JHCSC’s Search Committee Chair for the 4th President is now Agriculture Secretary

After 6 months since he commendably chaired the search committee for the new president of J. H. Cerilles State College last 21st of January, Dr. William D. Dar is now appointed as the new Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA) effective August 4, 2019. He replaces Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol, the incoming head of the Mindanao Development Authority.
As the committee chair, Dr. Dar led the Public Presentation of Candidates for the school presidency which was held at the JHCSC Gymnasium of the Main Campus in Mati, San Miguel, Zamboanga del Sur last January.
William Dar as the new Agriculture Secretary, a post he held two decades ago during the administration of President Joseph Estrada is a horticulturist and served as director-general of the International Center for Research in the Semi-arid Tropics based in India from 1999 to 2014.
He also became the first director of the Philippine Bureau of Agricultural Research in 1988 and was designated director of the Philippine Council for Agricultural Research and Rural Development in 1994.
In a statement, the 4th President elect of JHCSC Dr. Mary Jocelyn V. Battung, together with the new set of school officials, jointly commended the appointment of Dr. Dar as the new agriculture chief.
As Agriculture being one of the flagship programs of JHCSC, Dr. Battung will continue to further strengthen its partnership with DA to avail additional projects particularly in line with agribusiness, agrotourism and technology transfer for production and extension that will soon serve as additional economic and social enterprises of the college and the community it serves.
In fact, JHCSC in partnership with the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) through Dr. Jerry B. Superales is presently implementing a research project on Identifying Suitable Sites for Small Scale Irrigation Projects in Western Mindanao Region (Region-IX) through GIS-Based Water Resources Assessment.
Dr. Battung emphasized that agriculture plays a crucial role in the life of an economy. And it’s the backbone of the Philippine economy.
“Agriculture not only provides food and raw materials but also employment opportunities to a very large proportion of population especially here in Zamboanga del Sur,” Dr. Battung concluded.