TO:     Transportation and Communications   The Secretary of Economic Planning, National     Economic and Development Authority   The Secretary, Department of National Defense
The Secretary, Deportment of Local Government     and Community Development   The Secretary, Department of Education and Culture
The Secretary, Department of Public Highways
The Secretary, Department of Natural Resources
The Secretary, Department of Energy
The Secretary, Department of Industry
The Secretary, Department of Health
The Secretary, Department of Justice
The Secretary, Department of Finance
The Commissioner, Budget Commission
The Solicitor General
The Governor, Metropolitan Manila Commission
The Chairman, Human Settlements Commission
There is hereby created a Presidential Committee for Lungsod Silangan (New Manila) composed of the Secretary of Public Works, Transportation and Communications as Chairman, and the Secretaries of Economic Planning, Public Highways, National Defense, Local Government and Community Development, Education and Culture, Energy, Natural Resources, Industry, Health, Justice, and Finance, the Commissioner of the Budget, the Solicitor General, the Governor of Metropolitan Manila, and the Chairman of the Human Settlements Commission as members.  The Committee shall draw up and approve development plans and implementation guidelines for the Lungsod Silangan projects, subject to the approval of the President.

For this purpose, in addition to the Presidential Committee, there is hereby created a Lungsod Silangan Project Implementation Office (LS-PIO) to be attached to the Department of Public Works, Transportation and Communications, and composed of the Undersecretary of Public Works, Transportation and Communications as Project Manager, the General Manager of the National Housing Authority as Project Coordinator, and the General Managers of the Rational Power Corporation and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, the Executive Director of the Human Settlements commission, the Commissioner, National Pollution Control Commission and representatives of the other member-agencies of the Residential Committee with a rank of at least Bureau Director, as members.  The Lungsod Silangan Project Implementation Office shall be responsible for the coordinated execution and supervision of the projects based on the development plans and guidelines approved by the Presidential Committee for the Lungsod Silangan.  In particular, the Project Implementation Office:

1. shall provide standards and guidelines for detailed architectural and engineering design and construction;
2. is authorized to enter into contracts with qualified firms, whether by bidding or by negotiation, for design, construction and procurement of supplies and equipment, subject to approval by the Presidential Committee;
3. shall supervise the preparation of architectural and engineering designs and approve these designs for execution, subject to approval by the Presidential Committee;
4. shall be responsible for construction management; and
5. shall make the necessary arrangements for the smooth acquisition or expropriation of land and property needed for the projects.

All of the above responsibilities of the Project Implementation Office shall be undertaken in conformance with the plans and programs approved by the Committee.

Upon the recommendation of the Project Manager of the Lungsod Silangan Project Implementation Office, the Chairman of the Presidential Committee for Lungsod Silangan is hereby authorized, as an exception to existing rules and regulations, to hire consultants, experts and other qualified personnel for architectural and engineering design, and construction supervision, to fix their compensation rates and fees, and to grant reimbursement of actual transportation and representation expenses for Government personnel concerned at rates not exceeding P800.00 per month.

The member-agencies of the Presidential Committee for Lungsod Silangan shall include in their respective programs and budgets the funding requirements of their projects in accordance with the approved development plans and programs, and shall transfer the funds to the Project Implementation Office for efficient coordination of sectoral activities.

The Budget Commission shall provide the necessary funding support to the projects in accordance with the approved development plans and programs.

The Presidential Committee and the Project Implementation Office are hereby authorized to call upon any agency of the Government for necessary assistance.

Done in Metropolitan Manila, this 31st day of January, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-eight.