Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
Twentieth Congress 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 4273 
Introduced by Representatives Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, Yedda 
Marie K. Romualdez, Andrew Julian K. Romualdez, and Jude A. Acidre 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING THE YOUNG FARMERS AND FISHERFOLK 
CHALLENGE PROGRAM, CREATING FOR THE PURPOSE THE 
YOUNG FARMERS AND FISHERFOLK CHALLENGE COUNCIL, AND 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
On one hand, Section 13, Article II of the 1987 Constitution provides that 
"the State recognizes the vital role of the youth in nation-building and shall 
promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-
being. It shall inculcate in the youth patriotism and nationalism, and encourage 
their involvement in public and civic affairs." On the other hand, Section 5, 
Article XIII of the same Constitution mandates the recognition of right of farmers, 
farmworkers, and landowners, as well as cooperatives, and other independent 
farmers’ organizations to participate in the planning, organization, and 
management of the program, and shall provide support to agriculture through 
appropriate technology and research, and adequate financial, production, 
marketing, and other support services. Additionally, Section 3, Article XIII 
guarantees the right of workers to participate in policy and decision-making 
processes affecting their rights and benefits as may be provided by law. 
Taken together and in furtherance of these Constitutional mandates, this 
bill seeks to engage the youth in pursuing a career in agriculture and agri-business 
and actively participate in policy formulation and program implementation of the 
September 1, 2025
3:49 pm


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same in recognition of their crucial role in nation-building as agents and partners 
for development.  
 The Young Farmers and Fisherfolk Challenge Council is sought to be 
created, composed of various national government agencies to spearhead policy 
formulation and program implementation for the benefit of the youth belonging 
to fifteen (15) to thirty-five (35) years of age, who are engaged in farming and 
fisheries activities, and are included in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in 
Agriculture (RSBSA). 
 Also, in light of the 2020 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 
of the Food and Agriculture Organization which reported that the Philippines 
recorded the most number of food insecure people in Southeast Asia in 2017 to 
2019, with 59 million Filipinos suffering from moderate to severe lack of 
consistent access to food, this bill seeks to support government programs towards 
improving food security through a whole of government approach. National 
government agencies will likewise be engaged through this legislation to improve 
accessibility to green jobs, opportunities for knowledge and information 
enrichment, financial services, and land for the benefit of young Filipino farmers. 
 This measure was primarily referred to the Committee on Agriculture and 
Food and was approved by the House on Third Reading during the 18th and 19th 
Congresses. 
 In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
FERDINAND MARTIN G. ROMUALDEZ 
YEDDA MARIE K. ROMUALDEZ 
ANDREW JULIAN K. ROMUALDEZ 
JUDE A. ACIDRE 


Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
Twentieth Congress 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 4273 
Introduced by Representatives Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, Yedda 
Marie K. Romualdez, Andrew Julian K. Romualdez, and Jude A. Acidre 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING THE YOUNG FARMERS AND FISHERFOLK 
CHALLENGE PROGRAM, CREATING FOR THE PURPOSE THE 
YOUNG FARMERS AND FISHERFOLK CHALLENGE COUNCIL, AND 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
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 “Young Farmers 
and Fisherfolk Challenge Act”. 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is hereby declared the policy of the State 
to ensure that the rights of young farmers and fisherfolk are recognized, protected 
and promoted. Pursuant to this, the State shall involve the youth in nation building 
and rural development, providing for this purpose access to knowledge, 
information and education, land, new sources of financial services and capital, 
green jobs, new and niche markets, and participation in policy dialogue. 


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SEC. 3. Young Farmers and Fisherfolk Challenge Program. – There is 
hereby established a Young Farmers and Fisherfolk Challenge Program, 
hereinafter referred to as the Program, that shall support and empower the young 
farmers and fisherfolk to be active partners in food security and agricultural 
development and modernization. The Program shall encourage the youth to 
pursue a career or engage in activities related to agriculture, ensure young farmers 
and fisherfolk participation in policy formulation and program implementation, 
and provide institutional support for agri-business and agri-entrepreneurship 
initiatives to fully realize the role of the youth as agents and partners for 
development. 
 
SEC. 4. Beneficiaries of the Program. – The Program is intended to support 
young farmers and fisherfolk between fifteen (15) to thirty-five (35) years of age, 
who are engaged in farming and fisheries activities, and are included in the 
Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture. The Department of Agriculture 
(DA) shall update its existing database to reflect these indicators.  
 
