Administrative Code of 1987/Book IV/Title IV/Chapter 2

by Corazon Aquino

Layout 2

Chapter 2—Department Proper

Sec. 5. Office of the Secretary.—The Office of the Secretary shall consist of the Secretary and his immediate staff as determined by him.

Sec. 6. Assistants to the Secretary.—The Secretary shall be assisted by five (5) Undersecretaries, seven (7) Assistant Secretaries, and the heads of the National Food Authority and the Philippine Coconut Authority who shall have the rank of Undersecretaries.

Sec. 7. Undersecretaries.—The Undersecretaries shall assist the Secretary in the exercise of the mandate and in the discharge of the powers and functions of the Department.

The five (5) Undersecretaries shall be assigned the following functions:

(1) The Undersecretary assigned to Regional Operations shall oversee the implementation of the agricultural plans, policies, programs, and projects of the regional and field offices of the Department;

(2) The Undersecretary assigned to Staff Operations shall provide staff support services, particularly in administration and finance, production, research, training, and extension;

(3) The Undersecretary assigned to Policy and Planning shall provide policy and planning support services, particularly in policy-formulation, planning, and agri-business;

(4) The Undersecretary assigned to Attached Agencies shall exercise supervision over the attached agencies to ensure that their operations are in conformity with the approved plans and policies of the Department;

(5) The Undersecretary assigned to Special Concerns shall develop and implement agricultural policies and priority projects aimed at improving the quality of life of disadvantaged and cultural community groups living in lowland and upland areas. In addition, he shall handle other special projects as may be identified or directed by the Department Secretary.

Sec. 8. Functions of the Undersecretaries.—With respect to his area of responsibility, an Undersecretary shall have the following functions:

(1) Advise the Secretary in the promulgation of orders and other issuances, with respect to his area of responsibility;

(2) Exercise supervision and control over the offices, services, operating units, and officers and employees under his responsibility;

(3) Promulgate rules and regulations, consistent with the policies of the Department that will efficiently and effectively govern the activities of the units under his responsibility;

(4) Coordinate the functions and activities of the units under his responsibility with those of other units under the responsibility of the other Undersecretaries;

(5) Exercise delegated authority on matters related to the functions and activities of the units under his responsibility to the extent granted by the Secretary; and

(6) Perform such other functions as may be provided by law or assigned by the Secretary.

Sec. 9. Functions of the Assistant Secretaries.—Each of the seven (7) Assistant Secretaries shall head any of the following: Production Group, Agri-Business Group, Research, Training and Extension Group, Planning and Monitoring Group, Support Group, Foreign Assisted Projects and the Regional Operations. In connection therewith the Assistant Secretaries shall have the following functions:

(1) The Assistant Secretary assigned to the Production Group shall be responsible for providing services relating to planning, programming, and project development of agricultural production. This group shall consist of the Bureau of Animal Industry, Bureau of Plant Industry, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and Bureau of Soils and Water Management;

(2) The Assistant Secretary assigned to the Agri-Business Group shall be responsible for assisting farmers and other agri-business ventures by providing marketing assistance and investment information. This group shall consist of the Marketing Assistance Services and the Agri-Business Investment Information Services;

(3) The Assistant Secretary assigned to the Research, Training and Extension Group shall be responsible for conducting research and training as well as providing assistance in the establishment of agricultural cooperatives. This group shall be composed of the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), and Bureau of Agricultural Cooperatives Development (BACOD);

(4) The Assistant Secretary assigned to the Planning and Monitoring Group shall take charge of developing, integrating, monitoring and evaluating all plans and programs of the Department and shall collect, monitor, and publish agricultural statistics for the Department and its clientele. This group shall be composed of the Planning and Monitoring Services, Computer Services, and Bureau of Agricultural Statistics;

(5) The Assistant Secretary assigned to the Support Group shall take charge of providing staff support services in finance, administration, and management. This shall be composed of the Financial and Management Services, the Legal Services, and the Administrative Services.

(6) The Assistant Secretary assigned to the Foreign Assisted Projects shall be responsible for the negotiation and implementation of foreign assisted projects of the Department;

(7) The Assistant Secretary assigned to Regional Operations shall assist the Undersecretary for Regional Operations in the supervision of regional offices including the coordination and implementation of Department plans, policies and programs.

The seven (7) Assistant Secretaries shall, in addition to the abovementioned duties, perform such other functions as may be assigned by the Secretary. They may also be assigned or placed under the supervision of the Undersecretaries at the discretion of the Secretary.