Secretary of Agriculture (Philippines)

The secretary of agriculture (Filipino: Kalihim ng Pagsasaka) is the member of the Cabinet of the Philippines in charge of the Department of Agriculture.

Secretary of Agriculture
Official seal of the Department of Agriculture
Incumbent Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. since November 3, 2023[1]
Style	The Honorable
Appointer	The president with the consent of Commission on Appointments
Term length	No fixed term
Inaugural holder	Jose Alejandrino
Formation	June 23, 1898
Website	http://www.da.gov.ph

The current secretary is Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., who assumed office on November 3, 2023.^[1]

Functions

The following are the functions of the secretary of agriculture:^[2]

• Advise the president on agriculture and fishery;
• Establish policies and standards for the department's operations;
• Promulgate rules, regulations and other issuances;
• Exercise supervision and control over the department's functions and activities;
• Delegate authority to any undersecretary or other officers in the department;
• Perform other functions provided by law or assigned by the president.

List

Secretary of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce (1898–1899)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
1		José Alejandrino (1870–1951)	June 23, 1898	January 21, 1899	Emilio Aguinaldo

Secretary of Welfare (1899)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
2		Gracio Gonzaga	June 23, 1898	January 21, 1899	Emilio Aguinaldo

Secretary of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce (1899)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
3		León María Guerrero (1853–1935)	May 7, 1899	November 13, 1899	Emilio Aguinaldo

Secretary of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce (1917–1933)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Governor-General
4		Galicano Apacible (1864–1949) [3][4]	January 11, 1917	October 31, 1921	Francis Burton Harrison
					Charles Yeater
					Leonard Wood
5		Rafael Corpus (1880–1960) [4][5]	November 2, 1921	July 17, 1923
–[a]		Silverio Apostol [6]	July 18, 1923	September 6, 1928
					Eugene Allen Gilmore
					Henry L. Stimson
6		Rafael Alunan Sr. (1885–1947) [7]	September 6, 1928	January 1, 1933
					Eugene Allen Gilmore
					Dwight F. Davis
					George C. Butte
					Theodore Roosevelt Jr.

Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce (1933–1935)

Act No. 4007 was approved on December 5, 1932, renaming the Department of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce to the Department of Agriculture and Commerce on January 1, 1933.^[8]

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Governor-General
(6)		Vicente Singson Encarnacion (1875–1961)	January 1, 1933	July 26, 1934	Theodore Roosevelt Jr.
					Frank Murphy
7		Eulogio Rodriguez (1883–1964)	July 26, 1934	November 15, 1935

Secretary of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce (1935–1941)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
(7)		Eulogio Rodriguez (1883–1964) [9]	November 15, 1935	November 15, 1938	Manuel L. Quezon
10		Benigno Aquino Sr. (1894–1947) [9]	December 1, 1938	August 28, 1941
(5)		Rafael Alunan Sr. (1885–1947) [10]	August 28, 1941	December 24, 1941

Secretary of Finance, Agriculture and Commerce (1941–1944)

President Manuel L. Quezon issued Executive Order No. 396 on December 24, 1941, reorganizing the Department of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce as the Department of Finance, Agriculture and Commerce.^[11]

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
11		José Abad Santos (1886–1942) [12]	December 24, 1941	March 26, 1942	Manuel L. Quezon
12		Andrés Soriano (1898–1964) [12]	March 26, 1942	July 31, 1944

Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce (1942–1943)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Chairman of the Philippine Executive Commission
(5)		Rafael Alunan Sr. (1885–1947) [13]	January 26, 1942	October 14, 1943	Jorge B. Vargas

Minister of Agriculture and Commerce (1943–1945)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
(5)		Rafael Alunan Sr. (1885–1947) [13]	October 19, 1943	March 20, 1945	Jose P. Laurel

Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce (1944–1947)

President Sergio Osmeña issued Executive Order No. 15-W on August 8, 1944, reorganizing the Department of Finance, Agriculture and Commerce as the Department of Agriculture and Commerce.^[14]

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
13		Manuel Nieto (1892–1970)	August 8, 1944	February 27, 1945	Sergio Osmeña
14		Delfín Jaranilla (1883–1980)	February 27, 1945	July 12, 1945
(6)		Vicente Singson Encarnacion (1875–1961) [15]	July 12, 1945	May 28, 1946
15		Mariano Garchitorena (1898–1961) [16]	May 28, 1946	July 1, 1947	Manuel Roxas

Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources (1947–1974)

President Manuel Roxas issued Executive Order No. 94 on October 4, 1947, reorganizing the Department of Agriculture and Commerce as the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources as of July 1, 1947.^[17]

