Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila
NINETEEr`ITII cONGREss
First Regular Session
HouseBii`irio.    6027
Introduced by Representative Gabriel H. Bordado, Jr.
EXPI.ANATORY NOTE
Article  Xlll  Section  5  of the  1987  Constitution  provides  that  "the  State  shall
recognize the 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."
ln  order  to  achieve  this,  the  state  needs  to  ensure  that  farmers  are  well-
equipped with the  proper knowledge,  training,  and  education.  But Agriculture as an
area of study does not receive ample support. Agriculture scholarships, therefore, are
not as accessible to students and may not be sustainable for the long term. Therefore,
there is a need to institutionalize the grant of scholarships to deserving students who
wish to pursue courses in agriculture or aquaculture.
This  bill  seeks  to  establish  an  Agriculture  Scholarship  Fund  that would  help
support deserving students pursuing studies in agriculture and aquaculture. Likewise,
the creation of such fund would help the scholarship beneficiaries to pursue a career
in the field of agriculture, strengthening the sector in our country.
The swift passage of this act is earnestly sought.


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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE 0F REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manfla
NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
House~Biu`N~o.     6027
Introduced by Representative Gabriel H. Bordado, Jr.
AN ACT TO CREATE AN AGRICULTURE SCHOLARSHIP FUND
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 "Agriculture Scholarship Act
of 2022.„
SECTION  2.  Declaration  of Policy.  -  lt shall  be  a  declared  policy of the  State  to
prioritize education, innovation, research and development in the areas of agriculture
and  aquaculture.  In  this  pursuit,  the  State  shall  grant  scholarships  to  deserving
students to enable them to pursue higher education and training in the said fields.
SECTION 3. Eligibility. The following are qualifications for the scholarship:
(a) The applicant must be a Filipino citizen;
(b) Be a regular first (1st) year college student at the time of the award which shall be
granted after the first semester of the first year in the course;
(c) Be currently enrolled in any of the state universities or colleges, under any of the
identified agriculture or aquaculture courses;
(d) Have a general weighted average (GWA) of at least 80% in the first semester of
their first year;
(e) Qualify in the Junior-Level Agri Scholarship Examination; and
(f) Must be of good moral character;
(g) Must maintain a GWA Of at least 82% throughout the duration of his course.
SECTloN 4. Award of Scholarship. Recipients shall be entitled to an annual award
for full time study which shall include tuition and other school fees, outright grant for
prescribed  textbooks  and  essential  school  supplies,  transportation  expenses  and
monthly   living   allowance:   Provided,   however,   that   in   the   granting   of  financial
assistance, the availability of funds, purchasing power of the peso and rate of financial
assistance given under other government scholarship programs must be considered.
SECTloN 5. Duration. Recipients shall be entitled to an award for their entire stay in
college  after  the  grant  of  the  initial  scholarship  amount  while  matriculating  in  an
approved program.




SECTION  6. Approved  Courses and  Priority Programs.  Recipients shall  pursue
degrees in agriculture and aquaculture as identified and approved by the Secretary of
the  Department  of Agriculture  and  the  Chairperson  of the  Commission  on  Higher
Education.
SECTION 7. Terms and Conditions. Applicants for the scholarships must execute a
service contract in which they shall agree to work for the Philippine government in the
next four (4) years after their graduation and in a Philippine-based corporation within
eight (8) years after their graduation.  Failure to comply with the terms of the service
contract will result in the full repayment of all awarded amounts within a specified time
limit.
SECTION 8. Implementing Agencies. The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the
Commission on  Higher Education  (CHED) shall be the main  implementing Agencies
of the provisions of this Act. The DA shall be responsible for evaluation] award-giving,
and monitoring of scholarship grants and awardees.
SECTION  9.  Review  and  Monitoring.  The  DA  and  the  CHED  shall  report to  the
President and Congress after the first three (3) years, and annually thereafter, on the
implementation  Of  the  provisions  of  this  Act  and  submit  recommendations  for  its
improvement.
SECTION  10.  Implementing  Rules  and  Regulations. Within  sixty  (60)  days from
approval of this Act, the DA and the CHED shall promulgate the rules and regulations
to effectively implement the provisions of this Act.
SECTION  11.  Appropriations  clause.  An  initial  amount  of  Two  Hundred  Million
Pesos  (P200,000,000.00) annually is hereby appropriated for the  scholarship to  be
sourced  from  the  earnings  of the  Philippine  Amusement  and  Gaming  Corporation
(PAGCOR)  and  the  Philippine  Charity Sweepstakes  Office  (PCSO)  equally for the
duration of the implementation
SECTION  12. Separability Clause.  If any provision or part hereof,  is held  invalid or
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall
remain valid and subsisting.
SECTION 13. Repealing clause. All laws, decrees, executive orders, proclamations,
and  administrative  regulations  or  parts  thereof  inconsistent  herewith  are  hereby
repealed or modified accordingly.
SECTION 14. Effectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,