HOUSE OF REP

RECEIVED
Republic of the Philippines _
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 036: 23 a 2016
Quezon City Tine: S

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

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Mui SERVICE

House Bill No. 2458

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE ARTHUR C. YAP

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Philippines until today remains largely an agricultural country.
70% of its population are dependent on farming and fishing activities and
are considered poor. In the countryside, children of subsistence farmers and
fishermen can hardly pursue higher education because of poverty and most
stop from going to school after completing elementary or secondary
education. As a result, they end up as subsistence farmers or fishermen
themselves in bondage to the land they till for others, or find themselves
doing menial jobs in the cities.

Meanwhile, it has been observed that there is a steady decline in
enrolment in agriculture and related courses due to perceived low
employment opportunities for graduates of these courses. Enticed by so-
called sunrise industries such as business processing and information
technology industries, many young people prefer landing in blue or white
collar jobs than working the farmlands. If left unchecked, this trend could
lead, in the long run, to a limited human resource capital necessary to drive
and develop the agricultural sector in the country.

To address these concerns, there is a need to create and develop more
lucrative and materially rewarding opportunities in agriculture to attract
more students to consider it as a worthy career path. Agricultural education
policies and curricula have to be revised and geared towards the production
of agribusiness managers and entrepreneurs who will generate employment
opportunities for others and strengthen the base of the country’s agricultural
sector. To sustain their education, financial assistance in the form of
scholarships should be made available to deserving students who are willing
and interested in staking their future in agribusiness and agricultural
production.

In sum, this bill aims to provide opportunities to poor but deserving
high school students, as well as graduate students, to pursue careers in

ENTATIVES



agriculture as successful entrepreneurs and agribusiness founders and
managers.

In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of the bill, field as
House Bill No. 417 by the undersigned in the Sixteenth Congress, is

earnestly urged. a
anvhan C. YAP

Representative


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No, 2496

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE ARTHUR C. YAP

AN ACT

ESTABLISHING THE AGRI SCHOLARSHIP FOR

AGRIBUSINESS AND ENTERPRENEURSHIP

PROGRAMS IN THE AGRICULTURAL CURRICULA

OF STATE UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES AND FOR

OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines
in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Title — This Act shall be known as the ‘Agri
Scholarship Program Act of 2016’.

SECTION 2. Statement of Policy — The State shall give priority to
education, science and technology to accelerate social progress, and promote
development. To realize this policy, government shall provide opportunities
to all to obtain quality education especially to those who are poor but
qualified students through the provision of scholarships. It is also the policy
of the State to produce graduates who will become agribusiness managers
and entrepreneurs that will generate employment rather than job-seekers.

SECTION 3. Objectives — The following are the objectives of this

Act:


1 1. Develop competency skills and knowledge of students in agricultural
2 technologies and agribusiness;

3 2. Provide opportunities to poor but deserving students to realize their
4 potentials in agribusiness and entrepreneurships;

5 3. Increase food production utilizing idle lands of state universities and
6 colleges (SUCs);

7 4. Commercialize proven viable technologies to increase food
8 production and income of rural communities through the development
9 of livelihoods and markets;
10 5. Provide income to students while doing experiential learning and on-
nt the-job training which form part of their degree programs;
12 6. Link young farmer-students with credit, financing and marketing
13 institutions; and,
14 7. Contribute to the alleviation of poverty.
15 SECTION 4. Definition of Terms. — For purposes of this Act, the

16 following terms shall mean:
171) Agri scholarship — a scholarship program designed to benefit poor but
18 deserving graduates of agricultural and vocation high schools including
19 similarly situated freshmen students in agriculture and allied courses.

20 2)Agribusiness venture laboratory — laboratory classes of agricultural

21 subjects designed as business ventures in agriculture such as raising of
ey) poultry, goats, corn or rice or crop production, and credited as satisfying
23 the laboratory requirement of a course.

24 3) Small enterprise technology upgrading program (SET-UP) — a

25 technology transfer program being implemented by the Department of


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Science and Technology designed to assist small and medium enterprises
by providing packages of technologies and interest fee capital for the
acquisition of technologies.

