Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES pare 24 JUL 275 Bh
Quezon City TIME _ [pop
By ay
TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 2455

Introduced by Rep. Dante S. Garcia and Rep. Kenneth Paolo C. Tereng,

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Agricultural Information System is defined as a system in which agricultural information is
generated, transformed, transferred, consolidated, received and fed back in such a manner
that these processes function synergistically to underpin knowledge utilization by agricultural
producers (Réling, 1988). This system interacts with and influences agricultural productivity
in a so many ways in relation to consumption, decisions on labor, livestock, capital and
management. It is non-debatable that agricultural productivity can be improved by relevant,
reliable and useful information, knowledge, and technology.

‘The main objective of the proposed law is to improve the country’s agricultural planning
process through the establishment of a computer database that shall contain an up-to-date
inventory of all agricultural commodities available in the various local communities.

This proposed law establishes the Agriculture Information System (AIS) in all cities and
municipalities which shall serve as a computer database where information on the demand for
specific agricultural commodities is gathered simultaneously with the production data from
farmers in every barangay, and which shall serve as the platform for the marketing of
agricultural products nationwide.

It mandates the local government units to gather and consolidate all pertinent data on the
profile and demographics of farmers and buyers, and to store these in their respective AIS. It
facilitates the free registration of all farmers, fisherfolk, as well as buyers transacting within
their respective area in the information system.

It also mandates the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture to monitor and ensure the
compliance of all cities and municipalities in establishing a centralized Agricultural
Information System that shall integrate and link all existing information systems in the
country. Thus, directs the Department of Agriculture to prepare and submit to the President
and both Houses of Congress an annual report on the implementation of the Program.

In view foregoing, immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

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ARCIA KENNETH aoe TERENG
2" Dilttits, La Union KM Ngayon Na Partylist


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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

Z
HOUSE BILL NO. 2455

Introduced by Rep. Dante S. Garcia and Rep. Kenneth Paolo C. Tereng

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:
SECTION 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the “Agriculture Information

‘System Act.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. It is the policy of the State to uplift the socio-economic
conditions of farmers and farming communities nationwide in order to promote their welfare
and empower their sector in the overall development and progress of the country. Pursuant to
this, an integrated, computerized, web-based agricultural commodity supply inventory and
registry system linking farmers and organized communities all over the country needs to be
established to provide an easy-to-access local and global real time information for agricultural
commodities, with an end view of creating a wider range of market linkages among farmers
and agricultural buyers. Furthermore, through a synchronized agriculture information system,
the National Government shall have access to real-time agricultural information which can

rationalize the objectives and policy directives in the agricultural sector.

SEC. 3. Objectives. This Act aims to attain the following objectives:
(a) Provide an up-to-date database of agricultural and fisheries products in a locality;
(b) Foster information sharing between farmers and potential buyers of agricultural
and fisheries products;


(©) 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;

(©) 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 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.

SEC. 4. Agriculture Information System. All cities and municipalities are hereby
mandated to establish an Agriculture Information System (AIS), hereinafter referred to as
Information System. The AIS shall serve as a dynamic online computer database where
information on the demand for specific agricultural and fisheries commodities is gathered and
uploaded simultaneously with the production data from farmers in every barangay. The AIS
shall merge and synchronize agricultural data from different sources into a cohesive database
designed to facilitate linkages from place of origin or the farm to local, and ultimately, global
markets. The AIS shall also be integrated with the existing systems of the DA.

The information system shall have the following features and contents:

(a) Municipal and city-wide identification of individual farmers, fish 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 particular local government unit;

(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:


(f) Registry of farmers’ contact details and farm location to facilitate market linkages;

(g) Search engine which allows farmers, fish breeders, and fisherfolk 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.

SEC. 5. Registration. All cities and municipalities shall encourage and facilitate the
free registration of all farmers and fisherfolk as well as buyers transacting within their

respective areas_ in the information system.

SEC. 6. Functions and Responsibilities of Cities and Municipalities. The local
government unit shall exercise the following functions and responsibilities:

(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, fisherfolk 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 respective regional
offices of the DA;

(©) 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.

SEC. 7. Functions and Responsibilities of the Province. The provincial government

ies:

shall have the following functions and responsibi

(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 Local 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;

() 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;

() Except for highly urbanized cities, prepare and submit such data to the regional
office of the DA.

SEC. 8. Functions and Responsibilities of the Regional Office of the DA. The
regional office of the DA shall have the following functions and responsibilities:

(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

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;

(c) Recommend to the central office of the DA appropriate interventions in the form
of marketing, importation, and training assistance, as may be needed;

(d) Validate the data from the LGUs acting as the system administrator at the regional
level and provide real time report to the central office of the DA; and

(e) Endorse for financial assistance the qualified fifth and sixth class municipalities
that can be given assistance in establishing and maintaining their respective AIS .

SEC. 9. Functions and Responsibilities of the Central Office of the DA. The central
office of the DA shall have the following functions and responsibilities:
(a) Allocate funding for the integration of the AIS with existing information systems;
(b) Coordinate with the Department of Information and Communication 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


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DICT, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), National Privacy Commission (NPC), and the
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

(@) 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

(D Provide safety nets in the import and export of agricultural products in order to

support farmers.

SEC. 10. Duties of the Secretary. The Secretary of the DA shall monitor and ensure the

compliance of all cities and municipalities as provided for under this Act and shall, as soon as
practicable, establish a centralized AIS that shall integrate and Jink all existing information

systems in the country.

SEC. 11. Reports. The Secretary of the DA shall prepare and submit to the President
and both Houses of Congress an annual report on the implementation of the Program which
shall contain the list of accomplishments and recommendations for improvements.

SEC. 12. Implementing Rules and Regulations. Within ninety (90) days after the
effectivity of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall promulgate the necessary rules and
regulations for the effective implementation of this Act.

SEC. 13. Appropriations. The Secretary of Agriculture shall include in the
Department's programs the establishment of the integrated and centralized Agriculture
Information System, the funding of which shall be included in the annual General
Appropriations Act. The LGUs shall provide the necessary funds for the establishment of an
AIS in their respective annual budgets.

SEC. 14. Separability Clause. If any provision of this Act is declared invalid or
unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected by such declaration shall remain in full
force and effect.

SEC. 15. Repealing Clause. All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, rules and
regulations or parts thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby

repealed or modified accordingly.


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SEC. 16. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in

the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,