FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
) 
7 
j; :;" "^ i 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
1 
s.B.N~. 830 
Introduced by Senator Biazon 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The continued importation and use of chemical or inorganic fertilizers, pesticides, 
weedicides, and other farm inputs has long been a source of protest and debate within the 
agricultural sector. It is well known now that increased use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers 
have created a chain of problems of soil, environment and water degradation. Intensive chemical 
agriculture is causing heavy pollution of our food, drinking water and air. The life expectancy 
has improved but the quality of life has substantially deteriorated. 
This bill seeks to establish a comprehensive bio-organic farming program as an 
alternative to chemical agriculture. 
Bio-organic farming is defined as an agricultural production system which avoids the use 
of chemical or inorganic farm inputs, pesticides, weedicides, and feed additives and relies on 
biological means of conditioning and enriching the soil, and controlling pests. 
The program is aimed at reducing the possible damage caused by chemical or inorganic 
farm inputs, which may have irreparable or irreversible effects on the environment and living 
organisms in the ecosystem. Moreover, the program seeks to help farmers reduce their expenses 
by decreasing their dependence on inorganic fertilizers and thereby increase farm yield and 
income. 
To provide the direction and guidelines for the program as well as supervise its 
implementation, the Bio-Organic Farming Authority (BOFA) shall be created under the Office of 
the President, with the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture as Chairman, and the 
Secretaries (or their representatives) of the following as members: Department of Science and 
Technology, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Education, 
Department of Interior and Local Government, as well as representatives of small farmers, non- 
government organizations, and state colleges and universities. 
It would be to the advantage of our environment, our economy, and ultimately our people 
to adopt this measure providing for the promotion of bio-organic fanning in the Philippines. 
In view of the foregoing, approval of this bill is earnestly requested. 
RODOLFO GUIAZON 
Senator 


FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
-7 
JJ!. 
-3 
I ’ j : i i s .  
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
Introduced by Senator Biazon 
AN ACT 
.. .__ 
- 
PROVIDING FOR THE PROMOTION OF BIO-ORGANIC FARMING IN THE 
PHILIPPINES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Republic of the Philippines 
in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Declaration of PoZicy. - It is hereby declared the Policy of the State to 
promote, propagate and assist the practice of bio-organic farming in the Philippines that will 
cumulatively condition and enrich the fertility of the soil, increase farm yields, reduce pollution 
and destruction of the environment, prevent the depletion of natural resources, and reduce our 
dependence on imported farm inputs. Towards this end, a comprehensive program for the 
production and distribution of bio-organic fertilizers, pesticides and other farm inputs shall be 
undertaken in order to meet the country requirements. 
SEC. 2. Bio-Orgunic Farming. - For purposes of this Act, “bio-organic farming” shall 
mean an agricultural production system which avoids the use of chemical or inorganic farm 
inputs, pesticides weedicides and feed additives and relies on biological means of conditioning 
and enriching the soil and controlling pests, such as but not limited to the use of beneficial 
organisms, the utilization of plant and animal wastes through composing, crop rotation, 
intercropping, multiple cropping, and the adoption of integrated pest management (IPM) or 
pesticide-free community ecology approach to pest management. It also covers areas such as but 
not limited to, soil fertility management, varietal breeding and selection under chemical and 
pesticide-free conditions, and other cultural practices that enhance productivity without 
destroying the soil and harming fanners, consumers, and the environment. 
1 


