.A. 
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FKE OF '%E ~~~~~~A 
FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
First Regular Session 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
) 
7 ,J(g 30 
::?il 
S E N A T E  
S. No. 
Introduced by Senator Biazon 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The theory of inter-linked transactions between the landlord and the tenant 
demonstrates the many things that the landlord was to the farmer - owner of the 
land he tilled, creditor, source of non-labor inputs, buyer of his outputs, and 
employer of extra non-farm labor. In a sense the landlord provided the tenant 
with his only link to markets. The bundling together of all these transactions also 
remedied the problem of credit risk and transactions costs. In the absence of 
anything 
better, 
the 
landlord-tenant relationship 
was 
an improvement over 
subsistence production with no opportunity for exchange. 
Agrarian reform addressed the distributive inequities of the tenancy system. 
However, with the exit of landlords from rural markets, the farmer finds himself 
without access to credit, 
to market opportunities and to many other things. 
Government intervention in rural 
markets has to 
address the urgent need to 
institutionalize ways of 
packaging factor 
inputs 
in agriculture to bring about 
innovative, efficient and competitive modes of production and marketing. Otherwise, 
support services like extension, information, and infrastructure will not be sufficient 
to overcome the perceived production risks that deter the farmer from venturing into 
higher value crops. 
This bill rationalizes and restructures the existing government organizations in 
order 
to 
establish harmony and 
coordination between policy-making and 
implementation, and market-development programs geared towards supporting the 
farmer as he transforms himself into an entrepreneur. 
The National Agricultural Marketing Council will serve as the policy-making body 
for agricultural trading, with the Regional Agricultural Marketing Councils as its branch 
offices. The following attached agencies are also created to serve proprietary roles in 
market development and intervention: 
(a) The National Agricultural Trading Corporation (NATCOR), to function as the 
market development and intervention arm of the council; 
to operate Commodity Exchange 
Centers (CECs); establish terminal markets all over the country, and 
maintain the country's 
buffer stocks 
of 
food grain 
and other food 
commodities; 
(b) The Public Warehousing Corporation, 


(a) The Agricultural Credit and Guarantee Corporation of the Philippines 
(AGCREDOR) to provide credit assistance and guarantee cover on project 
loans and inventory financing for commodities deposited in the warehouses 
of the Public Warehousing Corporation's warehouses. 
The above agencies will absorb the functions and resources of the Agribusiness 
Group, the National Agribusiness Corporation, the Agricultural Credit Policy Council, the 
Quedan and Rural Credit and Guarantee Corporation of the Philippines and the 
National Food Authority. 
Under the proposed set-up, the specialized functions are clearly identified, 
delineated and distributed among the appropriate agencies so as to avoid conflict of 
interest situations that have so often hamstrung past policy making 
and 
implementation. 
Moreover, the separation of policy-making and enforcement from 
proprietary functions paves the way for the eventual transfer of the latter functions to the 
private sector, with competitive markets geared for efficiency. 
It has been said that the poverty in many underdeveloped economies stems 
from the massive waste of resources that result from the inadequacies of market 
mechanisms. In the Philippine countryside, 
the government must confront the 
challenge to develop the market institutions that will put a stop to the massive waste 
of resources, bring productive inputs together, pave the way for more innovative 
modes of production and deliver our products to national, regional and international 
markets. 
In view of the foregoing, immediate passage of this bill is earnestly requested. 


h * :  
FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
First Regular Session 
) 
7 JUN 30 r3 29 
S. No. 
Introduced by Senator Biazon 
AN ACT 
TO PROMOTE THE AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY, STABILIZE PRICES OF 
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS AND ENHANCE FOOD SECURITY THROUGH THE 
EFFECTIVE PRODUCTION, PROCESSING, MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION OF 
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS, RATIONALIZING AND RESTRUCTURING FOR 
THE 
PURPOSE, 
ALL 
EXISTING 
GOVERNMENT 
ORGANIZATIONS 
IN 
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION, MARKETING AND OTHER 
PURPOSES 
SUPPORT PROGRAMS, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER 
Be if enacted by the Senate and fhe House of Representatives in Congress 
assembled: 
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SECTION. 
1. 
Title 
- This Act shall be known as the “National 
Agricultural Marketing Act of 2007.” 
SECTION. 2. Declaration of Policy - It is hereby declared to be the 
policy of the State to ensure the general welfare of farmers, who constitute 
a majority of the national population, 
and are key to the production of 
sufficient food supplies all over the country. 
It shall also be the policy of the 
state to ensure the attainment of food security at all times as an essential 
element of national security and a critical element of national development. For 
purposes of this Act, food security shall be defined as the availability and stability 
of food supply in a manner accessible to every Filipino of any economic and 
social standing, given any change in the country’s climatic, social, political and 
economic condition. The State recognizes that the goal of food security is best 
served through the operation of competitive markets that will provide sufficient 