SEC. 5. Creation of a Special Lane for the Processing of Licenses and 
Permits. – The Department of Trade and Industry, Food and Drug 
Administration, and the Intellectual Property Office are hereby mandated to 
establish a special lane to facilitate the registration and application of the 
projects/business enterprise of the Young Farmers and Fisherfolk Challenge 
Program beneficiaries/awardees, to include the following: license to operate, 
certificate of product registration, business name, and intellectual property rights.   
 
SEC. 6. Creation of a Young Farmers and Fisherfolk Challenge Council. 
– There is hereby created the Young Farmers and Fisherfolk Challenge Council, 


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hereinafter referred to as the Council, to provide the overall policy and direction 
of concerned agencies to ensure the effective implementation of the Program. 
 
The Council shall be administratively attached to the DA and shall be 
composed of the following: 
 
(a) Secretary of the DA, as Chairperson; 
 
(b) Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry, as Vice-
Chairperson; 
 
(c) Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd), as member; 
 
(d) Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), as 
member; 
 
(e) Secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), as member; 
 
(f) Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, 
as member; 
 
(g) Commissioner of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), as 
member; 
 
(h) Director-General of the Technical Education and Skills Development 
Authority (TESDA), as member;  
 


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(i) Representative of a national organization of young farmers’ 
cooperative or association, as member; 
 
(j) Representative of a national organization of fisherfolks’ cooperative 
or association, as member; 
 
(k) Representative of a women farmers’ organization or cooperative, as 
member; 
 
(l) Representative of a national organization for agritourism, as member; 
and 
 
(m) Representative of a national organization for food, restaurant, and 
business sectors, as member. 
 
Provided, however, That the member of the Council under subsections (i), (j) 
and (k) shall be between fifteen (15) to forty (40) years of age. 
 
The government sector representatives in the Council may appoint an official 
alternate with a rank of an Undersecretary or its equivalent. The official alternate 
shall possess the same powers as the heads of the above-named government 
agencies and whose acts shall be considered as acts of the heads of office being 
represented.  
 
Representatives from the private sector shall be appointed by the DA 
Secretary from among the officers and members of their existing national 
organizations and associations. They shall serve for a period of two (2) years. 
When a vacancy arises due to the resignation, removal for cause, death or 


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incapacity of a member, a replacement shall be appointed who shall serve for the 
remainder of the representative’s term of office.  
 
Government sector representatives shall not be entitled to compensation in 
the discharge of their functions in the Council but shall be entitled to 
reimbursement of any reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of their 
functions. Private sector representatives shall be entitled to honoraria or 
allowances for the expenses incurred in the discharge of their functions as 
members of the Council.  
 
The Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries shall serve as its 
Secretariat. 
 
SEC. 7. Powers and Functions of the Council. – The Council shall have the 
following powers and functions: 
 
(a) Formulate the Program, in consultation with research institutions such as 
the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in 
Agriculture, Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural 
Resources Research and Development, University of the Philippines - Los 
Baños and other relevant state universities and colleges (SUCs); 
 
(b) Identify and streamline access to relevant capacity-building and livelihood 
programs across the different departments and agencies of government, 
including on-the-job trainings, job fairs, employment in farm tourism and 
agro-industrial zones, and other employment-bridging initiatives;  
 
 


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(c) Identify and streamline access to possible sources of credit across the 
different departments, agencies, and instrumentalities, including access to 
start-up capital;  
 
(d) Monitor initiatives in emerging best practices in agriculture such as smart 
farming, farm tourism in compliance with Republic Act No. 10816 or the 
“Farm Tourism Development Act of 2016,” agroponics, aquaponics, 
hydroponics, and organic and boutique vegetables; 
 
(e) Improve and facilitate access to marketing services such as product 
packaging, promotions including branding and advertising, networking 
events, provision of subsidies to enable participation in trade fairs and 
exhibits, and linkage with media; 
 
(f) Coordinate with local government units (LGUs) in providing subsidized 
rental rates for public retail areas and public markets to farmers and 
fisherfolk; 
 
(g) Serve as a conduit between stakeholders and national and international 
leaders including Congress and the private sector in formulating policies 
directly addressing the concerns of young farmers and fisherfolk;  
 
