Republic of the PIIilippines
HOUSE 0F REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila
NINHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
HouseBi||No.80{4
Introduced by Representative Midy N. Cua
Lone District, Quirino
AN ACT ESTABLISHNG THE
AGRICULTURE INFORMATION SYSTEM IN ALL CITIHS AND MUNICIPALITIES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
One   goal   of  President   Ferdinand   R.   Marcos   Jr.   is   to   ensure   food   security,   especially   during
emergencies  as  the  country  continues  to revitalize the  economy.  Thus,  the  President  states that the
task at hand is to "transform our government into an agile bureaucracy that is responsive to the needs
of the  public,  provide  good  and  solid  data  to  ensure  informed  decision-making,  as  well  as  allow
secure and seamless access to public  services." Thus, an effective agricultural information system  in
all levels of the government (national and local) must be effectively instituted to advance the cause of
agricultural  production  and  modernization.   This  points  to  the  need  for  the  digitalization  of  the
agriculture sector to achieve its goals of reducing poverty and attaining food security.
In  line with this, the proposed measure seeks the creation of an  integrated, computerized,  web-based
agricultural   commodity   supply   inventory   and   registry   system   linking   farmers   and   organized
communities   all   over   the   country.   This   system   will   provide   an   easy-to-access   and   up-to-date
information on agricultural commodities,  creating a wider range of market linkages between farmers
and  agricultural  buyers.  This  could  help  the National  Government  to  rationalize the  objectives  and
policy   directives   in   the   agricultural   sector.   Ultimately,   the   proposed   measure   will   uplift   the
socioeconomic   conditions   of  our   farmers   and   farming   communities   and   develop   the   country's
agricultural sector by securing a market for agricultural and fisheries products.
This   measure   previously   passed   the   third   reading   in   the   18th   Congress.   It   was   proposed   by
Representatives  Lorenz  R.  Defensor,  Manuel  D.  Cabochan,  Ill,  lose  Francisco  "Kiko"  8.  Benitez,
Antonio "Tonypet"  Albano,  Joseph  "Jojo"  L.  Lara,  Resurreccion M.  Acop,  Manuel  Jose "Maninix"
M.  Dalipe,  Marlyn "Len" 8.  Alonte,  Arnie 8.  Fuentebella,  Michael  8.  Gorriceta,  Florida "Rida"  P.
Robes,  Evelina G.  Escudero, Conrado M.  Estrella,  Ill,  Deogracias Victor "DV" 8.  Savellano, Aurelio
"Dong" D.  Gonzales,  Jr.,  Sharee Ann T. Tan,  Wilfredo "Willy" S.  Caminero,  Jose "Jun" L.  Ong, Jr.,
Estellita 8.  Suansing, Aleta C.  Suarez, Alfel M.  Bascug, Juliette T.  Uy,  Eddiebong G.  Plaza, Faustino
"Inno"  A.  Dy,  V,  ,  Alyssa  Sheena  P.  Tan,  Leonardo  L.  Babasa,  Jr.,  Carl  Nicolas  C.  Carl,  Rosanna
"Ria"   Vergara,   Joselito   "Joel"   S.   Sacdalan,   Manuel   T.   Sagarbarria,   Greg   G.   Gasataya,   Gil
"Kabarangay" A.  Acosta, Jr.,  Frederick W.  Siao,  Rogelio Neil P.  Roque, Jose "Ping-Ping" I. Tejada,
Angelo Marcos Barba, Femando T. Cabredo, Micaela S. Violago, Kristine Singson-Meehan, Faustino
Michael  Carlos  T.  Dy,  Ill,  lan  Paul  L.  Dy,  Abdullah  D.  Dimaporo,  Dahlia  A.  Loyola,  Amihilda  J.
Sangcopan,  ,  Maricel  G.  Natividad-Nagafio,     M.D„  Virgilo  S.  Lacson,  Macnell  Lusotan,  Shirlyn
Bafias-Nograles, Josephine Ramirez-Sato, Roger G. Mercado, Francisco G. Datol, Jr., Argel Joseph T.


