Bataan, hopes to create plantilla positions for agricultural engineers

BALANGA CITY, Bataan –  Republic Act (RA) 8559 or the Philippine Agricultural Engineering Act of 1998,  states that all local government units (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.

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

The Philippine Society of Agricultural Engineers Bataan Chapter has lamented the underemployment of registered agricultural engineers in the country.

“Registered agricultural engineers in the country are underemployed by the government. They do the work of an agricultural   engineer but receive the salary of agriculture technician”, said BPSU Abucay Campus Director Agricultural Engr. Jonathan Lacayanga.

“When you talk about a nation’s food sustainability basically it is about agriculture and yet the irony is that skilled agriculture workers like agricultural engineers are being neglected”, he added.

According to Philippine Society of Agricultural Engineers Bataan Chapter President Ronald Garcia, there are laws mandating the creation of government plantilla positions for agricultural engineers, which have been mentioned earlier.

“We hope we can do it here first in Bataan, to create plantilla positions for agriculture engineers”, said Lacayanga.