Rationalizing the Office of the President through the Consolidation of Its Core Mandates and Strengthening the Democratic and Institutional Framework of the Executive Department

October 31, 2018

 

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 67

 

RATIONALIZING THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT THROUGH THE CONSOLIDATION OF ITS CORE MANDATES AND STRENGTHENING THE DEMOCRATIC AND INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK OF THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT

 

WHEREAS, Executive Order (EO) No. 292 (s. 1987) or the Administrative Code of 1987 provides that the Office of the President (OP) Proper consists of the Executive Office, the Common Staff Support System, under which is the Cabinet Secretariat and the Presidential Management Staff (PMS), among others, and the Presidential Special Assistants/Advisers System; aScITE

WHEREAS, the Cabinet Secretariat was reconstituted and renamed as the Office of the Cabinet Secretary (OCS) by EO No. 99 (s. 2012);

WHEREAS, EO No. 01 (s. 2016) transferred the supervision over various agencies under or attached to the OP to the Cabinet Secretary for close collaboration, more participative governance and improved delivery of social services;

WHEREAS, EO No. 09 (s. 2016), strengthened the OCS by constituting the following offices under it:

(i) Office of Participatory Governance (OPG);

(ii) Strategic Action and Response (STAR) Office composed of the Presidential Complaint Center, Public Concerns Office, Quick Response Center and the 8888 Citizens' Complaint Center; and

(iii) Performance and Projects Management Office (PPMO);

WHEREAS, EO No. 62 (s. 2018) amended EO No. 01 by transferring the supervision over the National Food Authority, the Philippine Coconut Authority and the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority from the OP to the Department of Agriculture;

WHEREAS, the transfer of agency supervision over offices under or attached to the OP to executive departments and agencies with relevant core mandates strengthens the democratic and institutional framework of the executive department by rationalizing policy formulation and project conceptualization and implementation; promoting greater efficiency, agency convergence, and participatory governance in the delivery of essential public services at the grassroots level; and eliminating roadblocks and impediments to the attainment of the Administration's ten-point socio-economic agenda;

WHEREAS, there is a need to further rationalize the OP Proper to strengthen its oversight functions over the executive department, and further streamline the relevant mandates of its own offices for improved coordination and collaboration, consistent with the right-sizing policy espoused by the Administration;

WHEREAS, Section VII of the 1987 Constitution confers on the President the power of control over all executive departments, bureaus and offices; and

WHEREAS, Section 31, Chapter 10, Title III, Book II of EO No. 292 vests in the President continuing authority to reorganize the OP;

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

SECTION 1. Transfer of Agencies under or Attached to the OP. — The supervision over certain agencies under or attached to the OP shall be transferred as follows:

(a) Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the Cooperative Development Authority, to the Department of Trade and Industry;

(b) National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, Philippine Commission on Women, and the National Youth Commission, to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG); and

(c) National Anti-Poverty Commission, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, and the Presidential Commission on the Urban Poor, to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The above transferred government agencies shall harmonize their policies and coordinate their programs and activities with their supervising Departments, as well as simplify their systems and processes, to ensure responsiveness and efficiency in the delivery of essential public services, and the attainment of the Administration's ten-point socio-economic agenda and development goals as articulated in the Philippine Development Plan.

SECTION 2. Offices in the OP Proper. — Consistent with the right-sizing policy of the Administration which aims to streamline mandates under relevant offices to avoid duplication of functions and enhance responsiveness, the following are hereby ordered:

(a) The Executive Office. The Executive Office shall have control and supervision over the STAR Office and all its constituent offices under EO No. 09;

(b) The Common Staff Support System. The OCS shall hereafter be known by its former name, the Cabinet Secretariat. It shall have the function of assisting the President in the establishment of agenda topics for Cabinet deliberation, or facilitate the discussion of cabinet meetings.

 The Cabinet Secretariat shall serve as the head secretariat of the different Cabinet Cluster secretariats. In such capacity and in aid of its functions as defined herein, it shall continue to participate in Cabinet Cluster meetings, as well as in the National Economic and Development Authority Board and committee meetings.

 The PMS shall monitor the implementation of presidential directives, cabinet decisions, and cabinet cluster directives, instructions, and commitments, and provide the Executive Office with policy inputs on the management of affairs of the Government. HEITAD

SECTION 3. Abolition. — The OPG and PPMO are hereby abolished. The functions of the OPG under EO No. 09 shall be absorbed by the DILG while the functions of the PPMO shall be performed by the PMS as part of its mandates.

SECTION 4. Separability. — In the event that any provision of this Order or any part hereof is declared invalid, illegal or unconstitutional, the provisions not thereby affected shall remain in force and effect.

SECTION 5. Repeal. — EO No. 99, EO No. 01, EO No. 09, and all other executive issuances, orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Order are hereby amended, repealed, or modified accordingly.

SECTION 6. Effectivity. — This Order shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 31st day of October, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand Eighteen.

 

Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 114, No. 47, p. 7812 on November 19, 2018.