WHEREAS, Sections 4 and 5 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution articulates that œit is the prime duty of the government to serve and protect the people; and that the maintenance of peace and order, the protection of life, liberty, and property, and promotion of the general welfare are essential for the enjoyment by all the people of the blessings of democracy ;

WHEREAS, a Memorandum from the President dated 22 March 2011 directed œthe National Security Adviser (NSA) to review and revise the 2000 Crisis Management Manual, and harmonize and integrate all existing government crisis management manuals into the amended Crisis Management Manual ;

WHEREAS, the 21st century security environment is described as increasingly complex and demands a pro-active, diverse and collaborative approach among government agencies and other stakeholders in preparing for, preventing or mitigating the effects of, and recovering from crises;

WHEREAS, Situation Awareness, Strategy, Command and Control, Capability Building and Enhancement, and Post-Action and Assessment are essential elements of effective crisis management;

WHEREAS, there is a need to establish and clearly delineate authority, responsibility and accountability of crisis management organizations and Incident Command Systems from the national to the local levels;

WHEREAS, in a series of workshops conducted in July and September 2011 and March 2012 by the National Security Council Secretariat, the National Defense College of the Philippines, and the Development Academy of the Philippines, two (2) manuals for responding to and managing human-induced crises were crafted, namely:

a. The Practical Guide for National Crisis Managers, a strategic manual, which highlights the roles and responsibilities of a National Crisis Manager or the Cabinet-Officer Primarily Responsible (C-OPR). Its contents were extracted from the National Crisis Management Core Manual and is intended for decision makers; and

b. The National Crisis Management Core Manual (hereinafter referred to as the Core Manual), which harmonizes all government crisis management manuals by providing a general framework in detecting and responding to emerging and existing crises. The Core Manual cuts across the strategic, operational, and tactical levels of crisis management manuals and functions. It is intended for planners and provides guidelines in the agencies/departments ™ preparation of operational crisis management manuals, contingency and crisis action plans.

WHEREAS, Operational manuals discuss agency/departmental principles and provisions, and provide functional concepts and guidelines across offices/units in the agency/department; Contingency plans are scenario-based plans aimed at preventing the occurrence of emerging threats/crises by addressing their root causes and implementing target hardening measures, among others. Crisis Action plans are specific courses of action aimed at mitigating the adverse effects and consequences of rapidly evolving or near-term outbreak/s;

WHEREAS, there is a need to designate a specific government agency, which shall ensure that copies of the approved Practical Guide for National Crisis Managers and the Core Manual are disseminated; the prescribed policies and procedures are adopted by agencies/departments/offices at all levels; and crisis response organizations adopted pursuant thereto are created/designated;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BENIGNO S. AQUINO III, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and applicable laws, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. The Core Manual shall be the overarching framework for national crisis management/All government agencies/departments from national to local shall craft and/or harmonize their respective operational manuals, contingency and crisis action plans for human-induced crises with the Core Manual. The Practical Guide for National Crisis Managers shall serve as a compact reference for Cabinet Officers Primarily Responsible (C-OPRs) or National Crisis Managers in responding to and managing human-induced crises.

SECTION 2. Crisis management organizations at all levels shall adopt the following crisis management organizations and structure prescribed in the Practical Guide for National Crisis Managers and the Core Manual. Specifically, that:

a. The Executive Committee, National Security Council shall serve as the Executive Committee/National Crisis Management Committee or EXECOM/NCMC, the highest policy and decision making body in managing human-induced crises at the national level. It shall inform the President of the situation and initial actions of agencies/departments, and recommends to the President an appropriate inter-agency/department response. This senior inter-agency/department body shall be composed of the President or the Executive Secretary as Chairperson; the National Security Adviser; and Secretaries of the Departments of National Defense; Interior and Local Government; Foreign Affairs and Justice; as well as Head/s, Presidential Communications Group. Other Cabinet members, particularly, Secretaries of the Departments of Health; Finance; Trade and Industry; Energy; and Social Welfare and Development may be called upon, as Secondary Members.

b. A Sub-Committee, National Crisis Management Committee, with the NSA as Chairperson, shall be created to: conduct inter-agency Horizon Scanning or scanning for and conveying strategic warnings on emerging human-induced threats/crises; recommend appropriate responses; and identify policy issues for resolution and decision making of the EXECOM/NCMC.

c. Regional, Provincial, Municipal/City and Barangay Crisis Management Committees shall serve as the policy and decision-making bodies in managing human-induced crises at the local level.

d. Permanent offices to handle response to and management of human-induced crises shall be designated within agencies/departments.

e. Operational crisis management manuals, contingency and crisis action plans shall be prepared and systematically updated.

SECTION 3. The National Crisis Management Committee, all other crisis management organizations, and designated Crisis Managers and/or Cabinet Officers Primarily Responsible shall assume authority; effectively carry out functions; and take on responsibilities and accountabilities prescribed in the Practical Guide for National Crisis Managers, the Core Manual and the approved March 2011 revisions to Chapter 4 of the 2000 Crisis Management Manual. Specifically, that:

1. The Executive Secretary shall be the Cabinet-Officer Primarily Responsible (C-OPR) for emerging and current:

   i. Threats of terrorism, as Chairperson of the Anti-Terrorism Council created under Republic Act 9372 or the Human Security Act of 2007;

   ii. Threats to maritime borders (inter-agency response), as Chairperson of the National Coast Watch Council created under Executive Order (EO) No. 57 dated 6 September 2011; and

   iii. Threats concerning OFWs (inter-agency/department response), as Chairperson of the Overseas Preparedness and Response Team created under EO No. 34 dated 6 April 2011.

