Malacanan on Tuesday issued Executive Order (EO) No. 40 in a bid to strengthen the functional arrangements in the Office of the President.
EO 40, signed by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on September 15, 2017, rationalized the reporting lines of the Public Concerns Office (PCO), Cabinet Support Office (CSO), and Directives Monitoring Office (DMO).
Through the said EO, the President ordered to transfer back the PCO under the control and supervision of the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) from the Strategic Action and Response (STAR) Office of the Office of the Cabinet Secretary (OCS).
"(The) PCO shall continue to institute feedback mechanisms for requests for assistance, complaints, and grievances received by offices under the Office of the President and referred to other concerned government agencies or instrumentalities," the EO stated.
On the other hand, the CSO and the DMO, previously under the operational control of the OCS in relation to policy direction and coordination of Presidential and Cabinet meetings, will remain under the direct supervision of the PMS.
The PMS will continue providing substantive and logistical support to the Cabinet Secretary---from developing Cabinet agenda, meeting documentation, to crafting and monitoring of Cabinet directives.
"The PMS and OCS shall strengthen their functional arrangements by way of close coordination and information-sharing," the EO said.
Meanwhile, the Palace also issued Administrative Order (AO) No. 6 repealing AO No. 103.
"The country's fiscal condition from the time AO No. 103 took effect has already significantly improved due to public expenditure management reforms, tax administration reforms, and sound and prudent debt management," AO No. 6 underscored.
AO No. 103, which was signed in 2004, directed government agencies to adopt austerity measures.
With the country's improved fiscal situation, the government can now afford to increase infrastructure and social spending, implement public expenditure management reforms, streamline government operations, and make public service delivery more efficient.
Administrative Order No. 6, signed by the President on September 19, is aligned with the strategies of the Philippine Development Plan for 2017-2022. ###PCO-Content
