SEN. Francis Pangilinan has asked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to certify the urgent passage of a proposed measure that will institutionalize the extension of government services to farmers and fisherfolk to ensure rural development and uplift the lives of agricultural workers.
Pangilinan said Senate Bill No. 1182 or the Agriculture and Fisheries Extension Act of 2025 seeks to institutionalize agricultural extension services and agricultural cooperatives at the provincial and municipal levels so they may be brought closer to the farmers and fisherfolk.
He said he saw the “systematic failure” in providing extension services to that sector.
As an example, Pangilinan said he has been running his own farm in Alfonso, Cavite but the nearest Department of Agriculture regional office to him is located in Lipa City, Batangas, which is almost more than two hours by land travel.
He said the lack of extension service results in the inability of local farmers and fisherfolk to ac-cess critical government services such as loans, financial aid for pesticides and fertilizers, tech-nical training, and more.
Pangilinan said the proposed measure seeks to create the Philippine Agriculture and Fisheries Extension Agency, which will replace the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), that will serve “as the national apex organization for a unified and efficient agriculture and fisheries extension sys-tem of the country.”
“It will ensure that public extension services meet the national standards of performance and effectively contribute towards the achievement of the national goals of agriculture and fisheries modernization and sustainable development,” he said.
The bill will also require the hiring of several agriculture experts — provincial agriculture and fisheries office (PAFO), assistant PAFO for fisheries development, assistant PAFO for agricultural development, city agriculturist and fisheries officers (CAFO), and municipal agriculture and fish-eries officer (MAFO).
“Effective agricultural extension services are critical for sharing best practices, introducing new technologies, and providing crucial education to farmers and fisherfolk. A robust extension sys-tem is proven to increase productivity, improve food security, and elevate the living standards of rural communities,” he said.
“This strategic approach will ensure that farmers and fisherfolk nationwide receive consistent, high-quality, and science-based extension services, thereby accelerating the development of the agriculture and fisheries sectors,” he added.