Cabatbat, Gabriel H. Bordado, Jr., Teodorico Haresco T. Jr., Rico 8. Geron, Julienne "Jam" Baronda,
Rose Marie "Baby" J. Arenas, Christopher V.P. De Venecia, Pablo John F. Garcia, Henry S. Oaminal,
Stella  Luz  A.   Quimbo,   Strike  8.   Revilla,   Rufus  8.   Rodriguz,   Ruftyr  8.   Biazon,   Peter  John  D.
Calderon, Luis N. Campos, Jr., Junie E.  Cua, Luisa Lloren Cuaresma,  Paul Ruiz Daza, John Michael
R.  Duavit,  Vincent  Franco  "Duke"  D.  Frasco,  Ruwel  Peter  S.  Gonzaga,  Romeo  S.  Momo,  Yasser
Alonto  Balindong,  Sergio  C.  Dagooc,  Cheryl  P.  Deloso-Montalla,  Mohamad  Khalid  Q.  Dimaporo,
Alan  "Aldu"  R.  Dujali,  Eduardo  "Eddie"  R.  Gullas,  Godofredo  N.  Guya,  Glona  G.  Labadlabad,
Edward  Vera  Perez  Maceda,  Pablo  C.  Ortega,  Allan  Benedict  S.  Reyes,  Geraldine  8.  Roman,  Joy
Myra  Salvador-Tambunting,  Angelina  "Helen"  D.L.  Tan,  M.D.,  John  Reynald  M.  Tiangco,  Luicy
Torres-Gomez,  Kristine Alexie 8.  Tutor,  Samantha Louise Vargas Alfonso,  Presley Cheng De Jesus,
Jonathan  Keith  T.  Flores,  Mark  0.  Go,  Irene  Gay  F.  Saulog,  Alan  8.  Ecleo,  I,  Eric  G.  Yap,  and
Wilfrido Mark M. Enverga as principal authors thereof.
In view of the foregoing, approval of this measure is earnestly sought.
2


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE 0F REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila
NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
HouseBi||No.8044
Introduced by Representative Midy N. Cua
Lone District, Quirino
AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE
AGRICULTURE INFORMATION SYSTEM IN ALL CITIES AND MUNICIPALITIES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House Of Representatives Of the  Philippines in Congress assembled:
I        SECTION I. Sfoor/ r/.//c. -This Act shall be known as the "Agriculture Information system Act."
2
3        SEC. 2. Dcc/¢rc}/z.t)# a/Po/z.c);.  -It is the policy of the state to uplift the socioeconomic conditions of
4        farmers  and  farming  communities  nationwide  in  order  to  promote  their  welfare  and  empower  their
5        sector   in  the  overall   development  and  progress   of  the  country.   Pursuant  to  this,   an   integrated,
6        computerized, web-based agricultural commodity supply inventory and registry system linking farmers
7        and organized  communities all  over the country needs to be established to provide an easy-to-access
8        local  and  global  real  time  information  for  agricultural  commodities,  with  an  end  view  of creating  a
9        wider  range  of  market  linkages  among  farmers  and  agricultural  buyers.   Furthermore,  through  a
10        synchronized agriculture information system, the National Government shall have access T0 real-time
I I         agricultural  information  which  can  rationalize the  objectives  and  policy  directives  in the agricultural
12         sector.
13
14        SEC. 3.  OC)y.cc//.v€L`'.  -This Act aims to attain the following objectives:
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
(a)    Provide an up-to-date database of agricultural and fisheries products in a lcoality;
(b)    Foster  information  sharing  between   farmers  and  potential  buyers  of  agricultural  and
fisheries products;
(c)    Secure a market for agricultural  and fisheries  products  and  ensure appropriate return of
investment for farmers and fisheries stakeholders;
(d)    Allow local  government units to manage a secure and  independent platform that creates
linkages for farmers and fisheries stakeholders;
(e)    Provide data on specific commodities that are readily available in a particular locality for
purposes of production monitoring in order to meet the demands of the market;
(f)     Provide  a  secure,  transparent,  and  independent  modern  web  application  that  may  be
accessed  anytime  by  the  public  through   a  multi-platform   support  or  cross-platform
3


1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
support devices which can be linked to existing systems in the Department of Agriculture
(DA);
(g)    Streamline training and seminars in the management of the operations;
(h)    Monitor the use of inputs  given  by producers, buyers,  and  other segments  of the  value-
chain including information during post-harvest and processing; and
(i)     Ensure that  all  forms  of assistance  given  to  local  government  units  (LGUs),  registered
cooperatives and other qualified individuals and organizations are monitored.
