Philippine Rice Research Institute

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Philippine Rice Research Institute

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PhilRice main office building in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija
Agency overview
Formed	May 11, 1985 (1985-05-11)
Type	Research institute and Government corporation
Jurisdiction	Government of the Philippines
Headquarters	Maligaya, Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, Philippines 15°40′21″N 120°53′22″E / 15.672597°N 120.889393°E / 15.672597; 120.889393
Annual budget	₱621.8 million Php (2021)[1]
Agency executive	John Calilan de Leon, Executive Director
Parent department	Department of Agriculture
Website	philrice.gov.ph

Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) is a government corporate entity attached to the Department of Agriculture created through Executive Order 1061 on November 5, 1985 (as amended) to help develop high-yielding and cost-reducing technologies for farmers.

The Institute accomplishes this mission through research and development work in our central and six branch stations, coordinating with a network that comprises 57 agencies and 70 seed centers located nationwide.

Edgardo Angara convened a committee to brainstorm the idea of establishing a national rice research center.^[when?] The committee was composed of Domingo M. Lantican, vice chancellor for administration of UP Los Baños; Ricardo M. Lantican, UPLB director for research; Domingo F. Panganiban, deputy minister of Agriculture and Food; Ramon Valmayor, executive director of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources Research and Development; Monkombu Sambasivan Swaminathan, IRRI director general; and Manuel de Leon, staff director of the National Economic and Development Authority.

The proposal for the establishment of PhilRice was submitted to then Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos through then Agriculture and Food Minister Salvador H. Escudero III. The Executive Order (EO1061) creating PhilRice was signed by President Marcos on November 5, 1985. Then Pres. Corazon C. Aquino signed EO 60 on November 7, 1986, which affirmed the creation and increased membership in the board of trustees of PhilRice. Minister of Agriculture Ramon V. Mitra and UP System President Edgardo J. Angara identified and recommended the members of PhilRice Board of Trustees (BOT) for appointment by President Aquino.

While a director has not yet been appointed, an executing committee chaired by UPLB College of Agriculture Dean Ruben L. Villareal laid the groundwork for PhilRice's program plan and operations. In June 1987, PhilRice operations went full swing with the assumption to office of its first executive director, Dr. Santiago R. Obien. Before his appointment, Obien was president of the Mariano Marcos State University and director of the Philippine Tobacco Research and Training Center. With Dr. Obien at the helm, the executing committee was dissolved and a PhilRice-UPLB Management Committee was created to select UPLB staff members to be seconded to PhilRice as program leaders. The committee's functions were gradually reduced as PhilRice was being organized.

PhilRice's headquarters, originally located at UPLB Campus, could not meet the envisioned manpower and program expansion. Thus, upon the suggestion of Prof. Kenzo Hemmi, IRRI BOT chair, PhilRice sought infrastructure and technical assistance from the Government of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Ramon V. Mitra, Carlos G. Dominguez, and Senen C. Bacani, secretaries of agriculture, strongly supported the idea. Through board resolution in March 1990, the Maligaya Rice Research and Training Center (MRRTC) in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, which was previously merged with PhilRice, officially became the Central Experiment Station.

On September 28, 2005, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation gave PhilRice a US$ 800,000 grant for biotechnology research into rice with higher beta-carotene, vitamin E, iron, and protein amounts to aiding micronutrient deficiency in Third World countries like the Philippines. Dr. Rhodora R. Aldemita and the University of Freiburg which heads the Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges in Global Health Program, has matched the Gates Foundation's grant with funding into PhilRice's biotech laboratories, a radioisotope laboratory, and screenhouses for testing the modified rice.^[2]

On December 4, 2006, the Philippine Rice Research Institute was certified by Technischer Überwachungsverein as an Integrated Management Systems (IMS) compliant organization covering ISO 14001 series 2004 for Environmental Management;^[3] ISO 9001 series 2008 for Quality Management; and OHSAS 18001 series 2007 for Occupational Health and Safety Assessment.^[4]

In February 2013, the research institute was awarded with US$ 100,000 from the Arab Gulf Programme for Development, a non-profit development organization based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The institute was awarded for its program that helps farmers and agriculture professionals in providing them information in an open academy. The project also provides assistance through mobile messaging, thereby allowing the institute to reach more farmers in the country.^[5]