(h) Propose subjects related to agriculture and agribusiness such as gardening, 
backyard farming, urban farming, reforestation, agricultural appreciation, 
agricultural entrepreneurship, smart farming, farm tourism, and coastal 
management in all pertinent levels of the DepEd’s K-12 with the end goal 
of increasing enrollment in courses related to agriculture in the technical-


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vocational track in Senior High School, CHED, the National Service 
Training Program and TESDA; 
 
(i) Ensure scholarships and subsidized tuition fees for young farmers and 
fisherfolk in SUCs; 
 
(j) Provide on-the-job training programs for young farmers and fisherfolk in 
areas such as “green jobs”, reforestation, coastal management, fisheries, 
and other rural-based jobs, through Department of Labor and 
Employment’s (DOLE) Special Program for Employment of Students and 
other livelihood and training programs; 
 
(k) Explore and facilitate the extension of short-term leases for public land to 
young farmers and fisherfolk, providing free or subsidized land for 
cultivation and for aquaculture, and developing other packages such as, 
lease-to-buy schemes that would allow young farmers and fisherfolk to use 
available or unutilized agricultural land or fisheries management areas for 
the purposes of said Program; 
 
(l) Expedite the leasing, distribution, and award of agrarian reform land to 
qualified beneficiaries; 
 
(m) Facilitate the use of excess land holdings of SUCs and private education 
institutions for agricultural training and developmental processes; 
 
(n) Foster the formation of new ideas and technologies by assisting agricultural 
enterprises of qualified young farmers and fisherfolk entrepreneurs, 


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pursuant to Republic Act No. 11337, otherwise known as the “Innovative 
Startup Act”; 
 
(o) Initiate social partnerships and rural development initiatives in partnership 
with the private sector; 
 
(p) Optimize existing loan guarantee funds administered by various 
government entities to increase the credit worthiness of young farmers and 
fisherfolk experiencing difficulty in obtaining loans from banks due to lack 
of acceptable collaterals, credit knowledge and credit track record; and  
 
(q) Accept donations, contributions, grants, bequests or gifts, in cash or in 
kind, from various sources, domestic or foreign, for purposes relevant to 
the functions of the Council. Said donations shall be deemed automatically 
appropriated for purposes specified by the donor or in the absence thereof, 
for the programs and projects as may be approved by the Council subject 
to the usual accounting and auditing rules and regulations: Provided, That 
cash donations shall not be used to fund the personal services requirements 
of the Council.  
 
SEC. 8. Tax Exemption on Donations. – All grants, bequests, endowments, 
donations, contributions made to and used actually, directly and exclusively by 
the Council shall be exempt from donor’s tax and the same shall be considered as 
allowable deduction from gross income for purposes of computing the taxable 
income of the donor, in accordance with the provisions of the National Internal 
Revenue Code of 1997, as amended.  
 


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SEC. 9. Waiver of Government Fees and Charges. – Subject to the 
exceptions provided in Section 8 of Republic Act No. 11261, otherwise known 
as the “First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act”, all government agencies and 
instrumentalities, including government-owned and -controlled corporations, 
LGUs, and government hospitals shall not collect fees or charges from young 
farmers and fisherfolks who are first-time job seekers: Provided, That such fee or 
charge is in connection with the application for and the granting of licenses, 
proofs of identification, clearances, certificates, or other documents usually 
required in the course of employment locally or abroad: Provided, further, That 
the benefit provided shall only be availed of once. 
 
SEC. 10. Annual Report. – The Council shall submit to the President and to 
both Houses of Congress, not later than the 30th of March of every year following 
the effectivity of this Act, a report giving a detailed account on the effective 
implementation of this Act, and recommended legislation where applicable and 
necessary. 
 
SEC. 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within ninety (90) days 
from the effectivity of this Act, the DA and DAR shall, in coordination with the 
DOST, DOLE, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, DepEd, 
CHED, Land Bank of the Philippines, and National Youth Commission, issue the 
necessary rules and regulations for the implementation of this Act. 
 
SEC. 12. Appropriations. – The amount necessary for the implementation of 
this Act shall be included in the budgets of the departments and agencies 
concerned in the annual General Appropriations Act. 
 


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SEC. 13. Separability Clause. – If any provision of this Act is declared 
invalid or unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected by such declaration 
shall remain in full force and effect. 
 
SEC. 14. Repealing Clause. – All laws, executive orders, administrative 
orders, and rules and regulations inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed 
or amended accordingly. 
 
SEC. 15. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in    the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
Approved,