11
12        SEC.  4.  4grJ.cw//z#e'  /ng/ormc7//.o#  LS}'ys/em.   -All  cities  and  municipalities  are  hereby  mandated  to
13        establish an Agriculture Information system (AIS), hereinafter referred to as Information system. The
14        AIS  shall serve as a dynamic online computer database where information on the demand for specific
15        agricultural  and  fisheries  commodities  is  gathered  and  uploaded  simultaneously  with  the  production
16        data  from  farmers  in  every  barangay.  The  AIS  shall  merge  and  synchronize  agricultural  data  from
17        different  sources  into  a  cohesive  database  designed  to  facilitate  linkages  from  place  of origin  or  the
18        farm  to  local,  and  ultimately,  global  markets.  The  AIS  shall  also  be  integrated  with  the  existing
19        systemsoftheDA.
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
The Information System shall have the following features and contents:
(a)  Municipal and city-wide  identification of individual  farmers,  flsh breeders,  and fisherfolk
as  well  as  qualified  organizations  which  produce  specific  farm  and  fisheries  products,
regardless of quantity;
(b)  Crop harvest, volume, and type forecasting;
(c)   Inventory  of specific  classification  of crop  varieties  planted,  livestock  and  type  of fish
raised  in a pailicular LGU;
(d)  Farmers' and fisherfolk demographics,  including age group, gender, ethnic group, income,
seminars and trainings attended, and assistance received;
(e)   Selected reports presented in both tabular and graphical form
(I)   Registry of farmers' contact details and farm location to facilitate market linkages;
(g)  Search engine which allows farmers, fish breeders, and fisher folk to look for potential and
actual buyers and for such buyers to search  for farms,  farmers,  and available agricultural
and fisheries products; and
(h)  Customizable  dashboard  which  is  accessible  only  to  registered  farmers  and  fisherfolk
clients  and  contains the  farmers'  and  fisherfolk's  profile  such  as  the area  of the  farm  or
fishpond, crops planted, livestock and type of fish raised.
46
47        SEC.  5.  Rcg;.L`'/rcr/j.o#.  -  All  cities  and  municipalities  shall  encourage  and  facilitate  the  free  of all
48        registration  farmers,  fisher folk,  as  well  as  buyers  transacting  within  their  respective  areas  in  the
49        Information system.
50
4


\       SiEC. 6.  Functions  and  Responsibilities  Of Cities  and  Municipalities.  -T`he LGH  shall exerc;+se the
2        following functions and responsibilities:
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
2]
(a)    The Municipal Agriculture Office,  in coordination with the Municipal Agrarian Reform
Office,   shall   gather,   encode,   and  consolidate  all   pertinent   data  on  the  profile  and
demographics of farmers, fisher folk as well as buyers;
(b)    Monitor and control farm inputs including machineries and equipment;
(c)    For municipalities and component cities, prepare and submit real-time data under (a) and
(b) to the provincial agricultural office and to the respective regional offices of the DA;
(d)    For highly urbanized cities, submit real-time data to the respeetive regional offices of the
DA;
(e)    Establish farmer and buyer linkages and act as a gatekeeper at the city or municipal  level
in the nationwide marketing of agricultural products; and
(f)    Serve  as  the  web  administrator  at  the  municipal  or  city  level  and  be  responsible  for
integrating farm and fisheries locations into the geographic integration system map.
22        SEC.  7. Fa/77cf/.o#s cr#cJ Rcspo#5'z.a/.//.J;.cs  a//foe prov7.#cc.  -The provincial  government  shall  have the
23        following functions and responsibilities:
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
(a)    The Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) is the web administrator at the
provincial   level   and   is   responsible   for   integrating  farm  and   fisheries   data   into  the
geographic integration system maps for agriculture and fisheries;
(b)   The   Lcoal   Economic   and   Investment   Promotion   Office   (LEIPO)   acts   as   the   lead
administrator of the AIS  in the provincial  level and ensures the balance between  supply
and demand;
(c)    The    Provincial    Agricultural    Office    monitors    the    submission    of    reports    from
municipalities   and   component   cities,   and   ensures   the   completeness,   accuracy,   and
validity  of  data  submitted  by  the  Municipal  Agricultural  Offices  and  the  Municipal
Agrarian Reform Offices; and
(d)    Except for highly urbanized cities, prepare and submit such data to the regional office of
the DA.
