EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Third Regular Session
SENATE 
S. B. No. 2318
FILED
TIME
NDEX
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 clear that agriculture should be a priority agenda of the State as it is one 
of the main sources of livelihood among Filipinos with an average employment of 11.4 
million1 since 2008, or equivalent to near one-third of overall employment. In recent 
years, it has contributed no less than 9 percent on average to the country's gross 
domestic product (GDP) being the main driver of food security.2
However, 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, disruptions 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 resulting to land 
degradation and crop failures.3
1 Philippine Statistics Authority, 2019. Selected Statistics on Agriculture 2010-2019.
2 m.
3 Global Food Security Index 2020. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). https://foodsecurityindex.eiu.com/lndex


The World Bank projected that the country may lose up to $21 Billion or nearly 
91 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, which serves as the counterpart of the measure filed by Rep. 
Lorenz R. Defensor of the 3rd district of Iloilo, 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 all agricultural commodities in the local government unit (LGU), which 
provided easy access to a commodity's real-time supply 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 overall development of the country. In 
view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is earnestly sought.
SONNY ANGARA
1 https://www.philstar.eom/business/2021/07/03/2109750/ecosystem-damage-cost-philippines-21-billion-2030-world-bank


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Third Regular Session
SENATE 
S. B. No. 2318
FILED
NBEX
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
2 
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, with
10 
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, the National Government shall have access to real-time agricultural


1 
information which can rationalize the objectives and policy directive in the agricultural
2 
sector.
3 
SEC. 3. Objectives. - This Act aims to attain the following objectives:
4 
a) Provide an up-to-date database of agriculturai and fisheries products
5 
in a locality;
6 
b) Foster information sharing between farmers and potential buyers of
7 
agricultural and fisheries products;
8 
c) Secure a market for agricultural and fisheries products and ensure
9 
appropriate return of investment for farmers and fisheries
10 
stakeholders;
11 
d) Allow local government units to manage a secure and independent
12 
platform that creates linkages for farmers and fisheries stakeholders;
13 
e) Provide data on specific commodities that are readily available in a
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particular locality for purposes of production monitoring in order to
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meet the demands of the market;
16 
f) Provide a secure, transparent, and independent modern web
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application that may be accessed anytime by the public through a
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multi-platform support or cross-platform support devices which can
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be linked to existing systems in the Department of Agriculture (DA);
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g) Streamline training and seminars in the management of the
21 
operations;
22 
h) Monitor the use of inputs given by producers, buyers, and other
23 
segments of the value-chain including information during post-
24 
harvest and processing; and


1 
i) Ensure that all forms of assistance given to local government units
2 
(LGUs), registered cooperatives and other qualified individuals and
3 
organizations are monitored.
4 
SEC. 4. Agricultural Information System. - All cities and municipalities
5 
are hereby mandated to establish an Agricultural Information System (AIS),
6 
hereinafter referred to as Information System. The AIS shall serve as a dynamic
7 
online computer database where information on the demand for specific agricultural
8 
and fisheries commodities is gathered and uploaded simultaneously with the
9 
production data from farmers in every barangay. The AIS shall merge and
10 
synchronize agricultural data from different sources into a cohesive database
11 
designed to facilitate linkages from place of origin or the farm to local, and ultimately,
12 
global markets. The AIS shall also be integrated with the existing systems of the DA.
13 
The Information System shall have the following features and contents:
14 
a) Municipal and city-wide identification of individual farmers, fish breeders,
15 
and fisherfolk as well as qualified organizations which produce specific farm
16 
and fisheries products, regardless of quantity;
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b) Crop harvest, volume, and type forecasting;
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c) Inventory of specific classification of crop varieties planted, livestock, and
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type of fish raised in a particular LGU;
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d) Farmers' and fisherfolk demographics, including age group, gender, ethnic
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group, income, seminars and trainings attended, and assistance received;
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e) Selected reports presented in both tabular and graphical form;
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f) Registry of farmers' contact details and farm location to facilitate market
24 
linkages;


