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ORIGINAL COPY

Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No.__ 413.

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE ARTHUR C. YAP

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Starting the year 199, the Upland Development Programme (UDP) of the
Department of Agriculture (DA), funded by the European Commission (EC), has
developed the Sustainable Upland Development Model (SUDM).

The SUDM was built on the experience gained in other EC-funded projects in the
Philippines in earlier years. The SUDM had six vectors. The four (4) Local Government
Unit (LGU) driven vectors were 1) land use - based Barangay development planning:
upland agricultural extension through land management (to help farmers switch from
mostly corn mono-cropping to a diversified farming system); 3) Barangay forest
protection and management; and 4) labor-based Barangay routine road maintenance for
vital Barangay roads. The two private support vectors are the 1) rural financial services
and the 2) upland village enterprise development.

‘The program aimed to develop and test a replicable model for sustainable
management of the resource base in the uplands of Mindanao. It was implemented in
upland municipalities in South Cotabato, Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, Davao
Oriental, Compostela Valley and Sarangani. The program ended in 31 July 2007.

The SUDM became quite successful such that then Ambassador Alistair
MacDonald, Head of Delegation of the European Commission to the Philippines,
announced that the UDP has developed a model for sustainable upland development
ready for replication by other local governments around the country.

In the replication, however, the DA and the local governments will have to use
their own resources. A comprehensive information and education campaign would also
have to be undertaken. And, there was an imperative need to involve and have wider
participation of non government organizations (NGOs), people’s organizations (POs),
church groups, civil society, and agrarian reform communities.

In the meantime, the replication and the continuation of the program is awaiting
funding for its implementation.

The UDP-SUDM initiative should not be laid to waste. It should be continued and
a replication in other LGUs should be made. In fact, to ensure permanence, a
comprehensive legislative policy and program should be crafted and implemented.

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This bill seeks to have a lasting policy on upland agricultural development. Under
this bill, the DA - Bureau of Soils and Water Management (DA-BSWM), in collaboration.
with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Forest Management
Bureau, shall be tasked to revise the UDP.

For this purpose, the said agencies shall be tasked to conduct consultation
meetings of NGOs, POs, upland households, LGU executives and agricultural officers
Barangay officials. It shall also conduct ground surveys and mapping of the areas
identified for development.

In implementing the program, it would also provide technical extension services
in the development of individual upland farm and provision of the same on nursery and
reforestation techniques, agroforestry methods, assisted natural regeneration and forest
enrichment planting practices, and forest fire management. And, it would undertake
capacity building, planning, assessment, monitoring, documentation, reporting,
documentation and mapping of development accomplishments.

With this bill, uplands would be developed to create additional employment and
income for poor upland households. It would also result to enhancement of the
productivity of upland agricultural lands. It would likewise pump-prime the local
‘economy through the infusion of public investments in upland development.

It is in this view that the early passage of this measure is earnestly sought

Cc.Y.
Representatj


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. Ais

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE ARTHUR C. YAP

AN ACT
PROMOTING UPLAND AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT,
INSTITUTING AN UPLAND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM,
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, 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 “Upland Agricultural
Development Act of 2013”.

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. — It hereby declared the policy of the State
to develop the uplands in the Philippines in order to: a) create additional and immediate
employment and incomes for poor upland households and people's organizations and
civil society organizations; b) improve the productivity of soil and water conservation
functions of upland agricultural lands through the Guided Farm Approach (GFA) towards
sustainability; c) pump-prime the local economy through the infusion of public
investments in upland development; d) improve the productivity and soil and water
conservation functions of forestlands through agroforestry, reforestation, assisted natural
regeneration and enrichment planting in public forestlands and protected areas.

SECTION 3. Coverage. - The coverage area for the implementation of upland
development activities shall be directed mainly to the upland areas of the provinces

identified as priority which include the watersheds of major irrigation, power and

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1 municipal water systems; the headwaters of major river systems/river basins; highly

2. vulnerable upland areas; areas affected by natural calamities, and degraded areas. These

3. development activities shall comprise the following:

4 a) Land capability classification and crop suitability evaluation of upland areas for
5 development;
6 b) Establishment and operations of fruit-bearing and forest tree nurseries by people's
7 organizations (POs); civil society organization (CSOs) and farmers with direct
8 access to the area for development;
9 ¢) Development of individual upland farms through the Soil Conservation Guided
10 Farm Approach;
i d) Rehabilitation of grassland areas through Community-Based Sloping Agricultural
12 Land Management (CBSALM) or Community-Based Natural Resource
3 Management (CBNRM) area, as identified in the existing Comprehensive
4 Development and Management Framework and through ANR or enrichment
15 planting (ANR/EP), or both; work plans of the POs:
16 e) Rehabilitation (ie. reforestation and similar activities) of degraded areas in
7 critical watersheds and protected areas;
18 ) Implementation of assisted natural regeneration (ANR) in appropriate areas of the
19 CBFM/CBNRM areas, in priority watersheds, and in protected areas in the river
20 basin:
2 g) Conduct of enrichment plantings (EP) in sparsely-wooded grasslands;
22 h) Revegetation of streambanks/riverbanks; and,
23 i.) Maintenance and protection from fire, pest and diseases of the established tree
24 plantations.
25 SECTION 4. Upland Development Program and Implementing Mechanism. -

