NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE
s. No. 23
BILLS 'ft INDEX
Introduced by SENATOR RAMOfV BONG REVILLA, 3R.
AN ACT
PROVIDING DIRECT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO FILIPINO RICE FARMERS, 
ESTABLISHING FOR THE PURPOSE THE PANTAWID MAGSASAKANG 
PILIPINO PROGRAM, PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER 
PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY MOTE
The Philippines is primarily an agricultural country. According to the 2020 
Selected Statistics on Agriculture published by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), 
the country's Gross Value Added (GVA) in Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing (AFF), 
which accounted for 9.2% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), registered a 1.2% 
growth in 2019. However, the production of pa lay decreased by 1.3% and the price 
received by farmers for producing palay during the said year declined by 19.3%. The 
agriculture sector employs 9.72 million persons out of the total 44.69 million persons 
in the country's labor force, contributing 22.9% to the national employment. In 
nominal terms, the daily wage rate of agricultural workers in 2019 averaged P331.10.
Republic Act No. 11598 or the "Cash Assistance for Filipino Farmers Act" 
mandates the Department of Agriculture (DA) to provide cash transfers to rice farmers 
tilling two (2) hectares or less until 2024. Pursuant to this law, DA distributes 
unconditional cash assistance amounting to P5,000 to eligible rice farmers from the 
Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) program as compensation for their projected


income loss due to the drop of palay price. DA started distributing cash assistance in 
November 2021 which were sourced from excess tariffs collected from 2019 to 2020.
This Pantawid Magsasakang PiUpino Act' complements the existing programs 
and projects of the government to assist the rice farmers in the country. It proposes 
to provide conditional cash transfer to poor farming households who will be selected 
by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in consultation with 
the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). 
These households are required to comply with the conditions set forth under the 
proposed law to continuously receive the conditional cash transfer that will be sourced 
from the annual tariff revenue from rice importation in excess of Ten billion pesos.
The bill also mandates the DSWD to facilitate cash-for-work to rice farmers as 
a short-term intervention to provide temporary employment to members of qualified 
rice farming households.
This measure was filed by Senator Ralph G. Recto in the 18th Congress.
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.
RAMON BONG REVILLA, JR.


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
)
SENATE
23
S. No.
T?M-
BILLS Sr INDEX
Introduced by SENATOR RAMON BONG REVILLA, JR.
AN ACT
PROVIDING DIRECT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO FILIPINO RICE FARMERS, 
ESTABLISHING FOR THE PURPOSE THE PANTAWID MAGSASAKANG 
PILIPINO PROGRAM, PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER 
PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
1 
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "PantawidMagsasakang
I 
Plllpino Act'.
3 
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to promote a just
4 
and dynamic social order through policies that provide adequate social services,
5 
promote full employment, a rising standard of living, and an improved quality of life
6 
for all.
7 
Towards this end, and in line with the constitutional mandate to Congress to
8 
give highest priority to the enactment of measures that protect and enhance the right
9 
of all the people to human dignity, reduce social, economic, and political inequalities, 
10 and remove cultural inequities by equitably diffusing wealth and political power for the
II 
common good, the State shall formulate and Implement programs and projects guided
12 
by a national strategy to reduce poverty in the countryside and ensure the sufficiency
13 
and accessibility of food products for all.
14 
Sec. 3. Pantawid Magsasakang PHipino Program. - The Pantawid Magsasakang
15 
Pilipino Program, hereinafter referred to as the Program, is hereby established as a
16 
national strategy for rural poverty reduction and program for ensuring food security


