Conduct of National Conference on Countryside Development

January 5, 1978

LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS NO. 651

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the government to carry out a "concerted attack on the problems of mass poverty, unemployment, and underemployment and social justice";

WHEREAS, in order to provide the proper perspectives to such problems, there is a need for greater emphasis on country-side development;

WHEREAS, there is an urgent and compelling need to develop among government planners and decision-makers, a common policy orientation that can serve as a guide for the formulation of programs and projects geared towards the country-side;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Republic of the Philippines, do hereby authorize the conduct of a National Conference on Countryside Development and I hereby direct the following to take the lead in convening a National Conference on Countryside Development during the second week of February (February 5-12, 1978) for the purpose of focusing government's attention on key concern areas from which the appropriate policy and program objectives for countryside development can be formulated; cd i

1. The Secretary of Agriculture, concurrently Chairman of the Cabinet Coordinating Committee on Integrated Rural Development Projects, and the following member agencies of the CCC-IRDP:

- Office of the President

- Department of Public Works, Transportation and Communication

- Department of Agrarian Reform

- Department of Local Governments and Community Development

- Department of Natural Resources

- Department of Finance

- Department of Public Highways

- National Economic & Development Authority

2. The Governor, Central Bank of the Philippines, and the following supporting institutions of the Development Academy of the Philippines, including the Academy:

- Department of National Defense

- Central Bank of the Philippines

- Development Bank of the Philippines

- Land Bank of the Philippines

- Civil Service Commission aisa dc

- Government Service Insurance System

- Social Security System

- Development Academy of the Philippines

3. The Budget Commissioner

In order to evolve a common policy orientation for the government's countryside development effort, the Conference shall have the following objectives:

1. To draw up policy recommendations regarding key issues relating to the development of the rural sector based on analyses of existing economic, political and social trends;

2. To develop a common program planning system and structure which will integrate inter-agency programs and projects and identify areas of cooperation between the public and private sectors as these relate to countryside development;

3. To develop common criteria leading to the creation of a Countryside Social Accounting System;

4. To establish a viable mechanism that will integrate research and development information for purposes of policy formulation and program planning;

5. To identify viable programs and projects for funding and implementation on the basis of the policy framework evolved. cd

The Conference Program shall be managed by the Secretary of Agriculture and he shall appoint a Conference Director-General and a Conference Secretary-General. The Conference Director-General will be directly responsible for the overall operational supervision of Pre-Conference and Conference Program Activities and shall be assisted by a Secretariat from the Development Academy of the Philippines. The Conference Secretary-General shall be directly responsible for the mobilization and organization of policy research teams who shall undertake policy research and analysis and shall be assisted by a composite DA-DAP Staff.

To ensure the success of the Conference, the following institutions are hereby instructed to give full and complete assistance to the sponsoring agencies:

a) Members of the Cabinet Coordinating Committee for Integrated Rural Development;

b) The Budget Commission;

c) The funding Institutions of the Development Academy of the Philippines; and

d) All other agencies of government deeply involved in countryside development programs.

The Conference shall be composed of the following participants:

a) Representatives from the planning and coordinating bodies at the national level;

b) Representatives from DAP's funding institutions;

c) Chairmen of Regional Development Councils;

d) Planning officers of government line agencies; cdt

e) Representatives from federations of farmers, workers and fishermen;

f) Selected private sector representatives;

g) Other participants as may be invited by the Conference sponsors.

Upon designation by their respective department or agency heads, the participants are hereby instructed to attend preparatory seminar-workshops convened by the sponsoring organizations.

The Secretary of Agriculture, Chairman, CCC-IRDP, is hereby empowered to call upon any government department, bureau, office, agency or instrumentality for assistance in the conference preparations and conference proper.

The Budget Commissioner in coordination with the Secretary of Agriculture shall generate the necessary amount to cover the expenses to be incurred by the Conference from the regular budgetary allotments of the various member agencies of the CCC-IRDP.

Moreover, the participating agencies in the Conference shall be expected to shoulder their respective travel expenses that may be incurred their duly designated representatives, subject to the usual auditing regulations.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 5th day of January, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Seventy-Eight. aisa dc