Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ___ 
Introduced by Representative Hon. Christopher “Toff” P. de Venecia 
AN ACT  
INSTITUTIONALIZING AN AGRO-INDUSTRIAL BUSINESS CORRIDOR 
PROGRAM CREATING FOR THIS PURPOSE THE AQUANEGOSYO CENTERS, 
APPROPRIATING FINDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Food security is the primary goal of all nations. According to the Food and Agriculture 
Organization (FAO), food security exists when “all people have physical, social, and economic access 
to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active 
and healthy lifestyle at all times”. Over few years, food security has been threatened by challenges 
which are mainly caused by the rise of population, climate change, occurrence of natural calamities, 
lack of adequate infrastructure, rising prices, and underdeveloped food production technologies. 
Based on the Social Weather Station, Filipino who rated themselves hungry are at an estimate 3 
million or 11.8 percent of Filipino families. Our country’s hunger profile was categorized as a 
“serious problem” 
As an attempt to curb the hunger problem, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) 
launched in 2021 their Aqua Negosyo Para sa Pilipino to assist our fisherfolk and other individuals 
interested in the fisheries sector to be equipped with the proper knowledge and technical skills for a 
viable agri-business venture.  
This bill aims to institutionalize the AquaNegosyo program of the BFAR to provide 
sustainable fisheries development. This program shall improve food value chains, manage spatially 
defined production clusters along infrastructure corridors, establish public-private-people 
parnerships, and transform the fisheries sector towards a vibrant, sustainable, inclusive, and equitable 
Blue Economy. This will allow our aquaculture sector to thrive, and help ease the food security woes 
of our country. 
Thus, support for this bill is earnestly sought. 
HON. CHRISTOPHER “TOFF” P. DE VENECIA 
Fourth District, Pangasinan 
July 28, 2022
3:21 pm
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ___ 
Introduced by Representative Hon. Christopher “Toff” P. de Venecia 
AN ACT  
INSTITUTIONALIZING AN AGRO-INDUSTRIAL BUSINESS CORRIDOR 
PROGRAM CREATING FOR THIS PURPOSE THE AQUANEGOSYO CENTERS, 
APPROPRIATING FINDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the ‘Aqua-Negosyo Program Act’. 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is the policy of the State to pursue sustainable 
economic growth through the rational and sustainable development, conservation, and management 
of the fishery and aquatic resources in the Philippine waters including those within its Exclusive 
Economic Zone (EEZ) and in the adjacent seas, consistent with the primordial objective of 
maintaining a sound ecological balance, protecting and enhancing the quality of environment in the 
country. 
Towards this end, the State shall implement a long-term program for the development and 
promotion of aquatic and fisheries resources through conservation and sustainable measures in 
capture fisheries, scalable aquaculture enterprise development, and technological advances. The 
State shall also provide a package of support and technical services to the municipal fisherfolk and 
all relevant stakeholders, including women and youth sectors, for the sustainable development, 
management and conservation, and protection of the fishery and aquatic resources of the country, 
consistent with our commitments under international treaties and agreement. 
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. – As used in this Act, the following terms and phrases shall 
mean as follows: 
a.
Agro-industrial Business Corridor Program refers to the program administered by
the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the National Fisheries
Research and Development Institute (NFRDI) of the Department of Agriculture that
seeks to promote, establish, and develop sustainable fisheries development by
improving food value chains, managing spatially defined
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production clusters along infrastructure corridors establishing multi-sectoral public-
private-community partnerships, and providing financing for stakeholders. 
 
b. Aquapreneurs refer to fisher folk, budding fish farmers, and other groups or 
individuals interested in the fisheries sector nationwide with the right knowledge and 
technical skills for viable agri-business ventures and turn them into entrepreneurs in the 
fisheries industries. 
 
c. Aquatourism refers to the practice of attracting visitors and tourists to fisheries and 
aquaculture areas for production, educational, and recreational purposes. It involves any 
fishery-based operation or activity that brings to a site visitor, tourists, and fisherfolk 
who want to be educated and trained on fishing, aquaculture, and other related 
activities, and provides a venue for outdoor recreation and accessible family outings; 
 
d. Blue economy refers to the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, 
improved livelihoods and jobs, while preserving the ocean ecosystem. 
 
SEC. 4. The Agro-industrial Business Corridor Program. – An Agro- industrial Business 
Corridor Program, herein referred to as the “Program,” is hereby created in every Fisheries 
Management Area (FMA) to be administered by the BFAR and the NFRDI of the Department of 
Agriculture. 
 
The Program seeks to promote, establish, and develop sustainable fisheries development by 
improving food value chains, managing spatially defined production clusters along infrastructure 
corridors establishing multi-sectoral public-private- community partnerships, and providing 
financing to transform the fisheries sector towards a vibrant sustainable, inclusive, and equitable Blue 
Economy. 
 
