In a Special Order issued by Department of Agriculture Secretary William Dar on January 13, 2021, NMIS, Executive Director Reildrin Morales is designated as Officer in Charge of the Bureau of Animal Industry effective February 1, 2021. Dr. Morales was appointed as NMIS Executive Director on March 3, 2020. He will be replaced by Dr. Jocelyn Salvador in an Officer in Charge capacity. Before his appointment as NMIS Director, Dr. Morales worked as a national program coordinator for anti-microbial resistance at the Food and Agriculture Organization regional office for the Asia and the Pacific.
Dr. Morales, despite his short stint at the NMIS, was able to institute safety protocols to protect NMIS employees from the threat of COVID 19. At the height of the pandemic, Dr. Morales also issued guidelines on safety protocols to be implemented by meat establishments in order to protect meat inspectors from being exposed to the virus. In a few number of times, he issued a no face to face transaction of services to minimize the number of people in the NMIS premises.
One of the major accomplishments of Dr. Morales during his stint at the NMIS is his response to the increasing complaints concerning unsafe and low quality meat bought from online stores. To respond to the issue, Dr. Morales issued several guidelines including the Guidelines on Online Selling and Delivery of Meat and the Guidelines on the Use of Meat Importers Certificate of Accreditation Number for the Traceability on Online Selling of Imported Meat. The guidelines served as a reference for consumers who wish to buy meat from online stores.
Dr. Jocelyn Salvador, Chief of NMIS Meat Import and Export Division, was designated to occupy the office vacated by Dr. Morales as an officer in charge. By virtue of a special order issued by Secretary Dar, Dr. Salvador is will assume the office on February 1. Dr. Salvador has been with the NMIS for 31 years. # # # (Roberta L. Riguer / DA- NMIS)
