WHEREAS, Lymphatic Filariasis is a parasitic disease primarily affecting children, women and men living in endemic remote areas;

WHEREAS, Lymphatic Filariasis is a debilitating and disfiguring disease, comprising about 76% of cases living in 4th to 6th class municipalities in 36 established endemic areas out of the 48 probably endemic provinces in the country;

WHEREAS, recent advances in the field of diagnosis and treatment make the disease one of the six eradicable diseases as declared by the International Task Force for Disease Eradication, as documented by endemic countries able to eradicate the disease such as Japan, Korea, etc;

WHEREAS, Administrative Order No. 25-A, s. 1998 was issued by the Department of Health (DOH) spearheading the elimination of filariasis by formally shifting control to elimination strategies;

WHEREAS, the main strategy to eliminate filariasis is through Mass Treatment using a combination of Diethylcarbamazine Citrate (DEC) and Albendazole annually for five years which has been pilot tested in 2000 and formally started in 2001 in selected municipalities/provinces; and

WHEREAS, to facilitate program management, social mobilization, drug reapplication, distribution and to epidemiologically control the disease, the Global experts in consultation with regional coordinators, LGUs and other stakeholders, recommended that a month each year be concentrated for Mass Treatment for filariasis and other anti-filariasis activities.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. Lead Agency.  The Department of Health (DOH) shall lead in the implementation of the "Filariasis Mass Treatment Month" yearly campaign every November starting in 2004.  As such, it shall call upon all Government Agencies/Organizations for assistance in the implementation of this Executive Order, including, but not limited to the following:

1.     Department of Interior and Local Government
   
2.     Department of Education
   
3.     Department of Social Welfare and Development
   
4.     Department of National Defense
   
5.     Department of Environment and Natural Resources
   
6.     Local Government Units/Organizations
   
7.     Philippine Information Agency

As the lead agency, the DOH shall formulate and disseminate guidelines and procedures on the implementation of the campaign; provide technical assistance to LGUs; conduct national/regional advocacy and social mobilization activities in endemic regions; provide all the necessary mass treatment drugs and other logistics, allocate and distribute in a timely manner, and monitor all LGU activities in all phases of the campaign.

SEC. 2. Responsibilities of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).  The DILG shall issue and disseminate appropriate memorandum circulars to all local chief executives, mobilize field offices, and assist in the supervision and monitoring of filariasis mass treatment activities in order to ensure high mass treatment coverage in all endemic communities.

SEC. 3. Responsibilities of the Department of Education (DepEd).  The DepEd shall ensure high mass treatment coverage in all public and private schools by exerting all efforts to inform parents and guardians of target schoolchildren about the campaign and mobilizing all medical teams to conduct filariasis mass treatment in schools in coordination with LGUs.  The DepEd shall issue and disseminate appropriate circulars for the purpose.

SEC. 4 Responsibilities of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).  The DSWD shall ensure that all targeted population (2 yrs & above), under their supervision in endemic areas are given filariasis mass treatment drugs, issue and disseminate appropriate circulars, and assist in the advocacy and social mobilization for the purpose of this campaign, in coordination with the LGUs.

SEC. 5. Department of National Defense (DND) thru the National Disaster Coordination Council (NDCC).  The DND thru NDCC shall issue and disseminate appropriate memorandum circulars to its regional and provincial offices to provide assistance in the advocacy, social mobilization and in the conduct of the filariasis mass treatment campaigns in established endemic communities.

SEC. 6. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).  The DENR shall provide assistance in the training, advocacy, and social mobilization in endemic communities to ensure high filariasis mass treatment coverage.

SEC. 7. Philippine Information Agency (PIA).  The PIA shall provide assistance in broadcasting services primarily to disseminate information on the campaign with particular focus on areas and sectors not adequately served by other networks.

SEC. 8. Responsibilities of Local Government Units.  The LGUs shall lead the local implementation of the filariasis mass treatment campaign, exerting special effort to encourage every family member aged 2 yrs. & above, to take the filariasis mass treatment drugs to achieve high mass treatment coverage.  As such, they shall extend appropriate resources to ensure the success of the campaign including provide supportive drugs like antipyretics, anti-histamines, etc, conduct of advocacy and social mobilization activities, issuance of appropriate local ordinances, resolutions, memorandum circulars, and other relevant orders.  They are likewise ordered to submit reports on the mass treatment coverage in their area of responsibility.

SEC. 9. Participation of the Civic Societies.  All non-government organizations, members of civic societies, professional groups, non-government organizations, and other concerned groups are encouraged to contribute to the success of the filariasis mass treatment campaign through information dissemination, social mobilization, and recruitment of volunteers, providing donations, and other appropriate means.

SEC. 10. Effectivity.  This Executive Order shall take effect immediately upon approval.

Adopted: 05 Oct. 2004


(SGD.) GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO

By the President:

(SGD.) EDUARDO R. ERMITA
Executive Secretary