Agriculture Information System Act

TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) First Regular Session ) 25 AUG -5 P4:40 SENATE RECEIVED BY S. No.. Introduced by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE AGRICULTURE INFORMATION SYSTEM IN ALL CITIES AND MUNICIPALITIES EXPLANATORY NOTE The Philippines is a primarily an agricultural country. The implementation of projects and programs for the promotion and development of this industry should always be based on reliable statistics to make them appropriate, responsive and inclusive. The Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS), which used to be under the Department of Agriculture handling agricultural and fishery statistics, was abolished by virtue of Republic Act No. 10625, otherwise known as the "Philippine Statistical Act of 2013". The personnel and functions of BAS, together with other major statistical agencies, constituted the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) which now serves as the central statistical authority of the Philippine government on primary data collection. Among the functions of the PSA is to "coordinate with government departments and local government units (LGUs) on the promotion and adoption of statistical standards involving techniques, methodologies, concepts, definitions and classifications, and on the avoidance of duplication in the collection of statistical information."

The "Agriculture Information System Act" aims to establish an integrated, computerized, and web-based agricultural commodity supply inventory and registry system which will provide the national government access to real-time agricultural information which are useful in rationalizing the objectives and policy directives in the agricultural sector. This measure links the data from cities and municipalities to the PSA. Such mechanism will enhance the data gathering and monitoring of data in the local and national levels. In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is highly recommended. finger t 1. JINGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA

"Dite of thes TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES First Regular Session ) 25 AUG -5 P4:40 SENATE RECEIVTO U. S. No. _ Introduced by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE AGRICULTURE INFORMATION SYSTEM IN ALL CITIES AND MUNICIPALITIES 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 "Agriculture Information

2 System Act".

Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to uplift the

socioeconomic conditions of farmers and farming communities nationwide in order to promote their welfare and empower their sector in the overall development and 6 progress of the country. Pursuant to this, an integrated, computerized, web-based 7 agricultural commodity supply inventory and registry system linking farmers and 8 organized communities all over the country needs to be established to provide an 9 easy-to-access local and global real time information for agricultural commodities, with 10 an end view of creating a wider range of market linkages among other farmers and agricultural buyers. Furthermore, through synchronized agriculture information 12 system, the National Government shall have access to real-time agricultural information which can rationalize the objectives and policy directives in the agricultural sector.

Sec. 3. Objectives. - This Act aims to attain the following objectives:

a) Provide an up-to-date database of agricultural and fisheries products in a locality;

b) Foster information sharing between farmers and potential buyers of agricultural and fisheries products; c) Secure a market for agricultural and fisheries products and ensure appropriate return of investment for farmers and fisheries stakeholders; d) Allow local government units to manage a secure and independent platform that creates linkages for farmers and fisheries stakeholders; e) Provide data on specific commodities that are readily available in a particular locality for purposes of production monitoring in order to meet the demands of the market; f) Provide a secure, transparent and independent modern web application that may be accessed anytime by the public through a multi-platform support or cross-platform support devices which can be linked to existing systems in the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA); g) Streamline training and seminars in the management of the operations; h) Monitor the use of inputs given by producers, buyers and other segments the value-chain including information during post-harvest and processing; and i) Ensure that all forms of assistance given to local government units (LGUS), registered cooperatives and other qualified individuals and organizations are monitored.

Sec. 4. Agriculture Information System. - All cities and municipalities are hereby

mandated to establish an Agriculture Information System (AIS), hereinafter referred to as Information System. The AIS shall serve as a dynamic online computer database where information on the demand for specific agricultural and fisheries commodities is gathered and uploaded simultaneously with the production data from farmers in every barangay. The AIS shall merge and synchronize agricultural data from different sources into a cohesive database designed to facilitate linkages from place of origin or the farm to local, and ultimately, global markets. The AIS shall also be integrated with the existing systems of the PSA. The Information System shall have the following features and contents:

a) Municipal and city-wide identification of individual farmers, fish breeders, and fisherfolk as well as qualified organizations which produce specific farm and fisheries products, regardless of quantity; b) Crop harvest, volume and type forecasting; c) Inventory of specific classification of crop varieties planted, livestock and type of fish raised in a particular LGU; d) Farmers and fisherfolk demographics, including age group, gender, ethnic group, income, seminars and trainings attended, and assistance received; e) Selected reports presented in both tabular and graphical form; f) Registry of farmers' contact details and farm location to facilitate market linkages; 9) Search engine which allows farmers, fish breeders, and fisherfolk to look for potential and actual buyers and for such buyers to search for farms, farmers, and available agricultural and fisheries products; and h) Customizable dashboard which is accessible only to registered farmers and fisherfolk clients and contains the farmers' and fisherfolk's profile such as the area of the farm or fishpond, crops planted, livestock and type of fish raised.

