EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - National Agricultural and Fishery Council ...

(f) Revisit the implementation mechanisms of ACEF to separate the policy
and oversight functions with the management /implementation of the
facility. Some of the delays in project approvals in the past were due to
unclear interpretations of these functions.
(g) Trade issues should be integrated in the national development agenda,
especially those related to poverty reduction, increasing productivity and
competitiveness, providing compensation and human development
safeguards, and diversification of exports and markets. At the regional /
international development levels, trade issues should build credible
alliances, achieve fairer terms of trade, target technical assistance,
strengthen the SDT provisions of the WTO Agreement, offer aid for trade
and focus on human development.
(h) To make trade work for human development (UNDP 2007) the following
eight (8) point national agenda are recommended:
• Invest for competitiveness – This implies public investment in
infrastructures, human capital, R & D and ICT;
• Adopt strategic Trade Policies – select strategic goods / services with
great potential linkage with other industries;
• Restore focus on Agriculture- agriculture should be the core of
development strategy to combat poverty and food insecurity;
• Combat Jobless Growth – Target agro industries that promote
sustainable rural employment not for short term growth;
• Prepare a new tax regime – progressive tax structure that doesn’t hurt
the poor (customs tax, corporate taxes) should be encouraged to fund
the process of adjustment under trade liberalization
• Maintain stable exchange rate – realistic rates to encourage
investments;
• Persist with Multilateralism – avoid bilateral trade, go for multilateral
trade arrangements; and
• Cooperate with neighbors- Regional Trade Agreements complemented
with other forms of cooperation (e.g. financial arrangement).
(i) Finally, since the findings on the general impact of AFMA are not as
robust as envisioned by the law, revisiting the law’s IRR is in order,
including a strong political will to provide budgetary allocation to the
agriculture and fisheries sector to make it more competitive.
4.3 Irrigation
79. The Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA), or Republic Act
8435 was signed into law in December 1997. The law became effective in
July 1998 when its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRRs) were
issued by the Department of Agriculture (DA). The effectivity of the law
was for five years but in February 2004, its implementation was extended
until 2015.
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