Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. on Wednesday appointed Isidro Velayo, Jr. as officer-in-charge of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) after receiving an Ombudsman order dismissing BFAR director Demosthenes Escoto.
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 procurement of communications equipment in 2018. Escoto could still seek reconsideration of the Ombudsman’s decision or directly appeal the decision to the Court of Appeals.
Sec. Tiu Laurel said the immediate appointment of Escoto’s replacement will ensure BFAR’s continued operations and implementation of the agency’s major projects.
“OIC Isidro Velayo, director IV and assistant director for technical services, is a career professional and respected official of BFAR. My marching order to him is to ensure that operations of the agency will not be affected by this legal development,” said Sec. Tiu Laurel.
Velayo was a former national coordinator of BFAR’s seaweed program and previously regional director for the Zamboanga Peninsula.
