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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
2nd Regular Session 
House Bill No. ________ 
Introduced by Representative PAOLO Z. DUTERTE 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Philippines is one of the most prone countries to natural and climate-change-
induced disasters and calamities. It is also among the countries that are widely 
affected by the complexity of global oil dynamics wherein a number of consumers and 
sectors suffer the brunt of expensive fuel—making basic commodities, and all other 
products included, unaffordable.  
In a country that is largely agricultural, forty-two percent (42%) of agricultural lands 
in the country’s total land area, the Philippines has been tremendously affected by the 
inevitable natural calamities, worsening climate change, fluctuating economic forces 
and unforeseen global pandemic. Under such circumstances, prices of farm inputs 
continue to skyrocket and agricultural lands continue to be exposed to dilapidation, 
thereby increasing vulnerability among the country’s farmers. The current increase in 
commodity prices including fertilizers, farming compounds and equipment and the 
loss of their agricultural produce and revenue due to various phenomena serve as a 
double whammy to the local farmers whose majority already fall below the poverty 
line.  
Farmers serve as the backbone of our country because without them, our country will 
be shut into famish. This is for the fact that farmers feed not only their families through 
their produce but the entire nation as well. Unfortunately, the support and assistance 
they are receiving are not commensurate to their vital contribution to the country’s 
food security. Until now, they remain as one of the poorest sectors in the society. 
September 5, 2023
5:16 pm
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The 1987 Constitution highlights the State mandate to provide support to agriculture 
through appropriate technology and research, and adequate financial, production, 
marketing, and other support services. It is in this regard that this bill seeks to 
implement a Production Subsidy Program to target farmer and fisherfolk beneficiaries 
affected by the increasing cost of farm inputs due to rising fuel prices, economic 
disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and series of calamities. This shall 
facilitate their prompt recovery from the impacts of the phenomena which usually 
lead to uncompensated losses, financial burden, and unpaid debts. 
In view of the foregoing, approval of this bill is earnestly sought. 
HON. PAOLO Z. DUTERTE 


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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
2nd Regular Session 
House Bill No. ________ 
Introduced by Representative PAOLO Z. DUTERTE 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING FOR A FIFTEEN THOUSAND PESOS (P15,000) PRODUCTION 
SUBSIDY FOR FARMERS AND FISHERFOLKS AFFECTED BY INCREASING 
COST OF FARM INPUTS, RISING FUEL PRICES, ECONOMIC DOWNTURN 
AND CALAMITIES AMID THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Republic of the Philippines 
in Congress assembled: 
           SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "P15K Production 
Subsidy for Farmers and Fisherfolk Act of 2023." 
           SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State 
to free the people from poverty through policies that provide adequate social services, 
a rising standard of living, and an improved quality of life for all. 
The State must ensure that Filipino farmers and fisherfolk are afforded with 
significant and necessary support to aid them in their food production and livelihood. 
Towards this end, the State shall provide an immediate, quick-release, and 
unconditional production subsidy to farmers and fisherfolk. 
 SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. – The following terms as used in this Act 
shall be referred to as the following: 
a. Farmers - Farmers refer to those who earn their income by working on the
land. As used in this Act, it includes agricultural workers, fisherfolk,
indigenous peoples, including rural women, and workers in cattle and
livestock farms, aquaculture, and pasture lands.
b. Fisherfolk - are those engaged in the production, growing, harvesting,
processing, marketing, developing, conserving, and managing of aquatic
resources and fisheries areas
c.
Production Subsidy - Necessary government support in the form of cash
that will augment the capacity of farmers and fisherfolk to continue their
farming and fishing activities.
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d. Poor families - are those whose monthly income stands at less than P23,660. 
Low-income families - are those whose monthly income stands between 
P23,660 to P60,000. 
 
           SECTION 4. Production Subsidy Program. - A Production Subsidy Program 
shall be implemented to cover 9.7 million farmers and fisherfolk affected by increasing 
cost of farm inputs such as fertilizer, rising fuel prices, economic disruptions due to 
the COVID-19 pandemic and those who are affected by the series of calamities. 
Provided that a fixed one-time production subsidy of Fifteen Thousand Pesos 
(PhP15,000.00) shall be provided to each of the beneficiary-family. Provided further, 
that the availment of the Production Subsidy Program should not affect the eligibility 
of a farmer and/or a fisherfolk to other social protection and livelihood support 
programs. Provided finally, that a definite and actual list of 9.7 million beneficiaries 
of the production subsidy program shall be finalized and submitted by the 
Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), in 
coordination with local government units, to Congress two (2) weeks after the 
effectivity of this Act. 
 
The sum of One Hundred Forty-five Billion and Five Hundred Million Pesos (Php 
145,500,000,000.00) is hereby appropriated to the Department of Agriculture for the 
implementation of this Section. 
 
