Republic of the Philippines

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES * RECEIVED eA
Quezon City, Metro Manila ATE 04 SEP m5 Eh

Twentieth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILLNO._£328

Introduced by Representative RAYMOND ADRIAN SALCEDA

AN ACT
PROMOTING THE EMPOWERMENT OF KABABAIHAN SA KANAYUNAN IN
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES, AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT, ENSURING EQUAL
ACCESS TO RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Women play a vital role in the country’s agriculture, fisheries, and rural economy. Yet,
despite their contributions, kababaihan sa kanayunan continue to face systemic barriers in
accessing land, credit, insurance, technology, and markets.

‘According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), women account for nearly one
in four workers in agriculture and fisheries. However, they are often classified as unpaid family

workers, their labor undervalued and undercounted. In 2015, the daily nominal wage rate of

men in agriculture exceeded that of women by twenty-one pesos, while the real wage gap stood
at fifteen pesos. This persistent inequality undermines productivity, poverty reduction, and food
security.

In fisheries, an estimated 1.5 million Filipino women are engaged in gleaning,
aquaculture, fish processing, and marketing, comprising nearly one-third of all registered
fisherfolk. Yet these roles remain largely invisible, as fishing is traditionally regarded as
masculine work.

Global studies have shown that closing the gender gap in access to productive resources
can increase agricultural output by as much as twenty percent. In the Philippine context, this
would translate to higher yields, reduced rural poverty, and improved household nutrition
outcomes.

The State has already established enabling frameworks through the Magna Carta of

Women (Republic Act No. 9710), the Sagip Saka Act (Republic Act No. 11321), and gender-
responsive budgeting (GRB) policies. However, a dedicated and integrated program is needed
to ensure that kababaihan sa kanayunan are not left behind in rural development.



This measure, to be known as the KASAKA Act or the Kababaihan sa Kanayunan Act,

seeks to:

lL

Institutionalize a Kababaihan sa Kanayunan Program to strengthen women’s access to
land, credit, markets, insurance, and green jobs;

Establish a Kababaihan sa Kanayunan Council under the Department of Agriculture’s
Gender and Development Focal Point System, ensuring coordination with the
Philippine Commission on Women and relevant agencies;

Mandate the Land Bank of the Philippines and the Philippine Crop Insurance
Corporation to develop gender-responsive financial products;

Require the Agricultural Training Institute, TESDA, and state universities and colleges
to design women-centered training, particularly in digital agriculture and green
technologies;

Ensure that at least five percent (5%) of the Gender and Development budgets of key
agriculture and fisheries agencies are earmarked for kababaihan sa kanayunan; and

Mandate local government units to establish Women in Agriculture Desks and to
allocate a portion of their twenty percent (20%) development funds for programs
benefitting kababaihan sa kanayunan.

By integrating fiscal resources, institutional support, and local implementation, this bill

ensures that women in rural areas are empowered not just as beneficiaries, but as equal partners

in nation-building.

In pursuit of food security, inclusive growth, and gender equality, the immediate

passage of this measure is earnestly sought.

RAYMO! .N SALCEDA


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

Twentieth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILLNO. 4328

Introduced by Representative RAYMOND ADRIAN SALCEDA

AN ACT
PROMOTING THE EMPOWERMENT OF KABABAIHAN SA KANAYUNAN IN
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES, AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT, ENSURING EQUAL
ACCESS TO RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES, 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 “KASAKA Act” or the
“Kababaihan sa Kanayunan Act.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. Itis hereby declared the policy of the State to vigorously
engage kababaihan sa kanayunan in rural development by ensuring equal access to resources,
opportunities, and services in agriculture and fisheries. The State affirms women’s role in food
security and poverty alleviation and shall:

(a) Integrate gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) in all national and local agriculture
and fisheries programs;

(b) Ensure that at least five percent (5%) of the annual Gender and Development (GAD)
budgets of the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Agrarian Reform
(DAR), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Agricultural Training
Institute (ATI), and Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) are earmarked for
kababaihan sa kanayunan; and

(c) Mandate local government units (LGUs) to allocate a portion of their twenty percent
(20%) development funds for kababaihan sa kanayunan programs.

SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. For purposes of this Act:

(a) Kababaihan sa kanayunan shall refer to women farmers, tenants, fisherfolk, and
rural workers, as recognized under Republic Act No. 9710, otherwise known as the
“Magna Carta of Women,” and disaggregated through the Registry System for Basic
Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA);


(6) Women-friendly agricultural machineries and farm tools shall mean equipment
designed or adjusted to meet the ergonomic needs of women users; and

(c) Green jobs shall refer to employment in agriculture, fisheries, or allied sectors that
contribute to environmental protection, energy efficiency, and climate resilience.

SEC. 4. Kababaihan sa Kanayunan Program. There is hereby established a Kababaihan
sa Kanayunan Program to capacitate and empower women as equal partners in
agriculture, fisheries, and rural development. The Program shall integrate capacity-
building, financial assistance, technology access, insurance, and market participation.

SEC. 5. Kababaihan sa Kanayunan Council. To ensure rightsizing, the Council shall
be lodged within the DA Gender and Development Focal Point System, chaired by the
Secretary of Agriculture, and composed of representatives from the Philippine Commission on
‘Women (PCW), ATI, DAR, BFAR, PCIC, Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), Department of
Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of
Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Department of Education (DepEd),
Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority (TESDA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), LGUs, and
the private sector.

SEC. 6. Program Components. The Program shall include, but not be limited to, the
following components:

(a) Access to Knowledge and Technology. ~ The ATI, TESDA, and state universities
and colleges (SUCs) shall provide gender-responsive training, scholarships, and digital
agriculture tools, including artificial intelligence-enabled farm management and e-
commerce platforms;

(b) Access to Land. ~ The DAR and DENR shall prioritize joint titling, lease-to-buy
programs, and distribution of agrarian reform lands to women beneficiaries;

(c) Access to Credit and Insurance. —

(1) The LBP shall waive collateral requirements for kababaihan sa kanayunan
organized into cooperatives; and

(2) The PCIC shall design women-targeted insurance products, including
coverage for home-based processing and aquaculture;

(d) Access to Markets. —
(1) The DTI and DA shall prioritize women-led cooperatives in Sagip Saka
procurement and trade fairs; and

(2) The LGUs shall subsidize public market rental fees for women vendors; and
(e) Access to Green Jobs. — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE),

DENR, and DA shall promote women’s participation in climate-smart agriculture,
renewable energy enterprises, and carbon credit schemes.


SEC. 7. Monitoring and Reporting. All implementing agencies shall disaggregate data
by sex in the RSBSA and submit an annual report on women’s participation, budget utilization,
and program outcomes to Congress through the Committee on Food Security and the
Committee on Women and Gender Equality.

SEC. 8. Appropriations. The amounts necessary to carry out this Act shall be charged
against the appropriations of the DA, DAR, BFAR, PCIC, ATI, LBP, and other implementing
agencies. For LGUs, funding may be sourced from the twenty percent (20%) development
fund.

SEC. 9. Implementing Rules and Regulations. Within ninety (90) days from the
effectivity of this Act, the DA, in coordination with the PCW, DAR, BFAR, ATI, LBP, and
other agencies concerned, shall promulgate the necessary rules and regulations to implement
this Act.

SEC. 10. Separability Clause. If any provision of this Act is declared invalid or
unconstitutional, the remainder shall not be affected thereby.

SEC. 11. Repealing Clause. All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules, and regulations
inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 12. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in
the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,