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incentives to farmers and producers to increase the productivity levels of their 
farms. 
For the above purposes, the state hereby rationalizes and restructures 
existing government structures and programs on the production, processing, 
marketing and distribution of agricultural products. 
SECTION. 3. Creation of the National Agricultural Marketing Council 
- There is hereby created a policy-making and implementing body corporate 
called the National Agricultural Marketing Council, which shall have the general 
powers and attributes of a corporation as set forth in the Corporation Law and the 
particular mandate to perform 
the following functions, powers and 
responsibilities: 
(a) To forlriulate policies, plans and programs on food production, post- 
harvest handling, storage, milling, 
distribution and credit support, 
including the coordination of its implementation among the various 
agencies and institutions of the government and the private sector; 
(b) To ensure the best administration of market development programs for 
agricultural commodities and food products; 
(c) To ensure an adequate flow of these products to consumers as well as 
a fair return to producers and prevent inefficient and wasteful methods 
of distribution; 
(b) To foster the empowerment of agricultural producers into effective 
associations or corporations under their own control for greater unity of 
effort in marketing 
(c) To promote the establishment and financing of a farm marketing 
systems of producer- owned and producer-controlled 
cooperative 
associations and other agencies, 


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(d) To set and review annually 
the government’s 
buffer grain stock 
requirements at the national and local levels and to ensure that these 
requirements are achieved 
(e) To effect, with the Regional Agricultural Marketing Councils and/or other 
government entities as implementing agents, the domestic procurement 
of the government’s buffer grain stock through purchases of warehouse 
receipts or quedans of grain deposits in government, farmer-cooperatives 
and private warehouses and/or by buying grain produce directly from 
farmer cooperatives. 
(9 To cause the direct importation of rice and allocation of import quotas 
among private entities, especially certified and licensed farmer 
cooperatives 
(9) To promulgate the government‘s “stabilization price” for grains to assure 
farmers with a reasonable mark-up on their production cost 
and 
participation in the profits that may be realized from the sale of the 
government‘s buffer grain stock; 
(h) To reorient the country’s food production policies, plans and programs in 
such a way that the thrust of increasing the productivity of farmers is not 
only in terms of yield per unit area but more so in the aggregate income 
from farming enterprises; 
(i) To promote and coordinate plans and programs of assistance to 
producers through input supplies, purchases, 
payments 
and other 
operations, 
including 
low or no interest loans in partnership with 
available financial sources or institutions; 
(j) To institutionalize and actively promote the adoption of sustainable 
agricultural practices at all farm 
levels so that steady production of 
various food commodities to cope with the demands of a growing 


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population is achieved in a way that maintains the productivity of the soil 
and diminishes any adverse impact to the immediate environment; and 
(k) To undertake other tasks and activities as may be necessary to ensure 
the attainment of efficient agricultural marketing systems and food 
security. 
SECTION. 4. Governing Council. - The powers, functions and affairs of 
the Council shall be exercised and directed by a governing council to be chaired 
by the Executive Secretary, with the Secretary of Agriculture as Vice Chair and 
with the following as members: 
(a) The Secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform; 
(b) The Secretary of the Department of Finance; 
(c) The Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry; 
(d) The Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways; 
(e) The 
Secretary of the Department of the Interior 
and Local 
Government; 
(9 The Secretary of the Department of Budget Management; 
(9) The Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development; 
(h) The Secretary 
of the Department of 
Transportation and 
Communications; and 
(i) The Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural 
Resources. 
The governing council shall meet regularly at least every month on any 
date to be determined by the Chair; Provided, That the Chair may convene 
special meetings to discuss urgent matters needing immediate resolution. The 
council members shall be entitled to per diem for every meeting actually attended 
by them and other remunerations as may be determined by them. 
It shall 
prescribe the rules and regulations to govern its deliberations and other official 
actions. 


