CREATION OF A PUBLIC ASSISTANCE AND COMPLAINTS UNIT (PACU) IN THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRARIAN REFORM

WHEREAS, Administrative Order No. 110, signed by President Corazon C.
Aquino and which took effect on January 23, 1989, provides for the
constitution of Public Assistance and Complaints Units in administrative
agencies/bodies/offices/boards in all departments, government-owned and
controlled corporations and local government units, which shall receive
and act on complaints and requests for assistance from the public;
refer to the operating unit the complaints/requests for appropriate
action; inform the callers/writers of the status of the
complaints/requests, and perform such other related functions as may be
assigned by the head of the agency concerned.

NOW, THEREFORE, to ensure an orderly and effective implementation of
the above Order, there is hereby created Public Assistance and
Complaints Units ( PACUs) in the Public Affairs Staff (PAS), Office of
the Secretary, for the DAR Central Office, and in its thirteen (13)
Regional Offices, as follows:

1.       The Public Affairs Staff (PAS), under a Director, in
addition to its regular functions indicated in DAR Administrative Order
No. 02 dated February 1, 1989, shall assume direct supervision over the
PACUs.

2.       In the Central Office, a Special Assistant for PACU shall
be designated, who shall have the responsibility of performing the
functions of a PACU as indicated in Administrative Order No 110.

3.       In the Regional Offices, the Regional Information Officers
and Editors shall perform the functions of PACU, in addition to their
regular duties as information officers, and be designated as Regional
Action Officers for Public Information, Assistance and Complaints.

3.1  The Regional Action Officers shall be under the direct
supervision and control of the Regional Directors in the regional level
and under the functional supervision of the PAS Director in the national
level.

3.2  A Special Assistant for Regional Public Information,
Assistance and Complaints shall be designated to coordinate and monitor
the regional units from the Central Office.

4.       Every Office, Bureau and Unit in the Central Office shall
designate a contact person for PACU-related matters in coordination with
the PACU Central Office desk.

5.       Together with the PACU Central Office, the regional PACUs,
being under the functional supervision of the PAS, which is under the
Office of the Secretary, shall, therefore, be directly under the control
and guidance of the Secretary of Agrarian Reform.

Furthermore, the Department, upon the recommendation of the PAS
Director, shall issue guidelines in handling complaints or requests for
assistance and information on DAR/CARP-related matters from the general
public, including walk-in clientele.

This Order also instructs the PAS Director to draft the implementing
strategies for the PAS and the Regional Information Officers and Editors
to fully exercise this public assistance function in view of the role
of PAS as the lead office to implement both its public information and
assistance program, with the support of the RIOs and Editors under its
supervision.

This administrative Order shall take effect immediately.

Adopted: 26 April 1989

(SGD.) PHILIP ELLA JUICO
Secretary

 

Effective: 26 April 1989