Republic of the Philippine
HOUSE OF REPRESENTAT!
Quezon City

18™ CONGRESS
First Regular Session
4269

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by Representatives Michael L. Romero and
Enrico A. Pineda

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Philippines as an agriculture-based country has 29.187 million hectares
that are devoted to intensive cultivation for farm production. About 4.27 million
hectares are devoted for rice production, and the rest are for other agricultural
commodities such as corn, coconut, sugarcane and high value commercial crops.

However, these Philippine farms, particularly our rice farms have fragmented,
narrow, irregularly-shaped and small farm sizes which are inherent structural
defects directly contributing for unsuitable farm mechanization, inefficient
irrigation and lack of economies of scale resulting to low farm productivity and
income, thereby poverty remains in rural agrarian sector!.

As agricultural mechanization becomes now the center-piece program of the
national government, with PS billion appropriations for the provision of rice
machineries and equipment for the next six years under Rice Tariffication Law
(R.A, No. 11203), these farms need to be immediately levelled, restructured or
reconstructed for efficient mechanization and irrigation. This is to attain the
objective of farm mechanization to lower down the cost of production, at the
same time increasing farm productivity and farmer's income.

Based on the study of PhilRice and IRRI, a well-levelled farm land shall increase
water use efficiency by up to 15% as it improves the timeliness and efficiency of
land preparation, sowing, and harvesting through more even wetting and drying


in the field. This results in a more uniform crop at harvest and better grain
quality. It also improves water coverage thus reduces weeds by up to 40% and
reduces weeding time by 15-20 days per hectare; and improves planting
efficiency by reducing time of planting. Level fields require 50% less seeds when
direct seeding and also increase opportunity to use other techniques such as
seed drills and mechanical transplanting. Ultimately, land leveling will increased
rice yields by up to 15-20%. (Sugarcane RoadMap 2020, SRA)

This House Bill seeks to foster the implementation of farm land leveling and
reconstruction which greatly contributes to increase farm productivity and
income.

farnestly requested.

Approval of the bill i

ENRICO A. PINEDA


Republic of the Philippine
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

18™ CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. _ 4269

Introduced by Representatives Michael L. Romero and
Enrico A. Pineda

AN ACT
TO PROMOTE AND ACCELERATE FARM LAND LEVELING AND
RECONSTRUCTION IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION AREAS,
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representative of the Philippines in
Congress Assembled:

SECTION 1. TITLE. - This Act shall be known as the “Farm Land Leveling
and Reconstruction Act”

SECTION 2. DECLARATION OF POLICY. - It is hereby declared a policy
of the State to achieve modern farms and food security by increasing farm
Productivity, reduce post harvest losses and improve product quality and
competitiveness through complete farm mechanization and efficient land

management.

In the pursuance of this policy, the State shall promote and accelerate farm land
leveling and reconstruction in all agricultural areas of the country in order to
ensure efficient farm mechanization, irrigation, transport and economies of

scale.


SECTION 3. DEFINITION OF TERMS. - The following terms are defined,

as follows:

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“Farm Land Leveling and Reconstruction” refers to the process of
restructuring the farm area by maintaining smooth and/or
uniform elevation of the soil surface by scraping high points or
(soil mounds) and moving soil to low points (depressions), to
increase the sizes of farm plots which will results to a uniform
distribution of irrigation across the field and increases the
efficiency in the use of production inputs and machines and
higher yields.

Contiguous farming refers to a farming system comprising the
development and organization of parcels of adjoining or
adjacent agricultural lands with a minimum total area of 50-ha
for the synchronized production of a particular crop such as but
not limited to rice, corn, sugarcane, coconut and high value
commercial crops utilizing agricultural mechanization
technology. It shall include the necessary physical and
institutional infrastructures. Physical infrastructures include
the overall design layout of the area (e.g. field plot size, irrigation
canal, farm drain, farm ditch, farm roads, postharvest facilities,
etc.) while institutional infrastructures consist of the social base
by which contiguous farming scheme shall operate.

Farm Development Plan refers to a plan containing the right and
appropriate kind/s of crops, livestock and fisheries to be planted
or raised in the farm, as well as its irrigation, farm-to-market
roads/farm access roads, agricultural and fisheries machineries
and equipment, post harvest and agro-processing facilities to be
established, constructed, operated and maintained which will
ensure sustainable development, modernization and increase
farm production, productivity and competitiveness. It also
includes the improvement and maintenance of agricultural
spatial and bio-physical conditions in these farms to ensure
accessibility, economies of scale of agricultural machineries and
equipment, optimum utilization of lands, improvement of plant
rooting and prevent soil erosion and flooding.