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SECTION. 5. Organization and Staff - The management of the day-to- 
day operations of the Council shall be vested in an executive director who shall 
be appointed with the rank of an undersecretary by the President of the 
Philippines. 
The Council shall set up the organizational. structure, staffing pattern, 
qualification standard, compensation scale, functions and authorities of their 
officers and employees pursuant to pertinent laws, rules and regulations being 
implemented by the Civil Service Commission and the Department of Budget 
and Management. 
SECTION. 6. Regional Agricultural Marketing Councils . - To operate 
and serve as the branch offices of the National Agricultural Marketing Council at 
the regional level, there are hereby instituted Regional Agricultural Marketing 
Councils in all administrative regions of the country. 
The Regional Agricultural Marketing Councils shall be under the 
administrative supervision and control of the National Agricultural Marketing 
Council and shall implement in the region the policies, plans and programs of the 
latter. 
SECTION. 7. Composition of the Regional Agricuitural Marketing 
Council. - The Regional Agricultural Marketing Council shall be composed of 
(a) All the provincial governors of the region; 
(b) The regional directors of the Department of Agriculture; 
(c) A representative from the farming/fisheries sector; 
(d) A representative from the agricultural marketing and..trading sector; 
and 
(e) A representative from the consumer sector 
All provincial governors with the Department of Agriculture Regional 
Director shall by majority vote choose the sectoral representatives from among 
nominees respectively submitted by recognized sectoral associations in the 


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region. Thereafter, the council members shall elect their Chair, Vice-Chair and 
other officers. 
SECTION. 8. 
Supporf Staff - 
The Regional Agricultural Marketing 
Council shall appoint, from among its members or qualified outsider, a regional 
director who shall manage and direct the day-to-day operations of the regional 
council. 
The concomitant organizational structure and plantilla of personnel shall be 
set up by the regional council subject to the approval of the national council. 
SECTION. 9. Creation of the NATCOR - There is hereby created a 
body corporate to be known as the National Agricultural Trading Corporation 
(NATCOR) an attached agency to the Council hereinafter referred to as the 
NATCOR which shall evolve the most efficient, dependable economical and 
equitable marketing systems for agricultural products. 
SECTION. I O .  
General Powers and Functions offhe NATCOR. The 
NATCOR shall have the following powers and functions: 
(a) To formulate a medium term agricultural market development plan 
which shall be updated every year; 
(b) To provide farmers and fisher folks an up-to-date market information 
by the establishment of an integrated and efficient nationwide 
information access system that will guide producers and other 
stakeholders to make decisions on what and how much to plant and 
where and when to market: 
(c) To gather, analyze and disseminate market information on various 
foreign countries’ food supply, domestic and export demand, local 
and export prices and other relevant data; 
(d) To identify markets for Philippine agricultural products and assist in 
the planning of market centers, marketing channels and distribution 


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networks to reduce marketing costs for producers and ultimately the 
cost to consumers; 
(e) To foster and assist in the development of new or expansion of 
existing domestic 
and foreign 
markets 
through institutional 
arrangements like Contract growing, 
market matching, market 
intelligence and other promotional activities for agricultural products; 
(f) To provide farmers, fisher folks and other persons or firms access to 
existing public and private researches supporting food market 
development activities; 
(9) To 
disseminate 
information 
on 
inspection, 
classification, 
standardization, and grading system for all agricultural products to 
enhance global competitiveness; 
(h) To formulate as part of its market development thrust more efficient 
ways, systems, and facilities for harvesting, threshing or shelling, 
drying, storage, 
milling, packaging, 
post-harvest handling, 
transportation and/or shipping of agricultural products for purposes of 
reducing costs and ensuring stable consumer supply; 
To require as a tool for market information the annual registration and 
publication of a directory 
of 
all persons, natural 
or juridical, 
engaged or intending to engage in wholesaling, milling, processing, 
warehousing and transporting of agricultural products, including by- 
products thereof; 
To 
coordinate with the 
Department of 
Transportation and 
Communications towards establishing 
more efficient, regular, 
adequate, suitable and economical systems of transporting and/or 
shipping of food products for purposes of reducing marketing costs 
and ensuring availability of basic transport which is central to the 
whole chain of agricultural production and distribution; and 