Under the Program, the NFRDI shall: 
 
a. Conduct applied research and development for the aquaculture industry with the end-
view of increasing productivity, strengthening innovation, and creating employment in 
the industry, maximizing the DA-BFAR’s capacities and resources including the 
utilization of the National Technology Centers (NTC) and Technology Outreach 
Stations (TOS); 
b. Undertake the transfer of completed research outputs and aquaculture technology to 
end-users or via linkage units of other government agencies; 
c. Create and disseminate to the public relevant and up-to-date instructional materials 
and modules on aquaculture technology and business processes, ensuring the 
availability of essential aqua technology information to every Filipino, including 
Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and fisherfolk Filipinos who can potentially 
venture into aqua-business; 
d. Undertake provision of technical services and provide training programs to support 
Aquapreneurs; 


 
Under the Program, BFAR shall: 
 
a. Optimize the country’s existing Fisheries Management Areas (FMAs) in the 
implementation of the Program; 
b. Coordinate with the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Science 
and Technology in implementing the Program in aspects where collaboration is 
optimal including scaling, facilities development, and information dissemination; 
c. Achieve global competitiveness of the Philippine aquaculture industry and its ancillary 
industries; 
d. Identify qualified beneficiaries of the Program, which may include fisherfolk, budding 
fish farmers, and other individuals interested in the fisheries sector; and 
e. Utilize the facilities of the DA-BFAR as Aqua-tourism sites, in compliance with 
Republic Act No. 10816 or the ‘Farm Tourism Development Act of 2016,’ as a means 
to popularize the aquaculture industry. 
 
The Program shall be part of the country’s Comprehensive National Fisheries Industry 
Development Plan, the Comprehensive Post Harvest, Marketing and Ancillary Industries Plan, and 
the FMA Plan of each FMA Management Body. 
 
SEC. 5. General Program Objectives. – The Program shall have the following objectives: 
 
a. Achieve food security as the overriding consideration in the utilization, management, 
development, conservation and protection of fishery resources in order to provide the 
food needs of the population; 
b. Encourage Filipinos to enter into aquaculture businesses as a source of sustainable 
livelihood; 
c. Develop and utilize technologies and other technological innovations, in compliance 
with Republic Act No. 11293 or the ‘Philippine Innovation Act,’ to improve the 
productivity of the country’s aquaculture industry and the quality of Filipino 
aquaculture products; 
d. Instill entrepreneurial values to Filipinos, regardless of social class and geographical 
circumstances; 
e. Improve the lives of fisherfolks, especially of the local communities with priority to 
municipal fisherfolk; 
f. 
Attain countryside development by harnessing the natural resources available in the 
respective localities; and 
g. Achieve a Blue Economy for the country through the sustainable use of ocean resources 
for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of 
ocean ecosystem. 
 
SEC. 6. General Benefits, Incentives, and Privileges of Beneficiaries. – Under the 
Program, registered fisherfolk, budding fish farmers, and other groups or 


individuals interested in fisheries shall be granted access to facilities, new research outputs, 
technologies, instructional materials, and training programs of the DA-fisheries through BFAR and 
NFRDI. 
 
The strategies in the ABCs may employ varying production schemes including the provision 
of support facilities and services to ensure the efficiency of the value chains within the ABCs. The 
support facilities may include production facilities to ensure the availability of quality feeds, fries, or 
fingerlings, technology incubation parks for facilitating the maturation of technologies, and 
mariculture parks. 
 
The Program, which has an integrative strategy, will create an environment for industrial 
proliferation thereby generating more jobs, upgrading and aligning infrastructure development with 
urban and social agglomerations, unifying domestic markets, linking production centers with global 
value chains, decentralizing development away from the country's capital city, and creating markets 
in the lagging regions. 
 
SEC. 7. One-Stop-Shop for Aquapreneurs. – The DA BFAR shall establish one-stop-shops, 
to be known as ‘Aqua-Negosyo Centers,’ in all National Technology Centers and Technology 
Outreach Stations for the purposes of this Act. 
 
The Aqua-Negosyo Centers shall have the following functions: 
 
A. Process manual or electronic submissions of applications from prospective 
Aquapreneurs, pursuant to Republic Act No. 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business Act; 
B. Grant ease of access to the programs of the BFAR and NFRDI; and 
C. Coordinate with other relevant government agencies and institutions in securing access 
to various forms of financing, including venture capital, for Aquapreneurs. 
 
The DA-BFAR, on behalf of the Aqua-Negosyo Centers, may enter into agreements with 
relevant agencies to simplify and streamline procedures for licensing and permitting of operating an 
aquaculture enterprise. 
 
SEC. 8. Monitoring and Evaluation. – The DA-BFAR shall issue guidelines and criteria to 
ensure the efficacy and effectiveness of the Program towards achieving its objectives. 
 
SEC. 9. Aquatourism. – The DA-BFAR shall endeavor to promote its facilities in the FMAs 
as tourism destinations to maximize earning potential, as well as to popularize the Program and 
aquaculture in general. To this end, the DA-BFAR may collect fees, which shall be used exclusively 
for the implementation of the Program. 
 
SEC. 10. Annual Report. – The DA-BFAR shall submit to the President of the Philippines 
and to both houses of Congress, not later than the 30
th of April of every year following the effectivity 
of this Act, a report giving a detailed account of the effectivity 


and implementation of this Act, including any recommended legislation if applicable and necessary. 
 
SEC. 11. Appropriations. – The amount needed to initially implement the provisions of the 
Act shall be charged against the appropriations of the current year of the concerned department and 
agencies. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for its implementation shall be included in the 
appropriation of the concerned department and agencies in the annual General Appropriations Act. 
 
SEC. 12. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within sixty (60) days from the effectivity 
of this Act, the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture shall, in consultation with other concerned 
government agencies, the industry representatives and non-government organizations promulgate the 
necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act. 
 
SEC. 13. Separability Clause. – If any part or provision of this Act is declared 
unconstitutional, the remaining parts or provisions not affected shall remain in full force and effect 
 
SEC. 14. Repealing Clause. – All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, rules and 
regulations and other issuances or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act re 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 any newspaper of general circulation. 
 
 
Approved,