NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE 
s. B. No. _a9B.
Senate
o( H)p ^ffr«M|nrp
•22 AUG-3 All.*16
Rl-CElVfc) BY;
Introduced by Senator SONNY ANGARA
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING THE AGRICULTURE INFORMATION SYSTEM IN ALL CITIES 
AND MUNICIPALITIES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Section 5, Article XIII of the 1987 Constitution directs the State to "provide 
support to agriculture through appropriate technology and research, and adequate 
financial, production, marketing, and other support services."
It is dear that agriculture should be a priority agenda of the State as it is one 
of the main sources of livelihood among Filipinos with an estimated employment of 
9.7 million1, contributing 22.9 percent to the national employment. Since 2015, the 
sector has contributed an average of 6.5 percent growth rate to the country's gross 
domestic product (GDP) being the main driver of food security.2
Hovv'ever, the latest figures of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) indicate 
that the agriculture sector stood as the lowest contributor to the GDP among the 
three major industries in 2020. Declines in the gross value added (GVA) were 
recorded across many subsectors, particularly.
In addition, disruptic.ms caused by the COVID-19 pandemic with the 
problematic climate change aggravated vulnerabilities of food systems worldwide 
according to the 2020 Global Food Security Index. The same report also presented 
that the Philippines is exposed to rising temperatures and erratic rainfall patterns 
resuiting to land degradation and crop failures.3
1 Philippine Statistics Authority. Selected Statistics on Agriculture 2020
2 Ibid
3 Global Food Security Index 2020. The Economist Intelligence Unit (ElU). https://foodsecurityindex.eiu.com/lndex


The World Bank projected that the country may lose up to $21 Billion or 
nearly Trillion by 2030 if the "services provided by nature collapse and if no smart 
policies will be implemented to protect the country's biodiversity." The organization 
argued that the formulation of coordinated policies targeted towards innovation can 
benefit the country's natural resources and promote development.4
Hence, this bill seeks to establish the Agriculture Information System (AIS) in 
all cities and municipalities in the country to create one centralized database under 
the Department of Agriculture that will link all systems to streamline the country's 
agricultural planning process. The AIS, at the local level, shall serve as an online 
database where information on the demand for specific agricultural and fisheries 
commodities is gathered and uploaded simultaneously with production data to 
enable farmers to market their produce to buyers through online means.
The proposed AIS is derived from the Municipal Agriculture Information 
System (MAIS) of Mina, Iloilo that served as a decision-making tool with an up-to- 
date inventory of ail agricultural commodities in the local government unit (LGU), 
which provided easy access to a commodity's reai-time suppiy and production 
situation at all times.
Ultimately, the proposed bill aims to enhance the welfare of all Filipino 
farmers and enable them to further contribute in the overail deveiopment of the 
country. In view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is earnestly sought.
SONNY ANGARA
Iff
https://www.philstar.eom/business/2021/07/03/2109750/ecosystem-damage-cost-philippines-21-billion-2030-world-bank


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
'■ • ■/
■ tOffiiP of t!)i' £?f.'crftnrp
•22 AUG -3 All :16
SENATE
S. B. No. 998
) BV.
Introduced by Senator SONNY ANGARA
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING THE AGRICULTURE INFORMATION SYSTEM IN ALL CITIES 
AND MUNICIPALITIES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
1 
SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Agriculture Information
1 System Act"
3 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is the policy of the State to uplift the
4 
socioeconomic conditions of farmers and farming communities nationwide in order to
5 
promote their welfare and empower their sector in the overall development and
6 
progress of the country. Pursuant to this, an integrated, computerized, web-based
7 
agricultural commodity supply inventory and registry system linking farmers and
8 
organized communities all over the country needs to be established to provide an
9 
easy-to-access local and global real time information for agricultural commodities,
10 
with an end view of creating a wider range of market linkages among farmers and
11 
agricultural buyers. Furthermore, through a synchronized agriculture information
12 
system, tiie National Government shall have access to real-time agricultural
13 
information which can rationalize the objectives and policy directive in the
14 
agricultural sector.
15 
SEC. 3. Objectives. -JYiis Act aims to attain the following objectives:
16 
a) Provide an up-to-date database of agricultural and fisheries
17 
products in a locality;
18 
b) Foster information sharing between farmers and potential buyers
19 
of agricultural and fisheries products;
1


