‘Law mandates creation of LGU plantilla position for agricultural engineer’

BALANGA CITY, Bataan – There is a law mandating the creation of LGU plantilla positions for agricultural engineers.

In his paper, “Review on the Institutionalization of Agricultural Engineering Profession in the Provincial, City, and Municipal LGUs”, Philippine Society of Agricultural Engineers Bataan Chapter President Ronald Garcia said Republic Act 8559 or the Philippine Agricultural Engineering Act of 1998 states that all LGUs are mandated to ensure that planning, implementation,   and valuation of agricultural buildings and structures, farm-to-market roads,    post-harvest facilities, and other agricultural engineering facilities are performed by licensed and registered agricultural engineers.

He said the DILG had issued a memorandum circular in March 2001 to support the implementation of RA 8559. He also said, in 2003, DBM issued a budget circular  to support the DILG memorandum circular.

Also  prescribed in the DBM budget circular are agricultural engineering positions Engineer I (SG-12), Engineer II (SG-16), Engineer III (SG-19), Enginner IV (SG-22), and Engineer V (SG 24).

In November 2008, DILG issued another memorandum circular for compliance of all LGUs to RA 8559. Another memorandum circular from the agency was issued in July 2012 in response to the extent of LGUs’ compliance to the law.

Garcia added in the monitoring of PRC and Board of Agricultural Engineering from 2009  to 2011, findings included inadequate number of registered and licensed agricultural engineers employed in the LGUs and positions of many registered and licensed agricultural engineers employed in the LGUs are inappropriate, either as Agriculturist or Agricultural Technologist to officially perform  agricultural engineering tasks.

He also said RA 10601 or the Agricultural and Fishery Mechanization Law and RA 10915 or the Philippine Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Act of 2016 also mandate the institutionalization of Agricultural Engineering Profession in the LGUs.

Garcia is a faculty member of the Agricultural Engineering Department in BPSU Abucay Campus.