1 
Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
3rd Regular Session 
House Bill No. ________ 
Introduced by Representative ERIC GO YAP 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Due to its location and geographical context, the Philippines is considered as 
one of the highest-risk countries for natural disasters. The elevated vulnerability to 
natural hazards put the lives of the Filipino people at risk. In this day and age, it is no 
longer enough to take pride in resiliency. Equitable solutions must be sought for and 
continued support must be put in place, particularly in the agriculture sector. 
As an agricultural country, the common occurrence of these calamities severely 
affects our farmers and their livelihood. Apart from this, they are also susceptible to 
day-to-day farming problems such as pest infestation and diseases. To add to this, our 
farmers are not financially equipped for such occurrences, thus they have little to no 
margin for error and losses.  In order to strengthen the capabilities of the agriculture 
sector, a comprehensive program consolidating the disparate crop protection, 
quarantine and pest management efforts, activities, and agencies into a holistic and 
integrated service must be implemented.   
This bill seeks to establish the National Crop Protection Program, creating the 
Philippine Crop Protection Agency (PCPA) to promote the sustainability and greater 
productivity of the Philippine agriculture sector. It shall be attached to the 
Department of Agriculture and shall have regulatory powers and functions, such as 
on crop protection surveillance, crop protection support systems, and pest emergency 
response. 
In view of the foregoing, approval of this bill is earnestly sought. 
ERIC GO YAP 
November 17, 2021
9:59 am
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
3rd Regular Session 
House Bill No. _________ 
Introduced by Representative ERIC GO YAP 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING 
THE 
NATIONAL 
CROP 
PROTECTION 
PROGRAM, 
CREATING 
THE 
PHILIPPINE 
CROP 
PROTECTION 
AGENCY 
BY 
CONSOLIDATING THE DISPARATE CROP PROTECTION, QUARANTINE 
AND PEST MANAGEMENT EFFORTS, ACTIVITIES, AND AGENCIES, INTO A 
HOLISTIC 
AND 
INTEGRATED 
SERVICE 
TO 
PROMOTE 
THE 
SUSTAINABILITY AND GREATER PRODUCTIVITY OF THE PHILIPPINE 
AGRICULTURE SECTOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the “Philippine Crop 
Protection Act of 2019”. 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. The State shall promote sound agricultural 
development and shall assist all regions of the country in gaining optimum 
opportunities for better growth by way of improving agricultural productivity and 
sustainability in order to contribute the country’s food security, efforts at eradicating 
extreme rural poverty and hunger, and in raising the standards of living of farmers. 
The State recognizes the vital importance of safeguarding and protecting the crop 
production sector from the risks of fast spreading plant diseases, invasive plant 
species, insects and other biological pests, as well as malpractices in the use of 
chemicals and new technologies in agriculture crop production; and of consolidating 
and integrating the disparate and uncoordinated government programs and support 
agencies into a coherent, efficient, and more effective machinery in combating threats 
to the sector.  
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. For purposes of this Act, the following terms and 
expressions shall have the corresponding significance, to wit:  
a. Active substances – substances or micro-organisms having a general or specific
effect on harmful organisms, as well as on plants or plant products;
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b. Crop production – refers to specialized and science-based actions, activities, 
methods and techniques in safeguarding and protecting the crop production 
sector from the risks of fast spreading plant diseases, invasive plant species, 
and insect and other biological pests, as well as malpractices in the use of 
chemicals and new technologies in agriculture crop production.  
 
