Accelerating and Harmonizing Aid and Humanitarian Operations of the National Government during Disasters and Emergencies

May 24, 2021

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 137

ACCELERATING AND HARMONIZING AID AND HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS OF THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT DURING DISASTERS AND EMERGENCIES

WHEREAS,Article II, Section 5 of the Constitution provides that the promotion of the general welfare is essential for the enjoyment by all the people of the blessings of democracy;

WHEREAS,the Philippines is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including sea level rise, increased frequency of extreme weather events, rising temperatures and heavy rainfalls, which account for significant losses, both tangible and intangible;

WHEREAS, Proclamation No. 922 (s. 2020) declared a State of Public Health Emergency throughout the country due to the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic, and enjoined all government agencies and local government units (LGUs) to mobilize the necessary resources to undertake critical, urgent and appropriate responses and measures in a timely manner to curtail and eliminate the COVID-19 threat;

WHEREAS, consistent with the declared policy under Section 2 (b) of Republic Act (RA) No. 10121 or the "Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010," it is the duty of the State to provide for an effective, integrated and fiscally responsible aid and humanitarian support to the Filipino people in times of emergency and during disaster as a critical component of recovery and rebuilding efforts;

WHEREAS,there is a need to accelerate and harmonize aid and humanitarian assistance provided by the National Government to the most affected and vulnerable sectors and communities, enhance agency coordination in the distribution thereof, and establish a unified beneficiary database using digital platforms and technologies for a faster and more reliable delivery of social protection programs and services of the Government; and

WHEREAS,Article VII, Section 17 of the Constitution vests in the President the power of control over all executive departments, bureaus and offices;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE,President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and existing laws, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. Institutionalizing the AHON Convergence Program.— The "Aid and Humanitarian Operations Nationwide" (AHON) Convergence Program is hereby institutionalized as a platform for an enhanced and unified delivery of social amelioration services, with the following component programs:

a. Food and non-food relief items to be provided as immediate response by the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO),as well as through the Assistance to Individuals/Families in Crisis Situation (AICS) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD);

b. Livelihood assistance and/or interventions under the: (i) Sustainable Livelihood Program of the DSWD; (ii) "Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS)" of the DSWD, provided through the Balik-Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa (BP2) Program under Executive Order No. 114 (s. 2020); (iii) "Pangkabuhayan sa Pagbangon at Ginhawa" and "Livelihood Seeding Program-Negosyo Serbisyo sa Barangay" of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI);(iv) Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Programs of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE);and (v) the Cash and Food Subsidy for Marginal Farmers and Fisherfolks of the DA;

c. Educational assistance in the form of cash allowance to qualified students through the DSWD-AICS;

d. Burial assistance through the DSWD-AICS;

e. Transportation assistance provided by the DSWD under the BP2 Program and AICS;

f. Employment assistance through the Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program of the DOLE, and the Sustainable Development Program through the Employment Facilitation Track, and the Cash-for-Work and Skills Training and Capacity Building under the BP2 Program;

g. Medical and health assistance through the Department of Health (DOH),and provision of cash and/or guaranty letters under the DSWD-AICS;

h. Direct financial assistance such as the enhanced financial grant under the "Katuwang sa Diwa at Gawa para sa Masaganang Ani" Program of the DA and the DSWD-AICS; and

i. Infrastructures for preparedness and rehabilitation phase such as the community-identified sub-projects and service facilities through the KALAHI-CIDSS, and the advance information and communications infrastructures of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

The concerned implementing agency shall be responsible for the full implementation of its programs, and shall promulgate rules on the qualifications of beneficiaries which shall not be unduly burdensome and shall be kept at the barest minimum to ensure accessibility and wider coverage.

Nothing in this Order shall be construed to prevent any national government agency or LGU from affording assistance and taking such other action in the event of any emergency or disaster prior to the inclusion of such intervention to the AHON Convergence Program.

SECTION 2. Creation of the AHON Committee.— The AHON Committee is hereby created, composed of the following:

 

Chair	:	The Office of the Special Assistant to the President (OSAP);
Vice-Chair	:	DSWD
Members	:	DTI; DA; DOH; DICT; DOLE; and PCSO.

 

The member-agencies and offices shall designate their permanent representatives to the Committee, who shall not be lower than an Undersecretary or its equivalent, and shall be responsible for overseeing their respective agency's over-all efforts on the implementation of this Order.

The OSAP, through its existing personnel, shall provide secretariat services to the Committee.

SECTION 3. Functions of the AHON Committee.— The Committee shall:

a. Ensure the efficient and coordinated provision of immediate, adequate and appropriate aid and humanitarian support to the most affected and vulnerable sectors in times of emergencies or in the aftermath of disasters through enhanced mobilization and interagency coordination of relevant national government agencies and task forces;

b. Harmonize the types of suitable aid and humanitarian assistance provided by various national government agencies to guaranty efficient use of state resources. To this end, the Committee may, as warranted under relevant circumstances, add other programs of any department/agency to the component programs in the AHON Convergence Program, and include such department/agency as a member of the AHON Committee;

c. Call upon any agency of the National Government to extend the necessary support in the accomplishment of the Committee's functions;

d. Craft guidelines as may be necessary for the effective implementation of this Order; and

e. Perform such other functions as the President may direct.

SECTION 4. Convergence Information System. — The Committee, through the DICT, and in coordination with the National Economic and Development Authority and the Philippine Statistics Authority, shall establish and maintain a unified Convergence Information System (CIS) containing a database of verified individuals, families, communities, cities, municipalities and provinces who have benefitted from the AHON Convergence Program, subject to the provisions of RA No. 10173 or the "Data Privacy Act of 2012," and other relevant laws and regulations. The CIS shall utilize geotagging tools and other appropriate technologies recommended by the DICT.

The CIS shall be kept up-to-date by the agency members of the Committee and shall be available to all national government agencies and the public.

SECTION 5. Support and Cooperation.— All departments, bureaus, agencies, offices, and LGUs, including government-owned or -controlled corporations, as well as government financial institutions, and state universities and colleges, are encouraged to render full support and cooperation to the Committee in carrying out its mandate. The Armed Forces of the Philippines, through the Department of National Defense, and the Philippine National Police, through the Department of the Interior and Local Government, are directed to assist the Committee in the delivery of the pertinent aid and humanitarian support under Section 1 of this Order.

SECTION 6. Funding.— The funding requirements for the implementation of this Order shall be charged against existing appropriations of implementing agencies, and from other sources to be identified by the Department of Budget and Management, subject to availability of funds, and budgeting, accounting and auditing laws, rules and regulations.

Funding requirements for succeeding years shall be included in the respective budget proposals of the member-agencies of the Committee.

SECTION 7. Report.— The Committee shall submit to the President, through the Office of the Executive Secretary, an annual report on the implementation of this Order.

SECTION 8. Separability.— Should any part or provision of this Order be held unconstitutional or invalid, the other parts or provisions not affected thereby shall continue to be in full force or effect.

SECTION 9. Repeal.— All orders, rules and regulations, issuances, or any part thereof, inconsistent with the provisions of this Order are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

SECTION 10. Effectivity.— This Order shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 24th day of May, in the year of the Lord, Two Thousand and Twenty-One.

 

Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 117, No. 22, p. 5816 on May 31, 2021.