Meaning of “agricultural extension”
- Section 2 defines “agricultural extension” as the diffusion among the people of useful and practical information.
- Section 2 includes diffusion on agriculture, soil conservation, livestock, fisheries, forest conservation, public lands and natural resources laws, home economics and rural life.
- Section 2 ties agricultural extension to encouraging application through field demonstrations, lectures and conferences, publications, and other means of imparting information.
Head of Bureau and staffing
- Section 3 provides that the Bureau shall have a head titled Director of Agricultural Extension and an Assistant Director of Agricultural Extension.
- Section 3 requires the Director and Assistant Director to be appointed on recommendation of the Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources by the President of the Philippines.
- Section 3 requires consent of the Commission on Appointments of the Congress of the Philippines for the appointments.
- Section 3 sets annual compensation as Seven thousand two hundred pesos for the Director and Six thousand pesos per annum for the Assistant Director.
- Section 3 authorizes the Bureau to have technical personnel and other employees appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources as required to carry out the Act.
- Section 3 states that the head of the Bureau, under the general supervision and control of the Secretary, possesses the powers generally conferred upon directors of bureaus.
Abolition and transfer of extension divisions
- Section 4 abolishes the Agricultural Extension Division of the Bureau of Plant Industry and the Livestock Extension Division of the Bureau of Animal Industry.
- Section 4 transfers to the Bureau of Agricultural Extension the abolished divisions’ corresponding personnel, appropriations, equipment and facilities.
- Section 4 explicitly includes items under Commonwealth Act Numbered Eight-five in the transfer.
- Section 4 transfers all positions with corresponding personnel and appropriation items in other divisions, sections, or services of any Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources bureau or office that are identified with carrying out agricultural extension work.
- Section 4 applies the transfer to the relevant personnel and resources existing in those offices as identified with extension work.
Agricultural Extension Fund and provincial allocation
- Section 5 appropriates an amount not less than Five hundred thousand pesos annually from the General Fund in the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to support the Bureau.
- Section 5 provides that the appropriation, together with the “Agricultural Fund” under Commonwealth Act Numbered Eighty-five, constitutes the “Agricultural Extension Fund”.
- Section 5 authorizes expenditure by the Director of Agricultural Extension with the approval of the Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources, for:
- salaries and wages of appointed personnel;
- purchase of office furniture, equipment and supplies;
- traveling expenses; and
- other expenses necessarily involved in operating the Bureau and carrying out its functions.
- Section 5 requires that the Agricultural Fund of each province be used exclusively for agricultural extension work in that province, including:
- salaries and wages and traveling expenses of local extension personnel (except those whose salaries are expressly provided to be paid from the National Fund);
- furniture and equipment, supplies and materials;
- construction or rental of buildings;
- establishment, operation and maintenance of nurseries, demonstration farms and livestock farms;
- purchase of land for any agricultural extension project;
- freight, transportation and communication; and
- other incidental expenses necessary for efficient agricultural extension work in the province.
- Section 5 directs that National Funds in excess of the amount needed for:
- the National Office,
- the District Offices, and
- the salaries of the Provincial Agricultural Agents and Provincial Home Demonstration Agents as specified in the Act
be allocated to the Agricultural Fund of each province.
- Section 5 requires National Funds allocation among provinces using the following shares:
- forty per cent based on the number of farms;
- forty per cent based on cultivable area;
- the remaining twenty per cent allocated among provinces on needs as determined by the Secretary.
- Section 5 mandates that, for calculating these amounts, the definitions and statistics in the most recent Census taken by the Bureau of Census must be used.
Organization of personnel and provincial services
- Section 6 requires the Director of Agricultural Extension, subject to the approval of the Secretary, to organize personnel into divisions and sections ensuring maximum efficiency.
- Section 6 requires organization on a standardized scale of salaries commensurate with duties and responsibilities.
- Section 6 requires that appointments of personnel be made in accordance with Civil Service laws and regulations.
- Section 6 prohibits appointment to be paid from the “Agricultural Fund” under Commonwealth Act Numbered Eighty-five or from the national appropriation without the knowledge and consent and, in proper cases, recommendation of the Director of Agricultural Extension.
- Section 6 requires that in every province there be organized a Provincial Agricultural Extension Service consisting of:
- one Provincial Agricultural Agent, head of the provincial force, with salary not below two thousand four hundred pesos per annum for a fifth class province; and
- one Home Demonstration Agent (a woman),
- both paid from the National Fund,
- plus necessary technical and clerical force to be paid from provincial agricultural funds.
- Section 6 authorizes dividing the country into extension districts for close field supervision, with each district directly supervised by:
- one District Extension Agent for men, and
- one District Home Demonstration Agent for women.
- Section 6 requires provinces to provide office quarters for the Provincial Extension Agent and Provincial Home Demonstration Agent, while local governments provide quarters for other local extension agents.
Repeal and effectivity
- Section 7 repeals all laws, rules and regulations inconsistent with the Act.
- Section 8 provides that the Act shall take effect upon its approval.
- The Act is Approved, April 24, 1952.