Sec. 5. Registration. - All cities and municipalities shall encourage and facilitate

the free registration of all farmers, fisherfolk, as well as buyers transacting within their respective areas in the Information System.

Sec. 6. Functions and Responsibilities of Cities and Municipalities. - The LGU

shall exercise the following functions and responsibilities: a) The Municipal Agriculture Office, in coordination with the Municipal Agrarian Reform Office, shall gather, encode, and consolidate all pertinent data on the profile and demographics of farmers, fisherfolk as well as buyers; b) Monitor and control farm inputs including machineries and equipment; c) For municipalities and component cities, prepare and submit real-time data under (a) and (b) to the provincial agricultural office and to the Sectoral Statistics Office of the PSA; d) For highly urbanized cities, submit real-time data to the Sectoral Statistics Office of the PSA;

e) Establish farmer and buyer linkages and act as a gatekeeper at the city or municipal level in the nationwide marketing of agricultural products; and f) Serve as the web administrator at the municipal or city level and be responsible for integrating farm and fisheries locations into the geographic integration system map.

Sec. 7. Functions and Responsibilities of the Province. - The provincial

government shall have the following functions and responsibilities: a) The Provincial Planning and Development Office (PDDO) is the web administrator at the provincial level and is responsible for integrating farm and fisheries data into the geographic integration system maps for agriculture and fisheries; b) The Local Economic and Investment Promotion Office (LEIPO) acts as the lead administrator of the AIS in the provincial level and ensures the balance between supply and demand; c) The Provincial Agricultural Office monitors the submission of reports from municipalities and component cities, and ensures the completeness, accuracy and validity of data submitted by the Municipal Agricultural Offices and the Municipal Agrarian Reform Offices; and d) Except for highly urbanized cities, prepare and submit such data to the Sectoral Statistics Office of the PSA.

Sec. 8. Functions and Responsibilities of the Regional Office of the DA. - The

regional office of the DA shall have the following functions and responsibilities: a) Integrate the data provided by the provinces in the existing information system of the DA such as the National Farmers and Fisheries Information System (NFFIS) which is a web-based data collection system that serves as a platform for updating the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA); b) Collaborate with the regional offices of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in order to facilitate the availment of the various programs of the DTI as well as strengthen market linkages through such programs; c) Recommend to the central office of the DA appropriate interventions in the form of marketing, importation, and training assistance, as may be needed;

d) Validate the data from the LGUs acting as the system administrator at the regional level and provide real-time report to the Sectoral Statistics Office of the PSA; and e) Endorse for financial assistance the qualified fifth and sixth class municipalities that can be given assistance in establishing and maintaining their respective AIS.

Sec. 9. Functions and Responsibilities of the Central Office of the Philippine

Statistics Office. - The PSA shall have the following functions and responsibilities: a) Allocate funding for the integration of the AIS with existing information systems; b) Coordinate with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to upgrade, expand, and integrate its information systems; c) Ensure that the implementation, appropriate verification processes and information safeguards are in place pursuant to existing laws and regulations, in coordination with the DICT, National Privacy Commission (NPC), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST); and, d) Approve the prioritized interventions by the regional offices and allocate corresponding funding.

Sec. 10. Duties of the National Statistician. - The National Statistician shall

monitor and ensure the compliance of all cities and municipalities as provided for under this Act and shall, as soon as practicable, establish a centralized AIS that shall integrate and link all existing information systems in the country.

Sec. 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90) days after

the effectivity of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act.

Sec. 12. Appropriations. - The National Statistician shall include in the PSA'S

programs the establishment of the integrated and centralized AIS, the funding of which shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act. The LGUs shall provide the necessary funds for the establishment of an AIS in their respective annual budgets.

Sec. 13. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or

unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision or part not otherwise affected shall remain valid and subsisting.

Sec. 14. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive

order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule, or regulation contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly.

Sec. 15. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its

publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. Approved,