EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 21
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 21 - CREATING A
COORDINATIVE AND INTEGRATIVE SYSTEM ON INTERNAL SECURITY
WHEREAS,
insurgency continues to pose a serious threat to national
security;
WHEREAS, government response to insurgency requires a holistic approach
consisting of political, economic, psycho-social and security
components to address the root causes and armed threats of insurgency;
WHEREAS, to coordinate and integrate peace and development in order to
enhance the effectiveness of the holistic approach, there is a need to
institutionalize a system at the national, sub-national, and local
levels;
WHEREAS, it is imperative to provide direction, assign roles and define
responsibilities to ensure consistency in the formulation and
implementation of national internal security policies, plans and
programs;
WHEREAS, there is a need to establish relationships and synchronize the
operations of existing government structures to achieve synergism and
efficiency.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Republic
of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do
hereby order:
Section 1. Creation of a Cabinet Oversight Committee
on Internal Security. — A Cabinet Oversight Committee (COC) on Internal
Security is hereby constituted, composed of the following:
Executive
Secretary
Chairman
Secretary of National Defense
Vice-Chairman
Secretary of the Interior and Local Government
Member
Secretary of Foreign Affairs
Member
Secretary of
Justice
Member
Secretary of Agriculture
Member
Secretary of Agrarian Reform
Member
Secretary of Public Works and Highways Member
Secretary of Education, Culture and
Sports
Member
Secretary of Social Welfare and
Development
Member
Secretary of
Health
Member
National Security
Adviser
Member
Director General, National Economic and Development
Member
Authority
Press
Secretary
Member
Lead Convenor, National Anti-Poverty Commission
Member
Presidential Adviser on the Peace
Process
Member
Presidential Adviser for Regional
Development
Member
Chairman, Commission on Human
Rights
Member
Sec. 2. Functions and Responsibilities of the COC.
— The COC, working in close coordination with the National Economic and
Development Authority and the National Peace and Order Council, shall:
a.
Formulate a National Internal Security Plan (NISP) to implement the
“Strategy of Holistic Approach” taking into account the statutory
mandates of the departments and agencies and their pertinent plans and
programs;
b. Recommend
policies to ensure the coordination and integration of government
efforts in the execution of the NISP;
c. Develop and
implement advocacy programs to encourage and facilitate the active
participation of government-owned or controlled corporations, local
government units, the business sector and civil society, in the
execution of the NISP;
d. Monitor and
evaluate the implementation of the NISP by the individual departments
and agencies; and
e. Identify
the areas where sub-national and/or local Internal Security Committees
need to be established in accordance with Sec. 4 hereof, on account
of serious threats to national security and public order, subject to
the approval of the President.
Sec. 3. Cabinet Oversight Committee (COC)
Instrumentalities. —
a.
The COC shall have an Executive Committee (EXECOM) composed of the
following:
Executive
Secretary
Chairman
Secretary of National Defense
Vice-Chairman
Secretary of the Interior and Local Government Member
Secretary of
Justice
Member
National Security Adviser
Member
Press Secretary
Member
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Member
Presidential Adviser on Regional Development
Member
The COC EXECOM shall act on all
matters requiring immediate attention and/or disposition.
b. The
Chairman of the COC EXECOM shall establish and maintain the COC
Operations Center at the Department of National Defense (DND).
c. An
Inter-Agency Technical Working Group (IATWG) composed of the
representatives of the members of the COC shall be created to ensure
inter-agency coordination and consultation. The head of the IATWG shall
be designated by the Chairman of the COC.
Sec. 4. Internal Security Committees. — Upon the
recommendation of the IATWG, the COC shall organize Internal Security
Committees (ISCs) at sub-national and local levels, as follows:
a.
At the sub-national level, ISCs may be organized by the COC as deemed
necessary based on the insurgency situation prevailing in a specific
area which may consist of one or more regions, two or more provinces in
the same region, or two or more provinces in different regions, and
where the need for holistic government intervention is necessary.
b. At the
local level, an ISC may be organized in each province, or chartered
city by the COC as deemed necessary. The governor of the province or
the mayor of the chartered city where an ISC has been organized may
organize ISCs in their respective component cities, municipalities and
barangays as applicable and as deemed necessary. The chief executive of
the local government unit shall, as a general rule, be its chairman who
shall determine its composition.
The sub-national or local ISC so created may be dissolved when the COC
has determined that the threat to national security and/or public order
in the area has ceased or when so ordered by the President.
Sec. 5. Functions and Responsibilities of
Sub-National ISCs. — The sub-national ISC shall:
a.
Ensure that offices of departments and agencies at the sub-national
level inform the COC, through their respective central offices, of
programs and projects with potential or significant internal security
implications and see to it that these offices prioritize the initiation
and implementation of programs and projects that address the root
causes of insurgency;
b. Coordinate
with regional offices of departments and agencies and local government
units and monitor the execution of their local components of the
NISP;
c. Establish
and maintain sub-national Area Coordination Centers as may be deemed
necessary; and
d. Submit
reports to the COC as required.
Sec. 6. Functions and Responsibilities of Local
ISCs. — The local ISC, in coordination with the local Peace and Order
Council and the local Development Council, shall:
a.
Provide direction in the planning of, and coordinate the internal
security efforts in the area;
b. Execute the
policies directed by the COC in the implementation of the NISP;
c. Organize
and supervise the operations of local Area Coordination Centers;
d. Make a
periodic assessment of the prevailing situation and evaluate the
effectiveness of the coordination and integration of internal security
programs in place; and
e. Submit
reports to the COC, and the sub-national ISCs, as directed.
Sec. 7. Functions of Local Area Coordination
Centers. — The local Area Coordination Centers shall:
a.
Serve as a point of contact between and among concerned government
offices and agencies in the coordination and integration of internal
security activities;
b. Provide a
communication facility on a twenty-four (24) hour basis;
c. Undertake
monitoring functions for the COC and ISCs at the sub-national and local
levels; and
d. Direct a
timely, coordinated and integrated initial response to crisis
situations.
Sec. 8. Funding. — An initial funding of TWENTY
MILLION PESOS (P20,000,000.00) for the maintenance of the COC
Operations Center and the sub-national Area Coordination Centers shall
be drawn from the President’s Contingent Fund. Fund requirements for
the COC Operations Center and the sub-national Area Coordination
Centers for the succeeding years shall be included in the DND
budget.
Sec. 9. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — The
COC is hereby empowered to issue the necessary rules and regulations
and other guidelines to implement this Order.
Sec. 10. Repeal. — Administrative Order No. 90
dated October 6, 1999 is hereby repealed. All other orders and
issuances, or parts thereof, inconsistent with the provisions of this
Executive Order are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
Sec. 11. Effectivity. — This Order shall take
effect immediately upon approval.
City of Manila, June 19, 2001.
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