1 
c) Secure a market for agricultural and fisheries products and ensure
2 
appropriate return of investment for farmers and fisheries
3 
stakeholders;
4 
d) Allow local government units to manage a secure and independent
5 
platform that creates linkages for farmers and fisheries
6 
stakeholders;
7 
e) Provide data on specific commodities that are readily available in a
8 
particular locality for purposes of production monitoring in order to
9 
meet the demands of the market;
10 
f) Provide a secure, transparent, and independent modern web
11 
application that may be accessed anytime by the public through a
12 
multi-platform support or cross-platform support devices which can
13 
be linked to existing systems in the Department of Agriculture
14 
(DA);
15 
g) Streamline training and seminars in the management of the
16 
operations;
17 
h) Monitor the use of inputs given by producers, buyers, and other
18 
segments of the value-chain including information during post-
19 
harvest and processing; and
20 
i) Ensure that all forms of assistance given to local government units
21 
(LGUs), registered cooperatives and other qualified individuals and
22 
organizations are monitored.
23 
SEC. 4. Agricultural Information System. - All cities and municipalities
24 
are hereby mandated to establish an Agricultural Information System (AIS),
25 
hereinafter referred to as Information System. The AIS shall serve as a dynamic
26 
online computer database where information on the demand for specific agricultural
27 
and fisheries commodities is gathered and uploaded simultaneously with the
28 
production data from farmers in every barangay. The AIS shall merge and
29 
synchronize agricultural data from different sources into a cohesive database
30 
designed to facilitate linkages from place of origin or the farm to local, and
31 
ultimately, global markets. The AIS shall also be integrated with the existing
32 
systems of the DA.


1 
The Information System shall have the following features and contents:
2 
a) Municipal and city-wide Identification of individual farmers, fish breeders,
3 
and fisherfolk as well as qualified organizations which produce specific
4 
farm and fisheries products, regardless of quantity;
• 5 
b) Crop harvest, volume, and type forecasting;
6 
c) Inventory of specific classification of crop varieties planted, livestock, and
7 
type of fish raised in a particular LGU;
8 
d) Farmers' and fisherfolk demographics, including age group, gender,
9 
ethnic group, income, seminars and trainings attended, and assistance
10 
received;
11 
e) Selected reports presented in both tabular and graphical form;
12 
f) Registry of farmers' contact details and farm location to facilitate market
13 
linkages;
14 
g) Search engine which allows farmers, fish breeders, and fisherfolk to look
15 
for potential and actual buyers and for such buyers to search for farms,
16 
farmers, and available agricultural and fisheries products; and
17 
h) Customizable dashboard which is accessible only to registered farmers
18 
and fisherfolk clients and contains the farmers' and fisherfolk's profile
19 
such as the area of the farm or fishpond, crops planted, livestock, and
20 
type of fish raised.
21 
Sec. 5. Registration, - All cities and municipalities shall encourage and
22 
facilitate the free registration of ail farmers, fisherfolk, as well as buyers transacting
23 
within their respective areas in the Information System.
24 
Sec. 6. Functions and Responsibilities of Cities and Municipalities. -
25 
The LGU snail exercise the following functions and responsibilities:
26 
a) The Municipal Agriculture Office, in coordination with the Municipal
27 
Agrarian Reform Office, shall gather, encode, and consolidate all
28 
pertinent data on the profile and demographics of farmers, fisherfolk as
29 
well as buyers;
30 
b) Monitor and control farm inputs including machineries and equipment;