SEC. 3. Program. - There is hereby established a comprehensive bio-organic farming 
program which shall adopt and develop the propagation of bio-organic cultivation and 
production methods, the education of more and more farmers thereon, the extension of assistance 
to individuals and groups who are practicing and promoting these methods as well as those who 
are willing to do so, other pertinent activities, and documentation and evaluation of the program. 
SEC. 4. Bio-Organic Farming Authority. - To carry out the policy and the program 
provided in this Act, there is hereby created a Bio-Organic Farming Authority (BOFA) under the 
Office of the President. The BOFA shall have a juridical personality and shall consist of a Board 
Directors, hereinafter referred to as the Board, which shall provide the direction and general 
guidelines for the program. It shall have an Executive Directorate which shall implement the 
program in its various aspects in accordance with the direction and guidelines of the Board. The 
various government departments and agencies and the officials thereof named in this Act, in 
collaboration with private individuals and groups also herein named, are hereby directed to 
intensify and coordinate their activities with the program of the BOFA. 
The BOFA shall ensure the full participation of people’s organizations (POs), non- 
government organizations (NGOs), and the general public through mechanisms, such as but not 
limited to, public hearings, meetings, and joint projects. 
SEC. 5. The Board. - The Board shall consist of: 
- the Secretary of Agriculture, Chairman; 
- the Secretaries (or their representatives) of the Department of Science and Technology, 
of the Environment and Natural Resources, of Education, and of the Interior and Local 
Government; 
- two (2) representatives of small farmers; 
- the Chairman of the Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority (PFA); 
- two (2) representatives of non-government organizations involved in sustainable 
agriculture for at least three (3) years; and 
- two (2) representatives of agricultural state and private colleges and universities, 
Members. 


The representatives of small farmers, NGOs and of agricultural state and private colleges 
and universities, shall be chosen by the Secretaries of Agriculture and Science and Technology, 
respectively, from among nominees submitted to the agency concerned by their respective 
national organizations. They shall be conversant With bio-organic farming and committed to the 
policies and programs provided under this Act. 
SEC. 6. Organization ofthe Board. - Within sixty (60) working days from the effectivity 
of this Act, the national organizations of small farmers, of NGOs, and of agricultural colleges 
and universities shall submit their respective nominees to the Secretary of Agriculture and the 
Secretary of Science and Technology, as the case may be, who shall evaluate the qualifications 
of the nominees and appoint the most qualified members to the Board 
The Chairman shall call the members of the Board, or a majority thereof if not all have 
been designated, to a meeting to organize themselves and prescribe its rules and procedures for 
the attainment of the objectives of this Act. A majority of all the members of the Board shall 
constitute a quorum. 
The Board shall also determine its budget, including travel expenses, allowances and per 
diems of its non-governmental members when attending official Board meetings or attending to 
matters assigned to them, and costs of office space, equipment and supplies. 
The Board may appoint full-time assistants and other employees, subject to existing Civil 
Service rules and regulations. 
SEC. 7. Executive Directorate. - The Executive Directorate, hereinafter referred to as the 
Directorate, shall be headed by a full-time Executive Director who shall be appointed by the 
President of the Philippines not later than thirty (30) working days after the Board’s 
organizational meeting and whose compensation shall be fixed by the Board. The Executive 
Director shall be assisted by the members of the Directorate, who shall be composed of the 
following public officials and representatives of private groups, and who are hereby directed to 
extend full support and cooperation; 
- The Director, Bureau of Soils and Water Management; 
- The Director, Bureau of Plant industry; 
- The Director, Agricultural Training Institute; 


- The Director, Bureau of Agricultural Research; 
- The Executive Director, Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) 
- A representative, to be designated by the Secretary of the Department of Science and 
Technology; 
- A representative, to be designated by the Secretary of the Department of Environment 
and Natural Resources; 
- A representative, to be designated by the Secretary of the Department of Education, 
Culture and Sports; . 
- A representative, to be designated by the Secretary of the Department of the Interior 
and Local Government; 
- The Executive Director, Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural 
Resources Research and Development (PCARRD); 
- A representative from the Farmers Cooperative Sector; 
- Two (2) representatives of other NGOs involved in sustainable agriculture or 
development for the past three (3) years to be chosen by the Secretary of Agriculture 
and Food from among the nominees of the NGO sector; 
- A representative each of agricultural state and private colleges and universities, to be 
chosen from among the nominees of national organizations of said colleges and 
universities; and 
- Three (3) representatives of small farmers to be chosen by the Secretary of Agriculture 
from among the nominees of national organizations of small farmers; 
All the members or representatives in the Executive Directorate shall be conversant with 
bio-organic farming and committed to the policies and program provided under this Act. 
The Executive Director is hereby empowered to call upon any government agency for 
assistance in the performance of his tasks. 
The Departments of Agriculture and of Science and Technology shall jointly provide an 
office and staff for the Directorate. 


