Permanent Offices of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports

January 25, 1984

LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS NO. 1374

ON THE PERMANENT OFFICES OF THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, CULTURE AND SPORTS AND ITS COMPONENT AGENCIES

WHEREAS, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports has one of the most significant responsibilities of government, in the education of the youth; cd

WHEREAS, the headquarters of the Ministry is not commensurate to the significance of its mission, being temporary quonset but that have stood almost forty (40) years;

WHEREAS, the main line and downtown terminal of the Metro Manila Light Rail Transit System surrounds the present Ministry headquarters building;

WHEREAS, the volume of dealings of students, teachers and members of the public with the Ministry is such that its location has to be close to mass transport;

WHEREAS, the development of Intramuros, a historic and highly accessible district of Manila, and the restoration of historic structures are priority programs of government; cd

WHEREAS, the Ayuntamiento and Intendencia Buildings are among the most historic structures in the country, having been the site of executive and legislative functions for three hundred years in the case of the Ayuntamiento;

WHEREAS, the Central Bank of the Philippines has a program of providing on a selective basis, buildings for rent to other government agencies and has in fact done so for the National Economic and Development Authority;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by Law, do hereby Order and Instruct:

1. The Central Bank of the Philippines shall continue in its work of restoring the Ayuntamiento Building (now owned by the Central Bank) in such manner as will suit the needs of the Ministry; casia

2. The Intendencia Building shall be assigned to the Ministry and shall be restored by the Central Bank of the Philippines to meet the Ministry's needs, recalling that she said building was the original quarters of the Central Bank;

3. The Beaterio de la Compania on Sta. Lucia Street in Intramuros (former mother house of the RVM Sisters) the site of which is now occupied by a warehouse of the Central Bank of the Philippines, shall be restored/reconstructed by the Central Bank for the use of the Ministry;

4. The three vacant floors of the Palacio del Gobernador Condominium in Intramuros (ground, seventh and eight), acquired for the use of the Office of the President, shall be temporarily used by the Ministry, pending its transfer to permanent quarters;

5. The principal historic rooms of the Ayuntamiento and the Intendencia shall be restored to their original condition, particularly the Marble Hall, the former Supreme Court Session Hall and the office of the Governors General at the Ayuntamiento. The other rooms of these buildings and the Beaterio building shall be designed and constructed for modern day use, ensuring however that facades are as true to the original as possible;

6. The Ministry shall pay rent to the Central Bank for the use of the three restored buildings mentioned above, in such amount as may be mutually agreed upon between the two agencies with the concurrence of the Minister of the Budget;

7. The Land Bank of the Philippines shall sell to the Ministry the land now occupied by it on Arroceros Street, under such terms as may be agreed upon by the two agencies. The Ministry is authorized to borrow funds or to enter into appropriate financial arrangements with government and/or private financial institutions as may be necessary to erect and operate/lease a commercial complex at the Arroceros site. Income derived from such undertaking shall accrue to a Special Account in the General Fund and shall be used for the augmentation of teacher salaries and benefits;

8. The Minister of the Budget shall provide for the Ministry's rental payments to the Central Bank in the Annual Appropriations Acts. He shall also release from the Special Activities Fund, such funds as may be necessary for the land acquisition from the Land Bank of the Philippines, for finishing and partitioning and otherwise rendering immediately usable the allotted space at the Palacio del Gobernador Condominium, including the necessary office furniture and equipment.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 25th day of January, Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Four. cdt