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(k) To promulgate policies, plans, programs, rules and regulations, 
sanctions and penalties as may be necessary for the effective 
exercise of the powers and functions of the NATCOR. 
SECTION. 
11. Strengthening of the Agricultural Marketing 
lnformation System. 
- 
For the effective implementation of the policy 
enunciated in this Act, the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics shall be strengthened 
as the principal line agency of the Republic of the Philippines for agricultural 
statistics and marketing information. It shall serve the data requirements of the 
NATCOR. 
SECTION. 12. Cooperation with ofher Governmenf Agencies and 
Private Business Organization - All units and agencies of the government 
shall support and cooperate with the NATCOR in the implementation of its 
functions and programs. Likewise, private research organizations, purchasing 
and consuming organizations, boards of trade, chambers of commerce, other 
associations of business or trade organizations, transportation and storage 
agencies and organizations, or other persons or corporations engaged in the 
production, transportation, storing, processing marketing and distribution of 
agricultural products shall support the NATCOR in the implementation of its 
functions. 
SECTION. 13. Creation of the Public Warehousing Corporation - 
There is hereby created a government-owned corporation to be known as 
the Public Warehousing Corporation, hereinafter called the Corporation, 
which shall be attached to the Council and have the following functions, 
powers and responsibilities: 
(a) To establish and maintain warehouses and post-harvest facilities for 
foods, grain and other agricultural products in all areas of production in 
the country; 


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(b) To provide warehousingktorage services 
and post-harvest 
facility 
assistance 
for the 
farmers' 
grain 
and 
food 
agricultural 
stockslinventories; 
(c) To issue, pursuant to existing laws and regulations, corresponding 
warehouse receipts or quedan for the farmers' grain and food 
inventory deposits; 
(d) To store and safe-keep the government's food or grain bufferkecurity 
stocks as directed by the Council; 
(e) To lease out, sell, build, and transfer warehouses and/or post-harvest 
facilities to 
farmer-cooperatives 
and federations, 
subject to 
the 
approval of the Council; 
(f) To establish and operate Commodity Exchange Centers (CEC); and 
(9) To exercise the general powers and attributes of a corporation as 
set forth in the Corporation Law. 
SECTION. 14. Authorized Capital Stock of the Corporation - The 
authorized capital stock of the Corporation shall be Five billion Pesos 
(P5,000,000,000) divided into five million (5,000,000) common shares of 
stock which shall be subscribed and paid for by the national government 
and government institutions. 
SECTION. 15. Governing Board - The powers, functions and affairs 
of the Corporation shall be exercised and directed by a governing board 
composed of the following: 
(a) 
(b) 
(c) 
(d) 
(e) 
Executive Director of the Council as Chair; 
General Manager of the Corporation as Vice-Chair; 
President of AGCRECOR as member; 
Director of NATCOR as member; and 
Director of the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics as member. 


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The Board shall meet regularly at least every month and convene 
special meetings to discuss urgent matters. The Board members shall 
receive per diem for each meeting actually officiated and other remuneration 
as may be determined by the Board. 
It shall prescribe the rules and 
regulations to govern its deliberations and other official actions. 
SECTION. 16. Organization and Staff - The management of the 
day-to-day operations of the Corporation shall be vested in a general 
manager who shall be appointed by the Council. 
The governing board shall set up the organizational structure, staffing 
pattern, qualification standard, compensation scale, functions and authorities 
of their officers and employees pursuant to pertinent laws, rules and 
regulations being implemented by the Civil Service Commission and the 
Department of Budget and Management. 
SECTION. 17. Commodity Exchange 
Centers 
(CEC) - 
The 
Corporation shall establish at all terminal markets in the country, especially 
in Metro Manila and cities in Luzon, Visayas and .Mindanao, Commodity 
Exchange Centers which shall serve as central trading facilities for grains 
in the regions to provide ready market for farmers' produce and promote 
efficiency of grain distribution to consumers under a transparent marketing 
system which enhances the interest of farmers and consumers alike. 
Strategically located warehouses of the National Food Authority (NFA) shall 
be the sites and business officers of the Commodity Exchange Centers. 
NFA personnel, because of their expertise in warehousing and grain 
classification and grading, shall serve as the core staff for the operation of 
the CECs. 
Initially, daily public bidding of grains shall be on the basis of "on the 
spot" commodity. Bidding shall later be on the basis of quedans or 
warehouse receipts for grain inventories deposited in the warehouses of 


