Republic

R e p u b licofo the
f t h Philippines
e P h ilip p in e s
Central Luzon State University
C e n t ra l Lu z o n S t a t e U n iv e rs it y
Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija
M u ñ o z , N u e v a E c ija

sn

C o lle g e o f E n g in e e r in g

Aben 2427
Republic act no.
10915
(monday 1:00pm-2:00pm)

ABEN

S u b m it t e d b y :
SUBMITTED BY:
Group 9
PELAYO, Andrei Stanley
RACOMA, Kathleen M.
SAGUN, Cheenie Mae A.
SEDILLO, Albert R.
SOLOMON, Jimnie
SUAREZ, Eleazar John E.
BSABE 2-2 S u b m it t e d t o :

SUBMITTED TO:
Prof. Malamug Vitaliana
Instructor
 RA 10915

Philippines has been an agricultural country for decades now

and it’s only fair if the people of this country study the one

that’s been dominating its economic income. Many of the students

today don’t find themselves working or dealing with agriculture

as their future job, they either choose to become a doctor, a

teacher, a lawyer, an accountant, civil engineer, and an

architect. It is quite disappointing to know how they despise

this kind of profession because of its history of farmers being

mistreated and has been lacking of support from the government.

However, during the year of 2016 the Philippine congress had

signed a law which strengthens the policy related to agriculture,

which ensures career opportunities and to build competitiveness,

and produce a well-equipped trained individual for who will

choose this profession.

Scientifically, agricultural engineering is expressed as the

application of principles gained from the knowledge of basic

(natural) sciences and mathematical modeling, to the solving of

agriculturally based operations involving primary, secondary and

tertiary production processes. It is concerned with the

utilization of the knowledge of basic sciences; physics,

chemistry and biology, social sciences such as economics,

geography etc, and technology in the art, and business of crop

production, animal handling and husbandry as well as handling,

processing and preservation, storage, manufacture and

distribution of food products, shelter and their benefits to

mankind for survival.

Professionally, agricultural engineering is the

technological processes involved in the application of scientific

principles for the optimal conversion of natural resources into

agricultural land, machinery, structure, processes, and systems

for the benefit of man. Machinery, for example, multiplies the

tiny power (about 0.07 kW) of a farmer into 70 kW power or more

of a tractor which made possible the production of food several

hundred times more than what a farmer can produces manually.

Processing technology reduces food loss and adds much more

nutritional values to agricultural products than they originally

had. The role of agricultural engineering has increased with the

dawn of the century. Agriculture will have to supply not only

food, but also other materials such as alternative power supply,

bio-fuels, and organic feed stocks for secondary industries, and

even medical ingredients. Furthermore, new agricultural

technology is also expected to help solve perennial off-season

crop production as well as reduce environmental destruction and

improve conventional agricultural practices.

It was former President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III who

approved the Act Strengthening, Modernizing and Aligning the

Practice of Agricultural Engineering in the Country into the

Internationally Recognized Practice of Agricultural and

Biosystems Engineering, and for Other Purposes dates back July

21, 2016. Which is also known as the Republic Act No. 10915,

"Philippine Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Act of 2016"

This law is declared upon the policy of the State to encourage,

improve, and regulate the practice of agricultural and biosystems

engineering in the Philippines by enacting policies that will

result in more applicable agricultural and biosystems engineering

education, as well as expanded roles and opportunities for

agricultural and biosystems engineers. Similarly, the State

guarantees the application and delivery of agricultural and

biosystems engineering services to accelerate agricultural and

fishery modernization; and to ensure food and water security,

bio-energy development, natural resource conservation,

environmental protection, and human health and safety by

fostering the training and development of an adequate and well-

trained pool of workers.

In these professions of agricultural engineering, it is

likely expected for the engineers are ideally qualified to solve

problems relating to the cultivation, handling, and processing of

biological materials for food, feed, fiber, and fuel; the

protection of natural resources and environmental quality; and

the design and production of machine systems using their

knowledge of mathematics, biological and physical sciences, and

engineering principles. A major in agricultural and biosystems

engineering will cater to a wide variety of career interests and

provide excellent opportunities for men and women from all walks

of life.

