An Act Providing For The Development And Promotion Of Organic Agriculture In The Philippines And For Other Purposes

Section 6 National Organic Agricultural Board (NOAB)

To carry out the policy and the program provided in this Act, there is hereby created a NOAB which shall be the policy-making body and shall provide direction and general guidelines for the implementation of the National Organic Agricultural Program. The NOAB shall be attached to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

The NOAB shall ensure the full participation of POs, NGOs and the general public through coordination and consultative mechanisms such as, but not limited to, public hearings, meetings and joint projects.

Section 7 Composition of the NOAB

The NOAB shall consist of:

(a) The Secretary of Agriculture, or his duly authorized permanent representative, with a rank of Undersecretary, as Chairperson;

(b) The Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, or his duly authorized permanent representative, as Vice Chair;

(c) The Secretary of Science and Technology, or his duly authorized permanent representative;

(d) The Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, or his duly authorized permanent representative;

(e) The Secretary of Education, or his duly authorized permanent representative;

(f) The Secretary of Agrarian Reform, or his duly authorized permanent representative;

(g) The Secretary of Trade and Industry, or his duly authorized permanent representative;

(h) The Secretary of Health, or his duly authorized permanent representative;

(i) Thee (3) representatives from the small farmers; and

(j) A representative each from the NGOs involved in sustainable agriculture for at least three (3) years; agricultural colleges and universities; and private sector or agribusiness firms; as members.

The designated aforementioned representatives of the various departments shall be occupying positions not lower than a bureau director level and shall be on a conterminous basis.

The representatives of small farmers and NGOs and of agricultural colleges and universities shall be chosen by the Secretaries of Agriculture and Science and Technology, respectively, from among nominees submitted by their respective national organizations. These representatives must be conversant in organic agriculture and committed to the policies and programs provided under this Act.

The existing National Organic Agriculture Board created pursuant to Executive Order No. 481 shall continue to function until the new NOAB created herein has been constituted pursuant to Section 8 hereof.

Section 8. Organization of the NOAB

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 members to the NOAB.

The Chairperson shall call the members of the NOAB, or a majority tereof if not all have been designated, to a meeting to organize themselves and prescribe its rules and procedure for the attainment of the objectives of this Act. A majority of all the members of the NOAB shall constitute a quorum.

The NOAB shall also determine its budget, including travel expenses, allowances and per diems of its nongovernment members when attending official NOAB meetings or attending to maters assigned to them subject to accounting and auditing rules and regulations.

Section 9 Powers and Functions of NOAB

The NOAB shall have the following powers and functions:

(a) Formulate policies, plans, programs and projects to develop and promote organic agriculture, production, processing and trade;

(b) Oversee the successful implementation of the National Organic Agricultural Program;

(c) Identify sources of financing to expand organic agriculture;

(d) Monitor and evaluate the performance of programs for appropriate incentives;

(e) Undertake measures for the international recognition of local certification of organic products;

(f) Call upon any government agency to carry out and implement programs and projects identified by the NOAB;

(g) Call upon private sectors, POs and NGOs and the academe to provide advice on matters pertaining to organic agriculture and conduct of capability-building initiatives to farmers, producers, extension workers, consumers and other stakeholders in agriculture sector in coordination with the Agricultural Training Institute;

(h) Submit annual and other periodic reports to the President, Secretary of the DA and Congress of the Philippines through the Congressional Oversight Committee on Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization (COCAFM);

(i) Promulgated such rules and regulations and exercise such other powers and functions as may be necessary to carry out effectively the purposes and objectives of this Act; and

(j) Perform such functions as may be necessary for its effective operations and for the continued enhancement, growth or development of organic agriculture.

Section 10 The Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Product Standards (BAFPS) of the DA

The BAFPS of the DA shall be strengthened and empowered in terms of establishing functional divisions and incremental staffing to serve as the national technical and administrative secretariat of the NOAB with the member agencies providing additional staff support as the need arises.

Section 11 Functions, Duties and Responsibilities of the BAFPS, in addition to its existing functions and responsibilities shall perform the following functions, duties and responsibilities for purpose of this Act:

(a) Implement organic agriculture programs and projects approved by the NOAB;

(b) Update the NOAB on the status of the programs, projects and activities undertaken for the development and promotion of organic agriculture;

(c) Create effective networking with the various stakeholders involved in organic production; and

(d) Perform such other functions, duties and responsibilities as may be necessary to implement this Act and as directed by the NOAB.

Section 12 Work Plan

In line with the national Organic Agricultural Program, the BAFPS shall submit to the Board for approval the following:

(a) A plan of bringing the program down to the grassroots, utilizing available personnel and facilities on the local level and those of LGUs;

(b) A pattern of cooperation and mutual assistance with LGUs, POs and NGOs, which will maximize people empowerment and participatory approaches to program formulation, implementation and monitoring; and

(c) A schedule of short-term, medium-term and long-term targets on research and development, marketing, trade promotion/initiatives, capacity building, among others.

Section 13 Organic Agriculture and Protection of the Environment

The NOAB shall constantly devise and implement ways and means not only of producing organic fertilizes and other farms inputs and needs on and off the farm but also of helping to alleviate the problems of industrial waste and community garbage through disposal through appropriate methods of sorting, collecting and composting.

The BAFPS 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 fertilizers and other farm imputs.

Section 14 Local Executive Committees

Every provincial governor shall, insofar as practicable, form a provincial technical committee, and which shall, in coordination with and assistance of the BAFPS/DA - Regional Field Units (RFUs) implement activities in line with the National Organic Agricultural Program within each province.

Every municipal mayor shall likewise, insofar as practicable, form a municipal technical committee for purposes of implementing activities in line with the National Organic Agricultural Program within each municipality.

A local government unit that intends to shift its area of responsibility to organic agriculture must ensure that local industries have been adequate informed and consulted and that a viable plan to ensure supply for vulnerable industries is in place.

The governors shall monitor implementation of and compliance with this Act within their respective jurisdictions.