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A consortium of nongovernment organization has called on lawmakers to step up the passage of a bill that will promote organic farming as a strategy in fighting rural poverty in the Philippines.

Atty. Efren Moncupa, lead convenor of Go Organic! Philippines said the passage of an organic farming or organic agriculture bill will boost current efforts to convince farmers to shift from conventional farming to the more sustainable organic farming, as it will not only institutionalize funding support to the sector but will create administrative bodies that will oversee the implementation of programs as part of the government’s commitment to sustainable agriculture.

Go Organic! Philippines taking the lead in implementing the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) program called Organic FIELDS Support Program Phase 1, which aims to promote organic farming in the Philippines.

Led by the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM) and La Liga Policy Institute (LLPI), Go Organic! Philippines is now aggressively promoting organic farming in seven cities and municipalities in Luzon.

FIELDS or Fertilizer, Irrigation and other rural infrastructure like farm-to-market roads, Education and extension work, Loans, Dryers and other post-harvest facilities, and Seeds is the DA’s main thrust to achieve the country’s rice self-sufficiency target.

Moncupa, a former agrarian reform undersecretary said, the passage of a bill that will promote and institutionalize funding and other support to organic farming or organic agriculture is important, considering that the global financial crisis is expected to impact on the poorest of the poor in developing countries like the Philippines.

Saying organic farming is the way to go in the face of yet another food crisis because of the expected increase in the price of oil and agrochemical inputs in the world market, he appealed to lawmakers to make the organic bills in the House of Representatives and the Philippine Senate a top priority.

“There are bills pending for approval in the House of Representatives and the Philippine Senate and all our lawmakers. These bills were filed by lawmakers as they recognize the urgency of the situation,” he said.

Among the bills that were filed in the House of Representatives are House bill No. 3466 filed by Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, which calls for the promotion of Bio-Organic Farming in the Philippines. The bill calls for the creation of a comprehensive bio-organic farming program to adopt and develop the propagation of bio-organic cultivation and production methods. Among its salient provisions is the creation of the Bio-Organic Farming Authority or BOFA.

House Bill No. 3123 filed by Rep. Gilbert Violago, meanwhile calls for the use of an “Ecolabel” and the creation of an organic agriculture committee that will establish the procedure for the application for the right to use issue “Ecolabel” authorizations.

Meanwhile, House Bill No. 4266 filed by Rep. Edgar M. Chato calls for the creation of an Organic Farming Commission and establishment of a National Organic Farming Program for the development and propagation of organic cultivation and production methods.

House Bill No. 4746, meanwhile calls for the Production of Organically Produced Foods through the establishment of a National Standard Production for Organically Produced Products and for the Labeling of Organically Produced Products.

The bill, which was filed by Rep. Narciso Santiago also calls for the creation of a National Organic Production Program that focuses on certification of products produced according to organic method, and Development of an Organic Label to be affixed to agricultural products that have been organically certified.

Another bill, House bill 4118 filed by Rep. Proceso J. Alcala, meanwhile, calls for the Creation of an Organic Farming Commission (OFC) to implement Organic Farming Program and the creation of Local Executive Committees in each province. The bill also calls for the establishment of organic fertilizer counters where farmers can access organic fertilizers.

In the Senate, Senate Bill 1376 filed by Senator Loren Legarda and Senate Bill 1898 filed by Senator Manny Villar calls for the establishment of an Organic Agriculture Program and an Organic Agriculture Research, Development and Extension Network.

The two bills both call for the creation of Organic Fertilizer and Pesticides Production and Processing Centers, and the establishment of the Organic Agriculture Council.

In the same manner, Senate Bill 371 filed by Senator Jinggoy Estrada, Senate Bill No. 830 filed by Senator Rodolfo Biazon and Senate Bill 1546 filed by Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri promotes sustainable agriculture through the establishment of bio-organic farming program, the Bio-Organic Farming Authority, and Bio-Organic Demonstration Farms.

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