OFFICE OF SENATOR ANTONIO "SONNY" F. TRILLANES IV
SPONSORSHIP SPEECH
Senate Bill No. 2434
C.R. No. 82
PHILIPPINE AGRICULTURAL AND BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING ACT OF 2014

Mr. President, Distinguished Colleagues, Ladies & Gentlemen:

Your Committee on Civil Service and Government Reorganization has the honor to sponsor Senate Bill No. 2434, or the proposed Philippine Agricultural and Biosystems Act of 2014, under Committee Report No. 82.

Mr. President, the Philippines is an agricultural country, and our agriculture sector, being part of the biosystems, is faced with threats from climate change, soil erosion and environmental degradation. Furthermore, with commencement of the ASEAN Economic Community integration, our agriculture sector will be most affected.

In order to cope with these challenges, it is necessary that our country has a strong, empowered and competitive Philippine Agricultural and Biosystems Engineers, which is internationally aligned.

Agricultural and Bio-systems Engineering is the application of engineering science and designs to the processes and systems involved in the sustainable production and post-production of safe food, feed, fiber, timber and other agricultural and biological materials and the efficient utilization, conservation and management of natural and renewable resources in order to enhance human health in harmony with the environment.

Worldwide, with the special mention of the US, Europe, China, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, agricultural engineering, as a profession, has transformed into Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering. We now lag behind.

This bill, thus, seeks to repeal Republic Act No. 8559, which currently governs the practice of agricultural engineering in the country, and to strengthen its practice into agricultural and biosystems engineering.

This measure will improve the different areas of practice of our agricultural engineers through Career Progression and Specialization. It seeks to mainstream the agricultural and biosystems engineers in agro-industrial development, food security, bio-energy and environmental protection program through proper recognition, appropriate positions and greater professional responsibilities. This, in a way, will help professionalize the Philippine agricultural and environmental bureaucracy, and improve the productivity and efficiency in farm operations.

Specifically, this bill provides for the:

• Development and updating of the education curriculum of the agricultural and biosystems engineering;

• examination, registration of licensure of the practitioners;

• development of the professional competence of the practitioners through continuing professional education;

• accreditation of an integrated national professional organization;

• and prohibition of foreign agriculture and biosystems engineer to be issued a temporary license to practice the agricultural and biosystems engineering profession unless his/her country of origin permits Filipino agricultural and biosystems engineers to practice within its territorial limits.

Last year, Mr. President, the Philippines successfully hosted the 1st ASEAN Conference on Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering or ACABE-1, and the delegates adopted the "ASEAN AGRICULTURAL AND BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING FRAMEWORK FOR COOPERATION AND COMPLEMENTARY ACTION IN SUPPORT TO ASEAN FOOD SECURITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION".

Under this cooperation framework, to which the Philippines is a signatory, the practice of Agricultural Engineering shall be harmonized within the ASEAN and be internationally aligned into Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering. Furthermore, Mr. President, the Philippines was elected as Chairman of the ASEAN Agricultural and Bioystems Engineering Coordinating Committee in the recently concluded ACABE-2 in Indonesia. Considering these developments, we have to aggressively push for this measure.

The proposed measure is an enabling policy laid down in the Philippine Agricultural Engineering Profession Competitiveness Road Map 2013-2020, to strengthen, modernize and internationally align the practice of Agricultural Engineering in the country for Food Sufficiency and Global Practice. Our objective is to ensure that Philippine agricultural engineers will become the leaders in the ASEAN and worldwide.

Thus, Mr. President, I urge our colleagues to support the immediate approval of this measure.

Thank you, Mr. President.