SECTION 5. Establishment of Agri Scholarship Programs in State
Universities and Colleges in Agribusiness Management and/or
Entrepreneurship Courses — A scholarship program shall be established and
integrated in a ladderized program in Diploma in Agricultural Technology
(DAT), Bachelor in Agricultural Technology (BAT) and Bachelor of
Science in-Agribusiness (BS Agrib) prescribed to the student-scholars of
state universities and colleges. The DAT-BAT curriculum will be enhanced
with agribusiness and entrepreneurship components and comply with the
minimum standards and guidelines prescribed by the Commission on Higher
Education (CHED).

Target beneficiaries are high school graduates from agricultural and
vocational high schools with average high school grades of at least 80
percent. College freshmen already enrolled in agricultural courses in the
state universities and colleges will be considered for as long as their weight
grade average is at least 2.5.

SECTION 6. Entrepreneurship Components of the Program — To
enhance the entrepreneurship components of the curriculum, about 25% of
the entire curriculum shall be in the form of on-the-job training or related
learning experiences. Laboratory components of various agricultural
subjects shall be in the form of agribusiness ventures. Proven viable
agribusiness ventures shall be packaged for students to engage in, and these

shall serve as their laboratory classes under a supervised farming scheme.


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Each agribusiness venture shall be under the supervision of a faculty who is
also a technology expert in the chosen commodity.

The agribusiness venture laboratory program to be developed must be
implementable within 3 to 12 months, should be science and technology-
based agribusiness, the end products shall be highly marketable, and the
facilities needed are present/existing within the SUCs.

SECTION 7. Scholarships and Agribusiness Ventures Start-Up
Financing. - Ten percent (10%) of the Agricultural Competitiveness and
Enhancement Fund (ACEF) created under Republic Act No. 8178, as
amended by Republic Act No. 9586, and implemented by the Department of
Agriculture Administrative (DAO ) Order No. 19, Series of 2008, shall be
used for the funding of undergraduate scholarship programs in agribusiness,
forestry, fisheries, veterinary medicine, and graduate studies in
environmental and marine sciences, hydrology, renewable energy and
agribusiness management programs in state universities and colleges in the
country.

Likewise, there shall be allocated from the ACEF Three hundred fifty
million pesos ( P 350,000,000 ) over the first 4 years of the Program, of
which Fifty million pesos ( P 50,000,000 ) shall be used as start-up capital
for agribusiness venture laboratory.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) shall assist the
Program by providing additional technology packages under its Small
Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SET-UP).

SECTION 8. Management of the Scholarship and Agribusiness

Venture Start-up Funds. - The scholarship funds shall be managed by


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1 CHED and remitted directly to participating SUCs based on billing of tuition
2 and other fees. The venture financing shall be released to SUCs to be
3 deposited as trust funds for the purpose. Student-beneficiaries shall pay back
4 the venture capital for each cycle of the agribusiness project.
5 SECTION 9. Use of Idle Lands for the Agribusiness Venture
6 Laboratory. - The SUCs shall provide the lands and facilities to be used by
7 the students under the Program. Where appropriate, the Department of
8 Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) shall make available untenured
9 public lands under its jurisdiction for the use of students in their agribusiness
10 ventures under appropriate arrangements with CHED and the participating
11 SUCs.

2 SECTION 10. Implementing Rules and Regulations, - Within one

3 hundred eighty (180) days from the approval of this Act, the CHED, in
14 coordination and consultation with the DOST and DENR, shall promulgate
15 the rules and regulations necessary for the effective implementation of this
16 Act.

7 SECTION 11. Separability Clause - If any portion or provision of
18 this Act is declared unconstitutional or invalid, the other provisions hereof
19 not affected thereby shall remain valid and effective.

20 SECTION 12. Repealing Clause - All laws, presidential decrees,
21 executive orders, rules and regulations, or parts thereof inconsistent with the
22 provisions of this Act, are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

23 SECTION 13. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect

y

4 — fifteen (15) days after its publication in at least two (2) national newspapers

25 of general circulation.


Approved.