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MALACAÑAN PALACE
MANILA

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES

[ Executive Order No. 186, December 17, 1999 ]

AUTHORIZING THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS TO CHARGE ALL OPERATIONAL EXPENSES OF ITS MACHINE READABLE PASSPORTS AND VISAS PROJECT AGAINST THE COLLECTIONS FROM THE ISSUANCE OF PERTINENT DOCUMENTS RELATIVE TO ITS AWARD AND IMPLEMENTATION

WHEREAS, the Department of Foreign Affairs (Department) has launched the Machine Readable Passports and Visas Project (Project) to upgrade the processing and issuance of Philippine passports and visas in accordance with standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for travel documents;

WHEREAS, the Project is proposed under the Build-Operate-Transfer scheme;

WHEREAS, pursuant to Republic Act No. 7718, also known as the Build-Operate-Transfer Law, the Department created a Pre-qualification, Bids and Awards Committee (PBAC) to oversee the planning and implementation of the Project;

WHEREAS, thirty-nine (39) project proponents responded to the invitation to pre-qualify and bid and paid Php 100,000.00 each for the pre-qualification documents;

WHEREAS, the PBAC has started issuing, for a non-refundable fee of Php 100,000.00, the Request-for-Proposals (RFPs) or bid documents to the 11 project proponents that pre-qualified;

WHEREAS, the PBAC continues to meet to discuss preparations for the pre-bid conference, the mechanics for the technical and financial evaluation of the bid proposals early next year, and other administrative matters related to the Project;

WHEREAS, most, if not all, PBAC activities entail financial cost which the regular budget of the Department could not accommodate given its other priorities;

WHEREAS, to ensure maximum efficiency of the PBAC in the planning and implementation of the Project, it is imperative that it be given adequate financial support.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:

1. Subject to pertinent budgetary laws and circulars, the Pre-Qualification, Bids and Awards Committee for the Machine Readable Passports and Visas Project (PBAC-MRP/V) of the Department of Foreign Affairs is hereby authorized to charge all its operational expenses against the collections from the issuance of the pre-qualification documents and Request-for-Proposals. The PBAC-MRP/V is hereby further authorized to pay out of the said collections, the honoraria of its voting and non-voting members, the members of its Technical and Financial Working Groups and Secretariat, and of local consultants whose services PBAC-MRP/V may engage in the technical and financial evaluation of the bid proposals.

2. The PBAC-MRP/V shall deposit the above-mentioned collections in a special account under account name “PBAC-MRP/V” at the nearest branch of a reputable and licensed Philippine bank.

3. The Chairman of the PBAC-MRP/V and another officer or employee of the Department of Foreign Affairs, designated as a special disbursing officer, shall serve as co-signatories of the said special account.

4. All disbursements from the special account shall be subject to existing accounting and auditing laws and procedures.

5. Upon completion of the Project, all amounts remaining in the said special account shall revert back to, and be deposited with, the National Treasury.

6. All Executive Orders, Administrative Orders, rules and regulations inconsistent with this Order are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.1aшphi1

7. This Executive Order shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Done in the City of Manila, this 16Th day of December, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Nine.

(Sgd.) JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA
President of the Philippines

By the President:

(Sgd.) RONALDO B. ZAMORA
Executive Secretary

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