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• The Committee on Civil Service and Government Organization sponsors Senate Bill No. 2434, the Philippine Agricultural and Biosystems Act of 2014.
• The Philippine Agricultural and Biosystems Act of 2014 aims to strengthen, modernize, and benchmark agricultural and biosystems engineering practices to international standards.
• The 8732 agricultural engineers licensed by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) since 1964 are now automatically registered as agricultural and biosystems engineers.
• Agricultural and biosystems engineering is the application of engineering science and designs to the processes and systems involved in the sustainable production, post-production, and processing of safe food, feed, fiber, timber, and other agricultural and biological materials, and the efficient utilization, conservation, and management of natural and renewable resources.
• Agricultural and biosystems include crops, livestock, poultry, fisheries, and aquaculture, forestry, wildlife, and other living things.
• The Agricultural and Biosystems Practice Law (ABI Law) prescribes the scope of practice of registered and licensed agricultural and biosystems engineers, including planning, designing, supervision, construction, operation, maintenance, testing, evaluation, inspection, monitoring, technical audit, research, training, extension, teaching, consultancy, sale, and manufacture of various agricultural and biosystems engineering facilities and projects.
• All plants, designs, specifications, and other documents used for the implementation, construction, testing, and evaluation of agricultural and biosystems engineering facilities and projects must be signed and sealed by a licensed agricultural and biosystems engineer.
• The Agricultural and Biosystems Practice Law requires that all government and private entities that implement, construct, operate, maintain, sell, manufacture, regulate, and undertake research, training, and extension on agricultural and biosystems engineering facilities and projects employ the required number of agricultural and biosystems engineers.
• The Agricultural and Biosystems Practice Law mandates higher standards of professional practice through the formulation and implementation of a national career progression and specialization program for agricultural and biosystems engineers.
• The Philippine Agricultural Engineering Standards (PAES) will be transformed into Philippine Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Standards.
• A new agricultural and biosystems engineering curriculum will be developed and adapted by CHED to align with the other laws and international standards and to respond to the needs of the industry.
• The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) will implement continuing professional development as a requirement in the renewal of PRC license and accreditation for higher level of professional practice.
• The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) will conduct licensure examinations and regulate the practice of agricultural and biosystems engineering including investigations and prosecutions of illegal practice and violations.
• Violations of the Agricultural and Biosystems Practice Law shall be subject to administrative and criminal penalties.
• The Philippine Agricultural Engineering Law, also known as the Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA) of 1999, was further strengthened by the Agricultural and Fisheries Mechanization Law (AFML) in 2013 and the Philippine Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Act of 2016 (ABI Law).
• The Agricultural and Fisheries Mechanization Law mandates the creation of an Agricultural Injury Division at the agricultural offices in all first class to third class provincial and city local government units (LGUs) and an Agricultural Engineering Section in the municipal LGUs.
• The Philippine Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Act of 2016 mandates all LGUs to create Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering positions, which will complement the agriculturalist, veterinarian, and fisheries technologist positions which are regulated professions under the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and separate offices or departments in the LGUs.
• The Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering positions in the LGUs will be responsible for the formulation and implementation of local agricultural and fisheries mechanization plans, which aim to increase farm productivity and farmers' income.
• The Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering services in the LGUs will be further strengthened and expanded by the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Act to cover animal production systems engineering, fisheries and aquaculture engineering, forest engineering, and watershed management, bioenergy engineering, and bio-waste management.
• These functions are outside the scope of the agriculturalist offices of the LGUs, hence the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Act mandates all LGUs to create Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering positions.
• The Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Act also mandates all LGUs to create Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering positions, which will complement the environmental management officer, disaster risk management officer, and the building official in the issuance of permits for agricultural and biosystems buildings.
• The creation of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering as a separate office or department in the LGUs is authorized by Section 76 of the Local Government Code and CSC Memorandum Circular No. 19 of 1992.
• Only registered and licensed Agricultural and Biosystems Engineers shall perform the practice of agricultural and biosystems engineering in the country, violation of which is a ground for administrative and criminal penalties.
• The institutionalization of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering in the LGUs is a vital measure that will help LGUs achieve their mandates under the Local Government Code in promoting the general welfare of their people to ensure and support health and safety, balance ecology, comfort, and convenience, economic prosperity, and full employment.