The salary and office expenses of the Executive Director and the members and staff of the 
Directorate as we11 as the traveling expenses, allowances and per diems of private representatives 
in the Directorate attending official Directorate meetings and performing other tasks assigned to 
them, shall be taken from the appropriations provided under this Act. 
SEC. 8. Apportionment of Tnsks. - the Executive Director shall apportion and coordinate 
the tasks embraced by the program provided in this Act among the various members of the 
Directorate according to their fields of specialization. Such tasks shall include, but shall not be 
limited to, research, education, extension, training of farmers, training of trainors including the 
giving or acquisition of scholarships and observation grants here and abroad, pesticide-free IPM, 
small scale and commercial production of organic farm inputs, an accreditation system to insure 
their quality, and sustained promotional campaigns. The members of the Directorate shall at all 
times observe cooperation with one another, complement and/or supplement each other’s tasks, 
and involve their offices andlor organizations in the accomplishment of such tasks. 
SEC. 9. Work Plan. - Within sixty (60) working days after assuming office and after the 
first organizational meeting of the Directorate, the Executive Director shall submit to the Office 
of the President for approval; 
a) A report on the setting-up and organization of the Directorate and staff; 
b) A scheme of distribution and complementation of functions among the 
members of the Directorate; 
c) A plan of bringing the program down to the grassroots, utilizing available personnel 
and facilities on the local level and those of local government units; 
d) A pattern of cooperation and mutual assistance with local government units, POs and 
NGOs, which will maximize people empowering and participatory approaches to 
program formulation, implementation and monitoring; and 
e) A schedule of short-term, medium-term and long-term targets. 
SEC. 10. Bio-orgnnic Farming and Protection of the Environment. - The BOFA shall 
constantly devise and implement ways and means not only of producing bio-organic fertilizers 
and other farm inputs and needs on and off the farm, but also of helping to alleviate the problems 


of industrial waste and community garbage disposal through appropriate methods of sorting, 
collecting and composting. 
Likewise, the BOFA in coordination with the Department of Education, Culture and 
Sports shall set-up Bio-Organic demonstration farms in various schools nationwide. 
The Executive Director shall conduct continuing studies, with consultations among the 
people and officials involved as well as POs and NGOs, in order to advise local governments 
from the Barangay to the Provincial level, on the collection and disposal of garbage and waste in 
such a way as to provide raw materials for the production of organic fertilizer and other farm 
inputs. 
SEC. 11. Incentives. - The Government shall extend incentives for the manufacture and 
propagation of bio-organic farm inputs by maximizing their use in all government and 
government-supported agricultural production, research and demonstration programs. The 
Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department 
of Education (DepEd), Department of the Interior and Local Government. (DILG), Department 
of Trade and Industry (DTI), Land Bank, and other government lending and non-lending 
institutions shall also assist organic input producers through the provision of adequate financial, 
technical, marketing and other services and resources. 
SEC. 12. Appropriations. - The sum of Fifty million pesos (P50,000,000.00) for the 
effective implementation of this Act is hereby appropriated out of any funds in the National 
Treasury not otherwise appropriated. Thereafter, such amount as may be necessary for the 
continuous implementation of the program shall be included in the annual General 
Appropriations Act. 
At least seventy-five percent (75%) of the BOFA’s budget shall be allotted for integrated 
scientific research, information, education, and training of farmers and demonstration on the 
farm level, including the provisions of full-time bio-fanning extension workers who will work 
with farmers’ associations and cooperatives, POs, NGOs, barangay assemblies, rural 
communities, and other groups. 


SEC. 13. SepurubiZity CZause. - 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 not affected thereby shall remain in full force 
and effect. 
SEC. 14. Repealing CZuus. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules, regulations and issuances or 
parts thereof inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or amended accordingly. 
SEC. 15. EffectiviQ. - This Act shall take effect upon ifs approval 
Approved,