SECTION 4. NATIONAL FARM LAND LEVELING AND
RECONSTRUCTION PROGRAM - There is hereby established the “National

Farm Land Leveling and Reconstruction Program”, herein referred to as the

Program with comprehensive set of objectives, targets and holistic approach in


promoting and accelerating farm land leveling and reconstruction in all
agricultural production areas of the country. The Program shall be integrated
and be made consistent and complement with the Agriculture and Fisheries
Modernization Plan, Agricultural and Fisheries Mechanization Program, Land
Consolidation, Contiguous or Block Farming Program.

The Program shall:

a) Provide assistance to farmers and land owners to level and
reconstruct their farm lands towards attaining suitable shapes and
sizes for efficient irrigation, mechanization, transport and economies
of scale, as well as farm development planning;

b) Provide and/or upgrade the facilities and equipment including land
laser leveler machines of the Department of Agriculture, Local
Government Units and State Colleges and Universities;

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Establish and/or strengthen research, development and extension
on farm leveling and reconstruction;

d) Deployment of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineers at the
municipal levels to provide professional and technical services in the
design and supervision of farm levelling and reconstruction projects
and the preparation and implementation of farm development plans.

SECTION 5. COVERAGE - The implementation of farm land leveling and
reconstruction program shall cover alll irrigated rice lands served by the national
and communal irrigation systems and small scale irrigation systems by the

National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Bureau of Soils and Water

Management, Department of Agriculture and Local Government Units, including

corn and sugarcane production areas.

SECTION 6. IMPLEMENTING AGENCIES AND PARTNER AGENCIES.
—The Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering (BAFE) of the
Department of Agriculture shall be the implementing agency of the Program. It
shall tap the assistance, expertise and resources of the following agencies, such
as the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), Bureau of Soils and Water


Management (BSWM), Philippine Center for Post-Harvest Development and
Mechanization (PhilMech), Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), and the
National Irrigation Administration(NIA).

The BAFE shall likewise collaborate with and secure the technical support and
assistance of other departments and their attached agencies and corporations to
support farm land leveling and reconstruction such as the Department of
Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)
and the Agricultural Engineering Groups of the Local Government Units.

In order for BAFE to effectively carry out this task and its functions under
Republic Act No. 10601, the BAFE is hereby transformed and reconstituted as a
line bureau of the Department of Agriculture. Its organizational structure shall
consist of a head office, regional agricultural and fisheries engineering offices,
provincial agricultural and fisheries engineering offices and where and when
necessary, municipal and city agricultural and fisheries engineering offices.

The existing Regional Agricultural Engineering Division of DA Regional Field
Offices are hereby transferred to BAFE. These BAFE field offices shall
complement and/or augment the services of the Provincial, City and Municipal
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Units of the Local Government Units.

The Department of Agrarian Reform shall integrate farm leveling and
reconstruction as a requirement in land distribution and support services
program under CARP Law.

SECTION 7. ASSISTANCE TO FARMERS AND INCENTIVES - Farmers
registered under the RSBA of the Department of Agriculture shall be given
priority for farm leveling and reconstruction assistance for free. Moreover, leveled

and reconstructed farms shall be given priority as recipients of the farm


machinery assistance program and other production inputs subsidy of the
government.

* SECTION 8. DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS - The Bureau
of Agriculture and Fisheries Engineering in collaboration with PhilRice, BAFS,
Professional Regulatory Board of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and
the Philippine Society of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineers. shall develop
and enforce farm land leveling and reconstruction standards which shall form
part of the Philippine Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Standards
(PABES);

SECTION 9. RESEARCH, TRAINING AND EXTENSION - The Philippine
Rice Research Institute, BAR, Agricultural Training Institute in coordination and
collaboration with State Colleges and Universities and Technical Education and
Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and LGUs shall undertake research,
training and extension program among farmers to adopt farm land leveling
reconstruction as well as on water management, proper irrigation, mechanized
farming and good agricultural practices.

The TESDA shall provide scholarships to farm levelers, farmers, farm
workers and trainers

SECTION 10. IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS. — Within
sixty (60) days from the date of effectivity of this Act, the Department of
Agriculture (DA), in consultation with various stakeholders shall formulate the
rules and regulations for the proper implementation of this Act.

SECTION 11. APPROPRIATIONS - The funding required for the
implementation of the program shall be incorporated in the budget of BAFE
under the General Appropriations Act (GAA).


The amount of One Billion pesos (P1,000,000,000.00) shall be initially
appropriated for the implementation of the program.

SECTION 12. SEPARABILITY CLAUSE. - If any part or provision of this
Act is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected
thereby shall remain in full force and effect.

SECTION 13. REPEALING CLAUSE. - All laws, decrees, executive orders
and other administrative issuances or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with
the provisions of this Act, are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 14. EFFECTIVITY CLAUSE. - This Act shall take effect fifteen
(15) days following its complete publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2)

newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines.

Approved.