EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 493 - REMOVING RED TAPE AND REDUCING CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERISLAND VESSELS

WHEREAS, the Interisland shipping industry in one of the most regulated industries by the government involving no less than fifteen (15) governmental agencies, eight (8) requiring various clearances for every arrival or departure of a domestic vessel;  

WHEREAS, such multiplicity of government actions were found to be overlapping, redundant and superficial, resulting not only in additional governmental expenditures but also in operational inefficiency and unnecessary costs to interisland shipowners and operators;

WHEREAS, some of said clearances regulatory procedures required by the various government agencies concerned are apparently mandated by laws/regulations but the need and the frequency required for them serve no practical purpose for the agencies exercising them;

WHEREAS, there is an urgent need to expedite and streamline the entrance and departure clearance requirements for domestic vessels and, where practicable, to limit the clearance functions of the various government agencies to a single agency involved in port operations;

WHEREAS, during its meetings on May 15, 1991, NEDA BOARD approved the removal of Customs and Quarantine Clearances, as well as other red tape, in the interisland vessel operations;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, CORAZON C. AQUINO, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:

1. Pending amendments, if need be, to the Charters or laws governing various government agencies that require appropriate clearances from the domestic vessels, the heads of said government agencies and their respective Department Secretaries are hereby directed to deputize or to delegate to the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) their respective functions with respect to the issuance of appropriate clearances for every departure or arrival of domestic vessels.

2. The Coasting and Passenger Manifests required for all domestic vessels shall be reduced to three (3) copies, instead of seven (7), and shall henceforth be submitted to the PPA. All agencies concerned requiring copies of said manifests for their own use shall secure the same from PPA.  

3. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately.

Since 19.07.98.