TACLOBAN CITY — A House committee has approved at the committee level a measure seeking to create a congressional body that will conduct a comprehensive review of the country’s agriculture sector and craft a long-term reform roadmap.
The House Committee on Agriculture and Food approved House Bill No. 6689, which proposes the creation of the Congressional Commission on Agriculture (AGRICOM).
The measure was authored by Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, representative of the Leyte 1st District, together with Yedda Marie Romualdez, Andrew Julian Romualdez, and Jude Acidre of Tingog party-list.
Under the proposal, AGRICOM will serve as a multisectoral body tasked with assessing the country’s agricultural production systems, value chains, institutions, and regulatory frameworks to guide evidence-based policymaking aimed at improving food security, rural livelihoods, and farm productivity.
During the deliberations, Acidre said the proposed commission is anchored on three principles — comprehensiveness, honesty in assessment, and clarity of purpose.
“What this bill seeks is a comprehensive assessment of the entire agricultural industry so we can finally see, with clarity, where we truly stand,” he said.
Lawmakers said the proposal takes inspiration from the work of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), which conducted a nationwide review that helped shape long-term reforms in the Philippine education sector.
House Bill 6689 will serve as the lead reference in drafting a substitute measure consolidating other proposals seeking to establish the Congressional Commission on Agriculture.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
