President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has named Undersecretary Bernardo G. Fondevilla as the new chief of the Agriculture department following the resignation of Secretary Arthur Yap. Arroyo's accouned the appointment during the inspection of the Casecnan Multipurpose Irrigation and Power Project (CMIPP) in Guimba, Nueva Ecija where both Yap and Fondevilla were present. Fondevilla is chair of the El Ni?o Task Force, which was reactivated to buffer the effects of the dry spell.