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
(15)		Mariano Garchitorena (1898–1961)	July 1, 1947	September 1, 1948	Manuel Roxas
					Elpidio Quirino
16		Placido Mapa [18]	September 21, 1948	September 14, 1950
17[b]		Fernando Lopez (1904–1993) [18][19][20]	September 14, 1950	May 26, 1953
–[a]		Placido Mapa [21]	May 26, 1953	December 29, 1953
18		Salvador Araneta (1902–1982) [22]	March 10, 1954	August 13, 1955	Ramon Magsaysay
19		Juan Rodriguez	August 18, 1954	March 3, 1960
					Carlos P. Garcia
20		Cesar Fortich	March 3, 1960	September 15, 1961
–[a]		Jose Locsin (1891–1977)	September 15, 1961	December 30, 1961
21		Benjamin Gozon	1962	1963	Diosdado Macapagal
22		Jose Feliciano	1963	1965
(17)[b]		Fernando Lopez (1904–1993) [23]	December 30, 1965	January 15, 1971	Ferdinand Marcos
23		Arturo Roxas Tanco Jr. [23]	January 15, 1971	May 17, 1974

Secretary of Agriculture (1974–1978)

President Ferdinand Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 461 on May 17, 1974, creating the Department of Agriculture from the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources.^[24]

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
(23)		Arturo Roxas Tanco Jr.	May 17, 1974	June 2, 1978	Ferdinand Marcos

Minister of Agriculture (1978–1984)

President Ferdinand Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 1397 on June 2, 1978, converting all departments into ministries headed by ministers.^[25]

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
(23)		Arturo Roxas Tanco Jr.	June 2, 1978	June 27, 1984	Ferdinand Marcos

Minister of Agriculture and Food (1984–1984)

President Ferdinand Marcos issued Executive Order No. 967 on June 30, 1984, renaming the Ministry of Agriculture to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.^[26]

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
24		Salvador Hatoc Escudero III (1942–2012)	June 30, 1984	February 25, 1986	Ferdinand Marcos
25		Ramon Villarosa Mitra Jr. (1928–2000)	February 25, 1986	January 30, 1987	Corazon Aquino

Minister of Agriculture (1987)

President Corazon Aquino issued Executive Order No. 116 on January 30, 1987, renaming the Ministry of Agriculture and Food back to the Ministry of Agriculture.^[2]

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
(25)		Ramon Villarosa Mitra Jr. (1928–2000)	January 30, 1987	February 11, 1987	Corazon Aquino

Secretary of Agriculture (from 1987)

President Corazon Aquino issued Administrative Order No. 15 on February 11, 1987, converting all ministries into departments headed by secretaries.^[27]

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
(25)		Ramon Mitra Jr. (1928–2000)	February 11, 1987	March 9, 1987	Corazon Aquino
26		Carlos Dominguez III (born 1945)	March 9, 1987	December 31, 1989
27		Senen Bacani	January 1, 1990	June 30, 1992
28		Roberto Sebastian (1944–2012)	June 30, 1992	January 31, 1996	Fidel V. Ramos
(24)		Salvador Escudero (1942–2012)	February 1, 1996	June 30, 1998
–[a]		William Dar (born 1953)	June 30, 1998	May 24, 1999	Joseph Estrada
29		Edgardo Angara (1934–2018)	May 25, 1999	January 6, 2001
30		Domingo F. Panganiban (born 1939)	January 8, 2001	March 31, 2001
					Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
31		Leonardo Montemayor	March 31, 2001	December 8, 2002
32		Luis Lorenzo Jr.	December 9, 2002	August 15, 2004
33		Arthur C. Yap (born 1965) [28]	August 23, 2004	July 15, 2005
(30)		Domingo F. Panganiban (born 1939)	July 16, 2005	October 22, 2006
(33)		Arthur C. Yap (born 1965) [29]	October 25, 2006	February 24, 2010
–[a]		Bernie Fondevilla [30]	March 1, 2010	March 8, 2010
34			March 8, 2010	June 30, 2010
35		Proceso Alcala (born 1955) [31]	June 30, 2010	June 30, 2016	Benigno Aquino III
36		Emmanuel Piñol (born 1953) [32][33]	June 30, 2016	August 5, 2019	Rodrigo Duterte
37		William Dar (born 1953) [34]	August 5, 2019	June 30, 2022
38[c]		Bongbong Marcos (born 1957)	June 30, 2022	November 3, 2023	Bongbong Marcos
39		Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.[1] (born 1966/1967)	November 3, 2023	Incumbent

Notes

1. Acting secretary.
2. In concurrent capacity as Vice President.
3. In concurrent capacity as President.