2. The Secretary of National Defense shall be the Cabinet-Officer Primarily Responsible (C-OPR) for emerging and current:

   i. Threats to national security, such as but not limited to revolts, mutinies, insurrections, coup d ™ etats, war; and

   ii. Threats to maritime borders (intra-agency/department response as Co-Crisis Manager).

3. The Secretary of Interior and Local Government shall be the Cabinet-Officer Primarily Responsible (C-OPR) for emerging and current threats to peace and order, such as civil disturbances, violent labor strikes, riots, anarchy and disorderly mass demonstrations.
   
4. The Secretary of Foreign Affairs shall be the Cabinet-Officer Primarily Responsible (C-OPR) for emerging and current:

   i. . Threats concerning OFWs (intra-agency/department response); and

   ii. Threats to maritime borders (intra-agency/department response as Co-Crisis Manager).

5. The Secretary of Health shall be the Cabinet-Officer Primarily Responsible (C-OPR) for emerging and current threats to public health.
   
6. The Secretaries of Finance and Trade and Industry shall be the Cabinet-Officers Primarily Responsible (C-OPRs) for emerging and current threats to the economy.
   
7. The Secretary of Energy shall be the Cabinet-Officer Primarily Responsible (C-OPR) for emerging and current threats to energy supply, as Chairperson of the Inter-Agency Energy Contingency Committee (IECC) created under Administrative Order No. 6 dated 3 March 2011.

SECTION 4. The National Crisis Management Committee, all other crisis management organizations, and their respective Crisis Managers and/or Cabinet Officers Primarily Responsible shall adopt the following concepts, processes, and procedures under the 5Ps of crisis management: Predict, Prevent, Prepare, Perform and Post Action and Assessment:

a. For Predict, a Crisis Manager, through his/her crisis management office, shall systematically conduct Horizon Scanning or scanning for emerging threats and conveying strategic warnings; and undertake Situation Awareness processes at the strategic, operational and tactical levels.

b. For Prevent, a Crisis Manager, through his/her crisis management office, shall prepare or update intra- and inter-agency contingency and crisis action plans.

c. For Prepare, a Crisis Manager, through his/her crisis management office, shall systematically undertake Prepare activities: organize, train, equip, exercise and evaluate/improve. A Crisis Manager shall also undertake capability building and enhancement activities for these Prepare procedures.

d. For Perform, a Crisis Manager, through his/her crisis management office, shall systematically determine and declare an incident as approaching crisis level. Crises must be addressed at the lowest political jurisdiction. Nonetheless, the responding local Crisis Management Committee (CMC) and the next higher level Crisis Management Committee (CMC) shall be equally responsible for determining the appropriate level of crisis response based on continuous and thorough assessment of the situation. Their assessment must consider the severity and nature of the crisis, and the capability of available forces or units and resources.

As soon as an incident is declared as approaching crisis level, the responding Crisis Manager activates the Incident Command System (ICS) and calls on the designated Incident Commander (IC). The Incident Commander reviews existing intra- and inter-agency/department contingency plans for suitability and develops a Crisis Action Plan (CAP) when no useful contingency plan exists.

e. For Post-Action and Assessment, a Crisis Manager, through his/her crisis management office, shall systematically provide Post Action and Assessment Reports to the Sub-Committee, National Crisis Management Committee and the EXECOM/National Crisis Management Committee.

SECTION 5. The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), as Secretariat of the EXECOM/National Crisis Management Committee, shall ensure that the purposes, intents, and objectives of this EO are complied with, specifically:

a. That copies of the approved Practical Guide for National Crisis Managers and the Core Manual are produced and distributed from the national to the local levels;

b. That trainings on Horizon Scanning, Situation Awareness, Inter-Agency Contingency Planning, Crisis Action Planning, and Post Action and Assessment are undertaken; and

c. Desktop/table and/or simulation exercises are regularly conducted at various levels nationwide.

SECTION 6. Funding. An amount not exceeding Twenty Five Million Pesos (Php25,000,000.00) is hereby allocated from the funds of the Presidential Contingency Fund to cover the initial financial requirements of the Office of the National Security Adviser, as Secretariat, and the EXECOM/National Crisis Management Committee, to operationalize the mechanisms contained in this EO, and in undertaking programs, projects and activities specified in Section 5 of this EO. Succeeding financial requirements for this purpose shall be included in annual appropriations for the ONSA. National and local agencies/departments/offices, on the other hand, shall allocate sufficient funds for crisis prevention and management from their respective annual budget proposals, consistent with Republic Act 10121 and the DILG-DBM Memorandum Circular 2011-1.

SECTION 7. Repealing Clause. All orders, rules, regulations, issuances, or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this EO are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

SECTION 8. Effectivity. This EO shall take effect immediately upon publication in a newspaper of general circulation.

DONE, in the City of Manila this 4th day of September, in the Year of our Lord Two Thousand and Twelve.

(SGD.) BENIGNO S. AQUINO III
President of the Philippines

By the President:

(SGD.) PAQUITO N. OCHOA, JR.
Executive Secretary