Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

Eighteenth Congress
First Regular Session

4446

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by Honorable Deogracias ‘DV’ B. Savellano

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Philippines, a tropical country was ranked 4" in the Global Climate Change 2016,
faces serious threats from extreme weather disturbances and human-induced soil degradation
that is a major threat to food security.

Soil degradation is a severe global problem of modem times. About 6 million hectares
of agricultural land worldwide become unproductive every year due to the various soil
degradation processes. The problem is much more serious in tropical than in temperate areas
since tropical soils are more prone to degradation because of the nature of their properties and
the prevalent climatic conditions.

Countries in Asia and Africa that depend upon agriculture as the engine of economic
growth are believed to suffer the greatest impact of soil degradation. In the Philippines, soil
degradation is one of the most serious ecological problems today. Also, the National Action
Plan (NAP) from 2004 to 2010 identified soil degradation as a major threat to food security in
the country. NAP reported that about 5.2 million hectares are seriously degraded resulting to
30 to 50% reduction in soil productivity

Soil degradation is the process which lowers the current or future capacity of the soil
to produce goods or services. It implies long-term decline in soil productivity and its
environment-moderating capacity. Since natural degradation is slow, the present concept of
soul degradation according to the Global Assessment of Soil Degradation (GLASOD)
focuses on a human-induced process. Soil degradation occurs because of drastic changes or
disruption in the normal processes of soil formation due to human activities.

In a review paper on the problem of soil degradation in the Philippines published in
the Annals of Tropical Research vol.31, it was revealed that soil erosion is the most
widespread process of soil degradation and is also the ‘most studied in the country. Other
important but less studied soil degradation processes include loss of nutrients and organic
‘matter, salinization, acidification, pollution, compaction, and subsidence. Studies reviewed
have shown that the widespread degraded upland soils possess chemical and physical



constraints for crop growth like acidic or calcareous pH, low organic matter and nutrient
contents, shallow solum, presence of toxic substances and compaction,

There is a need therefore for more data on the physical and socio-economic
characteristics of degraded lands to aid in the formulation of appropriate soil management
strategies.

The absence of appropriate soil management would cause further soil deterioration
and thus aggravate the ecological problems that are now occurring.

‘The state recognizes the need for food intensification through proper fertilizer
recommendation, soil amendments and use of highly yielding varieties as stipulated in
Presidential Decree No. 1435 entitled , “ Authorizing the Bureau of Soils, now the Bureau of
Soils and Water Management, to supervise, regulate and control the establishment and
operations of all soil laboratories in the Philippines.”

‘There is a need for the Department of Agriculture to develop a comprehensive soil
degradation assessment with the use of modem and advanced soil analysis result in
administering their programs to prepare for the effects of climate change and in the
identification of land suitable for cropping. The department has to conduct compulsory
national soil sampling to guide concerned agencies and the farmers in determining nutrient
deficiencies in soils in specific areas across the country.

Augmentation of competencies have to be upgraded in terms of upgrading soil
and plant analytical laboratories (SPAL), in-situ soil and water analysis and the conduct of
research, development and training for laboratory staff in order to achieve standardization in
soil sampling techniques, calibration of laboratory and in-situ soil tests protocols, and
‘management of soil databases including updating of records and soil maps for maximum
utilization of resources, The Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) have to
establish laboratories in every municipality and strengthen its technical expertise, improve
facilities and acquire mobile technologies to adequately execute these services.

Further, itis the responsibility of the State to ensure coordinated and continual
appraisal of soil’s health to ensure its capacity to produce available, accessible and affordable
food for every Filipino, thus making Philippine agriculture sector sustainable and
competitive.

‘There is urgent need therefore to institutionalize a national soil health program
and operationalize the nationwide soil analysis of all agricultural farmlands for accurate and
timely determination of soil fertility expressed in terms of appropriate crop-fertilizer
application, soil rejuvenation and soil amendments, and appropriate funds thereof to improve
agricultural productivity, ensure food security and promote rural development.

In view of the foregoing, the passage of this measure is earnestly

ight.



