OF REPRESS) 4 fives
RECENCo
DATE _16 AUG 2016

Republic of the Philippin: Tie, bei
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES py.
Quezon City, Metro Mani — ft

REGISTRATION UNIT
Seventeenth Congress | BiLis AND INDEX SERVICE
First Regular Session“

HOUSE BILL NO. __ 2984

Introduced by Honorable Michaelina M. Antonio

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Food is a basic human need. Without food to eat, we would all be unable to live.
Without nutritious food, we would all be living unhealthy lives. Hence, we owe abundantly
our farmers, most of whom live a hand-to-mouth existence, and who toil all their lives to
give us the nutritious food sustenance that makes us strong to be able to work hard and
earn income for ourselves and our families.

Agriculture accounts for 10.3% of Filipino GDP as of 2015, according to the World
Bank.' It also employs a third of the Filipino workforce.? However, agricultural workers
remain the poorest in the labor sector. It is for this reason that Filipinos do not view farming
to be a lucrative endeavor and are discouraged from engaging in farming and fishing
activities. For the sector to achieve its full potential, participation in this line of work must
be encouraged by improving the Filipino farmer and fisherfolk’s quality of life

Taking the foregoing into consideration, this bill aims to increase the participation
of Filipino workers in the agricultural sector by taking appropriate steps to uplift the
standard of living of small farmers and fisherfolk, and to alleviate their poverty. One of the
primary problems poor farmers and fisherfolk are faced with is the education of their
children. Because of the meager income they receive from farming and fishing, they tend
to have difficulty sending their kids to college. These agricultural workers are in dire need

+ Agriculture, value added (% of GDP)” (http://data. worldbank org/indicator/NV.AGR TOTL.ZSlocations=PH).
Retrieved August 3, 2016

= "Employment in agriculture (% of total employment)". (http//data worldbank org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS).
Retrieved August 3, 2016



of assistance from the government to help ease some of their burdens. Helping them by
giving their children free education will also give them the opportunity to live better lives.

In this light, this bill intends to make quality education accessible to small farming
and fishing families who fail to send their children to school because of financial
constraints. In particular, this bill seeks to institutionalize scholarship grants to the children
of small farmers and fisherfolk.

In view of the foregoing, approval of this bill is eamestly sought. ‘d
ras

ce
sca INA M. ANTONIO


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

Seventeenth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 2984

Introduced by Honorable Michaelina M. Antonio

AN ACT GRANTING SCHOLARSHIPS FOR CHILDREN OF SMALL
FARMERS AND SMALL-SCALE FISHERFOLK

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 “Scholarship
for Children of Small Farmers and Small-Scale Fisherfolk Act.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is the policy of the State to promote
comprehensive rural development and agrarian reform as well as give priority to
education and science and technology to accelerate social progress and promote
development in the country. Towards this end, the government shall provide
qualified children of small farmers and fisherfolk opportunities to obtain quality

education through the grant of scholarships.


SEC. 3. General Objectives. — This Act promotes the development of
agriculture throughout the country by financing the college education of deserving
children of small farmers and fisherfolk, and provide incentives for them to pursue
a career in the field of agriculture, especially in their home regions.

SEC. 4. Children of Small Farmers and Small-Scale Fisherfolk
Scholarship Fund. — There is hereby created a Children of Small Farmers and
Fisherfolk Scholarship Fund to be administered by the Commission on Higher
Education (CHED) in financing the college education of deserving children of small
farmers and fisherfolk.

For purposes of this Act and in accordance with Republic Act No. 7607,
otherwise known as the “Magna Carta of Small Farmers,” small farmers shall refer
to natural persons dependent on small-scale subsistence farming as their primary
source of income and whose sale, barter or exchange of agricultural products do not
exceed a gross value of one hundred eighty thousand pesos (P180,000.00) per
annum based on 1992 constant prices.

Small-scale fisherfolk shall refer to natural persons belonging to individual
fishing households who are —_ undertaking ~—_—low-technology, —_ low-
capital, fishing practices. Their produce is usually not processed and is mainly for

local consumption. They use traditional fishing techniques such


as rod and tackle, fishing arrows and harpoons, cast nets, and small traditional
fishing boats (if any).

