ARTICLE I
TITLE AND STATEMENT OF POLICY
SECTION 1. Title – The Act shall be known as the “Philippine Agricultural Engineering Act of 1998”.
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SECTION 2. Statement of Policy – It is hereby declared a policy of the State of promote and upgrade the practice of agricultural engineering profession in the Philippines by instituting measures that will result in relevant agricultural engineering education and better career prospects for professional agricultural engineers.
Likewise, the State hereby guarantees the delivery of basic and technical services to accelerate agricultural modernization through adequate and well-professional agricultural engineers throughout the country.
ARTICLE II
DEFINITION OF TERMS
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms – As used in this Act, the following terms shall mean:
a. Practice of agricultural engineering – shall refer to the profession requiring the application of the fundamental and known principles of engineering to the peculiar condition and requirements of agriculture as an industry and as a field of science, and shall include, but not limited to the following:
b.
1. Consultation, valuation, investigation and management services on agricultural engineering.
2. Management or supervision and the preparation of engineering designs, plans, specifications, project studies and estimates for agricultural, aquaculture and fishery, and forest product machinery, agricultural buildings and agricultural processing equipment, irrigation and soil conservation systems and facilities agricultural waste utilization systems and facilities.
3. Conducting research and development, training and extension work, and consultancy services on agricultural engineering facilities services, system and facilities.
4. Testing, evaluation and inspection of agricultural, fishery and forest product machinery and other related agricultural engineering facilities and equipment.
5. Management, manufacturing and/ or marketing of agricultural machinery and other related agricultural engineering facilities and equipment.
6. Teaching agricultural engineering subjects in institution of learning in the Philippines.
7. Employment with the government provided such item or position requires the knowledge and expertise of an agricultural engineer.
c. Agricultural engineer – An agricultural engineer is natural person who has been issued a certificate of registration by the Board of Agricultural Engineering and has taken the oath of profession of agricultural engineers
ARTICLE III
BOARD OF AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING
SEC. 4. Creation and Composition of the Board – There is hereby created a Board of Agricultural Engineering hereinafter called the Board to be composed of a chairman and two (2) members to be appointed by the President of the Philippines from a list of three (3) recommendees for each position, chosen and ranked in the order of preference and submitted by the duly accredited association of agricultural engineers in the Philippines.
The Board shall be organized not later than six (6) months from the effectivity of this Act.
SEC. 5. Qualifications of Members of the Board – A member of the Board shall, at the time of their appointment, process the following qualifications:
a. Must be a natural-born citizen and resident of the Philippines;
b. Must be at least thirty-five years of age;
c. Must be a holder of Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Engineering or its equivalent, conferred by a school academy, college or university in the Philippines or abroad that is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED);
d. A registered agricultural engineer with a valid professional license and an active practitioner for not less than ten (10) years prior to his appointment.
e. Must not, for a period of three (3) consecutive years prior to the appointment, be a member of the faculty of directly or indirectly, in any school, academy, institute, college of university where a regular course in agricultural engineering is being taught, nor have any pecuniary interest in or administrative supervision over any such institutions of learning.
f. Must not, for a period of three (3) consecutive years prior to the appointment, be connected with a review center or any group or association where review classes or lectures in preparation for the licensure examination are offered or conducted at the time of appointment; and
g. Has never been convicted of any offense involving moral turpitude.
SEC. 6. Term of Office – The members of the Board shall hold office for a term of three (3) years and until their successors shall have appointed and qualified. Of the members first appointed under this Act, one (1) member shall be appointed and hold office for three (3) years; one (1) member for two (2) years; and one (1) member for one (1) year.
The chairman or a member of the Board may be reappointed for another term but in no case shall be serve continuously for more than six (6) years. Each member of the Board shall qualify by taking the proper oath of office prior to entering upon the performance of duty.
SEC 7. Compensation and allowances of the Board – The chairman and members of the Board shall receive compensation and allowances being received by the chairmen and members of existing regulatory boards with the Professional Regulation Commission, hereinafter referred to as the Commission as provided for the General Appropriation Act.
SEC. 8. Vacancy and Removal of Board Members – Any vacancy occurring in the Board within the term of a member shall be filled for the unexpired portion of the term only.
The President may remove any member of the Board on the following grounds:
a. Neglect of duty;
b. Violation ( tolerance of the violation of this Act or the Code of Ethics for agricultural engineering.
c. Final judgement of crimes involving moral turpitude.
The member concerned shall be given due notice and hearing where his right to be heard and to defend himself, assisted by counsel, shall be respected in the proper administrative investigation.
SEC. 9. Powers and Duties of the Board – The Board shall exercise the following specific powers, functions and duties:
a. To promulgate and adopt the rules and regulations necessary for carrying out the provisions of this Act;
b. To supervise the registration, licensure and practice of professional agricultural engineers in the Philippines;
c. To administer oaths of successful examinees entering the practice of agricultural engineering;
d. To issue the certificate of registration to successful examinees;
e. To issue , suspend or revoke the license for the practice of agricultural engineering profession;
f. To adopt an official seal of the Board;
g. To look into the conditions affecting the practice of the agricultural engineering profession and whenever necessary; adopt such measures as may be deemed proper for the enhancement and maintenance of high professional and ethical standards of the profession;
h. To prescribe and/or adopt a Code Ethical and Professional Standards for the practice of agricultural engineering profession;
i. To hear and try administrative cases involving violations of this Act, its implementing rules and regulations, the Code of Ethics for Professional Agricultural Engineers and for this purpose, to issue subpoema and subpoena dues term to secure the appearance of witness and the production of documents in connection therewith.
j. Prescribe guidelines with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) program in coordination with the accredited association for professional agricultural engineers.
k. To insure, in coordination with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), that all educational institutions offering agricultural engineering education comply with the policies, standards and requirements of the course prescribed by CHED in the areas of curriculum, faculty, library and facilities.
l. To discharge such other duties and functions may be deemed necessary for the enhancement of the agricultural engineering profession and the upgrading, development and growth of agricultural engineering education in the Philippines;
m. To prepare adopt, issue or amend the syllabi of the subjects for examinations;
n. To approve, issue, limit or revoke temporary license to practice agricultural engineering.
All policies, resolutions, rules and regulations of the Board shall be subjected to the review and approval of the Commission.
SEC. 10. Supervision of the Board, Custodian of its Records, Secretariat and Support Services – The board shall be under the administrative supervision of the Commission. All records of the Board, including applications for examination, examination papers and results minutes of deliberation, administrative cases and other investigations involving agricultural engineers shall be kept by the Commission.
The Commission shall designate the Secretary of the Board and shall provide the secretariat and other support services to implement the provisions of this Act.
SEC. 11. Annual Report – The Board shall, at the close of each calendar year, submit an annual report to the President through the Professional Regulation Commission giving a detailed account of its proceedings and accomplishments during the year and making recommendations for the adoption of measures that will upgrade and improve the conditions affecting the [Show Less]
