Executive Order No. 154




MALACAÑAN PALACE MANILA BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES EXECUTIVE ORDER No. 154 ADOPTING A NATIONAL PLAN OF ACTION TO PREVENT, DETER, AND ELIMINATE ILLEGAL, UNREPORTED, AND UNREGULATED FISHING, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES WHEREAS, Section 2 (c) of Republic Act (RA) No. 8550, or the “Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998,” provides that it is the policy of the State to ensure the rational and sustainable development, management, and conservation of the fishery and aquatic resources in Philippine waters, including the exclusive economic zone, and in the adjacent high seas, consistent with the primordial objective of maintaining a sound ecological balance, and protecting and enhancing the quality of the environment; WHEREAS, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing undermines national and regional efforts to manage fisheries in a sustainable manner, destroys marine habitats, jeopardizes the viability of resources, depletes fish stocks worldwide, and threatens the food and livelihood security of coastal communities; WHEREAS, there is a need to address the ecological, biological, and socio-economic challenges posed by IUU fishing in a coordinated and integrated manner through a collaborative institutional mechanism involving the concerned departments and agencies of the government; WHEREAS, the International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter, and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (IPOA-IUU) was endorsed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO) Council on 23 June 2001; and WHEREAS, there is a need for the Philippines, as a member of UN-FAO, to develop and implement a national plan of action to achieve the objectives of the IPOA-IUU. 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. Adoption of the National Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (NPOA-IUU). The NPOA-IUU for the Philippines, attached hereto as Annex A, is hereby adopted. SECTION 2. Establishment of the Philippine Committee Against IUU Fishing. Pursuant to the NPOA-IUU, a Philippine Committee Against IUU Fishing (hereinafter referred to as the “Committee”) is hereby created, which shall be composed of, but not limited to, duly authorized representatives from the Office of the President, Department of Agriculture, Department of Transportation and Communications, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Finance, Department of Justice, Department of National Defense, and Department of Foreign Affairs and their respective offices and attached agencies, including concerned economic zone authorities, as well as representatives from the private sector. The Secretary of Agriculture or his duly authorized representative shall serve as the Chairperson of the Committee. The private sector members of the Committee shall be as follows: one (1) fisherfolk representative of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), and two (2) municipal and two (2) commercial fishers from the National Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (NFARMC). SECTION 3. Mandate. The Committee is mandated to ensure the implementation of the NPOA-IUU, to provide policy guidance and to develop capacity-building programs. The Committee shall also submit an annual report to the President on the implementation of this Order and of the NPOA-IUU. SECTION 4. Secretariat. The Committee shall be assisted by a Secretariat to be headed by a Senior Technical Staff of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources duly designated by the Chairperson, endorsed by the Committee, and supported by sufficient number of staff, as may be deemed necessary by the Committee, in accordance with applicable laws, rules and regulations. SECTION 5. Authority to Accept Contributions or Donations. The Committee is hereby authorized to accept donations, contributions, grants, bequests, or gifts from foreign or local sources to be utilized in the implementation of the NPOA-IUU and in the performance of its mandate, in accordance with applicable laws and rules and subject to government accounting and auditing rules and regulations. SECTION 6. Implementation. The Committee shall issue such rules and regulations as may be necessary to implement this Order. SECTION 7. Funding. The funding requirements shall be sourced from the annual appropriations of concerned departments and agencies. SECTION 8. Repealing Clause. All issuances, orders, rules and regulations, or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with this Order, are hereby repealed, amended, or modified accordingly. SECTION 9. Separability Clause. Should any provision of this Order be declared invalid or unconstitutional, the other provisions unaffected thereby shall remain valid and subsisting. SECTION 10. Effectivity. This Order shall take effect immediately upon publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. DONE, in the City of Manila, this 6th day of December, 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 Annex A Source: Malacañang Records Office Office of the President of the Philippines. (2013). [Executive Order]. Manila : Malacañang Records Office. The Lawphil Project - Arellano Law Foundation