22 February 2023 - Senior Undersecretary Domingo F. Panganiban of the Department of Agriculture delivers the welcome remarks on the Training on Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) for Department of Agriculture Food Safety Regulatory Agencies (DA-FSRAs) under the B-SAFE Project.

DILIMAN, QUEZON CITY – The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) joined the “Training on Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) for Department of Agriculture Food Safety Regulatory Agencies (DA-FSRAs)” organized by Winrock International thru the Building Safe Agricultural Food Enterprises (B-SAFE) Project, which aims to capacitate the DA-FSRAs on the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA).

The purpose of conducting RIA is to help policymakers examine the impacts and consequences of different policy options and to understand whether a proposed regulation can achieve certain policy objectives and thereby make appropriate decision. As mentioned by Ms. Mary Grace R. Mandigma, Assistant Director of the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards during the panel discussions: “The Department of Agriculture is one of the government agencies with numerous regulation that needs review and repeal.”

The statement of Assistant Director Mandigma aligns with the concern of PCA in terms of evaluating regulatory impacts as many governing laws and policy issuances, some of which date back to the 1950s, require review and consequent policy revisions, amendments, or repeal.

The Authority, thru the Trade and Market Development Department (TMDD), is planning to hold a series of trainings concerning the implementation of food safety regulations. Moreover, a certification program shall be developed to ensure the compliance of stakeholders.

Participants from the nine DA Agencies (BPI, BAI, BFAR, PCA, SRA, NDA, FPA, NMIS, BAFS) during the workshop and presentation on Preliminary Impact Assessment (PIA).

Three representatives from PCA RXI, PCA RXII, and the Trade Information and Relation Division (TIRD), along with nine representatives from DA-FSRAs, participated in the said training last 22 February 2023 at the Rural Development Education Center (RDEC) of the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI).

Resource persons and subject matter experts were from the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA), Department of Agriculture (DA), Philippine Competition Commission (PCC), UP National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG), and B-SAFE/Regulatory Support Program for National Development (RESPOND) Project by USAID.