The board of trustees is composed of twelve members representing all sectors and stakeholders of the rice industry. The membership to the board is done through the appointments of the President of the Philippines. Currently, the board is composed of Agriculture Secretary Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who also sits as the ex-officio chairperson; Senen C. Bacani, representing the agribusiness community; Dr. Gelia T. Castillo and CMU President Dr. Maria Luisa R. Soliven, both representing the science community; Herculano C. Co Jr. of grains business sector; Winston C. Corvera of the farming sector; Thelma G. Domingo and Edicia G. Della Torre, both from the consumer sector; Jose S. Concepcion Jr. of the business community; and Dr. Teodoro C. Mendoza of the academic community. Dr. Castillo has been a member of the board of trustees since it was first formed.^[3]

The Philippine Rice Research Institute has numerous interdisciplinary programs which develops and promotes technologies that are ecosystem-based, location- and problem-specific, and profitable to the Filipino farmers. Currently, it has two major programs: Rice Business Innovation System (RiceBIS) and Strategically Modernized and Robust Technologies for Competitive and Secure Rice Industry (SMARTerRice).

The Research Institute also carried the seven R&D program structure from 1987 to 1998. These were Rice Varietal Improvement, Planting and Fertilizer Management, Integrated Pest Management, Rice-based Farming Systems, Rice Engineering and mechanization, Rice Chemistry and Food Science, and Social Science and Policy Research. A change to its R&D structure was implemented from 1998 to 2005. Each multidisciplinary R&D program was carried by the different discipline-based divisions and each division participated in each R&D programs, as follows: Policy Research and Advocacy, Technology Promotion, Rice and Rice-based Products, Rice-Based Farming systems for Fragile Environment, Hybrid Rice, Transplanted Irrigated Lowland Rice, Direct Seeded Irrigated Lowland Rice, and Environmental Sustainability & Management.

PhilRice partners with local research institutions such as DOST-PCARRD and the DA-BAR in planning, monitoring, and reviewing R&D activities.

PhilRice also coordinates the National Rice R&D Network (NRRDN), a formal and functional structure of 57 strategically located agencies, working toward a common goal of sustained self-sufficiency in rice. Two of these are designated as national research centers, six as branch stations representing the country's major rice-growing zones, 14 as regional research centers, as 35 as cooperating stations. Within the network are groups that address specific R&D areas such as the rice varietal improvement, technology promotion, rice mechanization, and SeedNet.

National Research Centers

   Department of Agriculture    Regional Field Units    Regional Integrated Agricultural Research Centers    Seed Farms/Outreach Stations    Bureau of Agricultural Research    Bureau of Agricultural Statistics    Agricultural Training Institute    Bureau of Soils and Water Management    Bureau of Plant Industry    BPI-National Seed Quality Control Services    National Agricultural and Fishery Council    National Irrigation Administration    National Food Authority    Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization    Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation    Department of Science and Technology (DOST)    Advance Science Technology Institute (ASTI)    Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI)    Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD)    Department of Education (DepED)    Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)    Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR)    Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP)    Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA)    Provincial and Municipal Local Government Units    State Colleges and Universities (SCUs) 

Non-Government/Private Organizations

   Agricultural Cooperative Development International/Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance    Alliance of Philippine Partners in Enterprise Development    Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Incorporated    Advanta Incorporated    Asia Rice Foundation    Bayer Crop Science Philippines    Beidahuang Seed Group    DevGen Philippines    Pioneer Hi-bred Phils, Inc    Philippine Foundation of Rural Broadcasters    Seedworks India Pvt. Ltd.    SL Agritech Corporation    Tulay sa Pag-unlad Incorporated    Philippine Insurers and Reinsurers Association 

National Rice R&D Networks

National Research Centers

   PhilRice Central Experiment Station, Maligaya, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija    University of the Philippines, Los Baños, Laguna 

