Manny Piñol

Emmanuel "Manny" Fantin Piñol (born December 16, 1953) is a Filipino journalist, writer, agriculturist and politician. He is the incumbent Chairperson of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) after being appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte to replace Abul Khayr Alonto, who died on May 9, 2019 due to lung and heart complications. Prior to his appointment, he was the Secretary of the Philippine Department of Agriculture under the same administration.

Piñol was born on December 16, 1953 in Bialong, M'lang in the then-undivided province of Cotabato. He is the second eldest of 11 children born into an immigrant Hiligaynon family from Dingle and Pototan in Iloilo. His siblings include Patricio Piñol, Magpet Mayor Efren Piñol, Cotabato 2nd District Representative Bernardo Piñol, Jr., M'lang Mayor Joselito Piñol, Noli Piñol Sr., Gerardo Piñol, Ferdinand Piñol, Nilo Piñol, Provincial Board member Socrates Piñol, from oldest to youngest . He grew up in the family's rice farm and completed his primary, intermediate and secondary education in M'lang where he was class valedictorian.

He worked in media starting in 1976. He worked as a disc jockey for DXCM, the radio station of the University of Mindanao, and as a radio journalist and newswriter for DXMS in Cotabato City.

Piñol is a graduate of the University of Southern Mindanao with a bachelor's degree in Development Communication (2006) and a master's degree in Rural and Economic Development (2008). On June 2018, he graduated again from the University of Southern Mindanao after finishing his doctoral degree in rural development.

In 1978, Piñol first entered government service as public relations officer of the National Grains Authority. In the same year, he became an editor for the Philippine News Agency where he worked for 4 years. His career in media also includes serving as senior copy editor and sports columnist for Tempo. He was also a writer for Interior Secretary Rafael Alunan III and President Fidel Ramos prior to becoming mayor of M'lang.

Political career

Piñol was first elected into public office in 1995 when he ran for mayor as a substitute to his father, former Cotabato Provincial Board memberBernardo Piñol Sr., in their hometown of M'lang, Cotabato. In 1998, he was elected as Cotabato's provincial governor, a position he held for three consecutive terms. During his term as governor, he supported several agriculture programs such as the Malitubog–Maradugao irrigation and bottom-up planning for the province's rubber, oil palm, banana and coconut industries.

Barred from seeking another term in 2007, Piñol ran as Vice Governor of Cotabato and won with his former vice governor Jesus Sacdalan becoming the new governor. He is credited with having reduced the province's poverty incidence from 41.6% in 2000 to 25.6% in 2009. He was also known for his opposition to the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) between the government under President Gloria Arroyo and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

During the 2010 gubernatorial elections, Piñol was again a candidate for governor of Cotabato but eventually lost to Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza. In the 2013 elections, he again ran for the same position and lost again to the reelectionist governor.

On June 2017, Piñol took oath as one of the newest members of the PDP-Laban political party. He was also named as the point person for North Cotabato. Piñol is the 3rd member of President Rodrigo Duterte's Cabinet to join PDP-Laban, along with Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre and Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi.

Piñol is married to Emily Asentista and they have 3 children: Maria Krista, Josa Bernadette and Bernhart Immanuel.

Piñol also hosted DZRH's Biyaheng Bukid during Duterte's campaign season, eventually getting the early Saturday morning slot, but still reports in Damdaming Bayan's first part.