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g) Search engine which allows farmers, fish breeders, and fisherfolk to look
2 
for potential and actual buyers and for such buyers to search for farms,
3 
farmers, and available agricultural and fisheries products; and
4 
h) Customizable dashboard which is accessible only to registered farmers and
5 
fisherfolk clients and contains the farmers' and fisherfolk's profile such as
6 
the area of the farm or fishpond, crops planted, livestock, and type of fish
7 
raised.
8 
Sec. 5. Registration. - All cities and municipalities shall encourage and
9 
facilitate the free registration of all farmers, fisherfolk, as well as buyers transacting
10 
within their respective areas in the Information System.
11 
Sec. 6. Functions and Responsibilities of Cities and Municipalities. -
12 
The LGU shall exercise the following functions and responsibilities:
13 
a) The Municipal Agriculture Office, in coordination with the Municipal
14 
Agrarian Reform Office, shall gather, encode, and consolidate all pertinent
15 
data on the profile and demographics of farmers, fisherfolk as well as
16 
buyers;
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b) Monitor and control farm inputs including machineries and equipment;
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c) For municipalities and component cities, prepare and submit real-time data
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under a) and b) to the provincial agricultural office and to the respective
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regional offices of the DA;
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d) For highly urbanized cities, submit real-time data to the respective regional
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offices of the DA;
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e) Establish farmer and buyer linkages and act as a gatekeeper at the city or
24 
municipal level in the nationwide marketing of agricultural products; and


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


1 
collection system that serves as a platform for updating the Registry
2 
Systerp for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA);
3 
b) Collaborate with the 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 the
7 
form of marketing, importation, and training assistance, as may be needed;
8 
d) Validate the data from the LGUs acting as the system administrator at the
9 
regional level and provide real-time report to the central office of the DA;
10 
and
11 
e) Endorse for financial assistance the qualified fifth and sixth class
12 
municipalities that can be given assistance in establishing and maintaining
13 
their respective AIS.
14 
SEC. 9. Functions and Responsibilities of the Central Office of the DA.
15 
- The central office of the DA shall have the following functions and responsibilities:
16 
a) Allocate funding for the integration of the AIS with existing information
17 
systems;
18 
b) Coordinate with the Department of Information and Communications
19 
Technology (DICT) to upgrade, expand, and integrated its information
20 
systems;
21 
c) Ensure that the implementation, appropriate verification processes and
22 
information safeguards are in place pursuant to existing laws and
23 
regulations, in coordination with the DICT, Philippine Statistics Authority
24 
(PSA), National Privacy Commission (NPC), Department of the Interior and


1 
Local Government (DILG), and the Department of Science and Technology
2 
(DOST);
3 
d) Approve the prioritized interventions by the regional offices and allocate
4 
corresponding funding;
5 
e) Collaborate with other agencies for the creation of market linkages in the
6 
domestic and international markets; and
7 
f) Provide safety nets in the import and export of agricultural products in
8 
order to support farmers.
9 
SEC. 10. Duties of the Secretary. - The Secretary of the DA shall monitor
10 
and ensure the compliance of all cities and municipalities as provided for under this
11 
Act and shall, as soon as practicable, establish a centralized AIS that shall integrate
12 
and link all existing information systems in the country.
13 
SEC. 11. Reports. - The Secretary of the DA shall prepare and submit to the
14 
President and both Houses of Congress an annual report on the implementation of
15 
the program which shall contain the list of accomplishments and recommendations
16 
for improvements.
i
17 
SEC. 12. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90) days
18 
after the effectivity of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall promulgate the
19 
necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act.
20 
SEC. 13. Appropriations. - The Secretary of Agriculture shall include in the
21 
Department's programs the establishment of the integrated and centralized AIS, the
22 
funding of which shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act. The LGUs
23 
shall provide the necessary funds for the establishment of an AIS in their respective
24 
annual budgets.


1 
SEC. 14. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is declared invalid
2 
or unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected by such declaration shall remain
3 
in full force and effect.
4 
SEC. 15. Repealing Clause. - All laws, presidential decrees, executive
5 
orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof which are inconsistent with the
6 
provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
7 
SEC. 16. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days
8 
after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,
8