MANILA, Philippines – Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. appointed on Wednesday, April 17, Isidro Velayo Jr. as officer-in-charge of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), replacing Demosthenes Escoto, whom the Office of the Ombudsman ordered dismissed after he was found guilty of grave misconduct.

A statement from the Department of Agriculture said the Ombudsman found Escoto “guilty of grave misconduct in a graft case arising from BFAR procurement of communications equipment in 2018.”

Escoto was one of the respondents in a graft complaint filed in 2022 over the procurement of P2.09 billion-worth of transceivers from a British company for the implementation of the vessel monitoring system.

At that time, Escoto was the chairman of the bids and awards committee of BFAR. Among the respondents was former director Eduardo Gongona.

Fishing vessels are required to install transceivers that will monitor their location, position, and activity at sea. This is part of the country’s vessel monitoring system, an effort to curb illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

Escoto’s last public appearance before his dismissal was in Subic, Zambales, on Tuesday, April 16, when the government awarded livelihood inputs to around a hundred fisherfolk and turned over fiber-reinforced plastic vessels to fisherfolk associations.

Escoto joined BFAR as part of its legal team, worked up the ranks, until in 2023, he was appointed as national director.

Meanwhile, Laurel described the new OIC as “a career professional and respected official of BFAR.” The agriculture chief said he had ordered Velayo “to ensure that operations of the agency will not be affected by this legal development.”

– Rappler.com