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

Eighteenth Congress
First Regular Session

4
nouse suino, 4446

Introduced by Hon, DEOGRACIAS VICTOR ‘DV’ B. SAVELLANO

AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING A NATIONAL SOIL HEALTH PROGRAM FOR THE
OPERATIONALIZATION OF NATIONWIDE SOIL ANALYTICAL SERVICES AND PROMOTION OF SOIL
CONSERVATION AND FERTILITY MANAGEMENT OF ALL AGRICULTURAL LAND IN THE COUNTRY

AND APPROPRIATE FUNDS THEREOF TO ABATE SOIL DEGRADATION AND IMPROVE AGRICULTURAL
LAND PRODUCTIVITY AND THEREBY ENSURE FOOD SECURITY

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 Soil Health Program Act of 2016

Section 2. Declaration of Policy. The Philippine Constitution's Article II, Section 16 specifies that “The
State shall protect and advance the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology in accord
with the rhythm and harmony of nature.” As a member of the global community of nations and
signatory to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, Land Degradation and
Drought (UNCCD), the State has commitment to forge a global partnership to reserve and prevent
desertification/land degradation and to mitigate the effects of drought in affected areas in order to.
support poverty reduction and environmental sustainability. The State therefor shall promote
sustainable agricultural land management practices to assure soil health and protect our agricultural
lands from degradation; the soil being the patrimony of the nation to be bequeathed to the next
generation.

Section 3. Definition of Terms. For this Act:

(a) “Soil” versus “Land” versus “Agricultural Ecosystem” ~ “Soit” refers to the medium for
‘growing of crops, the top layer of the earth, a natural body formed by the weathering of
mineral and organic materials. Soil is a component of “Land”, a broader concept that
besides the soil component, also includes vegetation, water and climate. “Agricultural
Ecosystem” would include the social and economic dimensions in an agricultural land.

(b) “Soil Health” is also referred to and can be interchanged with the term “Soil Quality” and
refers to the continued capacity of the soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that
sustains plants, animals, and humans. This definition includes the importance of
managing soils so that they are sustainable for use by the future generations. The
definition also encompasses assessment of “soil biodiversity” in addition to the


prescribed soil tests conducted to determine soil quality. The soil as “healthful ecology”
{as specified in the Philippine Constitution would be expected to perform all five essential
functions ~ (1) regulating water; (2) sustaining plant and animal life; (3) filtering and
buffering potential pollutants; (4) cycling nutrients; and (5) providing physical stability
‘and support. Soil health problem would necessarily be impeding of either, some of, or all
of the five functions of a healthy soil ecosystem. Soil health cards shall be prepared and
used,

(c) “Soil Productivity” is defined as the capacity of the soil in its normal environment to
support plant growth and reflected in terms of crop yield for agricultural lands or in
terms of vegetation growth (biomass yield) for forest lands. Soil fertility would be a
component of productive soils, the other components being soil aeration and drainage,
soil structure, soil texture, bulk density, and other soil physical, chemical, and biological
properties that would contribute to smooth nutrient and water movement for crop
uptake. A productive soil is not necessarily fertile (for which soil amendments can be

properties are not optimal for nutrient movement (such as when we have a fertile soil
but with poor drainage resulting in frequent waterlogged condition).

(d) “Soil Fertility” is defined as the ability of the soil to supply essential plant nutrients in
adequate amount and proportion. In reports and maps, it refers to summary rating for
soil tests conducted to measure available soil nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus,
Potassium, and micronutrients to determine adequacy for crop uptake or if further
‘amendments are needed. Based on soil tests, a high soil fertility rating indicates the soil

has a greater ability to supply nutrients and less fertilizer would be needed while a low
soil fertility rating indicates the opposite. Calibration trials are conducted with different
fertilizer rates to determine the optimal rate for best crop response. Soil fertility is but
just a component that makes agricultural lands productive.

(e) “Sustainable Land Management” versus “Soil and Water Conservation”. “Sustainable
Land Management “ is defined as the use of land resources ~ including soils, water,
‘animals, and plants ~ for the production of goods to meet changing human needs, while
simultaneously ensuring the long term-term productive potential of these resources and
the maintenance of their environmental functions (UN Earth Summit, 1992). This would
make “soil and Water Conservation” as an important component of sustainable land
management; soil conservation being focused on prevention of soil loss from erosion.
Soil conservation can also refer to measures undertaken to prevent soil fertility decline,
acidification, salinization, or other soil chemical contamination.

(f)_ “Soil Degradation” follows the definition by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO), and refers to change in the soil health status resulting in a diminished capacity of
the ecosystem to provide goods and services for its beneficiaries. This has wider scope
‘and would include decline in biodiversity and water-related goods and services, as well
‘as decline in other land-related social and economic goods and services. Following the
UNCCD reporting practice, land degradation is not measured directly but recognizes that
land use change is the major driving force of land degradation; and thus, Land Use
‘System Map (LUS) and comparative LUS change is done to assess the extent of land
degradation.



