August 2, 2021 - The Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BAFS) pursues its mandate to collaborate with DA-Regional Field Office (DA-RFO) 8 in implementing the roll-out plan of the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) in the Eastern Visayas Region. This statement of commitment was expressed during the Focused Group Orientation (FGO) held in Tacloban City on Wednesday, July 28, 2021.
DA-RFO 8 Regional Technical Director for Operations Larry U. Sultan warmly welcomed the BAFS Team and about 40 personnel from the RFO VIII Operations Division, Regulatory Division, and Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD).
The BAFS Team, led by the Organic Agriculture Division (OAD) Chief Joeve S. Calleja presented the salient points of the Republic Act (RA) 11511, particularly the PGS provisions, an overview of the process for certification and accreditation of core PGS groups as organic certifying bodies (OCB), as well as the Roll-out Plan for PGS for CY 2021.
The open discussion focused on clarifications relevant to the implementation of the PGS and on the issue of certification fees to be imposed by the accredited core PGS groups as organic certifying bodies. RFO 8 expressed the same view with other RFOs that PGS certification fees must be regulated to avoid future complications.
DA-RFO 8 ended the activity by expressing their full support and commitment to the implementation of PGS in Eastern Visayas. BAFS hopes to finish its series of FGOs in DA RFO 10 (Northern Mindanao), RFO 11 (Davao Region), RFO 12 (SOCCSKSARGEN), and RFO 13 (Caraga Region) by end of August 2021. ###
PGS for Eastern Visayas. BAFS-OAD Chief Joeve S. Calleja, (rightmost), was presenting the overview
of the process of certification and accreditation of PGS groups as OCBs during FGO held
at the DA RFO 8 office, Tacloban City on Wednesday, July 28, 2021.