ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 48
CREATING THE NATIONAL ORGANIZING COUNCIL FOR THE PHILIPPINES’ HOSTING OF THE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS (ASEAN) IN 2017, AND PRESCRIBING ITS AUTHORITY AND FUNCTIONS
WHEREAS the Philippines is one of the founding members of ASEAN and a signatory to the ASEAN Charter which entered into force on 15 December 2008;
SECTION 1. Composition. An ASEAN-NOC is hereby constituted, composed of the following members:
| Chairperson: | Executive Secretary |
| Vice Chairpersons: | Secretary of Foreign Affairs (for the ASEAN Political Security Community) |
| Secretary of Trade and Industry (for the ASEAN Economic Community) |
| Secretary of Social Welfare and Development (for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community) |
| Members: | Secretary of Interior and Local Government |
| Secretary of National Defense |
| Secretary of Public Works and Highways |
| Secretary of Transportation and Communication |
| Secretary of Tourism |
| Secretary of Budget and Management |
| Secretary of the Presidential Communications Operations Office |
The Chief Executives of Local Government Units (LGUs) selected to serve as the site of the ASEAN 2017 meetings may be invited as Special Members of the ASEAN-NOC and the ASEAN 2017 Committees.
The ASEAN-NOC Chairperson and the ASEAN 2017 Committee Heads may require the participation of the heads of other departments and/or agencies, government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs), and invite LGUs, representatives from the private sector, the academe, and the civil society, as may be deemed necessary.
SECTION 2. Authority and Functions of the ASEAN-NOC. In pursuit of its objectives and subject to existing laws, the ASEAN-NOC shall have the following authority and functions:
a. Approve and recommend to the President a Master Plan for the Philippines’ hosting of the ASEAN in 2017, including an estimated budget for the hosting of the ASEAN meetings and necessary communication mechanisms to ensure efficient and effective coordination among member agencies;
b. Issue such administrative guidelines and instructions as may be necessary to achieve the objectives of this Order;
c. Submit periodic reports to the President throughout the duration of the ASEAN 2017 hosting; and
d. Perform any and all acts and functions as may be deemed appropriate and necessary to ensure the proper functioning of the ASEAN-NOC, the Executive Committee, and the Committees, to advance the purposes of this AO, and to ensure the successful hosting of ASEAN in 2017.
SECTION 3. Meetings of the ASEAN-NOC. The ASEAN-NOC Chairperson, or his duly appointed representative, shall convene the meetings of the ASEAN-NOC regularly and as often as may be necessary to ensure proper coordination and implementation of the 2017 Hosting Master Plan and the individual Work Plans of its Committees.
SECTION 4. Executive Committee. An Executive Committee (hereinafter referred to as the EXECOM) shall be established to ensure that the programs, projects, and activities to be undertaken in the preparation for the Philippines’ hosting of ASEAN in 2017 shall run continuously, smoothly, efficiently, and effectively.
The EXECOM shall be composed of representatives, with a rank not lower than Assistant Secretary, from the following agencies: the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of National Defense (DND), the Department of Finance (DOF), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), the Department of Tourism (DOT), the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES), the Office of the Cabinet Secretary (OCS), the Presidential Management Staff (PMS), the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO), the Office of Presidential Protocol, and others as may be deemed necessary by the ASEAN-NOC Chairperson.
SECTION 5. Authority and Functions of the EXECOM. The EXECOM shall perform and act, by majority vote of all its members, on such specific matters not otherwise within the exclusive competence of the ASEAN-NOC and as may be delegated to it, such as:
a. Manage the implementation and execution of the Master Plan upon approval by the President and supervise and monitor all activities related thereto;
b. Call upon any official, employee, agency or instrumentality of the national or local governments for any assistance that may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this AO and to implement the Master Plan;
c. Recommend to the ASEAN-NOC any necessary and proper modifications or improvements to the Master Plan to ensure the successful hosting of ASEAN 2017;
d. Issue implementing rules and instructions necessary and appropriate to effectively execute the Master Plan; and
e. Submit periodic reports to the ASEAN-NOC Chairperson throughout the duration of the ASEAN 2017 Hosting.1âwphi1
SECTION 6. Office of the Senior Officials for Substantive Matters. The Office of the Senior Officials for Substantive Matters shall be chaired by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) Leader and co-chaired by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Senior Economic Officials Meeting (SEOM) Leader and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Senior Officials Committee for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Committee (SOCA) Leader. It shall formulate and advance the agenda, substantive theme, priorities, strategies and activities of the Philippines as Chair of ASEAN in 2017.