40
41        SEC. 8. Functions and Responsibilities of lhe  Regional of f iice of the  DA. -The reg:ional offlroe of the
42        DA shall have the following functions and responsibilities:
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
(a)    Integrate the  data  provided  by  the  provinces  and  highly  urbanized  cities  in  the  existing
information  systems  of the  DA  such  as the National  Farmers and  Fisheries  Information
System (NFFIS) which is a web-based data collection system that serves as a platform for
updating the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA);
(b)   Collaborate  with the regional  offices  of the  Department  of Trade and  Industry (DTI)  in
order to facilitate the availment of the various programs of the DTI as well as strengthen
market linkages through such programs
5


1                       (c)    Recommend  to  the  central  office  of the  DA  appropriate  interventions  in  the  form  of
2                                marketing, importation, and training assistance, as may be needed;
3
4                       (d)    Validate the data from the LGUs acting as the system administrator at the regional  level
5                                and provide real-time report to the central offlce of the DA; and
6
7                       (e)    Endorse for financial assistance the qualified fifth and sixth class municipalities that can
8                                 be given assistance in establishing and maintaining their respective AIS.
9
\0       SEC. 9. Functions and Responsibilities of the central o!f f ice of the DA. -The ceritral of the DA shall
11         have the following office functions and responsibilities:
12
13                        (a)    Allocate funding for the integration of the AIS with existing information systems;
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
(b)   Coordinate   with   the   Department   of  Information   and   Communications   Technology
(DICT) to upgrade, expand, and integrate its information systems;
(c)    Ensure   that  the   implementation,   appropriate   verification   processes   and   information
safeguards are in place pursuant to existing laws and regulations, in coordination with the
DICT,   Philippine   Statistics   Authority   (PSA),   National   Privacy  Commission   (NPC),
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Science
and Technology (DOST);
(d)    Approve the prioritized  interventions by the regional  offices and allocate corresponding
funding;
(e)    Collaborate with  other agencies for the creation  of market  linkages  in the domestic  and
international markets; and
(f)    Provide safety nets  in the  import and export of agricultural products  in  order to support
farmers.
32
33        SEC.10. D#/z.es a//fec' LScc.re/cry. ~ The secretary of the DA shall monitor and ensure the compliance
34        of  all  cities  and  municipalities  as  provided  for  under  this  Act  and  shall,  as  soon  as  practicable,
35        establish a centralized AIs that shall integrate and link all existing information systems in the country.
36
37        SEC.  11.  Repor/Ls'.  ~  The  Secretary  of the  DA  shall  prepare  and  submit  to  the  President  and  both
38       Houses of congress an annual report on the implementation of the program which shall contain the list
39       of accomplishments and recommendations for improvements.
40
41         SEC.12.  /i#p/eme#/j.#g ji#/e5. cz7?cJ Rcgz//c7/;.a/„.  -Within ninety (90)  days after the this  effectivity  of
42        Act, the secretary of Agriculture shall promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the effective
43         implementationofthis Act.
44
45        SEC.13..4ppraprJ.a/j.o#s.  -The Secretary of Agriculture shall include  in the Department's programs
46        the establishment of the  integrated and centralized AIS, the funding of which  shall  be included  in the
47       annual General Appropriations Act. The LGUs shall provide the necessary funds for the establishment
48        of an AIs in their respective annual budgets.
49
50         SEC.  14.  LS`epcrrcrb7.//.ty  C/c}#b.e.  -  If any  provision  of this  Act  is  held  unconstitutional  or  invalid,  all
51         other provisions not affected thereby shall remain valid.
52
6


I        SEC.  15.  Jiepecz//.#g  C/c]ztse.  -  All  laws,  decrees,  executive  orders,  rules  and  regulations  or  parts
2       thereof, which are inconsistent with this Act, are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.
3
4        SEC.16. Ej7rec/z.v7.ty. -This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Oj7j7icz.cz/
5        Gczzc//c or in a newspaper of general circulation.
6
7                      Approved,
7