CREATING A PRESIDENTIAL COMMISSION FOR THE RESTORATION, CONSERVATION AND PRESERVATION OF THE VIGAN HERITAGE VILLAGE

12.00

WHEREAS, The Medium-Term Philippine
Development Plan for 1993-1998 has identified the North Western Luzon Growth
Quadrangle (NWLGQ) comprising the provinces of Region I and the Baguio-La
Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba (BLIST) area in Cordillera Administrative Region
(CAR) as a component strategy towards tourism and agri-tourism development;

WHEREAS, an important component of the
NWLGQ master plan is the tourism Development Master Plan for Region I which
identified the area of Vigan and its adjacent municipalities as major
destination called “the Vigan Heritage Village and Tourism Complex” in the
North Quad Area;

WHEREAS, the Vigan Heritage Village and
Tourism Complex is envisioned to be the first of its kind in the country and
even in the East Asia vicinity;

WHEREAS, to enable the government and the
private sector to undertake measures in restoring, preserving and conserving
the uniqueness and rich cultural and heritage of Vigan and its environs and in
promoting the accelerated socio-economic development of the area, there is a
need to create a body that shall be in-charge of the overall direction,
coordination and supervision in the planning implementation, management and
monitoring of the development efforts of the Vigan Heritage and Tourism
Complex.

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

SECTION 1. There is hereby created under the
Office of the President, a Presidential Commission to be called Vigan Heritage
Village Commission, hereinafter referred to as Commission. The Commission shall
be responsible for the overall policy direction, coordination management and
implementation of the entire Vigan Heritage Village and Tourism Complex
development efforts. It shall be composed of the following members:

The Commission shall be chaired by the Secretary of
Tourism and co-chaired by the Governor of the Province of Ilocos Sur.

The Commission shall have the following functions:

a. Cause the preparation of the detailed master
plan of the Vigan Heritage Village and Tourism Complex to serve as the blue
print for development of the area;

b. Review and submit to the President for approval,
the Vigan Heritage Village and Tourism Complex Master Plan and Development
Program;

c. Provide overall direction and coordination in
the planning and monitoring of all program/project components and development
activities, e.g. tourism development, environmental protection, attracting
business investment, social development, and institutional building of the
Vigan Heritage Village and Tourism Complex Project in consultation and
coordination with concerned entities;

d. Study and review policy measures that shall
promote and address the concerns on environmental protection, poverty
alleviation, eco-tourism, and sustainable development of the area;

e. Encourage the support and assistance from
government and non-government institutions in planning and implementing the
various components under the Vigan Heritage Village and Tourism Complex
Project;

f. Review and endorse to the Department of Budget
and Management (DBM) the annual budget for the operations of the Vigan Heritage
Village Commission;

g. Submit to the President regular quarterly
reports on the development of the Vigan Heritage and Tourism Complex and such
other reports as may be required;

h. To accept and manage grants, donations or any
such funds for the development of the Vigan Heritage and Tourism Complex
Project;

To mobilize private sector participation as the
primary actor for the development of the project;

j. To conduct advocacy and investment promotion
activities; and

k. To adopt rules, systems and procedures and
structures that the Commission may deem fit to carry out its functions.

SEC. 2. Executive Committee (ExCom).
There is hereby created a Vigan Heritage Village Commission Executive Committee
(ExCom) to supervise its day-to-day operations. The ExCom shall be comprised of
not more than one third of the total membership of the fully-constituted Commission.
The Commission shall appoint the members of the ExCom. The ExCom Chairman shall
possess among others, provincial statute and  perspective. All action/s
undertaken by the ExCom shall be confirmed by the Commission proper.

SEC. 3. Technical Working Group. A
Technical Working Group shall be created by the Commission or thru its ExCom to
serve as the technical secretariat. And as such, shall undertake the day to day
activities of the Vigan Heritage Village Project. The Technical Working Group
(TWG) shall be headed by an Executive Director to be appointed by the
President. It shall be composed of concerned line agencies. The Department of
Tourism – Region I and the Provincial Development Staff shall provide
secretariat support to the Commission, its ExCom and the TWG.

SEC. 4. For the operational requirements
of the Vigan Heritage Commission for the year 1996, the amount of Two Million
Pesos (P2,000,000.00) shall be drawn from the President’s Contingent Fund, the
funds of DOT and Local Provincial and Municipal Government or units concerned.
Appropriate funds for succeeding years shall be incorporated in the budget
proposal under the Office of the President.

SEC. 5. All executive issuances, orders,
rules and regulations, or parts thereof, inconsistent with the Executive Order
are hereby revoked or modified accordingly.

SEC. 6. This Executive Order shall take
effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 12th day of August
in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Six.

(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;}