c. Genetically modified organisms – organisms whose genetic material have been 
altered in a way other than by combining naturally or re-combination (insofar 
as it concerns plant protection);  
 
d. Harmful organisms – organisms harmful to plants and plant products, 
including but not limited to viruses, mycoplasmas and other pathogens;  
 
e. Plants – living plants, fruit (in a botanical sense) and vegetables (except for 
those which are frozen), tubers, bulbs, rhizomes, tuberous bulbs, cut flowers, 
branches with leaves felled trees with leaves, stem cultures and seeds; 
 
f. Plant products – products of plant origin, unprocessed or having undergone 
simple preparation (milled, dried or pressed); 
 
g. Plant (or crop) protection materials – biological or chemical (pesticides) materials 
which are intended for combating of harmful organisms or reduction of the 
negative impact thereof, and can affect plant life-processes (except for plant 
nutrition) towards the protection of plant products, destruction of undesirable 
plants, destruction of parts of plants, and restriction and prevention of the 
growth of undesirable plants;  
 
h. Plant pest – any form of plant or animal life, or any pathogenic agent, including 
insects, mammals, arthropods, snails and other forms of animal life capable of 
causing injury to agricultural crops, plants and/or plant products  
 
i. Pesticide residues – active substances (one or more) found, as a result of the use 
of chemical plant protection material, in or on plants and plant products or in 
the environment, as well as their metabolites, and products of decomposition 
or chemical reactions.  
 
 
SEC. 4. Scope. This Act shall provide a framework for the consolidation and 
integration of the various government structures, programs, activities and efforts in 
the protection of agricultural crop production and plant bio-security, including but 
not limited to (1) regulation of entry, movement and quarantine of plants, seeds and 
other harmful organisms that could threaten the health and sustainability of 
agricultural crops and Philippine flora; (2) research and development on crop 
protection materials; (3) declaration of plant pest emergencies, prevention of spread 
of plant diseases, and control of outbreaks; (4) information, education, 
communication and extension activities on crop protection; and (5) coordination, 
organization, and description of the responsibilities of the various stakeholders in 
crop protection programs of the government.  
 


 
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SEC. 5. Creation of the Philippine Crop Protection Agency. There is hereby 
created the Philippine Crop Protection Agency, hereinafter referred to as PCPA, to 
which shall be transferred and which shall subsume under it the powers, 
responsibilities, organization and personnel, assets, and functions of the following 
offices, units, and services, to wit:  
 
a. The National Crop Protection Center, created under Presidential Decree No. 
936; 
 
b. The regional crop protection centers of the Bureau of Plant Industry, also 
created under P.D. 936; 
 
c. The Plant Quarantine Service of the Bureau Plant Industry, created under P.D. 
1433; and 
 
d. The Pesticide-related functions and units of the Fertilizer and Pesticides 
Authority, created under P.D. 1144 
 
 
The PCPA shall:  
 
1. Be attached to the Department of Agriculture and shall be under the policy 
and administrative supervision of the department Secretary; 
2. Have its principal place of business in Metro Manila and endeavor to have 
satellite or branch offices in every region of the country; 
3. Exercise all the general powers conferred by law upon legal persons as are 
incidental or conducive to the attainment of the objectives of this Act; 
4. Have a board of directors upon which the powers of the Agency shall be 
vested, to be composed of five (5) members including:  
i. 
The Secretary of Agriculture, who shall act as the chairman of the 
board; 
ii. 
Two (2) members from crop production stakeholders to be appointed 
by the President, to represent (1) the small hold farmers and (2) 
agribusiness groups; 
iii. 
The Director of the Bureau of Plant Industry;  
iv. 
The Director of the Bureau of Agriculture Research; 
v. 
A science expert in crop protection to be appointed by the President; 
and  
vi. 
The Director-General of the Agency who shall act as Vice-Chairman. 
 
 
The PCPA Board shall approve all the policies, systems, protocols and 
organizational re-engineering of the Agency. It shall also reaffirm the programs that 
will be implemented by the Director-General. 
 
 
SEC. 6. Powers and Functions. In order to rationalize and consolidate the crop 
protection program and policies of the government, the Philippine Crop Protection 
Agency shall have the following powers and functions: 
 
a. Regulatory powers  


 
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1. To ensure that the plant protection measures and plant protection materials 
do not have an adverse effect on human health, animals and the 
environment; 
2. To carry out phytosanitary control and determine phytosanitary measures; 
3. To determine exceptions regarding such plants, plant products and 
harmful organisms as are intended for the needs of science, research or 
varietal selection; 
4. To carry out of plant protection measures to eliminate or restrict the spread 
of harmful organisms and to reduce the negative impact thereof 
5. To carry out supervision and control of the circulation of pesticides and 
other hazardous plant protection chemicals; 
6. To prevent the accumulation of pesticide residues in the products 
produced, in the soil and in water above the permissible norms; and 
7. To prohibit entry and restrict movements of plants, seeds, unprocessed 
plant products, as well as pesticides and chemicals banned in other 
territories that have high potential of threatening agricultural crops and 
plants in the country. 
 