26 ‘The Department of Agriculture-Burean of Soils and Water Management (DA-BSWM), in
27 collaboration with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Forest

28 Management Bureau (DENR-FMB), shall spearhead the overail revision of the current


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Upland Agricultural Development Program (UADP) and its implementation. It shall
provide technical and support services shall include, but not be limited to:
a) conduct of consultation meetings among and between members of people's
organizations, upland households, barangay officials, LGU executives and
agricultural officers of the municipal and provincial governments, and

representatives of other agencies and organizations, colleges and universities,

ss and religious groups and other civil society organizations, who may be
able to support upland farmers and other implementors of this program:

b) conduct of ground surveys and mapping of the areas identified by the
participating POs, farmers and organizations for development; these surveys and
maps shall be part of the inputs to the preparation of area development
agreements and work and financial plans with the POs, farmers and implementing
organizations;

¢) provision of technical extension services in the development of individual upland
farm and provision of the same on nursery and reforestation techniques,
agroforestry methods, assisted natural regeneration and forest enrichment planting
practices, and forest fire management;

d) capacity building, planning, assessment, monitoring, documentation, reporting,
documentation and mapping of development accomplishments.

‘The Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Soils and Water Management (DA-
BSWM) shall formulate and recommend policies on the implementation of soil and water
conservation and management practices through the Soil Conservation Guided Farm
Approach to ensure environmental protection while harnessing sustainable agricultural
productivity in the uplands.

People’s organizations (POs), civil society organizations (CSOs) and farmers
engaged in the Community-Based Upland Agricultural Development (CBUAD) strategy
and in similar community-based natural resources management (CBNRM) work, shall be
provided with financial and technical assistance to establish nurseries and to produce the

fruit tress and forest tree seedlings for rehabilitation, agroforestry, or ANR/EP in their


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respective CBFMICBNRM areas. These nurseries shall be maintained in the future to
continue to produce the seedling requirements. The POs/CSOs may tap the services of
senior citizens and in and out-of-school youth, who may or may not be members, in this
undertaking.

The POs, CSOs and individual households shall also be contracted to reforest,
through planting or in combination with ANRIEP, grasslands, sparsely wooded lands or
degraded stream banks within their CBFMU/CBNRM area including first cycle
maintenance and protection. In order to attain more effective impact of the development
undertaken, as well as to ensure better protection from wildfires, their areas to be
developed should be clustered together. Forest tree seedlings for reforestation shall come
from their nursery.

Individual farmers who are active members of the POs shall be provided financial
assistance for the procurement of appropriate quality fruit tree seedlings, seeds of cash
crops and high-value crops, and such other farm inputs as are necessary to develop their
farmlots into Soil Conservation Guided Farms. Forest tree seedlings for interplanting in
their farmlots shall come from their nursery.

Other upland farmer households, senior citizens, in- and out-of school youth may
also be contracted individually to undertake rehabilitation including first cycle
maintenance and protection, in other untenured forestlands within the same barangay
where UDP development activities are directed, provided that they are bona fide residents
of that barangay. In order to attain more effective impact of the development undertaken,
as well as to ensure better protection from wildfires, their areas to be developed should be
clustered together.

Barangay LGUs and civil society organizations may be provided with technical
and material inputs for the upland agricultural development.

Section 5. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within sixty (60) days after
the effectivity of this Act, the Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Soils and Water
Management, in consultation with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources

- Forest Management Bureau (DENR-FMB), other national and local government


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agencies and duly recognized organization of farmers, civil society organizations, agri-
business and forestry industry sectors shall promulgate the implementing rules and
regulations of this Act.

SECTION 6. Appropriations. - The sum of Five Hundred Million Pesos
{P500,000,000.00) shall be appropriated for the initial implementation of this Act which
shall be incorporated in the Annual Budget of DA-BSWM. Thereafter the amount

necessary to carry out the program implementation shall be incorporated in the General

Appropriations Act.
‘The appropriations shalll be distributed as follows:
a) Forty percent (40 %) for agricultural development of upland farms
'b) Forty percent (40 %) for rehabilitation of grasslands; and
c) Twenty percent (20%) for assisted natural regeneration, enrichment planting
and stream/riverbank revegetation.
SECTION 7. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act, or any parts

thereof, is declared unconstit

ional, the same shall not affect the validity and effectivity
of the other portions.

SECTION 8. Repealing Clause. - All laws, executive orders, presidential
decrees, proclamations, rules, regulations, issuances and enactments of parts thereof
inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 9. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from its
complete publication in the Official Gazette of in a newspaper of general circulation in

the Philippines, whichever comes earlier.

APPROVED.