1 
and sufficiency that provides conditional cash transfer to poor rice farming households
2 
to mitigate the decline of rice farming incomes that may have been caused by the
3 
enforcement of the liberalization of importation, exportation and trade of rice.
4 
The provision of conditional cash transfer under the Program shall be
5 
complementary and supplementary to other similar undertakings of the government
6 
and shall not be a replacement for any existing programs for rice and rice farmers
7 
already implemented by any government agency.
8 
Sec. 4. Selection of Qualified Household Beneficiaries. — On a nationwide basis,
9 
the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) shall, in consultation with
10 
the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR),
11 
select qualified rice farming household-beneficiaries of the Program using a
12 
standardized targeting system. The DSWD shall conduct regular revalidation of
13 
beneficiary targeting at least once every three (3) years.
14 
Sec. 5. Eligible Beneficiaries. — To be eligible to receive cash grants under the
15 
Program, rice farming households or farmers must meet the following criteria:
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(a) Classified as poor or near-poor based on a standardized targeting system
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and the poverty threshold issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority at
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the time of selection; and,
19 
(b) Willing to comply with the condition specified in Section 8 of this Act.
20 
Sec. 6. Conditional Cash Transfer to Rice Farming Household-Beneficiaries. -
21 
The Advisory Council created under Republic Act No. 11310, otherwise known as the
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"Pantawid Pamilyang Pillpino Program (4PS) Act" shall determine the amount of cash
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grants to be extended to rice farming household-beneficiaries based on the following
24 
factors:
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(a) The amount of the annual tariff revenues from rice importation in excess
26 
of Ten billion pesos (P10,000,000,000.00), based on the collection
27 
recorded in the second fiscal year preceding the current fiscal year;
28 
(b) The number of eligible rice farming household-beneficiaries as identified
29 
by the standardized targeting system as provided in Section 7 of this
30 
Act;
31 
(c) The administrative and financial cost of providing cash grants to qualified
32 
rice farming household-beneficiaries; and.


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(d) Other factors that affect the level of available funding or the cost of
2 
implementation of this Act.
3 
Sec. 7. Coverage in the Rice Insurance Program. - All qualified rice farming
4 
household-beneficiaries of the Program as identified by the standardized targeting
5 
system shall automatically be covered by the Rice Insurance Program of the Philippine
6 
Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC): Provided, That the insurance premium for rice
7 
insurance shall be fully subsidized by the National Government: Provided, further, That
8 
the amount of premium payment for rice insurance for qualified rice farming
9 
household-beneficiaries shall not be deducted from the appropriations provided under
10 
Section 17 of this Act: Provided, finaiiy, That the provision of subsidized rice insurance
11 
to qualified farming household-beneficiaries shall be complementary and
12 
supplementary to the conditional cash transfer program as provided in this Act.
13 
Sec. 8. Conditions for Entitiement - All qualified rice farming household-
14 
beneficiaries shall comply with the following requirements for continued program
15 
eligibility:
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(a)The qualified rice farming household-beneficiaries must continue to
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engage in palay production;
18 
(b) The responsible person/s from qualified farming household-beneficiaries
19 
who actually engage/s in rice production must register with the DA under
20 
the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture;
21 
(c) The qualified rice farming household-beneficiaries must propagate and
22 
use inbred palay seeds to be developed, bred, registered, certified and
23 
distributed by the Philippine Rice Research Institute as provided under
24 
Republic Act No. 11203;
25 
(d)The qualified rice farming household-beneficiaries must apply for
26 
subsidized insurance coverage as provided in Section 7 of this Act no
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later than thirty (30) days from the date of planting; and,
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(e)At least one (1) responsible person from qualified rice farming
29 
household-beneficiaries must attend at least one (1) training program to
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be conducted by the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and
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Mechanization, Agricultural Training Institute, or Technical Education
32 
and Skills Development Authority in their respective municipality.