b. Crop Protection Surveillance 
1. To regulate the activities of natural persons or legal persons in the field of 
plant protection in order to prevent the import, introduction and spread of 
harmful organisms in the territory; 
2. To maintain a registry of plant protection materials and ensure the 
evaluation, registration and re-registration of these materials; 
3. To establish and maintain a registry of those persons who are involved in 
the growing of plants subject to phytosanitary control, as well as in the 
processing, storage, packaging, trade, import, and export of plants and 
plant products; 
4. To carry out examination of plants, provide land users (owners) with 
information on the appearance and spread of harmful organisms, and also 
on the plant protection measures to be taken; 
5. To implement disposal of plant resources and assets declare as high risk or 
can threaten plants and crops in the country; and 
6. To coordinate with counterpart offices in other countries as well as UN 
food agencies with respect to crop protection measures, policies and 
information exchanges. 
 
c. Crop Protection Support Systems  
1. To study biological and ecological factors of the organisms harmful to and 
competitive with plants;  
2. To carry out research on harmful organisms and plant protection measures 
to restrict the spread of such organisms, and carry out an analysis of the 
risk of the spread of plant quarantine organisms;  
3. To determine procedures on the research of harmful organisms, genetically 
modified organisms and plant protection materials and trials;  
4. To enter into partnerships with private sector laboratories that can assist in 
technical scientific studies on crop protection measures;  


 
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5. To enter into partnerships with state colleges and universities, other 
government agencies such as the Agriculture Training Institute (ATI) and 
the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for 
capability building programs; and 
6. To involve provincial agriculturists as well as barangay-based farmers and 
stakeholders in crop protection networks as sources of information. 
  
d. Pest Emergency Response 
1. To specify and implement restrictions on the movement and trade of plants 
and plant products identified to have plant pests; 
2. To officially declare the appearance of a plant pest emergency in any 
province or region, based on determination that the pest incidence will 
reduce the regional production of a particular crop by at least 1% or the 
provincial production of a particular crop by at least 2%; 
3. To formulate and carry out protocols on pest emergency response; 
4. To recommend to the regional disaster agency and local government units, 
based on the documented reports on extent of crop damage, the declaration 
of state of calamity to enable the concerned agencies provide direct 
assistance to the farmers and stakeholders affected by crop infestation; 
5. To detect the appearance of harmful organisms, to forecast development 
thereof; 
6. To determine the plant quarantine measures for individual cases and in 
specific places; 
7. To regulate movement of persons, conveyances and plant material in 
affected areas; 
8. To deputize police, military and, if necessary, farmers and civil society 
groups to enforce outbreak protocols in controlling pest outbreaks; and 
9. To implement disposal of affected plant resources and assets  
 
 
SEC. 7. Organization and Personnel Complement. The PCPA shall be headed 
by a Director-General with a rank of undersecretary, who shall be the agency’s Chief 
Executive Officer (CEO) and who shall have the following responsibilities: 
 
a. To carry out and implement the four major missions of the agency; 
 
b. To formulate the relevant strategies, plans, and programs as well as 
organizational development that will ensure the effectiveness of the missions 
of agency; 
 
c. To regularly report on the state of crop protection in the various regions of the 
country for all the major crop commodities in each region; 
 
d. To manage and administer the affairs, and operations of the Agency with 
efficiency, integrity and transparency; 
 
e. To ensure the hiring of technically competent scientists and highly capable, 
qualified personnel; and 
 


 
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f. To cause the filing of charges and prosecute violations under this Act and other 
relevant laws, including but not limited to, P.D. 1433.  
 
