Reebli of the Phils
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

Y

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 8569.

Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN AGRICULTURE WEATHER
FFICE

Reliable and accessible information on the weather is essential for agricultural producers.
Itis an important factor in crop planning and management. The type of crop to be planted
is mainly dependent on existing weather and climactic conditions. Certain types of crops
are suitable only for the wet season and will not thrive during the dry season.

information is also ificant in minimizing the losses caused by
extreme changes in the weather condition. These weather disturbances usually occur
unexpectedly. Every year, agricultural crops worth millions of pesos are lost/damaged by
such unforeseen weather disturbances. These losses are caused by the lack or
inadequacy of weather information that will enable agricultural producers to take the
necessary precaution against natural calamities.

This bill seeks the establishment of an Agricultural Weather Office which shall be
responsible for the collection and distribution of weather information that will address the
needs of agricultural producers.

ay al

LUIS RAYMUND “LI F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.

UY


Rewbli of the Philip
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Wwerga, Cis

esi City
Qa URCS er
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS.

Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 8569.

Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.

CT
PROVIDING FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN AGRICULTURE WEATHER
OFFICE

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the “National Agriculture Weather
Information Act.”

SECTION 2. Definition of Terms. — For the purposes of this Act, the term:

(A) “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture;

(8) ‘Director’ means the Director of the Agriculture Weather Office; and

(C) “Office” means the Agricultural Weather Office

SECTION 3. Establishment of the Agriculture Weather Office. —

(A) Establishment Required. - The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish within the
Department of Agriculture an Agricultural Weather Office to plan and ad
National Agricultural Weather Information System. The System shall be comprised of the

Office established under this section and the activities of the Regional Agricultural
Weather Information Systems described in Section 8 of this Act.

(B) Director. - The Secretary shall appoint a Director to manage the activities of the
Agricultural Weather Office and to advise the Secretary on scientific and pragmatic



coordination for climate, weather, and remote sensing.

SECTION 4. Authority. - The Secretary, acting through the Office, may undertake the
following activities to carry out the provisions of this Act:

(A) Enter into cooperative projects with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and
Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) and other related government agencies
to—
(1) Support operational weather forecasting and observation useful in agriculture;
(2) Sponsor joint workshops to train agriculturalists about the optimum utilization of
agricultural weather and climate data;
(3) Jointly develop improved computer models and computing capacity; and
(4) Enhance the quality and availability of weather and climate information needed
by agriculturalists.

(B) Obtain standardized weather observation data collected in near real time through
regional Agricultural Weather Information Systems;

(C) Make, through the Department of Science and Technology, competitive grants under
Section 6 of this Act for research in atmospheric science and climatology;

7 ices under Section 8 of this Act to plan and ad
Regional Agricultural Weather Information Systems;

(E) Coordinate the activities of the Office with the weather and climate research activities
of the Department of Science and Technology; and

(F) Encourage private sector participation in the National Agricultural Weather
Information System through mutually beneficial cooperation with the private sector
particularly in the generation of weather and climatic data useful for site-specific
agricultural forecasting.

SECTION 5. Weather Information Collection and ion to Agricultural Producers. —
(A) As one of the cooperative projects authorized by Section 4(1), the Secretary of
Agriculture shall enter into an agreement with the Secretary of the Department of
Science and Technology (DOST) to use PAGASA’s regional offices to collect, organize,
and distribute information aimed at meeting the short-term and long-term weather and
climate information needs of agricultural producers.

(B) Information Collection. - The Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Science
and Technology shalll jointly develop a system for the collection by the PAGASA of
weather and climate information that is relevant to agricultural producers and available
through the Agricultural Weather Office and other related agencies, regional agricultural
weather information systems and other State programs, colleges and universities, and
the private weather consulting sector.


(C) Methods of Distribution. - Weather and climate information collected under this
section shall be distributed to agricultural producers through the use of —
(1) Weekly publications containing weather forecasts and other information
regarding anticipated temperatures and precipitation levels;
(2) Tollfree and local telephone numbers that agricultural producers can call to
obtain immediate information to assist with specific day-to-day production activities;
and
(3) Such other methods as the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Science
and Technology considers appropriate to distribute such weather and climate
information to agricultural producers in a timely manner.