1 
The DSWD may suspend any or all of the conditions for entitlement during
2 
calamities, armed conflict, state of war or lawless violence, and other similar fortuitous
3 
events.
4 
Sec. 9. Noncompliance with the Conditions for Entitlement - The responsible
5 
person of a reported qualified household-beneficiary who fails to comply with the
6 
conditions set forth in Section 8 of this Act shall be notified in writing. Further payment
7 
of cash grants shall be suspended after four (4) months of noncompliance and the
8 
erring household-beneficiary shall be subject to case management process of the
9 
DSWD.
10 
The qualified rice farming household-beneficiary has one (1) year, reckoned
11 
from the date of receipt of the written notification, to satisfy the conditions
12 
enumerated under Section 8 of this Act, after which the erring household-beneficiary
13 
shall be removed from the Program.
14 
Sec. 10. Mode of Cash Transfer. - The DSWD shall provide beneficiaries with
15 
direct, and secured access to cash grants through any number of Authorized
16 
Government Depository Banks (AGDBs). For localities not adequately served by an
17 
AGDB, the DSWD may contract the services of rural banks, thrift banks, cooperative
18 
banks and other duly-accredited financial institutions engaged in money remittance
19 
services.
20 
Sec. 11. Cash-for-Work for Rice Farmers Program. - To provide additional
21 
income for rice farming household-beneficiaries, the DSWD may, in coordination with
22 
government agencies concerned, facilitate short-term intervention to provide
23 
temporary employment to members of qualified rice farming households. Projects
24 
that may be incorporated under the Cash-for-Work Program shall include, but not be
25 
limited to:
26 
(a) Irrigation programs and projects of the DA and the National Irrigation
27 
Administration;
28 
(b) public works programs and projects of the Department of Public Works
29 
and Flighways;
30 
(c) water supply and sanitation projects of the Department of Interior and
31 
Local Government and local water districts;


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1 
(d) disaster preparedness, mitigation, relief, rehabilitation, and risk
2 
reduction projects of the Office of the Civil Defense, National Disaster
3 
Risk Reduction and Management Council, and other similar agencies of
4 
government; and,
5 
(e) other similar programs and projects of national government agencies,
6 
government-owned or -controlled corporations, and local government
7 
units.
8 
The DSWD shall determine the payment rate of cash-for-work employment:
9 
Provided, That such payment shall be in no case lower than seventy percent (70%)
10 
of the prevailing daily wage rate set by the National Wages and Productivity
11 
Commission.
The DSWD shall utilize the mode of cash transfer as provided in Section 10 of 
this Act to transfer payment for services rendered by members of qualified rice farming 
households under the Cash-for-Work for Rice Farmers Program.
Sec. 12. Lead Agency. - The DSWD shall serve as the central planning, 
coordinating, Implementing and monitoring body of the Program. In the 
17 implementation of this Act, the DSWD shall perform the following functions:
(a) Selection and application of appropriate, effective, and cost-efficient 
methods in Identification and selection of qualified rice farming 
household-beneficiaries In coordination with DA and DAR;
(b) Identification and selection of target rice farming household- 
beneficiaries based on a uniform, objective and transparent selection 
process;
(c) Coordination with various national and local government agencies, 
including non-government and private sector organizations, to ensure 
full Implementation of the provisions of this Act;
(d) Establishment of participatory system and methodologies to monitor and 
evaluate the compliance of household-beneficiaries and the 
implementation of the Program;
(e) Provision of recommendation measures, rules and regulations to the 
Advisory Council in order to improve the delivery of commitments made 
in this Act;
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31
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1 
(f) Determination of program coverage based on a standardized targeting
2 
system;
3 
(g) Provision of seminar-workshop and training programs to educate
4 
qualified rice farming household-beneficiaries about the conditions and
5 
other actions pertinent to this Act;
6 
(h) Synchronization and harmonization of the implementation of the
7 
Program with other similar or related programs of the government;
8 
(i) Submission of an annual report to Congress on matters pertinent to the
9 
operations and financial status of the Program; and,
10 
(j) Performance of other functions as may be necessary or incidental to the
11 
proper implementation of the provisions of this Act.
12 
Sec. 13. Reporting. — The DSWD shall publish, on an annual basis, a full report
13 
on the implementation of the Program during the previous fiscal year. The report
14 
shall include, but not limited to, financial disclosures, the number of rice farming
15 
household-beneficiaries included in the Program based on geographic, socioeconomic
16 
and cultural circumstances, and recommendations to improve the implementation of
17 
the Program. This report shall be submitted, either in printed form or by way of
18 
electronic document, to the Congress prior to the submission of the President's annual
19 
budget. The Secretary of Social Welfare and Development and the Agency's web
20 
administrator or the web administrator's equivalent shall be responsible for ensuring
21 
that the said report is posted on the DSWD website.
22 
Sec. 14. Convergence of Programs and Services. - Within the framework of a
23 
national poverty alleviation strategy and a comprehensive food security program, the
24 
various agencies of government Implementing multi-stakeholder programs and
25 
services for rice farmers shall guarantee that these programs and services complement
26 
and converge seamlessly with the aim of ensuring that the targeted rice farming
27 
household-beneficiaries are alleviated from poverty. Such convergence shall focus on
28 
the enhancement of operational efficiency, ensuring the realization of program
29 
outcomes, and strengthening of inter-agency partnerships. The government shall
30 
monitor the performance of these agencies to ensure the sustainability of their
31 
respective programs.