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the Corporation, the CECs or private bonded warehouses. Trading on 
agricultural commodity “futures” shall be the final phase that the CECs shall 
work for to achieve. Similarly, the CECs shall initially cover grains only 
and later include other food and agricultural commodities. 
SECTION. 18. - 
Responsibility 
for 
Credit 
Assistance 
and 
Guarantee Cover - The provision of credit assistance and guarantee cover 
on project loans and inventory financing for commodities owned and 
deposited by farmers, consumers, and traders in the warehouses of the 
Public Warehouse Corporations and franchised private bonded warehouses 
shall be the primordial responsibility of the Quedan and Rural Credit 
Guarantee Corporation, which is hereby 
attached to the Council and 
renamed as the Agricultural Credit and Guarantee Corporation of the 
Philippines, hereinafter referred to as AGCRECOR. 
SECTION. 19. Operating Guidelines - The AGCRECOR shall adhere 
to the following operating guidelines: 
(a) Provide production loans to farmerdfishers through their primary 
cooperatives or federations by direct lending, co-financing schemes, 
providing lending banks with especial time deposit, rediscounting 
lending banks’ production loan receivables and similar mechanisms so 
as to reach out to as many rural clients as possible; 
(b) Encourage lending institutions to extend project loans for production, 
warehouses, 
post-harvest 
machineries 
and 
equipment, 
land 
transportation and shipping, bulk and the like, by providing“ a guarantee 
cover on such loans; 
(c) Provide 
guarantee cover 
on inventory 
loans for 
grain 
or 
food 
commodities owned and deposited by farmers, consumers and traders 
in the 
PWC 
warehouses, 
Commodity 
Exchange 
Centers 
and 
franchised private bonded warehouses; 


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(d) Extend loans directly for the aforementioned projects and food 
inventory when and where no lending banks are available or willing 
to provide the loans; 
(e) Endeavor to provide soft-term loans by sourcing and coordinating 
grants, no-interest and low interest funds and blending them with 
commercially sourced funds; 
(9 Submit for the Council's approval and funding, a credit plan and 
budget for the undertakings envisioned in paragraphs (a) and (d) 
above, detailing therein the per region loan volume targets, expected 
beneficiaries, repayments, arrearages and defaults on previous loans. 
Likewise, a separate plan shall be submitted in regard to the guarantee 
operation; and 
(9) Remit back to the Council all repayments for current loans and 
recoveries on past due loans funded by the said Council. 
SECTION. 20. lncrease in Fund Base - To achieve the vital credit 
assistance and guarantee cover envisioned in this Act, the authorized 
capital stock of AGCRECOR is hereby increased to Five billion pesos 
(P5,000,000,000) divided into common shares of stock of the same par 
value and with the same ' government-private sector ownership structure 
spelled out under Republic Act No. 7393. At the start of the year and 
upon the endorsement of the Council, the Department of Budget and 
Management 
and the Department of Finance shall program and execute 
the national government's and government institutions' (LBP, DBP, SSS, 
GSIS, PAGCOR, PCSO, etc.,) subscriptions and payment thereof for the 
government portion of the authorized capital stock of AGCRECOR until 
such government portion is fully completed within five (5) years. 
Furthermore, 
to 
enhance 
credit 
assistance 
to 
farmerslfishers, 
cooperatives/federations and other food enterprises envisioned in this Act, 


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the national government through the Secretary of Finance shall guarantee 
the AGCRECOR’s borrowings, duly approved and endorsed by the Council, 
from government or private, domestic or foreign, financial institutions, 
SECTION. 21. 
Incentives for 
Banks’ 
Credit Support - The 
guarantee obligation of AGCRECOR shall be “sovereign” in nature and 
deemed as the obligation of the national government in order to entice 
much greater 
credit 
support 
from 
the 
banking sector since such 
guaranteed loan receivables shall be considered as compliance with the 
Agri-Agra Law, have access to the rediscounting window of Bangko Sentral 
ng Pilipinas and exempted from the “single-borrower limit” and “risk asset 
ratio requirements”. 
SECTION. 22. Compliance with Agri-Agra Law - All banking 
institutions are hereby mandated to allocate at least fifteen percent (15%) 
of their loanable funds to the agricultural sector. Furthermore, the provisions 
of the Agri-Agra Law, Presidential Decree No. 717, as amended on substantial 
compliance through the purchase of government securities, are hereby 
repealed. Bank loans extended for grain inventories deposited in the 
warehouses of the Corporation, Commodities Exchange Centers and 
franchised private bonded warehouse operators shall be deemed as 
compliance with the Agri-Agra Law. 
SECTION. 23. 
Devolution of 
the Agribusiness Group, the 
National Agribusiness Corporation and the Agricultural Credif Policy 
Council - The Agribusiness Group of the Department of Agriculture, the 
National Agribusiness Corporation and the Agricultural Credit Policy Council 
are hereby devolved as follows: 
(a) The records of the Agribusiness Group shall be transferred to the 
NATCOR; 


