MALACAÑANG
MANILA
MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 393
ESTABLISHING THE PRESIDENTIAL TASK FORCE ON THE
SUGAR INDUSTRY
WHEREAS, the sugar industry is vital to the national economy, being a major foreign exchange earner and a direct provider of livelihood and employment to a significant portion of the labor force in the countryside;
WHEREAS, there is a need for a body to bring together all the concerned sectors in the sugar industry, both public and private, to review and identify policies and programs necessary to further enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the industry;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, FIDEL V. RAMOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:
Section 1. Creation of the Presidential Task Force on the Sugar Industry. There is hereby created the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on the Sugar Industry to conduct an overall review of the industry towards the further enhancement of its productivity and competitiveness. Regional Task Groups (RTGs) in sugar producing regions shall likewise be created as needed to support and provide inputs to the PTF.
Section 2. Composition. The Task Force shall have the following composition:
Chairman
–
Executive Secretary
Co-Chairman
–
Secretary, Department of Agriculture
Members
Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry
Secretary, Department of Justice
Secretary, Department of Finance
Director General, NEDA
Administrator, Sugar Regulatory Administration
Section 3. Private Sector Participation. One (1) representative each from the sugar millers, planters, traders, and consumers groups to be appointed by the President upon the recommendation of the Secretary of Agriculture, shall be the members of the Task Force.
Section 4. Regional Task Groups. There is also hereby created a Regional Task Group (RTG) on the Sugar Industry for each of the sugar producing regions of the country to serve as the regional counterpart of the PTF. Its composition shall be parallel, to the extent possible, to that of the PTF, with the Chairman and members appointed by the President upon the recommendation of the Secretary of Agriculture.
Section 5. Duties and Functions. The PTF shall undertake within six (6) months from the effectivity of this Order, the following tasks:
a. Conduct, in close consultation with the concerned government agencies and private sector groups, a comprehensive review of the sugar industry and submit policy and program recommendations toward the further enhancement of its productivity and competitiveness;
b. Review, refine and integrate all the existing plans, including legislative proposals, on the sugar industry into a Master Plan which should include, among others, the expansion of the export market for Philippine sugar, the efficient implementation of measures to address the adverse impact of GATT on the industry, and the promotion of a strong private sector participation in the implementation of the Plan, in particular the maintenance of adequate domestic supply for consumers at reasonable prices; and
c. Other tasks which the President may deem necessary for the sustainable development of the sugar industry.
Section 6. Secretariat and Administrative Support. The Sugar Regulatory Administration shall provide secretariat and administrative support to the Task Force in the pursuit of the above tasks. Whenever warranted, the Task Force may tap the assistance of other government agencies to ensure the efficient completion of the tasks assigned thereto.
Section 7. Sunset Clause. The PTF and the RTGs shall wind-up their activities and shall cease to exist one month from the submission of the PTF report to the President. Thereafter, follow-up activities of the PTF and RTGs, if any, shall be the responsibility of the SRA.
Section 8. Effectivity. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately.
DONE in the City of Manila, this 28th day of August in the Year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Six.
(Sgd.) FIDEL V. RAMOS
By the President:
(Sgd.) LUIS C. LIWANAG II
Senior Deputy Executive Secretary
Source: CDAsia
