The City Council, during last Monday’s regular session, approved on third and final reading a proposed ordinance institutionalizing the creation of the barangay agriculture and fisheries committee in the city.
The ordinance states the creation of the barangay agriculture and fisheries committee is geared towards implementing agriculture and fisheries programs and projects in the city’s barangays which may be implemented by the barangays, individuals or organizations or in coordination with the City Veterinary and Agriculture Office (CVAO), the Department of Agriculture, Department of Trade and Industry and other departments or organizations.
Under the proposed ordinance, the committee shall consult and make representations, if given opportunities, in the existing highly urbanized city agriculture and fisheries council of the city; review project proposals from farmer associations intended for urban agriculture development and endorse the same to concerned office or agency for support; it shall also serve as the program implementer and project monitoring arm of the agriculture department, CVAO and other implementing agencies in the barangay level and undertake other programs and projects to advance the agriculture and fisheries sector of the city.
See more stories:
The barangay agriculture and fisheries committee shall be chaired by the barangay captain with the president of the farmers association in the barangay, urban gardeners or similar association president as vice chairperson where 2 members of the barangay council, 2 youth representatives, 1 from 4H club if existing and 1 from the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), sectoral representatives from livestock and poultry, fisheries and aquaculture, coffee and other commercial crops, urban gardening and private sector representatives from business, education, academe or faith-based organizations.
The council added that a member from the CVAO will be an ex-officio member with no voting rights but will serve as a regular member of the committee.
The council is mandated to meet regularly at least once every quarter and specially meetings may be called by the chairperson if matters cannot wait to be addressed in the next quarter meeting.
An annual meeting shall be conducted from representatives of the barangay agriculture and fisheries committees which shall be agreed upon with the CVAO and the Baguio City highly urbanized city agriculture and fisheries council.
The council asserted that the initial implementation of the creation of the 5 pioneer barangay committees shall be organized by the CVAO, the city agriculture fisheries and agriculture council, and the City Council through the Committee on Market, Trade, Commerce and Agriculture. Thereafter, the succeeding barangay agriculture and fisheries committee shall be created by the barangays themselves.
The council claimed that the provision of funds for the programs, projects and activities of the different committees shall follow proper government procedures and sound accounting and auditing principles and practices. Initially, the city is mandated to earmark some P200,000 annually as its subsidy for the annual farmers and growers summit and other citywide activities.
By Dexter A. See
File photo: Kayang Extension Barangay in Baguio City harvests their lettuce from their urban garden program. Photo credits to Kayang Extension Barangay, 05/10/20
You might also like:
