ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 81
WHEREAS, the Conservation of Priority
Protected Areas project ("the Project") was designed to implement
Republic Act No. 7586, otherwise known as the National Integrated
Protected Areas System Law;
WHEREAS, the Global Environment Trust Fund financed the Project through
a Graft Agreement involving the amount of US$20 Million, of which
US$2.87 Million was coursed through the Government of the Republic of
the Philippines (GRP), represented by the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources (DENR), and US$17.13 million of which was coursed
through the NGO's for Integrated Protected Areas, Inc. (NIPA), a
non-government entity organized under the laws of the Philippines;
WHEREAS, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the
World Bank) and the GRP have decided to grant financing for the Project
through NIPA to ensure that it is implemented in the most efficient and
cost-effective manner;
WHEREAS, a review undertaken by the World Bank Supervision Mission in
June 2001, on the Project's implementation concluded that improper
deviation from the scope of the Grant Agreement were committed by NIPA
officials and employees and that some DENR employees were guilty of
irregular conduct;
WHEREAS, to protect the integrity of the grant implementation
processes, there is a need to investigate the allegations made by the
World Bank, to pinpoint responsibility for any wrongful act or omission.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Republic
of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do
order that:
1. There is hereby created an investigation team
("the Team") to be composed of five (5) members, two (2) each from the
DENR and the Department of Finance (DOF), and one (1) from the
Department of Justice. The Team shall be chaired by the representative
from the DOJ.
2. The Team shall evaluate the review-report of the
World Bank Supervision Mission and shall, if necessary, conduct its own
investigation to determine whether any irregularity existed in the
Project's implementation;
3. The Team shall submit a report on its findings,
with its recommendation on the corrective, preventive, or punitive
measures that should be implemented. The Team shall also cause the
filing of criminal, civil or administrative charges, as the case may
be, against any person responsible for any irregularity.
4. The DENR shall extend secretariat support to the
team and provide it with the necessary equipment and supplies, document
safekeeping and other related services, as well as shoulder all
incidental expenses relative to the work of the Team.
5. This Administrative Order shall take effect
immediately.
Done in the City of Manila,
this 11th day of August, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and
Three.
|