WHEREAS, the food security of the country is a primary concern of this Administration;

WHEREAS, the Department of Agriculture is implementing Gintong Ani, the national government program which aims to sustain increased food production through productivity-enhancing measures;

WHEREAS, a most effective way of sustaining increased food production is to ensure that the recommended production, post-production and marketing technologies are widely disseminated and popularly adopted by farmers;

WHEREAS, funds for technology transfer were appropriated under the 1996 General Appropriations Act;

WHEREAS, Republic Act No. 7160, also known as the Local Government Code of 1991, has devolved the extension services function of the Department of Agriculture and transferred its corresponding personnel, assets, facilities and liabilities to the Local Government Units;

WHEREAS, the implementation of the Gintong Ani mobilizes existing institutions and resources to attain a more efficient delivery of support services, thus requiring the full support and cooperation of LGUs particularly the services of their agricultural extension workers;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FIDEL V. RAMOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:

1. The Department of Agriculture to grant the LGU agricultural extension personnel involved in the implementation of Gintong Ani with incentive allowance, subject to the guidelines to be developed by the Department of Agriculture; and

2. The Department of Budget and Management to release the amount of P108.9 million to the Department of Agriculture to be taken from its 1996 GAA budget for the purpose.

Adopted: 8 May 1996


By the President:

(SGD.) RUBEN D. TORRES
Executive Secretary