w
1 
c) For municipalities and component cities, prepare and submit real-time
2 
data under a) and b) to the provincial agricultural office and to the
3 
respective regional offices of the DA;
4 
d) For highly urbanized cities, submit real-time data to the respective
5 
regional offices of the DA;
6 
e) Establish farmer and buyer linkages and act as a gatekeeper at the city
7 
or municipal level in the nationwide marketing of agricultural products;
8 
and
9 
f) Serve as the web administrator at the municipal or city level and be
10 
responsible for integrating farm 
and fisheries 
locations into the
11 
geographic integration system map.
12 
SEC. 7. Functions and Responsibilities of the Province. - The
13 
provincial government shall have the following functions and responsibilities:
14 
a) The Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) is the web
15 
administrator at the provincial level and is responsible for Integrating
16 
farm and fisheries data into the geographic integration system maps for
17 
agriculture and fisheries;
18 
b) The Local Economic and Investment Promotion Office (LEIPO) acts as
19 
the lead administrator of the AIS in the provincial level and ensures the
20 
balance between supply and demand;
21 
c) The Provincial Agricultural Office monitors the submission of reports from
22 
municipalities and component cities, and ensures the completeness,
23 
accuracy, and validity of data submitted by the Municipal Agricultural
24 
Offices and the Municipal Agrarian Reform Offices; and
25 
d) Except for highly urbanized cities, prepare and submit such data to the
26 
regional office of the DA.
27 
SEC. 8. Functions and Responsibilities of the Regional Office of the
28 
DA. - The regional office of the DA shall have the following functions and
29 
responsibilities:
30 
a) Integrated the data provided by the provinces and highly urbanized cities
31 
in the existing information systems of the DA such as the National
32 
Farmers and Fisheries Information System (NFFIS) which is a web-based


1 
data collection system that serves as a platform for updating the Registry
2 
System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA);
3 
b) Collaborate with tne regional offices of the Department of Trade and
4 
Industry (DTI) in order to facilitate the availment of the various programs
5 
of the DTI as well as strengthen market linkages through such programs;
6 
c) Recommend to the central office of the DA appropriate interventions in
7 
the form of marketing, importation, and training assistance, as may be
8 
needed;
9 
d) Validate the data from the LGUs acting as the system administrator at the
10 
regional level and provide real-time report to the central office of the DA;
11 
and
12 
e) Endorse for financial assistance the qualified fifth and sixth class
13 
municipalities that can be given assistance in establishing and
14 
maintaining their respective AIS.
15 
SEC. 9. Functions and Responsibilities of the Central Office of the
16 
DA. - The central office of the DA shall have the following functions and
17 
responsibilities:
18 
a) Allocate funding for the integration of the AIS with existing information
19 
systems;
20 
b) Coordinate with the Department of Information and Communications
21 
Technology (DICT) to upgrade, expand, and integrated its information
22 
systems;
23 
c) Ensure that the implementation, appropriate verification processes and
24 
information safeguards are in place pursuant to existing laws and
25 
regulations, in coordination with the DICT, Philippine Statistics Authority
26 
(PSA), National Privacy Commission (NPC), Department of the Interior
27 
and Local Government (DILG), and the Department of Science and
28 
Technology (DOST);
29 
d) Approve the prioritized interventions by the regional offices and allocate
30 
corresponding funding;
31 
e) Collaborate with other agencies for the creation of market linkages in the
32 
domestic and international markets; and


1 
f) Provide safety nets in the import and export of agricultural products in
2 
order to support farmers.
3 
SEC. 10. Duties of the Secretary. - The Secretary of the DA shall monitor
4 
and ensure the compliance of all cities and municipalities as provided for under this
5 
Act and shall, as soon as practicable, establish a centralized AIS that shall integrate
6 
and link ail existing information systems in the country.
7 
SEC. 11. Reports. - The Secretary of the DA shall prepare and submit to
8 
the President and both Houses of Congress an annual report on the implementation
9 
of the program which shall contain the list of accomplishments and
10 
recommendations for improvements.
11 
SEC. 12. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90)
12 
days after the effectivity of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall promulgate
13 
the necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act.
14 
SEC. 13. Appropriations. - The Secretary of Agriculture shall include in the
15 
Department's programs the establishment of the integrated and centralized AIS, the
16 
funding of which shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act. The
17 
LGUs shall provide the necessary funds for the establishment of an AIS in their
18 
respective annual budgets.
19 
SEC. 14. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is declared
20 
invalid or unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected by such declaration shall
21 
remain in full force and effect.
22 
SEC. 15. Repealing Clause. - All laws, presidential decrees, executive
23 
orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof which are inconsistent with the
24 
provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
25 
SEC. 16. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days
26 
after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,