Executive Order No. 80




MALACAÑAN PALACE MANILA BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES [ Executive Order No. 80, March 11, 2002 ] DECLARING THE EFFECTIVITY OF THE ABOLITION OF THE SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES COUNCIL FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT AND THE CONSULTATIVE ASSEMBLY AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES WHEREAS, by virtue of Executive Order No. 371 dated October 2, 1996, the Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD) and the Consultative Assembly were established as transitory bodies to promote and accelerate development efforts in the Special Zone of Peace and Development (SZOPAD); WHEREAS, Section 14 of Executive Order No. 371 dated October 2, 1996 provides for the duration of existence of the SPCPD and the Consultative Assembly of three (3) years unless extended by the President; WHEREAS, the duration of existence of the SPCPD and the Consultative Assembly was extended for a one-year period by Executive Order No. 161 dated September 30, 1999 and further extended until May 2001 by Executive Order No. 288 dated September 22, 2000; WHEREAS, Article XVIII, Section 16 of Republic Act (R.A.) No. 9054 provides that the SZOPAD, the SPCPD and the Consultative Assembly are deemed to be abolished and shall cease to exist as of the date of the approval of R.A. 9054 in a plebiscite; WHEREAS, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), in its Resolution No. 4561 dated August 28, 2001, has declared that R.A. 9054 has been approved and/or ratified by majority of the votes cast in a plebiscite conducted in the original provinces comprising the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) on August 14, 2001; WHEREAS, in view of the approval/ratification of R.A. 9054, as declared by the COMELEC, in relation to Article XVIII, Section 16 of R.A. 9054, the SZOPAD, the SPCPD and the Consultative Assembly have been abolished. NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order: Section 1. Abolition and Winding-up. – The SZOPAD, SPCPD and the Consultative Assembly are hereby declared to have been abolished effective August 14, 2001 pursuant to Article XVIII, Section 16 of R.A. 9054. The Chairman and Members of the SPCPD and the Consultative Assembly shall wind up the operations of the SPCPD and the Consultative Assembly not later than March 31, 2002.1aшphi1 Section 2. Transfer of Functions and Responsibilities. – The functions and responsibilities of the SPCPD with regard to the ARMM are hereby transferred to the ARMM Regional Government while its functions and responsibilities with regard to SZOPAD areas outside the ARMM are hereby transferred to the Southern Philippines Development Authority (SPDA). Section 3. Transition Plan. – The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) shall formulate and submit to the Executive Secretary for approval a Transition Plan for the orderly transfer of the functions and responsibilities of the SPCPD to and the absorption of its qualified personnel in the ARMM Regional Government and the SPDA. The NEDA shall oversee the implementation of the Transition Plan which shall be completed within forty-five (45) days from the issuance of this Executive Order. Section 4. Effectivity. – This Order shall take effect immediately upon approval. City of Manila, March 11, 2002. (Sgd.) GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO President of the Philippines By the President: (Sgd.) ALBERTO G. ROMULO Executive Secretary The Lawphil Project - Arellano Law Foundation