EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 580
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 580 - CREATING
AN ALCOHOL COMMISSION
WHEREAS,
the rising cost of motor fuel has affected and continuously affects the
economy of the country;
WHEREAS, in order to cushion the adverse effect of high motor fuel cost
on the economy, it is imperative that alternative sources of motor fuel
be immediately developed;
WHEREAS, it is therefore necessary to provide for an effective agency
that would formulate and carry out a national program for the
production of alternative sources of motor fuel; and
WHEREAS, under Presidential Decree No. 1416, the President is empowered
to undertake such organizational and related improvements as may be
appropriated in the light of changing circumstances and new
developments;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines,
by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, and pursuant
to the authority vested in me by the Presidential Decree No. 1416, do
hereby order:
Section 1. Creation of an Alcohol Commission. — There
is hereby created an Alcohol Commission, hereinafter referred to as the
Commission, under the Office of the President which shall be
responsible for effecting the production, in the soonest possible time,
of alcohol in adequate quantities for blending with gasoline for use as
motor fuel.
Sec. 2. Powers and Functions of the Commission. —
The Commission shall have the following functions:
1.
Formulate and define the policies, plans and programs and the necessary
guidelines for carrying out and implementing a national program for the
production and distribution of alcohol for blending with gasoline as
motor fuel;
2. Promote the
production and distillation of alcohol from alternative sources such as
sugar, cassava, and sorghum and the effective utilization of their
by-products;
3. Promote and
coordinate the conduct of research and development activities on
alcohol production, its utilization as motor fuel; as well as various
feedstock possibilities;
4. Determine
and indicate the areas of responsibility of the various agencies
involved in the program, including those not represented in the
Commission;
5. Determine,
in consultation with the implementing agencies concerned, their
respective work programs and time schedules for carrying them out, and
resolve actual or potential areas of conflict, overlapping of
jurisdiction or functions, including, but not limited to, the question
of pricing;
6. Monitor and
evaluate all on-going projects undertaken by the various agencies
concerned to ensure their proper implementation in accordance with
pre-determined schedules;
7. Where
necessary and in the interest of accelerating the implementation of the
alcogas program, engage directly in any aspect of the alcogas program,
including land development agricultural production, distillation, and
other related activities; and
8. Perform
such other functions as may be provided by law.
Sec. 3. Organization of the Commission. — The
Commission shall be governed by a Board of Commissioners composed of
the Minister of Energy, who shall be ex-officio Chairman of the
Commission, the Chairman of the Philippine Sugar Commission, who shall
be ex-officio Vice Chairman of the Commission, the Minister of Finance,
the Minister of Agriculture, the Minister of Industry, the Minister of
Natural Resources and another Commissioner to be appointed by the
President from the private sector.
The Commission shall have an Executive Director to be appointed by the
President. The Executive Director who shall be the Chief Executive
Officer of the Commission shall be under the administrative supervision
and control of the Chairman.
Sec. 4. Implementing Agencies. — The
implementation of the alcogas program shall be the responsibility of
the various agencies concerned as directed and coordinated by the
Commission. Initially, this shall be as follows:
a.
The Philippine Sugar Commission shall promote the establishment of
alcohol distilleries, whether public or privately owned, and ensure the
adequate supply of sugar cane for the production of alcohol.
b. The
Ministry of Energy, through the Philippine National Oil Company, shall
be the exclusive buyer, unless otherwise decided upon subsequently by
the Commission, of alcohol produced for use as motor fuel and shall be
responsible for the distribution of alcogas.
c. The
Ministry of Agriculture shall study the technical aspects and problems
of alcohol production from agricultural crops such as cassava, corn and
sorghum, including an economic cost analysis thereof, and promote the
production of alcohol from these crops as may be found to be
technically and economically feasible.
d. The
Ministry of Industry shall promote the manufacture of car and truck
engines that can most efficiently accommodate the use of alcogas as
motor fuel, and through the Board of Investments, process and approve
applications for establishing projects related to the implementation of
the alcogas program.
e. The
Ministry of Finance shall study and make recommendations on the extent
of reduction or elimination of sales taxes on alcohol, to enable
alcogas to compete effectively with gasoline prices at the pump
stations.
f. The
Ministry of Natural Resources shall identify new land areas of the
public domain that can be made available for the production of
agricultural crops such as sugar cane, corn, cassava and sorghum to be
used as feedstock for the production of alcohol;
The other implementing agencies shall support the alcogas program
according to their respective areas of concern and as may be determined
by the Commission.
Sec. 5. Appropriations. — There is hereby
appropriated such amount as may be necessary to defray the operational
expenses of the Commission for 1980. Thereafter, the appropriation of
the Commission shall be included in the General Appropriations Act.
Sec. 6. Repealing Clause. — Letter of Instructions
No. 888 creating the Inter-Agency Committee to Accelerate the
Implementation of the National Alcogas program and such other laws,
rules and regulations inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed or
modified accordingly.
Sec. 7. Effectivity. — This Executive Order shall
take effect immediately.
Done in the City of Manila,
this 16th day of February, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred
and Eighty.