OIC-Regional Executive Director Vilma M. Dimaculangan, on behalf of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Region IV-CALABARZON, signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Batangas Provincial Local Government Unit (LGU) led by Gov. Hermilando I. Mandanas, and the Batangas State University (BatSU) headed by Pres. Tirso A. Ronquillo for the conduct of the Rapid Appraisal to Assess the Resources and Capabilities of the LGUs in the Province of Batangas.
Based on the agreement, the DA CALABARZON will transfer the P1-M research grant to BatSU to conduct the said study, the result of which will serve as the basis for the implementation of the Provincial-led Agriculture and Fisheries Extension Systems (PAFES) in Batangas.
PAFES is one of the key strategies of the DA which aims to strengthen the DA-LGU collaboration on providing agricultural and fishery services to the farming sector making them co-planners, co-investors, co-implementors and co-monitors of the projects in the Province in line with the implementation of the “Mandanas Ruling”.
The Mandanas Doctrine clarifies that the share from the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) of the local government units (LGUs) does not exclude other national taxes like customs duties. The exclusion of other national taxes like customs duties from the base for determining the just share of the LGUs contravened the express constitutional edict in Section 6, Article X of the 1987 Constitution.
OIC-Regional Technical Director for Research and Regulations Avelita M. Rosales, PAFES Focal Maria Cecilia B. Obligado, and Assistant Provincial Administrator of Batangas Atty. Colin B. Bautista witnessed the ceremonial signing of the MOA during their virtual conference on March 10, 2021. #### (Radel F. Llagas, DA-4A RAFIS/Photos: Maria Ella B. Cecilia Obligado)
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