Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH (16) CONGRESS
First Regular Session
4104

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by Representative Mark A. Villar

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Interest in organic farming has now developed into a national industry in the
Philippines, The public and private sector consumers are now very much aware of the
environmental and public health effects of agricultural chemicals and the so-called
“factory farming” methods. Private and public research organizations have began
scientific investigations into non-chemical and non-intensive farming techniques, and
the results play a significant role in the growing number of farmers that have began to
adopt organic production systems, putting premium prices on organically grown
products higher than die usual crops thus opening a new opportunity for growth in
Philippine Agriculture.

Organic Farming, is defined in the law establishing the U.S Department of
Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP), as "a production system that is
managed in accordance with the Organic Foods Production Act and regulations ... to
respond to site-specific conditions by integrating cultural, biological and mechanical
practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve
biodiversity”.

‘This definition indicates that organic agriculture is both an approach to food
production based on biological methods that avoid the use of synthetic crop or
livestock production inputs and a broadly defined philosophical approach to farming
that puts value on resource efficiency and ecological harmony.

This bill therefore seeks to establish a national policy on the practice of Organic
Farming to be known as the National Organic farming Act of 2014.

The immediate approved of this bill is therefore recommended.

———

Mark A. Villar


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH (16%) CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No._4104

Introduced by Representative Mark A. Villar

"AN ACT ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL ORGANIC FARMING PROGRAM,
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREOF AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES, AND.
REGULATING THE LABELLING OF PRODUCTS AS “ORGANIC” "

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives in Congress
assembled:

SECTION I. Short Title. -This Act shall he known as the “National Organic
Farming Act of 2014."

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It shall be the policy of the state to establish a
national organic program that will direct the production and certification
standards of the organic farming industry, adopt uniform cultural practices
and production of organic farm products which will unite the organic farming
industry to internationally accepted standards, maintain product integrity and
eliminate market confusion on the use of different marketing standards for
organic food which will involve the manufacturers, importers, exporters and
processors of multi-ingredient organic products for export and domestic use
and for purposes of labeling and directions.

SEC. 3. National Organic Farming Program- There is hereby established a
national organic farming program which shall act as the template and basis of
policy to enforce regulations and to respond to site-specific conditions by
integrating cultural, biological and mechanical practices that foster cycling of
resources, promote ecological balance and conserve biodiversity as an
approach to food production based on biological methods that avoid the use of
synthetic crop or livestock production inputs.

SEC. 4. Creation of the Bureau of Organic Farming.- The Department of
Agriculture within a period of 30 days upon the passage of this act shall create


a Bureau of Organic Farming. The Bureau of Organic Farming will be
mandated to formulate internal operating rules and procedures to assure that
the National Organic Farming Program will achieve its intended objectives and
that organic products will meet consistent and uniform standards, it will be
responsible in the execution of the National Organic Farming Act in terms of
promoting the use of the organic technology and the setting of production
standards.

SEC. 5. Creation of the Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing
Service (DAAMS) - Upon the passage of this act the Department of Agriculture
is mandated within a period of 30 days to create an agency for Agricultural
Marketing Services which will help regulate the organic farming industry, do
research and development, expand product lines and increase market
opportunities for domestic’ consumption and for export in the lucrative
international organic market, The DAAMS will establish a 5 member National
Organic Standards Board (NOSB) coming from the Department of Science and
Technology (DOST), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of
Agriculture (DA), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), ORGANIC FARMER
ASSOCIATIONS, PRIVATE SECTOR, PRIVATE AND PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES to
assist in the development of standards for substances in organic production
and to recommend to the Secretary of Agriculture key policies for its
implementation. Under the framework of the program, producers, processors
and handlers who will market their products as organic are required to follow
production standards embodied in the rules and regulations to be formulated
by the Department of Agriculture.

SEC. 5. Power to accredit private and government certification agents.- The
Bureau of Organic Farming and DA Agricultural Marketing Services shall
formulate rules and regulations for accrediting certification agents and shall
have the exclusive authority to appoint, deputize and designate, and
accredit private and government certification agents in the provincial and
municipal levels to ensure that organic products are compliant with the
national and international standards set forth in marketing organic products.

SEC. 6. The use of the “RPDA Organic Seal”.- The Republic of the Philippines
Department of Agriculture (RPDA) Organic Seal shall be the "official seal" use
in certifying organic products that pass the standards impose by law. The
presence of the "RPDA Organic Seal" on a product means it is compliant with
the minimum percentage of being organically produced or processed to be set
by the implementing agency in accordance with international standards. It
shall be illegal for anyone to use the word "organic" on a product if it does
not meet the standards set by law. Foreign organic producers and handlers
wishing to export products to the Republic of the Philippines may be certified
by a DA-accredited certification agent in their own country, if there is one; or
the DA may accept certification by agents accredited by a foreign
government; or it may negotiate an equivalency agreement with another
nation's organic program.



SEC. 7. Privileges and credit assistance.- The National Government shall
extend incentives to manufactures, producers and users of organic farm
inputs by setting aside an annual procurement budget in the DA of one
hundred million (100,000,000) pesos to be allocated to the different DA
Regional Field Units as incentive for the promotion and support of Organic
Farm Inputs production, likewise the DBP, Land bank and Quedan
Corporation is mandated to open credit assistance as incentive for using
organic farming methods.

SEC. 8- Penalties, any act that will violate the provisions of this law shall be
sentenced to a penalty of imprisonment equivalent to prison mayor and a
fine of not less than Five hundred thousand pesos including the cancellation
of their business licenses and permit to operate.

SEC 9. Funds and Appropriations. The sum of Fifty million pesos
(P50,000,000) is appropriated as operations budget of the Bureau of Organic
Farming and the Agricultural Marketing Services for the proper and effective
implementation of this Act to be sourced from the General Appropriations Act
and the Budget of the DA.

SEC 10. Separability Clause- If any provision of this Act or the application of
such provision to any person or circumstance is held invalid for any reason,
the other provisions or their application to other persons or circumstances and
effect.

SEC 11, Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules, regulations and
issuances or parts thereof inconsistent with this Act are hereby repeated or

amended accordingly.

SEC. 12. Effectivity.- ‘This shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved.