Creation of the Office of the Presidential Adviser for Job Creation

December 5, 2005

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 475

CREATING THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER FOR JOB CREATION, DEFINING ITS MANDATE, POWERS AND FUNCTIONS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

WHEREAS, Article 2, Section 9 of the Constitution provides that the State shall free the people from poverty through policies that provide adequate social services, promote full employment and improve the quality of life for all;

WHEREAS, mindful of the mandate, the President of the Republic of the Philippines, in her inaugural address on June 30, 2004, unveiled a 10-point legacy program to create 6-10 million jobs, support 3 million entrepreneurs, and develop 2 million hectares of agribusiness land;

WHEREAS, the collateral objective of job creation is making food plentiful at reasonable prices to make our labor cost globally competitive;

WHEREAS, job creation, supporting entrepreneurs, and developing agribusiness land concerns not just the Department of Agriculture but other offices and agencies of the Government as well;

WHEREAS, in order for all concerned offices and agencies of the Government to have unity of purpose and consistency in action to achieve these objectives, there is a need to establish an office which shall coordinate, on a full time basis, the effective and timely implementation of the Government's commitments to job generation;

WHEREAS, Section 31, Chapter 10, Title III, Book III of the Administrative Code of 1987 vests upon the President of the Philippines the continuing authority to reorganize the administrative structure of her office;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and existing laws, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. Creation. — The Office of the Presidential Adviser for Job Creation (OPAJC) is hereby created under the Office of the President.

SECTION 2. Mandate. — The Presidential Adviser for Job Creation (PAJC) shall coordinate and monitor the effective and timely implementation of the Government's programs for job creation, support for entrepreneurs, agribusiness land development, and making food plentiful at reasonable prices with other government, non-government and private sector entities. THaDEA

SECTION 3. Powers and Functions. — The PAJC shall have the following powers and functions:

1. Advise the President on cross-sectoral policies and programs that shall ensure the realization of the Government commitment to: create jobs, support entrepreneurs, develop agribusiness lands, and make food plentiful at reasonable prices;

2. Coordinate, monitor, serve as coordinating forum and periodically evaluate initiatives and projects of concerned government agencies, government-owned and controlled corporations and government financial institutions, as well as the private sector, to ensure the realization of the constitutional and administrative mandates outlined herein;

3. Call upon any agency of Government for such assistance as may be necessary to address problems affecting the efficient and timely implementation of the Government's job creation, entrepreneurship support, agribusiness lands development and making food plentiful at reasonable prices;

4. Prepare and submit periodic reports to the President on the status, progress, enforcement of policies and implementation of programs related to the major final outputs mentioned herein;

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

SECTION 4. Organization of the National Secretariat. — The PAJC shall establish and maintain a Secretariat which shall provide technical and administrative support. The National Agriculture and Fisheries Council (NAFC) shall be the National Secretariat of the OPAJC. The PAJC is hereby authorized to formulate and compose administrative and technical personnel to carry out his functions and duties. Subject to existing civil service laws, rules and regulations, the PAJC may request that personnel from the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Trade and Industry, their attached agencies and instrumentalities, and other concerned agencies involved in the objectives enumerated herein, be detailed by their respective heads to the OPAJC.

SECTION 5. Assistance. — The PAJC may call upon any agency or office of the Government for such assistance as may be necessary in the performance of his functions. All heads of departments, agencies, bureaus and offices, including government-owned or controlled corporations, are hereby enjoined to render full assistance and cooperation to the PAJC and to provide such information and data as may be required to carry out his function pursuant to this Order.

SECTION 6. Funding. — Subject to existing laws, and the usual government accounting and auditing rules and regulations, the funding for the administrative and operational expenses of the OPAJC and its Secretariat shall be source from the available funds and the NAFC, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Trade and Industry and their appropriate agencies and instrumentalities.

SECTION 7. Repealing Clause. — All other executive issuances, rules and regulations or parts thereof that are inconsistent with the provisions of this Executive Order are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

SECTION 8. Effectivity. — This Executive Order shall take effect immediately. DTAHEC

City of Manila, December 5, 2005