The membership of the Office of the Senior Officials for Substantive Matters shall be comprised of the agencies of the ASEAN Matters Technical Board (AMTB) of the Philippine Council for Regional Cooperation (PCRC) created under AO No. 20 (s. 2011). The DFA’s ASEAN Philippines National Secretariat, headed by its Director-General, shall serve as the secretariat of the Office of the Senior Officials for Substantive Matters.
SECTION 7. Office of the Director-General for Operations. There shall be an Office of the Director-General for Operations (ODGO), created under the Office of the ASEAN-NOC Chairperson, which shall serve as the full-time, day-to-day operations arm of the ASEAN-NOC and as Secretariat of the ASEAN-NOC. It shall be headed by a Director-General who shall serve as the Head of the EXECOM. The ODGO shall be composed of a Core Staff, contracted for the duration of the preparations, event proper and conclusion of the chairing of ASEAN in 2017, and complemented by personnel detailed from the member agencies of the EXECOM. The Director-General is hereby authorized to organize and hire the required staff complement for the Secretariat.
The Director-General shall be appointed by the President upon the recommendation of the ASEAN-NOC Chairperson. The Director-General shall have the rank of an Undersecretary and shall hold office for the duration of the preparations, event proper and conclusion of the hosting of ASEAN in 2017.
The funding requirements of the ODGO for fiscal years 2016 and 2017 shall be determined by the ASEAN-NOC Chairperson in consultation with DBM, and sourced from the Contingent Fund and such other sources as may be identified by DBM, subject to existing budgetary rules and regulations.
SECTION 8. ASEAN-NOC Committees. ASEAN-NOC Committees are hereby established to assist the ASEAN-NOC in the pursuit of its objectives.
The ASEAN-NOC Committees shall be chaired by Secretaries or their duly designated Undersecretaries. The Committee members may be represented by Undersecretaries or Assistant Secretaries duly designated by their respective Heads of departments/agencies. The ODGO shall be represented in all the Committees. The composition of the ASEAN-NOC Committees is enumerated in Annex A.
The ASEAN-NOC Committees shall be as follows:
a.) Committee on Security, Peace and Order, Emergency Preparedness and Response. The Security, Peace and Order, and Emergency Preparedness and Response Committee shall: a) be chaired by DILG; and b) oversee as well as direct the overall security preparations, peace and order, and emergency preparedness and response, for all ASEAN 2017 Meetings hosted by the Philippines.
b.) Committee on Infrastructure. The Infrastructure Committee shall: a) be chaired by DPWH; b) direct the overall improvement and maintenance of all Conference facilities and critical infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, ports, airports, including the availability of energy services (i.e. oil and electric power); and c) ensure their readiness for the ASEAN 2017 hosting.
c.) Committee on Transport and Telecommunications. The Transport and Telecommunications Committee shall: a) be chaired by DOTC; and b) ensure the availability, efficiency, and security, in coordination with the Security Committee, of all transportation and telecommunications requirements for the ASEAN 2017 hosting and facilitate the safe and secure movement of persons, cargo, and equipment in all the activities of the ASEAN 2017 hosting.
d.) Committee on Tourism Hospitality, Tours, Social Events and Site Enhancement. The Tourism Hospitality, Tours, Social Events, and Site Enhancement Committee shall: a) be chaired by DOT; b) plan, execute and supervise all cultural events including dinner shows and tours; c) supervise welcome receptions at the ports of entry and social events and the enhancement of the sites that will be affected by the Philippine hosting; and d) in cooperation with the concerned local government units, plan, execute and supervise the enhancement of the sites that will be affected by the Philippines’ hosting.
