WHEREAS, it is State Policy under Article II, Section 15 of the 1987 Constitution to "protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them";

WHEREAS, the 1987 Constitution also provides in Article XIII, Section 12, that: "The State shall establish and maintain an effective food and drug regulatory system and undertake appropriate health manpower development and research, responsive to the country's health needs and problems";

WHEREAS, a national pharmacopeia that adequately establishes standards for drug/drug products and crude drugs available in commerce in the Philippines is essential to the attainment of an effective regulatory and health care delivery systems and addresses the foregoing constitutional mandates;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO, President of the Philippines, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. The Philippine Pharmacopeia (PP) 1st edition April 2004 and any supplement thereto, is hereby declared and adopted as the official book of standards and references for the determination of the identity, purity, and quality of pharmaceutical products and crude plant drugs in the Philippines.

SECTION 2. For pharmaceutical products and crude plant drugs that are not listed in the PP, reference maybe made to the latest editions of United States Pharmacopeia/National Formulary (USP/NF), Japanese Pharmacopeia (JP), British Pharmacopeia (BP) European Pharmacopeia (EP), and International Pharmacopeia (IP) and other books of standards and references as maybe recognized and adopted by the Bureau of Food and Drugs from time to time.

SECTION 3. All orders, issuances, rules and regulations, or parts thereof inconsistent with this Executive Order are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 4. This Executive Order shall take effect fifteen (15) days after publication in the Official Gazette.

Adopted: 29 March 2004


By the President:

(SGD.) ALBERTO G. ROMULO
Executive Secretary