, , 
SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
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) 
) 
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S. No. --'!·4 ..... 
0~91--
Introduced by Senator Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
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According to the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR). soybean is one of 
the most versatile among high value crops and its large-scale production locally 
could help solve chronic problems of hunger and malnutrition. Director Dante S. 
De Lima of the High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) of the BAR 
said that "with the present challenge of climate change, soybean - a legume 
that is a short-term, sun-loving - has a great potential to adopt to extreme 
climate and, at the same time, be a source of healthy and nutritious food for 
the future." 
Statistics also disclosed thai the country imports around one billion pesos 
(Php 1,168,555,553.87) (source: 
Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, January to 
December 2012) of soybean for domestic consumption which considerably 
contributes to the depletion of the country's foreign reserve. 
Thus, with the pressing issues of over-dependence on imported products, 
unemployment and malnutrition, among others, that besets the country and the 
alarming threat of climate change in global food production and food security, 
the long-stalled effort of the government to promote the soybean production in 
the country should now be given priority. 
Indeed, the establishment of the Philippine Soybean Authority as 
proposed by this measure will kick-off a multi-faceted endeavor that will open 
for great opportunities, among others, to our farmers. It is in furtherance of the 
thrusts of the government to attain food security amidst the effects of climate 
change in global food production. 
Earnest approval of this bill is hereby requested. 
FERDINAN 
R. JARCOS JR. 
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SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
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) 
) 
SENATE 
S. No. _~4~OL>,9L. 
Introduced by Senator Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. 
AN ACT 
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CREATING THE PHILIPPINE SOYBEAN AUTHORITY TO PROMOTE THE CULTIVATION, 
PRODUCTION, PROCESSING, MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION OF SOYBEAN 
(GLYCINE MAX) AND SOYBEAN PRODUCTS, PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND 
FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines 
in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Title. This Act shall be known as the "Philippine Soybean 
Authority Act of 20 13. " 
SECTION. 2. Declaration of Policy. It is the declared policy of the State to 
accelerate the growth and development of the rural areas, address the 
nutritional and health needs of our people, and improve investment climate, 
competencies and efficiency of agribusiness by promoting soybean farming as 
a source of livelihood, a means of attaining food security, and as an effective 
approach to poverty alleviation and a sustainable course toward freedom from 
hunger. Toward this end, the state shall engage in an all-out promotion of both 
the small-scale and commercial cultivation of soybean in suitable areas of the 
country and provide the leadership in harnessing the technology in cultivating 
soybean, and the efficient processing, marketing, and distribution of soybean 
products. 
SECTION. 3. Philippine Soybean Authodty. The Philippine Soybean 
Authority, hereinafter referred to as PHILSOY A. is hereby created under the 
Department of Agriculture: PROVIDED that PhiiSoyA shall 
be centrally 
administered through the Mariano Marcos State University situated in the City of 
Batac, Province of Ilocos Norte, to take full advantage of the University's existing 
complementary colleges ond its Research ond Development and Extension 
(ROE) services and facilities. The university's ROE services ond facilities shall be 
further expanded nationally as needed to support this Act. 
SECTION. 4. Soybean Framework for Development. 1he Philippine Soybean 
Authority, in consultation with the Department of Agriculture, Department of 
Trade and Industry, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 
Department of Science and Technology, and farmer's - groups and/or 
cooperatives, locol government units, and the private sector, shall formulate a 
Soybean Framework for Development which shall be validated and updated 
annually. 


, . .. 
