Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on Wednesday installed Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Regional Director Isidro Velayo Jr. as the agency’s officer-in-charge following the dismissal of BFAR Director Demosthenes Escoto as ordered by the Ombudsman.
“The Ombudsman’s order, forwarded to the office of the DA chief for implementation, found Escoto guilty of grave misconduct in a graft case arising from BFAR’s procurement of communications equipment in 2018,” said the DA in a statement.
“Escoto could still seek reconsideration of the Ombudsman’s decision or directly appeal the decision to the Court of Appeals,” it added.
The agriculture chief described Velayo as “a career professional and respected official of BFAR.”
“My marching orders to him are to ensure that the operations of the agency will not be affected by this legal development,” Laurel said.