MALACAÑANG

MANILA

MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 98

CREATING AN INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE AND DETERMINE ALL THE FACTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES REGARDING THE REPORTED IRREGULARITIES IN THE PHILIPPINE COCONUT AUTHORITY IN 1991

AN INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE is hereby created to investigate and determine all the facts and circumstances regarding the alleged irregular transactions entered into by the Philippine Coconut Authority in 1991 as reported by the Commission on Audit in its 1991 Annual Audit Report. The Committee shall be composed of –

1. Undersecretary Jomari Gerochi, Department of Agriculture, as Chairman;

2. Director Francisco Lon, Philippine Coconut Authority; and

3. Director Manuel Gregorio L. Manaligod, Jr., Office of the President, as Members.

The Committee is hereby authorized to summon witnesses, administer oaths, or take testimony or evidence relevant to the investigation by subpoena ad testificandum and subpoena duces tecum, and to do such other acts necessary and incidental to its mandate.

The Committee is also empowered to call upon and secure the assistance of any department, bureau, office, agency, or instrumentality of the government, including government-owned or controlled corporations, in the performance of its duties and discharge of its functions.

All departments, bureaus, offices, agencies or instrumentalities of government, including government-owned or controlled corporations, are hereby directed to extend all forms of assistance that may be requested by the Committee and are necessary in the performance of its functions.

The Chairman of the Committee may establish a Secretariat for the technical and staff support of the Committee. For this purpose, he is hereby authorized to detail any personnel from any government office to assist the Committee.

The Committee shall convene immediately. It shall submit its findings and recommendations, including its recommendations as to whether or not the preventive suspension of any of the officers of the PCA is warranted, to the Board of Directors of the PCA and to the President within ninety (90) days from the date of this Order.

DONE in the City of Manila, Philippines, this 2nd day of March in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Three.

(Sgd.) FIDEL V. RAMOS

By the President:

(Sgd.) ANTONIO T. CARPIO

Chief Presidential Legal Counsel

Source: CDAsia