Staff Offices


OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY

»   Administrative Service (AS.)
»   Agriculture and Fisheries Information Service (AFIS)
»  Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS)
»  Field Operations Service (FOS)
»  Financial Management Service (FMS)
»  Information Technology Center for Agriculture and Fisheries (ITCAF)
»  Planning Service (PS)
»  Policy Analysis Service (PAS)
»  Project Development Service (PDS)


 Administrative Service

Shall be responsible for providing personnel, legal, records and other general services. It is composed of the following divisions: »  

1. Personnel Division

  • Advise management on personnel policy and administration;
  • Assist management in the formulation of personnel policies and programs;
  • Develop and administer a personnel program which shall include selection and placement, classification and pay, performance rating, employee relation and welfare services;
  • Acts on all matters concerning attendance, leaves of absence, appointments, promotions, transfers and other personnel transactions; and
  • Maintain personnel records and statistics.

2. Legal Division

  • Provide legal advise to top management and other DA personnel;
  • Interpret laws and rules affecting the operations of the Department;
  • Prepare contracts and instruments wherein the Department is a party and interpret provisions in contracts covering work performed for the Department of private entities;
  • Conduct administrative investigation, including the review of administrative charges against DA employees;
  • Assist in the promulgation of rules governing the activities of the Department;
  • Prepare comments on proposed legislation concerning the Department; and
  • Assist the Solicitor General in Court Litigation wherein the Department is involved.

3. General Services Division

  • Provide policy guidance on the maintenance and disposition of assets, procurement, utilization and storage of supplies, materials and equipment in accordance with government prescribed standards;
  • Provide transportation, communications, general utility and maintenance services for the Department;
  • Procure, store and distribute supplies and equipment of the department and conduct periodic inventories of same;
  • Receive and collect cash, pay salaries of DA employees and the Department's obligations; and
  • Supervises the security service of the Department.

4. Records Division

  • Provide an efficient, effective and economical records management ;
  • Formulate, evaluate, update and implement policies and guidelines on record management;
  • Service the documentary reference and information requirement of top management, action officers and the general public;
  • Provides messengerial/liaison services for the Department;
  • Provides central control system for vital and essential records;
  • Ensures proper storage of inactive records and prompt disposal of obsolete and valueless records and preserve vital and permanent records;
  • Provides systematic control of receiving and handling incoming mails and documents and dispatching of outgoing communication and documents;
  • Represent the Department in the presentation of documents in courts and other administrative body;
  • Authenticates official records when necessary; and
  • Maintain a Central File Station Storage for current and non-current records.

5. Human Resource Development Division

  • Formulate and implement HRD policy and plan and manpower development plan;
  • Prepare guidelines and coordinate scholarship program both foreign and local;
  • Training needs formulation, assessment and, analysis;
  • Undertake monitoring and evaluation of trainings conducted;
  • Establish linkages and networking with other training institutions;
  • Coordinates training courses for Bureaus, attached agencies and regional field offices;
  • Develop and implement evaluation scheme for all scholarship program;
  • Act as secretariat to the DA Scholarship Committee

 Agriculture and Fisheries Information Service (AFIS)

  • Manage the Department's Media Relations Program;
  • Formulate the Agriculture and Fisheries Communication Plan which will define the key messages which have to be communicated, who the audiences for these messages are, and on what media these messages are best delivered;
  • Design and develop all the multi-media communications prescribed in the Communication Plan;
  • Ensure that the agriculture and fisheries information contained in the various home pages of the DA Web by working closely with bureaus, attached agencies and other units, who make sure that their content are kept current and up-to-date;
  • Conduct editorial checks on the home/web page content to ensure that messages are not conflicting, inconsistent and stale;
  • Reproduce copies of all materials for distribution, in whatever media is prescribed in the Communication Plan (i.e., paper, CDs, electronic files, videos, audios, comics, etc.) and circulate them in the manner prescribed (i.e., courier, hand-delivered, electronic mass mailing, post, etc.);
  • Ensure that master copies of all communication materials are properly backed-up and stored (in the physical and e-lib);
  • Publish a list of all available communication materials in the NIN with the corresponding acquisition costs (if any) and the procedure on how they can be ordered;
  • Provide assistance to all DA units requiring creative (graphics and layout) illustration services, communications development, and audio-visual services; and
  • Publish a regular NIN newsletter that will keep all NIN Users regularly informed on the latest agriculture and fisheries information, news, and best practices, as well as network-related information such as processes, standards, tips, toolkits, job aids, and other productivity tools.

 Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS)

The AMAS plays a critical role in the implementation of the RA 8435 or AFMA. At present, the Agribusiness Investment Information Service (AIIS) (now AMAS) is the official representative of the Department of Agriculture in the Board of Investment National Investment Promotion Units (BOI-NIPU) and in the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Council (SMEDC). These two entities, both attached to the DTI, focus their promotion more on non-agri-industry. The agribusiness sector which largely comprises small and medium agri-based enterprises, is only partially addressed by these bodies. Thus, with the advent of the AFMA, the AIIS shall be further strengthened and reorganized to facilitate fully the promotion of agribusiness investment and assistance to the agribusiness concerns of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) development in the urban and rural areas.

The Service functions are:

  • Participate in the formulation of Strategic Agricultural and Fisheries Development Plan;
  • Network with the local government units (LGUs), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and other concerned agencies in the enterprise development planning of a Model Farm in the Agrarian Reform Communities (ARCs);
  • Spearhead the formulation of the National Marketing Assistance Program (NMAP) that will lead to the creation of National Marketing Umbrella (NMU);
  • Assist in the program formulation of the gradual transfer of abattoirs and public markets from the local government units to cooperatives;
  • Promote agribusiness investment through the conduct of investment matching/dialogue/fora. Promote agricultural/agribusiness products in the local and international markets and conduct market matching;
  • Promote appropriate product standards and quality management;
    Facilitate linkages of farmers' organizations at the regional and provincial levels and promote reduced post-harvest losses and enhance value-adding activities;
  • Package agribusiness and marketing information;
  • Participate in the formulation of the Department's medium and long term plans for global competitiveness and sustainability of agri-based industry;
  • Represent the Department of Agriculture (DA) in the agribusiness investment negotiations (i.e. contract growing scheme, joint ventures, small-holders estates, etc.); and
  • Organize/Participate in the inbound and outbound investment missions and domestic and international investment/trade fairs.
    Evaluate agribusiness project proposals.

 Field Operations Service(FOS)

  • Serve as the principal central logistics and support unit for the implementation of the Department's field programs, the operations of the Department's Regional Field Units (RFUs), and the services to the extension functions of the LGUs.

 Financial Management Service(FMS)

Responsible for providing the Department services on budget, finance, accounting and management. It is composed of three divisions:

1. Accounting Division

  • a. Advice management on financial matters;
  • Prepare and submit financial reports to management and other government ministries and agencies authorized to receive such reports;
  • Maintain basic and subsidiary accounting records and books of accounts to reflect accounts and current financial information required by existing auditing rules and regulations and by management;
  • Certify to the availability of funds, obligate funds, and issue Treasury Warrants to liquidate obligations;
  • Process requisitions, vouchers, and reports of collections and disbursements; and
  • Prepare billings to debtors of the National Government.

2.  Budget Division

  • Develop and improve budgetary methods, procedures and justifications;
  • Provide, subject to budgetary ceilings, fund estimates in support of the Ministry's operations, plans and programs;
  • Assist management in the presentation of the Ministry's budgetary estimates before administrative and legislative bodies;
  • Provide technical assistance to subordinate budget units in the application and utilization of budgetary methods and the budget system;
  • Prepare annual financial work plans;
  • Allocate, in coordination with the Planning Service, available funds to program on the basis of approved guidelines and priorities;
  • Issue allotment advice in support of the fund requirement for the conduct of the operations under each program; and
  • Review performance reports to determine conformance with set standards.

3.  Management Division

  • Develop plan and program objectives relative to management improvement in the Ministry
  • Examine the administrative organization of the Ministry and make recommendations for improvement;
  • Maintain and update the Ministry's organization and other manuals;
  • Undertake regular management surveys of organization structure; manpower and operations; study special problems as assigned; review existing methods, procedures and system; and make recommendations for improvement;
  • Develop staffing standards and manpower requirements for the Ministry;
  • Develop new and improved management systems; exercise staff supervision over the implementation of such improvements; and provide training in the use of the systems; and
  • Review internal control system for safeguarding money and property as ascertain weaknesses and deficiencies requiring corrections.

