House panel OKs bill creating Congressional Commission on Agriculture

Philippine News Agency

AGRICOM. The House Committee on Agriculture and Food approves House Bill No. 6689 which seeks to establish the Congressional Commission on Agriculture (AGRICOM) on Monday (March 9, 2026). The proposed commission will assess agricultural production systems, value chains, institutions and regulatory frameworks to guide policymaking for food security, rural livelihoods and agricultural productivity. (Photo: PNA)

MANILA – The House Committee on Agriculture and Food has approved House Bill No. 6689 which seeks to establish a Congressional Commission on Agriculture (AGRICOM) that will undertake a comprehensive national review of the country’s agricultural sector, and recommend long-term reforms to strengthen food security, rural livelihoods and agricultural productivity.

The proposed measure aims to create an independent, multisectoral congressional body tasked with reviewing, assessing and evaluating the state of Philippine agriculture and agri-food systems, and developing targeted policy recommendations to guide long-term agricultural transformation.

Under the proposed bill, AGRICOM will serve as a legislative policy think tank of Congress that will conduct a comprehensive assessment of agricultural production systems, value chains, institutions and regulatory frameworks.

The commission will also formulate a 10-year strategic roadmap for agricultural transformation, outlining investment priorities, institutional reforms, workforce development and innovation strategies for the sector.

The commission will be composed of members of both the Senate and House of Representatives and will have the autonomy to determine its research agenda, analytical methods and consultation processes.

It will operate for three years from its organizational meeting, with the possibility of a two-year extension if Congress determines that further work is necessary.

The measure also provides for a Technical Secretariat headed by an Executive Director and an Advisory Council composed of representatives from key stakeholder groups.

House Bill No. 6689 was introduced by Leyte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, together with Tingog Party-list Reps. Yedda Marie Romualdez, Andrew Julian Romualdez and Jude Acidre, comes amid renewed national attention on agricultural reform.

During a meeting in Malacañang to address challenges in the agricultural sector, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. directed the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Agrarian Reform to work with Congress on the creation of a congressional commission that will review the state of agriculture and guide long-term reforms.

During his sponsorship speech at the committee deliberations Monday, Acidre said the proposed commission is guided by three core principles: comprehensiveness, honesty in assessment and clarity of purpose.

He said the proposal draws lessons from the experience of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), which undertook a nationwide assessment of the education sector to guide long-term reforms.

“If we are serious about reforming agriculture, we must have the courage to confront its realities as they are. Without that honesty, any reform we attempt will rest on incomplete or distorted information,” Acidre said.

“The goal is not simply to study the sector, but to translate that assessment into a clear, long-term roadmap for reform,” he added.

Following its approval, the committee adopted HB 6689 as the lead reference bill for the drafting of a substitute measure consolidating several proposals seeking to create a Congressional Commission on Agriculture.

A counterpart measure, Senate Bill No. 1624, was approved on third reading on Feb. 18.