DIRECTING THE HEADS OF THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT TO LEAD MORAL RENEWAL IN THEIR AGENCIES

WHEREAS, Section 1 of Article XI of the 1987 Philippine Constitution
provides that public office is a public trust and that public officers
and employees must, at all times, be accountable to the people, serve
them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty, and efficiency;
act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives;

WHEREAS, Section 27 of Article II of the 1987 Philippine Constitution
mandates that the State shall maintain honesty and integrity in the
public service;

WHEREAS, Section 23 of Article II of the 1987 Philippine Constitution
directs the State to encourage the participation of non-governmental,
community-based, or sectoral organizations in promoting the welfare of
the nation;

WHEREAS, Section 2 of Republic Act No. 6713, otherwise known as the
“Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and
Employees” provides that it is the policy of the State to promote a high
standard of ethics in public service;

WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 39, Chapter 8, Book IV of Executive Order No. 292, otherwise known as the “Administrative Code of 1987,”
the Secretary of a department shall have supervision and control over
the bureaus, offices, and agencies under him;

WHEREAS, in line with the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan
(MTPDP)for 2004-2010 of the Macapagal-Arroyo administration, there is an
urgent need for societal reform through moral renewal and values
formation in the Executive Department;

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 and direct:

SECTION 1. Leadership in Moral Renewal. All cabinet secretaries/heads of agencies shall adopt and implement a Moral Renewal program in their agencies.

Moral renewal refers to values formation and ethical behavior for
government officers and employees, as well as the strengthening of
people’s values to achieve zero tolerance for corruption. It shall
include, among others, the following:

a. Promotion of the Filipino values embodied in the Preamble of
the 1987 Constitution, in particular: (i) the value of being maka-Diyos, which encompasses faith in the Almighty; (ii) the value of being makatao, which includes truth, justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace; (iii) the value of being maka-bayan,
which includes respect for the law, the government of the Republic of
the Philippines and its instrumentalities, patriotism, promotion of the
common good and building a just and humane society; and (iv) the value
of being maka-kalikasan, which involves the conservation and development of our patrimony.

b. Ensuring that all bureaus, regional offices, and attached agencies of Departments nationwide adopt and implement the
Integrity Development Action Plan (IDAP), which is the National
Anti-Corruption Framework for the Executive Branch;

c. The expansion and strengthening of the membership of the
Integrity Committee in every department, agency, bureau, and office;

d. The formulation, promulgation and adoption of an
agency-specific Code of Conduct, or the updating of existing Codes of
Conduct to reflect the IDAP;

e. Values formation activities of the Presidential Council on Values Formation; and

f. The strict observance by all public officers of the principle
of moral leadership by example, especially by Cabinet Secretaries.

SECTION 2. Participation of Religious, Civil Society and Civic Groups.
Agencies shall enlist the participation of religious, civil society
and civic groups through consultations, program development, promotion
and implementation of their Moral Renewal Program.

SECTION 3. Implementation. Agencies shall submit their
respective Action Plans for their Moral Renewal Program to the
Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC), copy furnished the
President, within ninety (90) days from effectivity hereof.

SECTION 4. Monitoring and Evaluation. It shall be the
duty of PAGC to monitor and evaluate the implementation and evaluate the
effectiveness of the Moral Renewal Program of the agencies, which
shall include surveys of, and feedback from, agency officers and
employees of all levels on the manner by which their respective heads
have been complying with this Administrative Order and adopting the
principles embodied herein.

PAGC shall submit regular reports to the President on the progress
and status of the implementation of the Moral Renewal Program, copy
furnished all the religious, civil society and civic groups enlisted in
accordance with Section 2 of this Administrative Order.

SECTION 5. Allocation of Funds. Agencies are hereby
directed to allocate a portion of their maintenance, operations and
overhead expenditures (MOOE) budget as funding for their Moral Renewal
Program.

SECTION 6. Effectivity. This Administrative Order shall
take effect immediately after it has been published in at least two (2)
newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines.

Adopted: 30 Jan. 2009

(SGD.) GLORIA M. ARROYO
President of the Philippines   

BY THE PRESIDENT:

(SGD.) EDUARDO R. ERMITA
Executive Secretary