The creation of a Congressional Commission on Agriculture (AGRICOM) that will undertake a comprehensive national review of the agricultural sector and recommend long-term reforms has hurdled the House committee level.

House Bill No. 6689, which seeks to establish AGRICOM, was approved by the House Committee on Agriculture and Food on Monday, paving the way for a comprehensive national review of the country’s agricultural sector and the formulation of long-term reforms to strengthen food security, rural livelihoods, and agricultural productivity.

The proposed measure was introduced by Leyte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, together with TINGOG Party-list Reps. Yedda Marie Romualdez, Andrew Julian Romualdez, and Jude Acidre.

The bill aims to create an independent, multisectoral congressional body tasked with reviewing, assessing, and evaluating the state of Philippine agriculture and agri-food systems, as well as developing targeted policy recommendations to guide long-term agricultural transformation.

AGRICOM will serve as a legislative policy think tank of Congress that will conduct a comprehensive assessment of agricultural production systems, value chains, institutions, and regulatory frameworks.

It will also formulate a 10-year strategic roadmap for agricultural transformation, outlining investment priorities, institutional reforms, workforce development, and innovation strategies for the sector.

The commission will be composed of members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives and will have the autonomy to determine its research agenda, analytical methods, and consultation processes.

It will operate for three years from its organizational meeting, with the possibility of a two-year extension if Congress determines that further work is necessary. The measure also provides for a Technical Secretariat headed by an executive director and an Advisory Council composed of representatives from key stakeholder groups.

The proposal comes amid renewed national attention on agricultural reform. During a meeting in Malacañang to address challenges in the agricultural sector, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Agrarian Reform to work with Congress on the creation of a congressional commission that will review the state of agriculture and guide long-term reforms.

In the Senate, a counterpart measure — Senate Bill No. 1624, sponsored by Sen. Francis Pangilinan establishing a Congressional Commission on Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food Security — was approved on third reading on February 18, 2026.

During his sponsorship speech at the committee deliberations, Acidre said the proposed commission is guided by three core principles: comprehensiveness, honesty in assessment, and clarity of purpose.

“What this bill seeks is a comprehensive assessment of the entire agricultural industry so we can finally see, with clarity, where we truly stand,” Acidre said.

Acidre said the proposal draws lessons from the experience of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), which conducted a nationwide assessment of the education sector to guide long-term reforms.

“If we are serious about reforming agriculture, we must have the courage to confront its realities as they are. Without that honesty, any reform we attempt will rest on incomplete or distorted information,” he said.

He added that the proposed commission is intended not merely to study the sector but to translate its findings into concrete policy directions that will guide long-term agricultural reform.

“The goal is not simply to study the sector, but to translate that assessment into a clear, long-term roadmap for reform,” Acidre said.

Following its approval, the committee also adopted HB 6689 as the lead reference bill for drafting a substitute measure consolidating several proposals seeking to create a Congressional Commission on Agriculture (AGRICOM).