been thinking about delegating the DA portfolio for a while now and has been receiving advice from many people on the matter.

"Some are also suggesting that it's time for him to delegate it to someone else so he can concentrate on other needs of the country," Bersamin said.

However, Bersamin said that he believes that the advice that Marcos should still be the one to head the DA carries more weight.

Marcos has been serving as the concurrent DA secretary since he assumed office in June 2022.

The agriculture sector is facing a number of challenges, including rising food prices, supply chain disruptions and the effects of climate change.

Marcos has pledged to make agriculture a top priority of his administration and has announced a number of measures to address the challenges facing the sector, such as increasing investments in agriculture, providing support to farmers and developing new technologies.