Branch Stations

   PhilRice Batac, MMSU Campus, Batac City, 2906 Ilocos Norte    PhilRice Isabela, San Mateo, 3318 Isabela    PhilRice Los Baños, UPLB Campus, college, 4031 Laguna    PhilRice Bicol, Batang, Ligao City, 4505 Albay    PhilRice Negros, Cansilayan, Murcia, 6129 Negros Occidental    PhilRice Agusan, Basilisa, RTRomualdez, 8611 Agusan del Norte    PhilRice Midsayap, Bual Norte, Midsayap, 9410 North Cotabato 

Regional Research Centers

   DA-Cordillera Integrated Agricultural Research Center (CIARC), Rizal, Kalinga    DA-Ilocos Integrated Agricultural Research Center(ILIARC), Bacnotan, 2515 La Union    DA-Cagayan Valley Integrated Agricultural Research Center (CVIARC), Ilagan, 3300 Isabela    DA-Central Luzon Integrated Agricultural Research Center (CLIARC), Magalang, 2011 Pampanga    DA-Bicol Integrated Agricultural Research Center (BIARC), Pili, 4418 Camarines Sur    DA-Western Visayas Integrated Agricultural Research Center (WESVIARC), Jaro, 5000 Iloilo City    DA-Central Visayas Integrated Agricultural Research Center (CENVIARC), M. Velez St., 6000 Cebu City    DA-Eastern Visayas Integrated Agricultural Research Center (EVIARC), Babatngon, Leyte    DA-Western Mindanao Integrated Agricultural Research Center (WESMIARC), Ipil, 7001 Zamboanga Sibugay    DA-Northern Mindanao Integrated Agricultural Research Center (NOMIARC), Malaybalay City 8719 Bukidnon    DA-Southern Mindanao Integrated Agricultural Research Center (SMIARC), Bago Oshiro, 8000 Davao City    DA-Central Mindanao Integrated Agricultural Research Center (CEMIARC), Kidapawan City, 9400 North Cotabato    Department of Agriculture and Fisheries -Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Integrated Agricultural Research Center (DAF-ARMMIARC), ORG Compound, 9600 Cotabato City    DA-Caraga Integrated Agricultural Research Center (CARIARC), Trento, 8505 Agusan del Sur 

Cooperating Stations

   Abra State Institute of Science and Technology (ASIST), Lagangilang, 2802 Abra    Benguet State University (BSU), La Trinidad, 2601 Benguet    Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU), Batac City, 2906 Ilocos Norte    Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College (ISPSC), Sta. Maria, 2705 Ilocos Sur    Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU), Bacnotan, 2515 La Union    Pangasinan State University (PSU), Sta. Maria, 2440 Pangasinan    Isabela State University (ISU), Echague, 3309 Isabela    Quirino State College (QSC), Diffun, 3401 Quirino    Nueva Vizcaya State University (NVSU), Bayombong, 3700 Nueva Vizcaya    Central Luzon State University (CLSU), Science City of Muñoz, 3120 Nueva Ecija    Pampanga Agricultural College, Magalang 2011 Pampanga    Ramon Magsaysay Technological University, Iba, 2201 Zambales    Bulacan Agricultural State College, San Ildefonso, 3010 Bulacan    Tarlac College of Agriculture, Camiling, 2306 Tarlac    Dr. Emilio B. Espinosa Sr. Memorial State College of Agriculture and Technology, Mandaon, 5411 Masbate    Aklan State University, Banga, 5601 Aklan    Capiz State University, Mambusao, 5807 Capiz    Central Philippine University, Jaro, 5000 Iloilo City    Eastern Samar State University, Borongan, 6800 Eastern Samar    Visayas State University, Baybay, 6521 Leyte    Central Mindanao University, Musuan 8710 Bukidnon    Misamis Oriental State College of Agriculture and Technology, Claveria, 9004 Misamis Oriental    Mindanao State University, Marawi City, 9700 Lanao del Sur    University of Southern Mindanao, Kabacan, 9407 North Cotabato    DA-CAR-Research Outreach Station, Luna, 3813 Apayao    DA-Cagayan Valley Lowland and Marine-Research Outreach Station, Iguig, 3504 Cagayan    DA-Central Luzon Integrated Agricultural Research Center-Lowland, San Manuel, 3011 Tarlac    DA-Experimental Farm for Crops, Naujan, 5204 Oriental Mindoro    DA-Bicol Experiment Station, Pili, 4418 Camarines Sur    DA-BPI-La Granja National Crops Research & Development Center, La Carlota City, 6310 Negros Occidental    DA-Central Visayas Integrated Agricultural Research Center-Soil Water Research and Demonstration Station, Calanggaman, Ubay, 6315 Bohol    DA-Central Visayas Integrated Agricultural Research Center-Bohol Experiment Station, Gabi, Ubay, 6315 Bohol    DA-Central Visayas Integrated Agricultural Research Center-Agricultural Promotion Center, Dao, 6300 Tagbilaran City    DA-Eastern Visayas Integrated Agricultural Research Center-Research Outreach Station for Lowland Development, Abuyog, 6510 Leyte    DA-Eastern Visayas Integrated Agricultural Research Center-Research Outreach Station for Lowland Development, Catubig, 6418 Northern Samar    Eastern Visayas Integrated Agricultural Research Center for Postharvest Technology Development, San Jorge, 6707 Western Samar    DA-Western Mindanao Integrated Agricultural Research Center-Research Outreach Station, San Miguel, 7029 Zamboanga del Sur    DA-Bukidnon Agricultural Productivity Center, Dangcagan, Bukidnon    DA-CEMIARC for Upland and Lowland Development, Tupi, 9505 South Cotabato    DA-Central Mindanao Integrated Agricultural Research Center-Research Outreach Station, Tacurong City, 9800 Sultan Kudarat    DA-Northern Mindanao Integrated Agricultural Research Center-Research Outreach Station, Talacogon, 8510 Agusan Sur 