(D) Report. - Not later than one (1) year after the date of promulgation of this Act, the
Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Science and Technology shall jointly submit
a report to Congress analyzing the effectiveness of the cooperative project required by
paragraph (A) of this Section, in providing relevant weather and climate information to
agricultural producers. The report shall include a description of the number of agricultural
produ vho obtained weather information thi the project and an estimate of
Whether the project improved farm profitability for participating producers.

SECTION 6. Competitive Grants Program. —

(A) Grants Authorized. - With funds allocated to carry out this Act, the Secretary may
make grants to State agricultural experiment stations, public/private colleges and
universities other research institutions and organizations, private organizations and
corporations, and individuals to carry out research in all aspects of atmosphere sciences
and climatology that can be shown to be important in a basic and developmental way to
understanding, forecasting and delivering agricultural weather information.

(B) Competitive Basis. - Grants made under this section shall be made on a competitive
basis.

(C) Priority. — In selecting among applications for grants under paragraph (A) of this
Section, the Secretary shall give priority to proposals which emphasize —
(1) Techniques and processes that relate to weather-induced agricultural losses,
and to improving the advisory information on weather extremes such as drought,
floods, and storms well in advance of their actual occurrence;
(2) The improvement of site-specific weather data collection and forecasting; or
(3) The impact of weather on economic and environmental costs in agricultural
production.

SECTION 7. National Advisory Board on Agricultural Weather. —
(A) Establishment Required. - The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish an Advisory

Board on Agricultural Weather (herein after referred to in this section as the “Board”) to
advise the Director of the Agricultural Weather Office with respect to carrying out the


provisions of this Act.

(B) Composition. - The Board shall be composed of nine (9) members, to be appointed
by the Secretary of Agriculture in consultation with the Secretary of Science and
Technology. Four (4) members shall come from the private sector, two (2) of whom shall
be agricultural producers, and the other two (2), agricultural or atmospheric scientists.

(C) Chairperson, — The Board shall elect a chairperson from among its members.

(0) Term. - Each Board member shall be appointed for a three-year term, except that to
ensure that members of the Board serve staggered terms, the Secretary shall appoint
three (3) of the original members of the Board for a term of one (1) year and another
three (3) of the original members for a term of two (2) years.

(E) Meetings. - The Board shall meet not less than twice annually.

(F) Compensation. - Members of the Board shall serve without compensation, but while
away from their homes or regular places of business in the performance of services for
the Board, members of the Board shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem
allowance in lieu of subsistence, in the same manner as individuals employed in
Government service are allowed travel expenses.

SECTION 8. Regional Agricultural Weather Information Systems. —

(A) Advisory Program Grants. ~ Grants required. With funds allocated to carry out this
Act, the Secretary shall make grants to eligible provinces, each region (refers to the
of the Philippines and the autonomous r
(1) province to plan and adi
described in the next paragraph, advisory programs for regional agricultural weather
information systems.

The persons referred to in the above paragraph are the Director of the Agricultural
Weather Office, the Director of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and
Astronomical Services, and other persons as appropriate, such as the directors of the
appropriate State agricultural experiment stations and State extension programs.

(B) Consultation. - For purposes of selecting among applications submitted by provinces
for grants under this section, the Secretary shall take into consideration the
recommendation of the Advisory Board on Agricultural Weather and consult with the
Director.

(C) Eligibility Requirements. — To be eligible to receive a grant under this Section, the
chief executive officer of a province shall submit to the Secretary an application that
contains
(1) Assurances that the province will expend such grant to plan and administer a
Regional Agricultural Weather System that will —


(a) Collect observational weather data throughout the region and provide such data
to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services
Administration and the Agricultural Weather Office;

(b) Develop methods for packaging information received from the national system
for use by agricultural producers with the PAGASA and the private sector to serve
as the ary conduit of agricultural weather forecasts and climatic information to
producers; and

(c) Develop programs to educate agricultural producers on how to best use weather
and climate information to improve crop planning and management decision; and
(2) Such other assurances and information as the Secretary may require by rule.

SECTION 9. Appropriation. - The amount of One Million Pesos (P1,000,000.00) is
hereby appropriated to carry out the provisions of this Act. Subsequent appropriations for
the implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations
Act.

SECTION 10. Separability Clause. — if any provision or part hereof is held invalid or
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall
remain valid and subsisting.

SECTION 11. Repealing Clause. — Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or
inconsistent with, the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended
accordingly.

SECTION 12. Effectivity Clause. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,