e.) Committee on Finance, Budget and Procurement. The Finance, Budget and Procurement Committee shall: a) be chaired by DBM; b) ensure the approval and timely release of the budget; c) address the procurement requirements coming from the various Committees for all activities and improvements needed for the ASEAN 2017 hosting, from the issuance of the AO to the successful conclusion of ASEAN 2017; and d) coordinate with all Committees for their financial and procurement requirements.
f.) Committee on Business and Investment Promotion. The Business and Investment Promotion Committee shall be: a) chaired by DTI; b) responsible for engaging the international business community, investors, governments, and other parties; and c) organize as well as supervise potential business and investment- related activities, including trade expositions and missions, investment roadshows, and other promotional activities.
g.) Committee on Media Affairs and Strategic Communications. The Media Affairs Committee shall: a) be chaired by the PCOO; b) ensure the proper management of public information regarding the chairing of ASEAN in 2017, including the provision of facilities for media and coverage of public events; and c) formulate communication plans and craft strategic messages for dissemination to the public.
The ASEAN-NOC Committees shall ensure communication, coordination, and cooperation with each other in the performance of their functions. Secretariat support for the individual ASEAN-NOC Committees shall be provided by the respective agencies of the Committee Chairs.
SECTION 9. ASEAN Hosting Master Plan. The ASEAN-NOC shall approve and recommend to the President a Master Plan for the Philippines’ hosting of ASEAN in 2017, including an estimated budget for the proper hosting of the ASEAN meetings, within thirty (30) days from the issuance of this Order.
The ASEAN 2017 Committees shall formulate and submit to the ASEAN-NOC their respective Work and Financial/Budget Plans and timelines within fifteen (15) days from the issuance of this Order.
Upon approval of the Master Plan, the ASEAN 2017 Committees shall immediately implement the specific tasks and activities identified therein and shall provide regular reports and updates to the EXECOM.
SECTION 10. Human Resources and Focal Points. All departments, agencies, GOCCs, and other instrumentalities identified in this Order and/ or those whose participation is deemed necessary by the ASEAN-NOC or any of its Committees shall ensure the proper allocation of human resources devoted to the ASEAN 2017 hosting.
Each of the government agencies involved shall designate an internal ASEAN Hosting Team and a Focal Point, which shall be the point-of-contact for all communications and coordination related to the ASEAN hosting. Each team will submit regular reports on the status of their agency’s activities, or as required by the Committee Chairpersons.
SECTION 11. Funding. Financial requirements that may be needed by the ASEAN- NOC for Fiscal year (FY) 2016 shall be charged against the General Fund of the DFA, in accordance with the General Provisions of the FY 2016 General Appropriations Act (GAA), Republic Act No. 10717.
For FY 2017, the necessary provision for the ASEAN-NOC shall be incorporated in the General Fund of the agency that has general supervision over the ASEAN-NOC.1awp++i1
For FYs 2016 and 2017, the necessary provision for related commitments to hosting of international conferences/meetings by the host/participating agencies shall be incorporated in their respective budgets under the corresponding annual GAAs.
SECTION 12. Administrative Guidelines and Orders. The ASEAN-NOC and/or the EXECOM shall issue the necessary administrative and implementing rules and guidelines within its mandate and authority as granted under this Order.
SECTION 13. Separability. If any provision of this Order is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the other provisions unaffected thereby shall remain valid and subsisting.
SECTION 14. Repeal. All issuances, orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Order are hereby revoked and/or modified accordingly.
SECTION 15. Sunset. The ASEAN-NOC and its Committees shall only convene meetings related to the hosting of the ASEAN 2017 Meetings. Except for the purposes of the settlement of obligations and other commitments to third persons incurred during the effectivity of this AO in preparation for the ASEAN hosting, and for purposes of winding-up its operations, the ASEAN-NOC, EXECOM, ODGO, ASEAN 2017 Committees and all other bodies as may be established pursuant to this AO, including the authority and functions of the Chairperson and the member-agencies herein, shall be functus officio within thirty (30) calendar days from the conclusion of the ASEAN 2017, and in any case not later than 30 January 2018.
SECTION 16. Effectivity. This Order shall take effect immediately, upon its publication in a newspaper of general circulation, and shall remain in full force and effect until 30 January 2018.
Done, in the City of Manila, this 4th day of February, in the year of our Lord, Two thousand and Sixteen.