Farmer Partners

   Kalinga Hybrid Rice Seed Growers Multi- Purpose Cooperative, Tabuk, 3800 Kalinga    Tabuk Hybrid Rice Seed Growers Multi- Purpose Cooperative Inc., Tabuk, 3800 Kalinga    Isabela Seed Growers Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Inc., Cauayan City, 3305 Isabela    Nueva Ecija Seed Growers Association, Maligaya, Science City of Muñoz, 3119 Nueva Ecija    lloilo Integrated Seed Growers' Multi-Purpose Cooperative, La Paz, 5000 Iloilo City    Pototan Seed Growers' Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Pototan, 5008 Iloilo    Negros Occidental Accredited Seed Producers Cooperative, Bacolod City 6100 Negros Occidental    Southern Leyte Seed Growers' Association, St. Bernard, 6616 Southern Leyte    Davao Multi-Purpose Seed Producers' Cooperative, Inc., Tagum City, 8100 Davao del Norte    Davao del Sur Seed Producers' Cooperative, Inc., Digos City, 8002 Davao del Sur    Davao Oriental Seed Producers' Cooperative, Banaybanay, 8208 Davao Oriental    Seed to Rice Producers Cooperative, Lupon, Davao Oriental    South Cotabato Seed Producers' Cooperative, Koronadal City 9506 South Cotabato    Binhian ng Timug Kutabato Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Surallah 9512 South Cotabato 

PhilRice conducts joint RD&E activities with international donor agencies such as the following:

   Asia Rice Foundation    Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation    Enertime SAS, France    German Development Cooperation    International Atomic Energy Agency    International Rice Research Institute    International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics    Japan International Cooperation Agency    Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research, Germany    Nagoya University, Japan    Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea    RDA- Korean Project on International Agriculture    Korea International Cooperation Agency    Sarmap S.A., Switzerland    Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture 

PhilRice implements a number of R&D projects funded by foreign donors, such as the following:

• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for Golden Rice Development
• JICA
• GTZ
• EC-FAO
• Korea RDA
• DOST-PCARRD
• Office of Senator Edgardo J. Angara (OSEJA)

The institute also implements the “Rolling Out Techno Gabay Rice Program for Sufficient Food on the Table. Sub-Program 3: S&T-Based Farms (STBF) on Rice Production in Selected Irrigated and Rainfed Areas” and “STBF on Increasing Yield through Utilization of Quality Rice Seeds of Recommended Varieties” in partnership with Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development, local government units, and Magsasakang Siyentista.

• Department of Agriculture
• Irrigated Rice Research Consortium
• International Rice Research Institute