This Framework shall serve as guide to the formulation and implementation of 
plans, programs and projects for the cultivation, research on suitable soybean 
cultivars and on the control of soybean diseases or pests, soybean product 
development, marketing, processing and distribution of soybean for food, 
medicinal uses, health improvement and various other uses. The Framework shall 
likewise provide for the following: 
1. The Philippine Soybean Authority, in consultation with the Department of 
Agriculture and the Department of Trade and Industry, shall link up 
agribusiness cooperatives directly with consumer cooperatives; 
2. To ensure health and proper trading, the Philippine Soybean Authority 
shall establish and enforce standards in grading, sampling and inspection, 
tests and analysis, specifications, nomenclature, units of measurement, 
code of practice and. packaging, preservation, conservation and 
distribution of soybean products; 
3. Technical 
support 
on 
research 
and 
extension, 
infrastructure 
development, financial and market information, including but not limited 
to micro-financing arrangements for small-scale soybean farmers, shall be 
provided by the Philippine Soybean Authority in collaboration with the 
Department 
of 
Agriculture, 
Department 
of Trade 
and 
Industry, 
Department of Science and Technology especially its Food and Nutrition 
. programs and projects, Cooperative Development Authority, and other 
relevant government agencies; 
4. Access to post-harvest facilities, storage and distribution/transport facilities 
of existing government agencies shall be facilitated. Assistance shall be 
given to qualified and viable soybean farmers/growers cooperatives in 
making soft loans or grants available for the construction of soybean post-
harvest processing and storage facilities; 
5. The Philippine Soybean Authority, in coordination with the Department of 
Agriculture, the Department of Trade and Industry, and farmers 
. organizations shall make viable soybean seeds and relevant propagation, 
harvesting, processing, storage, marketing and soybean-use information 
materials readily available to farmers/farmers' cooperatives; and 
6. The Philippine Soybean Authority, in coordination with the Department of 
Agriculture shall establish soybean information/extension centers in areas 
identified pursuant to Section 3 of this Act. 
SECTION. 
5. 
Site 
Identification. The 
Philippine Soybean Authority, in 
coordination with the Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment 
and Natural Resources, and the Local Government Unit concerned, shall 
identify the broad areas suitable for the planting and propagation of soybeans, 
within six (6) months after the effectivity of this Act: Provided, That such site 
identification shall be reviewed at appropriate intervals to ensure consistency 
with the agrarian reform program and the national land use policy. 
SECTION. 6. Soybean Development Fund (SDF). To provide for the funding 
requirements for the cultivation, production, marketing, and processing of 
soybean, there is hereby created a Soybean Development Fund (SDF), with an 
initial amount of five hundred million pesos (P500,OOO,OOO.OO) to be taken from 
the existing budget of the Department of Agriculture as funding for the 
Philippine Soybean Authority. Thereafter, the SDF shall be sourced from the 
amounts to be appropriated in the General Appropriations Act in the year 
following its enactment into law. Other sources of funds, including but not limited 
to borrowings, donations, or grants from local and international institutions, shall 
also be considered to further support the Fund. 


SECTION. 7. PHILSOYA Inter-Agency Committee. The PhiiSoya Inter-Agency 
Committee which shall be under the Secretary of Agriculture shall be composed 
of a representative each from the Department of Agriculture, the Department 
of Agrarian Reform, the Department of Finance, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, 
the Land Bank of the Philippines, the Development Bank of the Philippines, the 
Cooperative Development Authority, 
the Department of Science and 
Technology, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of 
Environment and Natural Resources, and the Department of the Interior and 
Local Government and one (1) representative each from the small farmers and 
commercial producers sectors to be designated by the Secretary of Agriculture. 
The PhilSoya Inter-Agency Committee shall formulate and prescribe, in 
accordance with established laws and procedures, the implementing rules and 
regUlations in order to carry out the provisions of this Act. 
The 
President of the Mariano Marcos State 
University and the 
representative from the Department of Agriculture shall be the chairman and 
the vice-chairman, respectively, of the Committee. The representatives from the 
government agencies must have a rank of at least Assistant Secretary. 
SECTION. 8. Report to Congress. The Secretary of the Department of 
Agriculture, in consultation with the President of the Mariano Marcos State 
University, shall report to both Houses of Congress on the status of the 
implementation of this Act bi-annually. 
SECTION. 9. Repealing Clause. All laws or parts thereof. decrees, orders, 
rules and regulations inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby 
repealed or modified accordingly. 
SECTION. 10. Separability Clause. If any of the provIsions of this Act is 
declared invalid, the other provisions not affected thereby shall remain in full 
force and effect. 
SECTION. 11. Effectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect 15 days following 
its pUblication in a newspaper of general circulation or in the Official Gazette, 
whichever comes first. 
Approved,