In the field, there are several career opportunities that

you will be able to encounter later on after you graduated. These

are more likely deals with agriculture which integrates

engineering topics, engineering design, and biological sciences

in a single program with two concentrations: agricultural

engineering and biosystems engineering. According to NDSU, Design

engineer, test engineer, project engineer, plant engineer,

quality control engineer, process engineer, energy adviser,

consulting engineer, and environmental engineer are some of the

job titles for graduates in both concentrations. Starting wages

are equivalent to those in other fields of engineering and are

among the best paying for college graduates. Starting salaries in

recent years, the annual salary ranges from $55,000 to $75,000,

with a median of $60,000. For several years, graduate placement

has been at or close to 100%.

However, regardless of the salary of income a profession

has, the main goal of this field is to certainly achieve of

producing, building, designing, improving, and constructing

equipment’s and machinery for the ease of other people working in

the field of agriculture. To simply put, to introduce the use of

latest scientific technology to design a new machine which will

help the farmers in future in doing their job more easily. Hence,

by inventing and discovering efficient methods, an agricultural

engineer works to increase the economy in the field of

agriculture. Note that agricultural engineering is a wide field

that encompasses sub-disciplines such as soil science,

environmental science, plant bioengineering, and animal science,

among others.

Within the scope and purpose of this Act, agricultural and

biosystems engineering shall embrace. agrometeorological systems,

agricultural and biosystems power and machinery, agricultural and

biosystems buildings and structures, renewable/bio-energy systems

and equipment, irrigation and drainage, soil and water protection

and management systems and equipment, agrometeorological systems,

agricultural and biosystems power and machinery, agricultural and

biosystems buildings and structures, renewable/bio-energy systems

and equipment farm electrification are among the engineering

designs, plans, requirements, project studies, feasibility

studies, and estimates, agricultural and bioprocessing and post-

harvest facilities and systems, agricultural and biological waste

utilization and management, agricultural and bio-information

systems, agricultural and biosystems resource protection and

management, and agricultural and bio-automation and

instrumentation systems are among the topics covered.

Construction, installation, and maintenance of irrigation and

drainage systems and facilities, soil and water conservation and

management systems and facilities, agrometeorological systems,

agricultural and biosystems power and machinery, agricultural and

biosystems buildings and structures, renewable/bio-energy systems

and farm electrification, agricultural and bio-processing,

agricultural and bio-information systems, agricultural and

biosystems resource protection and management, and agricultural

and bio-automation and instrumentation systems are all examples

of agricultural and bio-information systems. Agricultural and

biosystems machineries and machinery, structures and facilities,

and agricultural and biosystems engineering programs are also

valued, appraised, investigated, examined, tracked, and technical

audited. Creation and management of agricultural and biosystems

engineering projects, as well as planning, assessment, and

consulting services. Conducting agricultural and biosystems

engineering research, production, training, and extension.

Agricultural and biosystems machinery, as well as other relevant

agricultural and biosystems engineering facilities, equipment,

and programs, are subjected to testing, evaluation, and

inspection. Agricultural and biosystems machinery, as well as

other associated agricultural and biosystems engineering

facilities and equipment, are manufactured, distributed, built,

and sold. Teaching and/or giving lectures on agricultural and

biosystems engineering subjects in Philippine educational

institutions.

Farm growth plans, farm suitability maps, and land use

maps/reports for agricultural, livestock and poultry, fishery,

aquaculture, and forest production and processing are all

prepared and evaluated. Training and supervision of agricultural

and biosystems engineering technicians and operators in

agricultural and biosystems plants, establishments, buildings,

and programs, as well as agricultural and biosystems machinery

technicians and operators in Agri-fishery machinery support

centers/pools. Employment with the government and private firms

and establishments; provided, that such item or role requires the

knowledge and skills of an Agricultural and Biosystems Engineer,

or its duties and responsibilities cover the field of

agricultural and biosystems engineering practice.