SEC. 5. Children of Small Farmers and Small-Scale Fisherfolk
Scholarship Grant. — The scholarship grant awarded under this Act shall be applied
to any chosen course of deserving children of small farmers and small-scale
fisherfolk and shall cover the entire tuition and miscellaneous fees of the grantee.
‘The grantee may enroll in any public or private university or college throughout the
country.

In addition, CHED shall be tasked to identify priority courses, which are those
that fall under the field of agriculture or science and technology. Eligible grantees
who enroll in these priority courses shall be entitled to an additional stipend of
P10,000 per semester to cover book allowance, housing costs, and miscellaneous
expenses.

SEC. 6. Qualifications. — To be eligible for the scholarship grant under
this Act the applicant must:

(a) Be a Filipino citizen of good moral character;

(b) Be a high school graduate;

(c) Be a child of a small farmer or small-scale fisherfolk;

(d) Be not more than thirty (30) years of age at the time of the award

of the grant;


(e) Be qualified as an incoming college student in any curricular
year level at the time of the award; and

(f) Have complied with such other requirements that may be
established by the CHED.

SEC. 7. Conditions of the Grant. — The grantees of the scholarship must
maintain a general weighted average (GWA) grade of eighty percent (80%) or better,
with no failing grade in any subject. The grantee must also carry a full semestral or
trimestral load as prescribed in the course curriculum and finish within the normal
duration of the course. Failure to meet any of these conditions shall be a ground for
the termination of the grant.

SEC. 8. Appeal. — Upon receipt of a written notice of termination of
scholarship due to non-compliance or violation of the terms and conditions of the
scholarship, a grantee may, not later than fifteen (15) days from receipt of the notice,
file an appeal for reconsideration and reinstatement of the scholarship with the
CHED. Upon the lapse of the fifteen (15) days wherein a grantee may file an appeal
and no appeal is made, the termination of scholarship shall become final and
executory.

SEC. 10. Service Obligation. — After graduating, the grantees who
enrolled in priority courses and received stipend must render return service in the

Philippines on a full-time basis, preferably in the grantee’s home region and along


the grantee’s field of training, for a period equivalent to one-half (1/2) of the length
of time that the grantee enjoyed the scholarship. Return service may be done by
being employed within the Philippines in a government agency. The proof of
employment, such as, certificate of employment, business permit, income tax return
and other documents evidencing the grantee’s completion of the required number of
years of return service must be submitted to the CHED before being issued a final
clearance.

A grantee that is unable to render the return service obligation imposed under
this section shall be liable to reimburse the Government the amount equivalent to
the scholarship funds received under this Act.

SEC. 11. Implementing Agency. — The CHED shall be the main
implementing agency of the provisions of this Act. It shall be responsible for the
evaluation, awarding and monitoring of the scholarship grants and scholars. The
CHED is also tasked with coordinating with other relevant agencies in the fulfilment
of the goals of this Act.

SEC. 12. Review and Monitoring. — The CHED shall report to the
President of the Philippines and to Congress after the first year, and annually
thereafter, on the implementation of the provisions of this Act and submit

recommendations for its improvement.


SEC. 13. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within sixty (60) days
from the approval of this Act, the CHED shall promulgate the rules and regulations
to effectively implement the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 14. Appropriations. — The amount necessary to carry out the initial
implementation of this Act shall be included in the appropriations of the CHED in
the annual General Appropriations Act of the year the following the effectivity of
this Act. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for the effective and continuous
implementation of the provisions of this Act shall he included in the annual General
Appropriations Act.

SEC. 15.  Separability Clause. — If any provision or part hereof is held
invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provisions not otherwise
affected shall remain valid and subsisting.

SEC. 16 Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, executive orders,
proclamations and administrative regulations or parts thereof inconsistent herewith
are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC.17. — Effectivity.— This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) national newspapers of
general circulation.

APPROVED