WHEREAS, Articles 5, 6, and 7, Chapter 1, Title II of the Republic Act No. 7394, otherwise known as the Consumer Act of the Philippines, identified standards development and enforcement to three agencies: Department of Agriculture (for agricultural products), Department of Health (for drugs, cosmetics, devices and substance) and Department of Trade and Industry (for other products not covered by the two agencies);

WHEREAS, Section 2, Chapter l, Title IV (Agriculture), Book IV of EO No. 292 provides that the Department is the government agency responsible for the promotion of agricultural development by providing the policy framework, public investments, and support services needed for domestic and export-oriented business enterprises;

WHEREAS, Section 59 of Republic Act No. 8435, otherwise known as the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997 (AFMA), provided that the Department of Agriculture shall give priority to the development and promotion of appropriate agricultural machinery and other agricultural mechanization technologies to enhance agricultural machinery in the countryside;

WHEREAS, Rule 59.3 of the IRR of AFMA states that the Agricultural Machinery Testing and Evaluation Center (AMTEC) may be designated by the Department of Agriculture to issue standards for agricultural and fisheries machinery;

WHEREAS, on 26 November 1999, the Department of Agriculture through the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the University of the Philippines Los Ba os for the establishment of agricultural engineering standards, to be undertaken by AMTEC;

WHEREAS, Administrative Order No. 11 Series of 2001 states that AMTEC, in partnership with the Philippine Society of Agricultural Engineers (PSAE) and concerned DA agencies, shall be charged with the formulation and development of the official agricultural and fisheries machinery standards. Such standards, to be known as Philippine Standards for Agricultural and Fisheries Machinery shall be subjected to public hearings by the NAFC, through its Agriculture and Fishery Mechanization Committee (AFMEC), prior to its approval by the Secretary of Agriculture;

WHEREAS, DA Administrative Order No. 10 Series of 2002 adopted the Philippine Agricultural Engineering Standards Volume I Series of 2000 (PAES I) and requires all offices of the Department of Agriculture, including its regional field units, service units, bureaus, attached agencies, and corporation to adopt and comply with the thirty five (35) standards of PAES I;

WHEREAS, DA Administrative Order No. 6 Series of 2003 adopted the Philippine Agricultural Engineering Standards Volume II Series of 2001 (PAES II) and requires all offices of the Department of Agriculture, including its regional field units, service units, bureaus, attached agencies, and corporations to adopt and comply with the twenty five (25) additional standards of PAES II;

WHEREAS, these twenty two (22) additional standards have undergone extensive technical reviews, and public hearing conducted by NAFC, where they are now recommended for adoption as PAES Vol. III;

NOW THEREFORE, I, LUIS P. LORENZO, JR., SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE, pursuant to Section 3 paragraph 3, Chapter 1, Title IV, Book IV, of the Executive Order No. 292 hereby:

1. Require all offices of the Department of Agriculture (DA), including its regional field units, service units, bureaus, attached agencies, and corporations to adopt and comply with twenty two (22) additional standards as Philippine Agricultural Engineering Standards, Volume III, Series of 2002 (PAES II) (Attachment 1^* ).

2. Direct the National Agriculture and Fisheries Mechanization Program Committee (CAFMech) under the Bureau of Post Harvest Research and Extension (BPRE) to promulgate the implementing guidelines, and submit the same to the Office of the Secretary. All inquiries related to these standards shall be directed to CAFMech.

This Administrative Order shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its filing with the UP Law Center.

Adopted: 10 Apr. 2003

(SGD.) LUIS P. LORENZO, JR.
  Secretary

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^* Text Available at Office of the National Administrative Register, U.P. Law Complex, Diliman, Quezon City