According to the orientation of Agriculture and biosystems

engineers coming from the DA-Regional Field Office-CAR, National

Irrigation Administration-CAR, the universities and colleges, and

local government units in the region attended the orientation. It

was stressed during the activity that RA 10915 and RA 10912

strengthens the continuous professional development programs for

ABE. The orientation, therefore, is being conducted because it is

a mandatory and immediate requirement of the Professional

Regulation Commission (PRC) in the renewal of the professional

identification cards of all registered ABE. Engineer Rosanni

Manalastas, a member of the CPD Council for ABE, oriented the

participants regarding the implementation of CPD for ABE. He

emphasized that the objective of the CPD for ABE to promote and

upgrade the agriculture and biosystems engineering as profession

in the Philippines. Moreover, it also aims to strengthen,

modernize, and align the practices of agricultural engineers in

the country.

Moreover, Engineer Ariodear C. Rico discussed the

implications of RA 10915 and RA 10601 or the Agricultural and

Fisheries Mechanization (AFMech) Law in the practice of

agriculture and biosystems engineering was also discussed.

Engineer Rico is the chairman of Professional Regulatory Board of

Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and the Vice Chairman of

the Agriculture and Fisheries Mechanization Committee of the

Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries. An update on

the standards and regulations components of the National

Agricultural and Fisheries Mechanization (NAFMP) was also shared

by Engineer Emer-Rose Asud of the Bureau of Agricultural and

Fisheries Engineering (BAFE) of the DA. One of the highlights of

the update is the development and revision of the Philippine

Agricultural Engineering Standards for knapsack sprayer and

multi-commodity dryer. She also provided an orientation on the

BAFE which is the newest bureau of the DA. At the end of the

orientation the participants committed to explain and share the

knowledge they got from the orientation to their fellow

engineers. Moreover, the participants also are also intended to

have a follow up training regarding CPD and further emerge

themselves to similar activities. The CPD orientation for ABE was

held at the ATI-CAR, La Trinidad, Benguet on March 8, 2018.

Like the late bill of RA 8559, the state guarantees the

application and delivery of agriculture and biosystem engineering

services to accelerate the modernization of agriculture and

fisheries. And also ensuring the food and water security, bio

energy development, natural resources conservation, environmental

protection and human health and safety by improving the training

and development of an adequate and well-trained generation of

agricultural and biosystem engineers in the country. However,

compared to the late bill of 1989 this bill was more development

and computed benefits to the local farmers. Prior to the 1960s,

the expertise and services of agriculturists and civil engineers

were used to solve engineering problems on local farms. The

interest and challenges of

engineering services on the farm, made some of them to seek for

opportunities to
retrain themselves in what today forms the agricultural

engineering curriculum. Some

of the pioneer agricultural engineers in Philippines then were

therefore also specialists of

other disciplines.

Gradually, the relevance of agricultural engineering began

to be appreciated both by

the government and those engaged in agricultural practices and

local opportunities

for full-fledged training of agricultural engineers were

considered desirable. Local

training of agricultural engineers in the whole part of the

country started with the teaching of parts of the present-day

agricultural engineering curriculum to students in the schools

and

colleges of agriculture such as in Central Luzon State University

and University of the Philippine Los Banos and in some

agricultural facilities. Some of such graduates were awarded

degrees, diplomas and certificates in agricultural mechanization

but not agricultural engineering. For these reasons it’s vital

that government plans to prioritize the agricultural sector. the

field of Biosystems Engineering is emerging in response to such

major concerns as environmental integrity, food safety and

quality, water security, and natural resource availability. These

profession serves as one of the foundations of the economy of the

country. This act will prove useful in upgrading our agricultural

engineers.

References:

 The LawPhil Project. (2016). Arellano Law Foundation. Philippine Law and

Jurisprudence Databank. North Dakota State University. (n.d.).

https://www.ndsu.edu/majors/agbiosys/

 https://www.unafei.or.jp/

 https://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2016/ra_10915_2016.html

 https://ati.da.gov.ph/ati-car/news/06072018-1817/ati-car-hosts-cpd-orientation-abe-car

 https://www.egr.msu.edu/

 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275642284