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(b) The records, researches and reference materials of the Agricultural 
Credit Policy Council shall likewise be turned over to the NATCOR; 
(c) All other properties, assets and unexpended appropriations or corporate 
operating budget of the National Agribusiness Corporation and the 
Agricultural Credit Policy Council shall be transferred to the Council; 
(d) The Comprehensive Agricultural Loan Fund created under Executive Order 
No. 113, dated 24 December 1986 is hereby 
transferred to the 
Council; and 
(e) Officials and employees of the said group and agencies shall be 
devolved into the NATCOR on the basis of merit and qualification. 
SECTION. 24. Devolution of the Personnel, Properties, Assets, 
Records, 
and 
Unexpended Appropriation 
of 
the 
National 
Food 
Authority (NFA) - The present warehouses, 
post-harvest facilities and 
equipment, trucks, and utility vehicles of the National Food Authority shall 
be transferred as the initial government equity to the Public Warehousing 
Corporation. All personnel attendant to the said grain facilities shall likewise 
be transferred to the Corporation. 
All other personnel, properties, assets, records and unexpended 
appropriations of the National Food Authority are transferred to the 
National Agricultural Marketing 
Council and National Agricultural Trading 
Corporation 
in a manner that the said Council shall decide. This shall 
include imported rice and corn already in the country and such other stocks 
that may arrive pursuant to the current importation thereof. Said stocks shall 
be disposed of in accordance with the new policy of the Council. 
SECTION. 25. Outstanding Obligations of the NFA - All obligations 
of the National Food Authority upon the approval of this Act shall be 
transferred to and absorbed by the national government: Provided, That 
those incurred in the current importation shall be paid by the Council up to 


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the extent of the ricelcorn inventory still on hand and transferred to the 
Council. 
SECTION. 26. 
Options of Devolved Personnel - All personnel 
herein devolved and those otherwise not absorbed may opt to retire, if 
qualified for retirement, or be laid off and gratuity shall be given as follows: 
(a) Not more than 20 years of service, 1.5 months gross pay per year of 
service; and 
(b) More than 20 years of service, 2 months gross pay per year of 
service. 
Those with pending administrative and/or criminal cases shall be paid 
only after exoneration, otherwise they shall forfeit whatever benefits are due 
to them. 
SECTION. 27. 
Appropriations 
for 
the 
National 
Agricultural 
Marketing Council - The sum needed for the operation and maintenance of 
the Council, including the credit funds to support food production and other 
undertakings, shall form part of the appropriations, in the annual General 
Appropriations Act. 
SECTION. 28. Appropriation for the National Agricultural Trading 
Corporation. - For the initial operation of the NATCOR, the amount of Two 
Hundred Million Pesos (P200,000,000) is hereby appropriated from the 
current appropriations of the Department of Agriculture or the National 
Food Authority. Thereafter, such sum as may be needed for its operations 
and maintenance, including the amount needed for stren'gthening the 
Bureau of 
Agricultural 
Statistics, 
shall be 
included 
as part 
of 
the 
appropriations in the annual General Appropriations Act. 
SECTION. 29. 
Appropriations 
for 
the 
Public 
Warehousing 
Corporafion - For its initial operation, the amount of Five Hundred Million 
Pesos (P500,000,000) is hereby appropriated for the Corporation from the 


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current appropriations of the Department of Agriculture or the National 
Food Authority. Thereafter, such amount needed for their continuous 
operation and maintenance shall be included as part of the appropriations 
in the annual General Appropriations Act. 
SECTION. 30. 
Appropriations 
for 
the Regional 
Agricultural 
Marketing Council - The National Agricultural Marketing Council shall, out 
of Its financial resources, appropriate such amount as would be necessary 
for the start-up 
and continuous operation of each Regional Agricultural 
Marketing Councils. 
SECTION. 31. Repealing Clause - All laws, decrees, executive 
issuances, rules and regulations inconsistent with this Act are hereby 
repealed or modified accordingly. 
SECTION. 32. Separability Clause - The provisions of this Act are 
hereby declared to be separable, and in the event one or more of such 
provisions are held unconstitutional, the validity of the other provisions shall 
not be affected thereby. 
SECTION. 33. 
Effectivity Clause. - 
This Act shall take effect 
immediately after its complete publication in at least two (2) newspapers of 
general circulation. 
Approved,