Malacañang

MANILA

MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 538

For closer cooperation and more responsive participation of all Philippine government agencies/offices involved in the implementation of the Laguna de Bay Development Projects with external financial assistance j and to ensure that the commitments of the Philippine government in the said projects are promptly observed, there is hereby created a coordinating body to be known as Laguna de Bay Development Coordinating Council composed of the following officials or their duly authorized representatives except No. 7 who as such is an ipso facto member of the Council:

1. Deputy Director-General for Programs and Projects, NEDA
–
Chairman

2. Chairman, Laguna Lake Development Authority
–
Vic e-Chairman

3. Executive Director, Water Resources Development Council
–
Member

4. Administrator, National Irrigation Administration
–
Member

5. Undersecretary, Department of Public Works, Transportation and Communications
–
Member

6. Chairman, National Pollution Control Commission
–
Member

 7. Projects Director, Laguna de Bay Development Coordinating Council
–
Member

The Council shall have the following functions:

1. To formulate the policies and guidelines for implementing the Laguna de Bay Development Projects;

 2. To determine and assign responsibility to appropriate Philippine government agencies/offices for the implementation of the components of the Projects;

3. To integrate and coordinate-all activities that relate to the subject projects;

4. To approve the budget for the operation and maintenance of the Council and its Projects Office;

5. To do such other things and to transact all I such business as is directly or indirectly necessary to the attainment of the objectives of the Laguna de Bay Development Projects;

6. To appoint/assign the Project Managers upon recommendation of the respective executing agencies;

In the execution of its functions, the Coordinating Council shall be assisted by a Development Projects Office under a Projects Director who shall be appointed by the Council, and who shall have a thorough knowledge of the Laguna de Bay Development Projects and related aspects and of proven executive/management competence/experience.

The Projects Director shall perform the following duties:

1. To supervise the implementation of the various project components to ensure the effective and timely coordination of inter-office activities related thereto;

2. To execute and administer the policies and measures adopted by the Council;

3. To prepare and recommend the budget of the Council and its Development Projects Office for the approval of the Council;

4. To submit periodic reports on the status of Projects implementation to the Council;

5. To recommend to the Council assignment/appointment of personnel of the Projects Office:

6. To do such things as may be necessary to facilitate projects implementation and coordination;

7. To prepare the agenda for all meetings of the Council and to submit for the consideration thereof policies and measures that are necessary to carry out the affairs of the Council;

8. To perform such other duties as may be assigned to him by the Council from time to time.

In the discharge of his duties, the Development Projects Director shall be assisted by a Deputy Projects Director and a technical staff composed of representative(s) of government offices which shall include, among others, the following:

1. Laguna Lake Development Authority

2. Department of Public Works, Transportation & Communications

3. Bureau of Public Works

4. Metropolitan Waterworks Sewerage System

5. National Irrigation Administration

6. National Pollution Control Commission

7. Philippine Coast Guard

Under the Development Projects Office, there shall be a Hydraulic Control Structure Project Office, a Lake Management Office and an Irrigation Project Office., each headed l5y a Project Manager. All these Project Managers shall be responsible to the Development Projects Director and they shall submit regular reports and do such things as may be required of them in the pursuit of the Development Projects Director’s responsibility to oversee, unify and integrate the administration and implementation of t he Laguna de Bay Development Projects.

To provide for the operation and maintenance of the Council and its Development Projects Office, each executing agency/office shall contribute its share to a common fund out of the projects funds in such amounts as may be determined by the Council based on the budget submitted by the Development Projects Director for the Council’s approval.

The Council officials, the personnel of the Development Projects Office, the three (3) Project Managers assigned to the Projects from the various participating government agencies/offices and their respective staffs shall be entitled to reimbursable transportation and representation allowances at such rates as may be approved by the Council subject to the usual accounting and auditing rules and regulations applicable .thereto.

All government offices, agencies and instrumentalities whose activities relate to the Program are hereby directed to provide the necessary assistance to the Council in the form of personnel, facilities and other resources as the need arises in the implementation of the Projects. The cooperation of the private sector is likewise enjoined.

The Laguna de Bay Development Coordinating Council herein organized shall submit semestral reports to the Executive Secretary.

Finally, the Council and its staff shall operate and continue to exercise its powers until such time as its designated tasks are completed.

Done in the City of Manila, this 10th day of October in the year of our Lord, nineteen-hundred and seventy-five.

By authority of the President:

(Sgd.) ALEJANDRO MELCHOR

Executive Secretary

Source: Presidential Management Staff