WHEREAS, it has become a moral as well as social imperative to take immediate measures to insure that the public is served effectively, efficiently and expeditiously;

WHEREAS, the Office of the President can best serve as the command center for the measures that will address requests for assistance as well as complaints and grievances by the general public;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, CORAZON C. AQUINO, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. A Presidential Complaints and Action Office in the Office of the President, hereinafter referred to as the Action Office, is hereby created.

SEC. 2. The Action Office shall perform the following powers and functions:

1. Provide callers, visitors, and other persons who come to the Office of the President to transact business with the necessary information on the status of their papers or requests and the division or unit responsible therefor;
   
   
2. Attend to arid interview such callers and visitors in order to expedite action on their papers or requests;
   
   
3. Direct and guide, if necessary, callers and visitors to the particular official or employee acting on their papers;
   
   
4. Serve as the liaison unit of the Office of the President with various agencies and departments of the government on all requests for assistance as well as complaints and grievances by the general public;
   
   
5. Initiate fact-finding efforts in all activities involving or affecting immoral practices, graft and corruption, smuggling, lawlessness, subversion, and all other activities which are prejudicial to the government and the public interest, and to submit proper recommendation to the President of the Philippines or the Executive Secretary;
   
   
6. Entertain complaints of graft and corruption and violation of Republic Acts No. 1379 and 3019, as amended, and commence fact-finding investigation thereon prior to referral to the appropriate bodies for possible prosecution;
   
   
7. To receive and evaluate, and to conduct fact-finding investigations of, sworn complaints against the acts, conduct or behavior of any public official or employee and to file and/or forward the proper administrative and/or criminal charges with the appropriate agency;
   
   
8. To coordinate with other offices in order to carry out its objectives and functions, and institute a follow-up and feedback mechanism to ensure that the referrals of the Action Office are given attention and expeditiously acted upon;
   
   
9. To coordinate the organization of public assistance units in the various government offices, patterned after the operational structure of the Action Office, which shall serve as linkages of a net work to be established by the said Office;
   
   
10. To conduct seminars for designated action officers of the various departments/offices/agencies of the government on matters related to current policies and procedures in rendering assistance to the public and for improving systems and procedures to hasten the delivery of the required services to the people;
    
    
11. To make available to the public counselling services pertaining to their request or complaints; and,
    
    
12. To perform other functions and responsibilities as the President or Executive Secretary may direct
    

SEC. 3. The Action Office shall adopt a policy of arbitration, conciliation and mediation leading to amicable settlements of adversarial complaints, among private persons.

SEC  4. To accomplish the objectives of the Action Office under Section 2 hereof, such Presidential Action Teams as may be necessary to address specific key areas of government shall be organized to insure effective and speedy action and /or service to the public. The Malacanang Public Assistance Center is hereby renamed Public Assistance Office and placed  the direct control and supervision of the Action Office.

SEC. 5. All heads of Departments/Offices/ Agencies of the Executive Department shall organize public assistance and action units in their respective offices and designate an Action Officer who shall perform liaison work between his/her office and the Action Office. The names of those designated or assigned to the assistance units or action committees shall be submitted to the Office of the Executive Secretary within fifteen (15) days after the approval of this Executive Order.

SEC. 6. The present personnel, supplies, equipment appropriation, and other resources of the Malacanang Public Assistance Center are hereby transferred to the Action Office. Funds necessary for additional personnel, Supplies and equipment shall be charged against existing appropriations of the Office of the President.

SEC. 7. The Executive Secretary shall exercise supervision and control over the Action Office and its teams.

SEC. 8. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 3rd day of January, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and ninety-one.


By the President:

(SGD.) OSCAR M. ORBOS
Executive Secretary