Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol made an appeal to his followers online to refrain from suggesting he should consider aiming for higher political positions on 2022 as he had no desire to pursue one.
In a recent post on his official Facebook page, Piñol took umbrage at netizens who are reportedly egging him on this early to run in the next elections because it made some people question his motives for running things fast in the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Piñol said he found it “disturbing” to read some comments in reaction to his online posts that he has the potential to become either president, vice president or senator owing to his efficiency in leading the DA so he would like to clear things up at once.
“I have no political agenda. I have no ambitions to vie for a national political position. I have personally told President Rody Duterte months ago that I will retire from government service at the end of his term in 2022,” Piñol said.
“I work hard and I do things fast because I love what I am doing and because I am passionate about agriculture and fisheries. Please allow me to do my job and work hard without being suspected of harbouring a political agenda,” he added.
Piñol, who once held local executive positions in his native Cotabato, stressed he prefers to stay out of the political limelight as much as possible. He urged the public to abstain from making unnecessary comments because it might affect his job at the DA.
“Suggesting that I do things the way they are done—fast and quick—because I have political ambitions would be very unfair to me and it would affect my work. Remember that the political arena is a dog-eats-dog territory,” Piñol said.
“There are those who crave for very high political positions and I will be placed in the crosshair of political character assassination if they feel that I would be a threat. Ibigay na natin ang pulitika sa kanila.”
Piñol said those who expressed amazement at the speed with which he does things and implement programs in the DA are even in for bigger surprises once the 2018 budget program of the Duterte administration kicks off.
The DA chief posted the message at 5:38 a.m. on Christmas Day. It has so far elicited 15,000 positive reactions from other Facebook. (Aytch dela Cruz)