Luzon agricultural councils back industry reforms

MANILA, Philippines — Agricultural and Fishery Councils (AFCs) in Luzon are pushing for stronger private sector engagement in policy formulation, monitoring of programs, activities and projects (PAP), and fund utilization in the agriculture sector.

Among the proposals of the private sector partners include the need for the Department of Agriculture (DA) to review the implementation of the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) and the prioritization of database validation.

They also emphasized that the DA should engage and empower indigenous communities in the development of the agri-fishery sector.

In a call for cooperation between the private sector and the government to  address the industry’s issues and concerns, the private sector also proposed for DA to revisit the fund allocation for all commodities.

The Luzon AFCs also sought an audience with the President, who is also the current Agriculture Secretary, to voice out concerns from the local level.

Concerns were also raised on the Civil Society Organization (CSO) accreditation process, including the CSO implementation of government programs and projects, among others.

These suggestions were floated during the recent workshop in Luzon led by the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF) to establish agreements and gain support and commitment from the AFCs for the continuous improvement of the agency’s programs, systems, and processes.

“With all this work, I am confident that we will be able to progressively broaden our understanding and arrive at a better plan for 2023. This workshop will lead towards achieving intended deliverables and targets aligned with the Department of Agriculture’s thrusts and priorities,” PCAF executive director Nestor Domenden said.

Meanwhile, the private sector also requested PCAF to provide feedback on the Commission of Audit’s position about the liquidation of funds transferred as donations and the timely release of fund transfers for AFC activities.

In the same event, PCAF also presented an overview of its agenda in the near and medium term, including the rollout of the AFC Patrol.

The AFC Patrol, an online platform for participatory monitoring and tracking, is a mechanism that will enable AFC officers and members to provide timely and

accurate situation reports at the community level.

PCAF said there would  be a separate orientation for the implementation of the AFC Patrol. The agency also assured that it would  develop safeguard measures to ensure the reliability and accuracy of data from the said platform.

From the workshop, PCAF said it would  consolidate and finalize all the proposals and policy agenda identified and will disseminate them to the AFCs by the end of December.