The recent relief of the Davao regional director of the Department of Agriculture (DA) has purportedly caused ripples of unease among field officers of the department.

Dr. Roger Chio, a career official who is also a Career Executive Service Officer (CESO), was recently taken out of Region 12 by the Palace upon the recommendation of ranking DA officials.

His relief was unexpected since Chio's wife is related to President Arroyo and had been her coordinator in the region since she ran for senator decades ago.

No one in the DA's central office apparently knows the reason why Chio was taken out of his post. He did not respond to phone queries and text messages.

A bureau director reached by the Manila Bulletin said he was "blind to the news," and had not spoken to Chio about it.

As CESO, Chio could not be taken out of his position without any compelling reason.

Former DA officials said Chio is competent and had been doing his job and expressed surprise why he was sacked.

The case of Chio comes in the heels of complaints within the DA high echelon about some career officials being "taken out of their plantilla positions" and their stay in the department made co-terminus with the tenure of Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap.

One such official said he will be leaving the department next year in spite of his role in the DA as a "plumber" who had been fixing problems in various units, from planning to operations and even on such matters as agribusiness deals hatched by the National Agribusiness Corp. (Nabcor), the corporate unit of the department that crafts agreements with foreign countries wishing to enter into long-term leases of land and prolonged food production ventures. (Marvyn Benaning)