 
The PCPA Board shall authorize the initial organization of the appropriate 
offices and units, and personnel requirements of the Agency, subject to the 
appropriate Civil Service rules and guidelines. Personnel who may be affected by the 
abolition of positions shall eligible for early retirement benefits at 1.5 times their basic 
salary for every year of service in government, in addition to other benefits allowed 
by law, provided that those who will avail of this program will not eligible for re-
employment in the Agency.  
 
 
SEC. 8. Funding. For its initial year of operations, the amount of Fifty Million 
Pesos (PhP 50,000,000.00) is hereby authorized to be set aside and transferred from 
the current year’s budget of the Office of the Secretary of the Department of 
Agriculture, together with the corresponding budgets of the offices and units 
absorbed into the Agency. Subsequent budgetary requirements for the Agency’s 
requirements shall be incorporated in the provisions for the Department of 
Agriculture in the annual general appropriations act.  
 
 
SEC. 9. Emergency Measure and Fund. There shall be a standby-by fund in the 
amount of Five Hundred Million Pesos (PhP 500,000,000.00) pesos at the Department 
of Agriculture at any given time, ear marked for Crop/Pest Emergency response. 
This shall be used for prevention of the spread, treatment, control, and management 
of emergency situations/s and which may include, the use of, mechanical, biological 
and other available measures. In the event that the fund is not sufficient for the year, 
the PCPA can request for augmentation from the National Disaster Relief Reduction 
Management Fund provided for under the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction 
Management Act of 2010 or Republic Act 10121.  
 
 
SEC. 10. Authority to Call for Support in during the Crop Pest-related 
Emergencies. The PCPA is hereby designated as the overall coordinating authority in 
the event of any crop or plant infestation. In officially declared pest emergency 
situations, the PCPA may call for assistance and support from other government 
agencies to provide the prescribed regulatory, surveillance, quarantine information 
gathering and other relevant activities to ensure the effective implementation of 
preventative and pest-curtailment measures. The PCPA head shall have the authority 
to call for the creation of a pest emergency response task force and may call upon key 
officials of the following agencies at the region in which the appearance of plant 
emergency conditions is declared, including: the DILG, PNP, DA, DENR, regional 
DRRRMC, Provincial governors and/or Provincial Agriculturists, Congressional 
Representative of the affected district, Mayors of the affected municipalities/cities, 
crop science experts from the country’s state universities. 
 
 
SEC. 11. Penalty Clause. Any person, company or corporation who violates 
the provisions of this Act, including the remaining provisions of the P.D. 1433, or 
forges, counterfeits, alters, defaces and destroys any document issued by virtue of 
this Act shall be fined an amount not more than One Million Pesos (PhP 1,000,000.00) 
for individual persons and up to Ten Million Pesos (PhP10,000,000.00) for 


 
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corporations or by imprisonment for the person (all involved managing officers in 
the case of a corporation) from prison correctional to prison mayor, or both, at the 
discretion of the Court.  
 
 
SEC. 12. Repealing Clause. PD. 936, together with Sections 9,18, 19, 20, 21 and 
22 of P.D. 1433 and the relevant provisions of P.D.  1144 relating to the pesticides are 
hereby repealed. The powers and functions of the Director of Plant Industry under 
P.D. 1433 are transferred to the Managing Director of PCPA, All other laws, executive 
orders, rules and regulations, or parts thereof, inconsistent herewith are hereby 
repealed or modified accordingly.  
  
 
SEC. 13. Implementing Rules and Regulations. Within three months from the 
effectivity of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall form an ad hoc Task Force to 
be composed of representatives from the crop production stakeholders, and a science 
expert in crop protection to formulate the Implementing Rules and Regulations 
within the ensuing period of three months. Two representatives of the Congressional 
Commission on Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization shall join the meetings of 
the ad hoc Task Force as observers.  
 
SEC. 14. Separability Clause. Should any part of this Act be declared 
unconstitutional or invalid, the other provisions hereof that are not affected thereby 
shall continue to be in full force and effect.  
 
SEC. 15. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in any newspaper or general circulation. 
 
 
Approved,