An ordinance establishing a permanent support system for farmers practicing or seeking certification for Good Agricultural Practices in the Municipality of Kapangan got the nod of the Benguet Provincial Board during Monday’s regular session.
Committee on Agriculture and a legal evaluation by the Provincial Legal Office, Kapangan’s Municipal Ordinance No. 263 authored by Kapangan Councilor Bruno Canuto was granted a favorable review by the province’ lawmaking body.
The ordinance creates a municipal program to provide technical assistance, capacity-building, logistical support and agricultural interventions to farmers which also implements a cluster-based strategy to streamline the delivery of local agricultural services.
It also allocates an initial P300,000 for the program, with future funding integrated into the annual budget of the Municipal Agriculture Office to ensure continuity.
Board member Neptali Camsol, chair of the Committee on Agriculture, said the ordinance aligns with the Local Government Code of 1991, the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act and the Food Safety Act of 2013, which regulate sustainable farming and food safety compliance.
“Gamin ti GAP nga dayta it is a national fund ti based on our Republic Act dagiti toy ket dati nga araramiden dan iti Municipality of Kapangan. Ti kayat da nga aramiden tadta ket i-institutionalize. Jay kunada nga nga ikabil as a permanent program of the Municipality of Kapangan (GAP is funded nationally based on our Republic Act, and this is something they have already been practicing in the Municipality of Kapangan. What they want to do now is to institutionalize it. What they mean by that is to establish it as a permanent program of the Municipality of Kapangan),” Camsol added.
Camsol said formalizing the initiative secures regular local funding and adapts national agricultural policies to the distinct requirements of Kapangan’s farming sector
The ordinance will take effect 15 days after its publication and posting in at least three public locations within Kapangan. Jerome Jacy Cruz | UC Intern
