MALACAÑAN PALACE
MANILA
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES
ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 37
CREATING THE TASK FORCE ON BANGSAMORO DEVELOPMENT AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
WHEREAS, the Preamble of the Constitution articulates the aspiration of the sovereign Filipino people to build a just and humane society, and establish a Government that shall embody our ideals and aspirations, promote the common good, conserve and develop our patrimony, and secure to ourselves and our posterity, the blessings of independence and democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality and peace;
WHEREAS, the aspirations in the Preamble are embodied in the President’s Social Contract with the Filipino People, a sixteen-point agenda that lays down the vision of government in the different priority areas of development;
WHEREAS, pursuant to the President’s Social Contract, the government endeavors to attain a broadly supported, just, and lasting peace that will redress decades of neglect of the Moro and other peoples of Mindanao;
WHEREAS, the comprehensive peace process agenda in Mindanao is an indispensable component of real and inclusive regional and national development goals;
WHEREAS, the Government and the Mora Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) entered into the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (hereinafter the Framework Agreement) on 15 October 2012, which is envisioned to pave the way for the peaceful resolution of the armed struggle in Mindanao;
WHEREAS, the Government acknowledges its commitment to exert all efforts towards realizing the full implementation of the Framework Agreement; and,
WHEREAS, the Framework Agreement states that the Government and the MILF shall intensify development efforts for rehabilitation, reconstruction, and development in Mindanao, and institute programs to address the needs of MILF combatants, internally displaced persons, and poverty-stricken communities throughout Mindanao.
NOW THEREFORE, I, BENIGNO S. AQUINO III, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:
SECTION 1. Creation and Composition. The Task Force on Bangsamoro Development (hereinafter referred to as the Task Force) is hereby created. The Task Force shall be composed of the following:
| Chairperson: | Secretary, Office of the Cabinet Secretary (OCS) |
| Members: | Secretary, Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) |
| Secretary, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) |
| Secretary, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) |
| Secretary, Department of Health (DOH) |
| Secretary, Department of Education (DepEd) |
| Secretary, Department of Agriculture (DA) |
| Secretary, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) |
| Secretary, Presidential Management Staff (PMS) |
| Secretary, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) |
| Secretary, Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO) |
| Secretary, Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) |
| Secretary, Office of the Presidential Spokesperson (OPS) |
| Chairperson, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) |
| Chairperson, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) |
| President, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC) |
The members shall designate their permanent alternates to the Task Force whose rank shall not be lower than an Assistant Secretary or its equivalent.1âwphi1
The Task Force is hereby authorized to call upon any department, bureau, office, agency, or instrumentality of the government for assistance as the circumstances and exigencies may require.
SECTION 2. Powers and Functions. The Task Force shall have the following powers and functions:
a. Develop and implement programs and projects to respond to the health, education, and livelihood needs of MILF priority beneficiaries, internally displaced persons, and poverty-stricken communities throughout Mindanao.
For this purpose, the Sajahatra Bangsamoro Program shall be implemented as the Government’s initial support for identified MILF combatants and families and other affected persons; and communities after the signing of Framework Agreement.
The Task Force shall coordinate with the Transition Commission, created pursuant to Executive Order No. 120 (s. 2012), in the development and implementation of the foregoing programs and projects. It may likewise consult with other relevant government instrumentalities and/or nongovernment organizations in line with the above function;
b. Develop and implement a communications strategy on the Sajahatra Bangsamoro Program;
c. Monitor in coordination with the Transition Commission, the implementation of development projects and programs implemented under the Sajahatra Bangsamoro Program and submit regular reports to the Office of the President; and,
d. Perform such other functions as the President may hereinafter direct.
SECTION 3. Staff Support. The Task Force may create technical committees and designate members thereof, and may engage the assistance of experts and professional advisors, subject to government rules and regulations.
The (DCS shall provide secretariat support to the Chairperson.1awp++i1 The OPAPP may also provide technical support as may be necessary.
SECTION 4. Funding. The member-agencies of the Task Force are hereby authorized to charge against their current appropriations such amounts as may be necessary for the implementation of this Order, subject to the usual government accounting arid auditing rules and regulations. Subsequent funding requirements shall be incorporated in the annual budget proposals of the respective member-agencies through the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Additional funds as may be necessary for the implementation of the Order may be allocated from the President’s Social Fund and Contingent Fund, subject to the approval of the President.
SECTION 5. Separability Clause. If any provision of this Order is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the other provisions unaffected shall remain valid and subsisting.
SECTION 6. Repealing Clause. All orders, proclamations, rules, regulations, or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with any of the provisions of this Order are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
SECTION 7. Effectivity. This Order shall take effect immediately.
DONE, in the City of Manila, this 13th day of February in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Thirteen.
(Sgd.) Benigno S. AQUINO III
By the President:
(Sgd.) PAQUITO N. OCHOA, JR.
Executive Secretary
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