           SECTION 5. Eligibility. - To be eligible under this Act, a farmer and or 
fisherfolk must be classified as poor and low-income, and must include as member of 
any of the following: 
 
a. Beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) 
b. Beneficiaries of the Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT) program 
c. Farmers and fisherfolk who are not beneficiaries of 4Ps or CT but earned 
less due to the rising cost of farm inputs, rising fuel prices and effects of 
calamities. 
 
 
           SECTION 6. Form and manner of payment. - The one-time Production Subsidy 
shall be released to target beneficiaries either in cash or via electronic payment or any 
banking or non- banking service, whichever is more practical and acceptable to the 
beneficiary, in the most expeditious manner within the period covered by the 
program. 
 
           SECTION 7. Waiver of fees. - Any transaction or service fee arising from the 
payment of cash subsidy to target beneficiaries, whether through banking or non-
banking modes of cash transfer, is hereby automatically waived. For this purpose, the 
Department of Agriculture shall enter into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with 
banking institutions and financial service providers. 
 
           SECTION 8. Sources of funding. - For the implementation of Section 4 of this 
Act, the herein production subsidy shall be funded from the following: 
 


 
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a. 2022 General Appropriations Act (GAA): Provided, That funds for the 
herein authorized programs, activities and projects (P/A/Ps) shall be 
sourced primarily from the unprogrammed funds and savings realized 
from modified, realigned, or reprogrammed allocations for operational 
expense of any government agency or instrumentality under the Executive 
Department, including, but not limited to, traveling expenses, supplies and 
materials, expenses, professional services, infrastructure projects, general 
services, advertising expenses, printing and publication expenses, and 
other maintenance and operating expenses in the 2022 GAA: Provided, That 
such discontinued P/A/Ps do not support the objectives of economic 
stimulus and recovery for having low labor intensity or low multiplier 
effects: Provided, further, That infrastructure, having the highest multiplier 
effect can only be discontinued when all other funds, including unobligated 
allotments and unreleased appropriations, have been exhausted. 
 
Notwithstanding the provisions of this Act, the discontinued P/A/Ps may 
be revived at any time after the COVID-19 pandemic has ceased, and 
notwithstanding the provisions of Republic Act No. 11639 or the "General 
Appropriations Act of 2022", may be revived and proposed for funding 
within the next two (2) fiscal years.  
 
b. Savings pooled pursuant to Republic Act No. 11469, otherwise known as 
the "Bayanihan to Heal as One Act" and Republic Act No. 11494, otherwise 
known as "Bayanihan to Recover as One Act":  
 
c. Excess revenue collections in any one of the identified tax or non-tax 
revenue sources from its corresponding revenue collection target, as 
provided in the FY 2022 Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing 
(BESF): 
 
d. New revenue collections or those arising from new tax or non-tax sources 
which are not part of nor included in the original sources included in the 
FY 2022 BESF: 
  
e. Any unutilized or unreleased balance in special purpose funds (SPFs), 
including, but not limited to, funds appropriated towards the Barangay 
Development Program, shall be considered to have their purpose 
abandoned. All such unspent, unutilized, or unreleased money or funds 
sourced from SPFs shall be utilized and are hereby appropriated for such 
measures to address the COVID-19 situation and to accomplish the declared 
national policy herein; 
 
f. Cash, funds, and investments held by any GOCC or any National 
Government Agency: Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the 
President is hereby authorized to allocate cash, funds, investments, 
including unutilized or unreleased subsidies and transfers, held by any 
GOCC or any National Government Agency in order to address the 
COVID-19 Pandemic; and 


 
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g. Unused appropriation for debt servicing: Notwithstanding any law to the 
contrary, the President may direct the discontinuance of unutilized 
automatic appropriations for debt service and available appropriation for 
redemption of maturing government securities and use the savings 
generated therefrom to augment the allocation for any item necessary for 
the purposes identified in this Act. 
 
All amounts so reprogrammed, reallocated, or realigned shall be deemed 
automatically appropriate for the said purposes: Provided, That for interest payments, 
the savings will be generated from the unused appropriations after actual payment of 
interest per month as reported by the Bureau of Treasury to the DBM: Provided 
further, That for principal repayment the savings will be generated from the funds 
freed up as a result of a debt exchange by the Bureau of Treasury. 
 
For succeeding implementation of this Act, the amounts necessary to carry out 
the provisions of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act 
(GAA) and shall be appropriated under the Department of Agriculture in accordance 
with the provisions of this Act. 
 
           SECTION 9. Separability Clause. - If, for any reason, any portion or provision 
of this Act shall be held unconstitutional or invalid, the remaining provisions not 
affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect. 
 
           SECTION 10. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
executive order, letter of instruction, department order, administrative order, rule or 
regulation contrary to, or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby 
repealed, modified or amended 
accordingly. 
 
            SECTION 11. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
 
Approved,