PROVIDING FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SZOPAD SOCIAL FUND AND THE MECHANISM FOR THE ADMINISTRATION THEREOF

12.00

WHEREAS, the Government of the Republic
of the Philippines has forged a Peace Agreement with the Moro National
Liberation Front (MNLF) on September 2, 1996;

WHEREAS, the President has created the
Special Zone of Peace and Development (SZOPAD) and the Southern Philippines
Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD) through Executive Order No. 371 on
October 2, 1996;

WHEREAS, the Government has invited both
domestic and foreign donor institutions to support the goals of the peace and
development process in the SZOPAD and some have already expressed their
support;

WHEREAS, the victims of internal armed
conflicts as well as the people of poor communities in the SZOPAD are in urgent
need of assistance to enable them to access basic social services and
opportunities for economic development;

WHEREAS, there is a need to create an
institutional mechanism that will support and enhance international, national
and local government initiatives and promote public and private sector
partnership and synergy for the development of the SZOPAD;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FIDEL V. RAMOS,
President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in
me by law and the Constitution, do hereby order the following:

SECTION 1. Implementation of the SZOPAD Social
Fund. There is
hereby established a mechanism for the implementation of the SZOPAD Social
Fund, hereinafter referred to as the Fund, to undertake the implementation of
small-scale social and economic infrastructure projects and services to sustain
the gains of the peace process and accelerate the development of the SZOPAD.

SECTION 2. Purpose and Objectives of the Fund. The
SZOPAD Social Fund shall:

a) Coordinate development assistance to be
mobilized to implement social and economic infrastructure projects in the
SZOPAD;

b) Provide a quick and responsive mechanism to
facilitate financing of small-scale social and economic infrastructure
projects; and

c) Help meet basic needs of victims of armed
conflicts and economically disadvantaged communities in the SZOPAD.

SECTION 3. The Board of Directors. The Board
of Directors, hereinafter referred to as the Board, is hereby constituted with
the following functions:

a) Establish the financing policies and guidelines
to accomplish the purpose and objectives in the implementation of the Fund;

b) Review and approve the Annual Work and Financial
Plan and the Special Budget of the Fund;

c) Convene once every quarter and as may be
necessary to resolve issues emerging from the operations of the Fund;

d) Submit periodic reports to the President; and

e) Perform other tasks that may be assigned by the
President to promote the objectives of the Fund.

The Board shall be composed of the following:

The Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process and
the Executive Director hereunder mentioned shall act as non-voting ex-officio
Members.

SECTION 4. The Executive Committee. The
Executive Committee, hereinafter referred to as the EXCOM, is also hereby
constituted with the following functions:

a) Review and recommend to the Board the Annual
Work and Financial Plan as well as the Special Budget of the Fund;

b) Safeguard the integrity of the fund and ensure
the conduct of its periodic audit;

c) Recommend amendments in policies and guidelines
in the implementation of its financing operations that may be necessary to meet
its objectives;

d) Monitor the utilization of funds and ensure that
fund policies are observed; and

e) Convene every two weeks or as often as may be
necessary to review and approve project proposals;

f) Perform other tasks that may be assigned by the
Board.

The EXCOM shall be composed of the permanent
representatives of the five (5) voting members of the Board herein above
constituted who shall be designated by the President.

In addition, one (1) representative from a duly
accredited non-governmental organization engaged in social development work
with an established track record of five (5) years, and one (1) representative
from the private sector, civic organizations and the business community in the
SZOPAD, shall be designated by the President as members of the EXCOM upon the
recommendation of the Board.

The Executive Director acts as non-voting
ex-officio member of the EXCOM, with the permanent representative of the SPCPD
as Chairman.

SECTION 5. The Executive Director. The
Executive Director shall head a Management Office (MO), which is hereby created
composed of the technical and administrative personnel and acts as the
Secretariat of the EXCOM.

The Executive Director shall:

a) Organize an ad hoc office and establish
the staffing complement thereof, subject to existing standards and procedures;

b) Screen project proposals for the approval of the
EXCOM;

c) Prepare the Annual Work and Financial Plan and
the Special Budget of the Fund;

d) Develop the administrative systems and
procedures that shall facilitate the quick and timely approval of projects and
release of funds;

e) Maintain financial records and book of accounts
with regard to the utilization of funds;

f) Monitor the status of project implementation;
and

g) Perform other tasks that may be assigned by the
EXCOM.

SECTION 6. Fund Sources. The loan
proceeds from the World Bank and corresponding government counterpart, and
other foreign assistance specifically intended for the SZOPAD projects shall
accrue and constitute the Special Budget of the Fund. Grant proceeds
specifically intended for the SZOPAD projects shall likewise accrue to said
Fund which shall initially finance its operational and administrative expenses.
Contributions from other funding agencies shall be used to augment these
resources.

SECTION 7. Review and Evaluation. The Board
and the participating donor agencies shall undertake the review and evaluation
of the operations of the Fund on or before 31 July 1999.

SECTION 8. Effectivity. This
Executive Order shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 1^st day of October,
in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Seven.

(Sgd.) FIDEL V. RAMOS
President of the Philippines

By the
President:
(Sgd.) RUBEN D. TORRES
Executive Secretary

Normal
0

false
false
false

EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE

MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}