(g) “Crop Suitability” versus “Land Suitability” ~ In “Crop Suitability”, we have a pre-defined
crop or crop group and we look for areas where the crops can be grown. This is rarely
undertaken for rural development planning since the area is already pre-defined, crops
are already being grown, and we intend to make the best use of the land by comparing
other alternative crops in terms of technical, economic, and cultural feasibility. “Land
Suitability” matches existing land qualities with the crop requirements and this is the

\d of suitability referred to in this Act, following the FAO 1976 Land Evaluation
Framework. In land suitability, various land use types are studied and compared for best
land use options.

(h) “Soil Analytical Services” refers to standard laboratory procedures conducted by a
typical soil laboratory for quantitative as well as qualitative measurements of various soil
physical and chemical properties. Soil analytical services vary depending on the purpose
of soil sampling, the most common are for fertility testing program, for soil classification
and mapping, and for experimental research (comparative before and after treatment).
By definition, soil biological determinations are not included as part of routine soil
analytical services, thus, the soil biodiversity component of this Soil Health Program
would be considered more as research in nature than part of prescribed laboratory
standard analytical practice. Soil health cards shall be used.

(i) “Mobile Soil Clinic” is more of a concept than a vehicle-dependent soils laboratory
providing qualitative soil analysis to farmers on regular basis, and serving as an
extension arm of a more sophisticated soils laboratory in the region. Depending on the
availability of funds, itis up to the Implementing Rules and Regulation (IRR) following
this Act to concretize the concept whether it will be a literal solo vehicle for soil analysis
that would go to various farm villages, or part of a multi-disciplinary and comprehensive
mobile agricultural laboratory services, or a simple motorcycle and soil test kit grant to
extension workers who will be trained on qualitative soil analysis, or a fixed or part of a
fixed barangay-level or municipal -level agricultural services booth where farmers can
bring their soil samples.

Section 4. Coverage.

(a) This Act covers all agricultural farm lands under the Network of Protected Areas of

ture and Agro-Industrial Development (NPAAD) as mapped by the Bureau of Soils
and Water Management (BSWM), the lead agency for the implementation of the
National Soil Health Program.

(b) However, for practically, the coverage will be undertaken in phases as will be enunciated
on the IRR that will be developed following the Act. Such phasing can be undertaken as
sub-program of the banner crop commodity programs of the Department of Agriculture
(DA), starting with the Rice Program for major rice soils, then the Corn Program for
‘major corn soils, and the High Value Crops Program for uplands devoted to high value
crops.

(©) The BSWM is also authorized to conclude Memoranda of Agreements with other
government agencies such as the Philippine Coconut Authority for agricultural areas
devoted to coconuts, the Sugar Regulatory Administration for sugar lands, and with the
Local Government Units in coordination with the DA-Regional Field Units for the



Strategic Agriculture and Fisheries Development Zones (SAFDZ as the agricultural
‘component of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) as required by the law.

CHAPTER 1 ~ ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING OF SOIL HEALTH
Section 5. Soil Health Assessment Objectives and Design.

{a) Determining objectives or soil health assessment. BSWM shall provide technical
assistance and advice to collaborating agencies and local government units and other
proponents to define goals and objectives for soil health assessment and clarify what
they hope to achieve; and therefore be able to design appropriate assessment protocol
and accompanying soil health indicators that can be gathered during the course of field
work.

(b) For BSWM in-house soil health assessment objectives, its mandated functions are
focused on soil classification and mapping, agricultural land resources evaluation and
sustainable management, soil and water resources management and conservation, and
soil and water resources research.

(c) Depending on the purpose and objective of the soil health assessment, BSWM shall
define soil health indicators for Agricultural Ecosystems based on the following criteria ~
(1) easy to measure, (2) measures changes in soil functions, (3) encompasses physical,
chemical, and biological properties of the soil, (4) applicable to be measured in the field,
and (5) sensitive to variations in climate and crop management.

(d) For non-agricultural ecosystems, including urban soil ecosystems desiring to benefit
from this Act, soil health indicators shall be mutually agreed with the collaborating
agency depending on the purpose and objective of soil health assessment.

(e) For purpose of unity of parameters for multi-temporal and multi-spatial soil health
assessments, BSWM can design and standardize indicators per specific soil health
assessment objective subject to further review and refinements.