 Information Technology Center for Agriculture and Fisheries (ITCAF)

  • Formulate policies and guidelines in the design, acquisition, maintenance, use and disposal of IT to guide all DA units/offices and NIN stakeholders and key players in their related activities;
  • Formulate plans and strategies to keep DAs IT Resources (e.g., hardware, software, peopleware, and netware) current and up-to-date;
  • Implement programs and projects towards the fulfillment of DA's IT Vision and Mission for the 21st century, consistent with the Government's IT21 Vision and Mission;
  • Develop and manage the Department's, as well as the NIN's basic information infrastructure, resources and processes, which include among others, the overall communications backbone, the hardware, software and databases that utilize the backbone;
  • Ensure that end-users, especially the LGUs are provided access to the National Information Network (NIN);
  • Provide DA Units with technical support and assistance in IT acquisition, operation and maintenance;
  • Develop, manage, and implement IT Training Programs in collaboration with the appropriate national and private training institutions to enhance the IT skills of DA personnel as well as key operators and users of the NIN;
  • Provide technical assistance in the design, development and maintenance of DA application systems with will enhance the operational and administrative procedures of the Department's program/support units/offices, as well as improve its data collection, processing, analysis and dissemination capabilities;
  • Develop web publishing applications which will broadcast the latest and most current agriculture and fisheries information to the national and global audiences;
  • Institutionalize linkages of the DA IT sector with other government and non-government users of agriculture and fisheries information;
  • Develop and maintain the Department's Library (both physical and electronic) to provide service that makes available the knowledge and experience on the fields of agricultural, fisheries, and information technology;
  • Set-up, operationalize and implement the DA's WAN and integrate this with the NIN;
  • Oversee the integrity and security of all information stored in and accessed through the NIN; and
  • Build and manage IT alliances and partnerships which will enhance the long-term sustainability of the NIN.

 Planning Service(PS)
The Planning Service (PS) is charged with the execution and coordination of all Department activities related to the participatory achievement of the plans and goals listed in Section 13 and 14 of IRR (Administrative Order No. 6). The PS shall develop, process, analyze and consolidate the AFMP. The PS shall collaborate with the Department's Finance and Management Service (FMS) to ensure the adequate and timely budget support for the AFMP. Specifically the PS would:

  • Facilitate the formulation of programs emanating from LGUs and DA units consitent with AFMP and the agricultural development policies embodied in the MTPDP;
  • Institutionalize mechanisms for agriculture and fisheries modernization programs review and reformulation involving the broadest participation from the sector's stakeholders;
  • Institutionalize program monitoring and evaluation system to ensure effective feedback and response mechanism among stakeholders covering beneficiaries, implementors, support management and policy groups.

 Policy Analysis Service(PAS)
The PAS shall serve as the core of the Department's capacity on policy formulation and advocacy. The PAS will focus on medium to long-term strategic concerns of agricultural and fisheries modernization. The PAS will be composed of three divisions focusing on:

  • Economics and Policy Analysis: domestic and world trade and markets policy analysis; domestic and world demand, prices and supply projections; staff support to the Secretary in ensuring policy consistency across bureaus, agencies; programs and activities of the Department and conduct of policy consultations with the public and stakeholders;
  • Legislation Support and Advocacy: analysis, research, drafting and background work on legislation in progress; preparation of Department inputs and responses to Congressional directives and initiatives on various matters including taxation and internal commitments; formulation of agenda of proposed legislation in support of agricultural and fisheries modernization, and collaboration with the Agriculture and Fisheries Information Service (AFIS) in advocacy supportive agriculture and fisheries modernization;
  • International Relations; Logistical support and preparations on the Department's role in the Philippines' agriculture and fisheries agenda within international organizations and bodies, both multilateral and bilateral, such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), ASEAN, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) agreements, preparations toward bilateral technical exchanges, the monitoring of official assistance flows and cooperation, and secretariat support to the Department's Agricultural Attaches stationed abroad.

 Project Development Service (PDS)
The PDS shall have the overall mandate in facilitating and coordinating the project development activities of the Department (which includes all Attached Agencies, Bureaus, Regional Field Units, all Central Office Services/Units) and the LGUs. As such it shall be responsible for:

  • Institutionalizing project preparation and review/evaluation systems through the DA-Wide Project Clearinghouse by translating agricultural development strategies/plans as spelled out in the Medium Term Agricultural Development Plan (MTADP) into directions for project identification, developing and implementing as system for project investment priotization and identification, and a system for screening project proposals from LGUs using RFUs PMEUs and from various units of DA;
  • Ensuring sufficient number of funded/pipeline projects for local and foreign assistance consistent with the thrusts and priorities of the MTPDP through systematic project packaging and liaison with the government project approval system's concerned offices and respective donors;
  • Institutionalizing a project management assistance system to effect smooth transition from project preparation to project implementation and to continually provide project management assistance to PMOs;
  • Institutionalizing a project monitoring and evaluation system that ensures sustainability of gains achieved through foreig assisted projects (FAPs) and locally funded projects consistent with national agricultural and fisheries modernization goals as emobodied in the MTPDP.