CREATING A NATIONAL PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR THE AMENDMENT OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9054

WHEREAS, Republic Act No.
9054 (RA 9054) was passed, creating the expanded Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) as provided under Article X, Section 15 of the
1987 Constitution, and paving the way for the implementation of the
second phase of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement between the Government
of the Philippines and the Moro National Liberation Front
(MNLF);

WHEREAS, there is a need
to amend RA 9054 to achieve full autonomy in cognizance of the Filipino
Muslims’ aspirations for
self-determination;

WHEREAS, the
amendments to RA 9054 shall be determined with the participation of all
stakeholders through authentic dialogues and consultation to ensure
that the output is truly reflective of the aspirations of Filipino
Muslims;

WHEREAS, the
consultative process toward the amendment of RA 9054 will require a
mechanism composed of credible representatives from various
stakeholders who shall be primarily responsible in capturing the
interest of Muslim Filipinos within the constitutional
framework;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA
MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Philippines, by virtue of
the powers vested upon me by law, do hereby
order:

Section 1. Creation and
Mandate. There is hereby created a National
Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) for the Amendment of RA 9054 with the
following functions:

1. Formulate
   and recommend to the President, within six (6) months from the issuance
   of this Executive Order, a package of amendments to RA 9054 that will
   serve as basis for the crafting of a new Organic Act that is reflective
   of the Moro interest;
2. Conduct dialogues
   and consultations with various stakeholders to solicit their views and
   recommendations on the proposed amendments to the existing Organic
   Act;
3. Perform other functions that are
   necessary in the performance of its
   mandate.

Section 2.
Composition. The National PrepCom shall be
composed of a Chairperson and fourteen (14) members as
follows:

1. One (1) representative
   of the ARMM Regional Government
2. One (1)
   representative of Lanao del Sur
3. One (1)
   representative of Maguindanao
4. One (1)
   representative of Sulu
5. One (1)
   representative of Basilan
6. One (1)
   representative of Tawi-Tawi
7. One (1)
   representative of the Regional Legislative
   Assembly
8. One (1) representative of the
   Presidential Legislative Liaison Office
   (PLLO)
9. One (1) representative from the
   Lumads
10. One (1) representative from the
    Christians
11. Two (2) representatives from
    the Academe
12. Two (2) representatives from
    civil society organizations

The
Chairperson and members of the PrepCom shall be appointed by the
President upon the recommendation of the Presidential Adviser on the
Peace Process (PAPP).

Section 3.
Technical Support. The Office of the
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) shall .serve as the
Secretariat of the National PrepCom and shall provide the necessary
technical and administrative support. It shall also serve as the
repository of all documents and records of the National
PrepCom.

The National PrepCom may tap the assistance
of legal advisers and may call upon representatives of any government
agency, government-owned and controlled corporation and civil society
organization to serve as resource persons to assist it in the
performance of its mandate.

Section 4.
Funding. The Department of Budget and
Management (DBM) is hereby directed to release, through the Office of
the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), the amount of
Twenty Million Pesos (PhP20,000,000.00) from the President’s Contingent
Fund to cover the operational expenses of the National
PrepCom.

Section 5.
Effecfivity. This Executive Order shall
take effect immediately upon its publication in a national newspaper of
general circulation.

Done in the City of Manila,
this 19^th day of January, in the year of our
Lord Two Thousand and Nine.

By the
President:

(Sgd.) EDUARDO R.
ERMITA
Executive
Secretary