Section 6. Information Collection and Field Work Validation

(a) Mobile Soil Clinics as extension arms of DA-Regional Field Units Soils Laboratories or as
Local Government Unit-initiated facility shall be established, provided with the
necessary materials, equipment and expertise to undertake soil sampling and soil
analytical services for purpose of soil health assessment.

(b) A variety of methods, approaches and strategies based on international standards and
state-of-the art shall be recommended. It will be for the IRR to establish the necessary
consultation mechanism with the state colleges and universities as well as with the
relevant professional organizations, and other relevant stakeholders since the methods
for various strategies and approaches for soil health assessment cannot be legislated.

(c) tis recognized that for the soil biodiversity component of soil health assessment, there
is not enough expertise neither are there enough local studies to establish standards and



that some very specific tests for biological properties are done by specialized
laboratories and equipment. The biological component of soil health assessment can be
undertaken as research activities from which various funds sources can be explored and
the results of the studies attributed to the area where the study was conducted as part
of soil health assessment until such time that soil biological assessment protocols
applicable to Philippine conditions can be confidently established.

Section 7. Supervision and control of soil laboratories

(a) This Act amends Presidential Decree No 1435 Series of 1978 issued before the
enactment of Local Government Code (Republic Act 7160) and Executive Order 116
Series of 1987 reorganizing the Department of Agriculture.

(b) As the national soil resource agency, BSWM is hereby mandated to formulate and set
‘comprehensive guidelines for the establishment of soil laboratories in the Philippin
grant license and impose fees for private soil laboratories.

(c) BSWM shall formulate and establish soil testing standards and methodologies.

(a) BSWM shall supervise and coordinate soil testing activities of government and private
soils laboratories.

(e) BSWM shall conduct comparative performance laboratory tests of standard soils
laboratory equipment, especially for DA-Regional Field Units, other government soils
laboratories, and private soils laboratories on regular basis to assure competent and
reliable service to the public.

Section 8. Information Analysis, Data Evaluation and Integration of Results for Improving Soil Health

{a) Standard and state-of-the art scientific practices shall be undertaken for data analysis
‘and evaluation which include but not limited to detection of patterns and observation
consistency, results comparison, baseline versus targeted values, and data
interpretation. This Act cannot legislate the establishment of standard values but where
theoretically possible based on long-term field validation and despite inherent soil
variability, BSWM should be able to define threshold values for most commonly used
soll health indicators given variety of objectives for soil health assessment.

CHAPTER 2: DIAGNOSTIC RESULTS EVALUATION AND ACTION PLANNING
Section 9, Soil Health Diagnostic Results

{a) Soil health problems identified as results of Soil Health Assessment shall be
appropriately addressed with funds sourced from existing agricultural and
environmental banner programs implemented by relevant government agencies
supplemented by their respective operational budgetary appropriations.

{b) Local Government Units, assisted by BSWM in updating their SAFDZs, should be able to
come up with sustainable land management programs as part of the overall agricultural
development component of their Comprehensive Land Use Plan.

(c) At the national level, BSWM shall consolidate soil health diagnostic results as input to
various rural development plans and programs —e.g., Medium Term Development Plan,


Philippine National Action Plan (NAP) to UNCCD and other relevant international
conventions where the country is a signatory, etc. the IRR to come out from this Act shall
provide a range of reporting tools and decision support tools and list of oversight
agencies requiring inputs on soil health status at national level, as per consultation with
relevant stakeholders.

(4) BSWM shall publish soil health assessment protocols and indicator standards depending
on the objective of the assessment as they are scientifically and confidently established
under Philippine conditions.

‘Section 10. Formulation of Recommendations and Alternatives: The Decision Support Tools for
Sustainable Agricultural Land Management

(a) BSWM is mandated to formulate measures and guidelines for effective soil, land, and
water resources utilization. The agency shall provide technical assistance to Local
Government Units in their SAFDZ preparation to come up with Land Suitability Maps and
Soil Fertility Maps, incorporating results of Soil Health Assessment, and providing
technical assistance on agricultural land use alternatives to address emerging issues and
concerns.

(b) At the national level, BSWM shall update its various decision support tools and
derivative maps incorporating results of Soil Health Assessment - NPAAD, Key
Production Areas, various commodity-based cropping system maps, Land Use System
Maps, ete.

