Bill proposes mandatory hiring of agriculturist

CABANATUAN CITY – The position of municipal agriculturist should become mandatory in order to address the needs of farmers, fishermen and local entrepreneurs in the countryside in the light of President Arroyo’s agenda of having a modernized agricultural sector.

This was the gist of a bill filed in Congress by a first-termer congressman from Nueva Ecija who said municipal agriculturists’ role in rural development should be given due recognition by making their appointments mandatory instead of optional.

Third district Rep. Aurelio Umali, a member of the House committee on agriculture, said he has introduced House Bill 2712 or "An Act Making the Position of the Municipal Agriculturist Mandatory, Amending for the purpose Section 482 of Republic Act 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government Code of 1991."

Under Umali’s pet bill, it was proposed that the position of an agriculturist be made mandatory based on a set of qualifications among which are that he is a Filipino citizen, of good moral character, a holder of a college degree in agriculture or any related course from a recognized college or university, and a first grade civil service eligible or its equivalent.

In filing the bill, Umali cited that the Local Government Code (LGC) which provided for the transfer of agricultural services from the National Government to the local government, also mandates that the agriculturist should be in the frontline when it comes to the delivery of basic agricultural services, particularly during and in the aftermath of disasters and natural calamities.

He said studies conducted in areas outside metro Manila show that the absorption and adoption of the devolved functions vary from one local government unit (LGU) to another depending on the LGU’s priority concerns and the relevance of such functions to their existing community problems and needs. "As a result of the optional appointment, agricultural problems still abound in the rural areas," he said.

If the appointment becomes mandatory, he said, the municipal government is assured that it can rely on the expertise of the agriculturist at all times. "The municipal agriculturist can be tapped to provide special service to farmers, including technical information and advice, to improve the quality and yields of crops and livestock," he said.