1 
Sec. 15. Monitoring and Evaiuation of the Program. - The DSWD shall monitor
2 
and evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the Program and report its
3 
status at least once every three (3) years in order to ensure the realization of the
4 
objectives declared in Section 2 of this Act.
5 
The Independent Monitoring Committee created under Republic Act No. 11310,
6 
otherwise known as the "Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4PS) Act", shall be
7 
used to complement the monitoring activities of the DSWD In the implementation of
8 
the Program. The Independent Monitoring Committee shall submit a report of its
9 
monitoring activities relative to the implementation of the Program to the Advisory
10 
Council.
11 
Sec. 16. Congressionai Oversight - The Congressional Oversight Committee
12 
on Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization (COCAFM) shall conduct a periodic review
13 
of the Program, considering, among others, the report of the monitoring and
14 
evaluation activities of the DSWD and the Independent Monitoring Committee as
15 
provided In Section 15 of this Act.
16 
Sec. 17. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the implementation of
17 
the provisions of this Act shall be sourced from the annual tariff revenues from rice
18 
importation in excess of Ten billion pesos (P10,000,000,000.00).
19 
Sec. 18. Prohibited Acts and Corresponding Penaities. - Any person, whether
20 
acting in conspiracy with public officials or not, who by act or omission, inserts or
21 
allows the insertion of data or false information, or diverts or allows the diversion of
22 
information that ought to be contained in the registry, or transfers or aids in the
23 
transfer of cash grant to persons other than the qualified rice farming household-
24 
beneficiaries, shall be penalized with a fine of not less than Thirty thousand pesos
25 
(P30,000.00) nor more than One hundred thousand pesos (P100,000.00) or
26 
imprisonment of not less than three (3) months nor more than three (3) years, or
27 
both, at the discretion of the court: Provided, That If the offense is committed by a
28 
corporation, trust, firm, partnership, association or any other entity, the penalty shall
29 
be Imposed upon the guilty officer or officers of such corporation, trust, firm,
30 
partnership, association or entity: Provided^ further, That in addition to the penalties
31 
that may be imposed by the court, the offender punished under this Section shall be
32 
subject to perpetual disqualification to hold public office: Provided^ finaiiy, That if the


1 
offender punished under this Section is a public official or government employee, the
2 
accumulated leave credits and retirement benefits, if any, shali be forfeited in favor of
3 
the State.
4 
Sec. 19. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within thirty (30) days from
5 
effectivity of this Act, the DSWD, DA, Department of Finance and Department of
6 
Budget and Management shall, in coordination with other government agencies
7 
concerned and after consultation with directly affected stakeholders, promulgate the
8 
rules and regulations to effectively Implement the provisions of this Act.
9 
Sec. 20. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or
10 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision or part not otherwise
11 
affected shall remain valid and subsisting.
12 
Sec. 21. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance,
13 
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule, or regulation contrary
14 
to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, modified, or
15 
amended accordingly.
16 
Sec. 22. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
17 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
18
Approved,