() BSWM shalll incorporate Soil Health Assessment (that is, include biological component)
in its existing soil and land resources evaluation as welll as soil conservation and water
resources management projects and activities, and protocols.

CHAPTER 3 - MONITORING AND EVALUATION
Section 11. National Soil Health Program Sustainability and Long-term Vision

(a) BSWM in coordination with the Agricultural Training Institute shall provide continuing
‘education and training on Soil Health Assessment, Agricultural Land Resources Mapping,
‘as well as Sustainable Land Management for Local Government Units and its other
clientele.

(b) Where applicable, BSWM should assist the Local Government Academy develop courses
‘on SAFDZ delineation as the agricultural component of the Comprehensive Land Use
Plan integrating topics on soil health, land degradation, and sustainable agricultural land
management.

(6) BSWM shall develop evaluation tools and performance incentives to rate Local
Government Unit's dedication to addressing land degradation as a strategy to combat
poverty through its various agricultural and natural resource management programs
resulting from the National Soil Health Assessment Program.

GENERAL PROVISIONS.


Section 12. Initial Appropriation

(2) For the first year implementation of this Act, the BSWM organization shall be
strengthened with the establishment of a coordination of other similar national
agricultural resource management programs such as the soil fertility component of the
National Organic Agriculture Program.

(b) Initial appropriations shall be needed to strengthen the DA — Regional Field Units’ Soils
Laboratories and establish its extension Mobile Soil Laboratories, provide equipment
and trained manpower following the phase by phase implementation by defining
priority (pilot) regions and/or commodity crops.

(c} Initial appropriations to augment existing BSWM operational budget to manage the
implementation of the National Soil Health Assessment Program as provided for in this
‘Act. This should include the training component to capacitate Local Government Units as
well as DA banner commodity program staff as development partners in this National
Soil Health Program, per diem and transportation of staff to projects, materials and
supplies, and other related operational expenses.

Section 13. Continuing Appropriations

(a) A specific P/A/P in the BSWM appropriated budget shail be annually allocated either as a
singular budget item for National Soil Health Assessment Program or as part of BSWM
share in the implementation of commodity-based DA banner programs for which the
amount is specified for jealth program.

(b) Capital outlays for strengthening Regional Soils Laboratories and for Mobile Clinics may
be directly appropriated to the implementing DA Regional Field Unit but additional
BSWM appropriations will be needed to implement the provisions of Section 7 of this
‘Act (Supervision and Control of Soils Laboratories).

Section 14, Implementing Rules and Regulations

(a) The Secretary of Agriculture, within 90 working days after the effectivity of this Act, shall
direct the Director of the Bureau of Soils and Water Management, in consultation with
other government agencies, state colleges and university, relevant professional
organizations, relevant non-government organizations, the Local Government Units, the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Interior and
Local Government, the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of
Budget Management, and the Civil Service Commission and in coordination with the
Congressional Oversight Committee on National Soil Health Assessment, shall
promulgate the rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act.

(b) The Secretary shall submit to the committee on Agriculture of both House of Congress
copies of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) within 30 days after their
promulgation.


Section 15. Congressional Oversight Committee on National Soil Health Assessment

{a) A Congressional Oversight Committee on National Soil Health Assessment is hereby
created to be composed of the Chairs of the Committee on Agriculture o f both Houses,
six members of the House of Representatives and six members of the Senate, to be
designated by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate, who shall
endeavor to have the various sectors and regions of the country represented.

(b) The chairs of the Committee on Agriculture in the Senate and in the House of
Representatives shall be respectively, the Chair and Co-Chair of the Oversight
Committee.

{c) The Committee shall oversee and monitor the implementation of the National Soi
Health Program, its projects and activities and its allied concerns both in public and
private sectors with the end view to provide legislative support and assistance within the
powers of Congress to ensure their inclusion, wherever feasible, in the national,
regional, provincial, municipal and agricultural development plans to see them through
their successful implementation.

(4) The Committee shall hold hearings, secure testimonies and reports pertinent to its
specified concerns; secure technical information and submission of recommendations or
plans as it may require, use resource persons from the public and private sectors as
maybe needed; and submit periodic reports on its findings and make recommendations
and actions.

Section 16. Repealing Clause.

(a) All laws, decrees, executive issuance, rules and regulations inconsistent with this Act are
hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Section 17. Separability Clause.

{a) 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 18. Effectivity.

(a) This Act shall take effect thirty (30) days from the date of its publication in the Official
Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,