The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform has welcomed the inclusion of two key agriculture bills among the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) priority measures, a designation that is expected to accelerate their passage into law.

In a statement, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Francis Pancratius N. Pangilinan said the proposed Agricultural and Fisheries Extension Services Act and the proposed Agricultural Cooperatives Act — both of which recently passed on third reading in the Senate — will institutionalize sustained support for farmers and fisherfolk, equipping them to better manage finances and adopt new technologies.

"The two measures are closely linked to the country's long-term food security agenda because a stronger agriculture and fisheries sector will bring down the prices of basic goods and commodities, increasing the buying power of ordinary Filipinos," Mr. Pangilinan said.

The Philippines' agriculture sector continues to employ a significant share of the national workforce, yet productivity gains have lagged behind regional peers, with food inflation remaining a persistent concern for households and policymakers. The bills arrive amid sustained government efforts to modernize farming practices, strengthen rural livelihoods, and improve domestic food supply resilience.

The LEDAC, which is chaired by the President of the Philippines and includes leaders from both chambers of Congress as well as key Cabinet members, identifies priority legislation each session to coordinate the executive and legislative agendas.

Senate Bill No. 1991, the proposed Agricultural and Fisheries Extension Services Act, would provide the agricultural sector with technical assistance and promote climate-adaptive farming methods. The bill seeks to strengthen the delivery of extension services — including training, advisory support, and technology dissemination — to farmers and fisherfolk across the country. Extension services in the Philippines have been delivered through local government units since the devolution under the 1991 Local Government Code, and the proposed measure aims to address long-standing gaps in coordination and capacity at the grassroots level.

Senate Bill No. 1990, the proposed Agricultural Cooperatives Act, aims to safeguard the security, health, medical, and social insurance of farmers and fisherfolk while also building their capacity to efficiently organize themselves into cooperatives. Agricultural cooperatives have long been promoted in the Philippines as a mechanism for smallholder farmers to achieve economies of scale in purchasing inputs, accessing credit, and negotiating better prices for their produce. The measure also calls for reestablishing a dedicated cooperatives bureau within the Department of Agriculture to oversee and support agricultural cooperative development.

The Senate approved both bills on third and final reading with 21 affirmative votes on July 28. The legislation will now undergo bicameral review or reconciliation with counterpart House measures before being transmitted to the President for enactment.

As LEDAC priority bills, the measures are targeted for enactment by June 2027.

— Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel

Source: Bworldonline