WHEREAS, the Government has set among its goals the self-sufficiency of the country in its food requirements and the full development of its scientific resources;

WHEREAS, through research in agriculture, natural resources, industry, science and technology, the means to achieve these goals could be best identified;

WHEREAS, it is necessary that research in agriculture, natural resources, industry, science and technology, be afforded utmost encouragement and divorced from restraints; and

WHEREAS, the more of scientific and technological research underscore the urgent need for administrative reforms and a system of incentives that will stimulate the country's scientists and technologists towards more creative, fruitful and satisfying research activities and thereby accelerate the attainment of self-sufficiency of the country's food requirements and the full development of its industrial potential.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby order and decree:

SECTION l. Hiring of retired scientists and technical personnel. An employee retired under any existing law who, in the judgment of cither the governing board of a research agency or the research agency head, possesses technical qualifications and the capability to undertake specific scientific research activities, may be hired on contract basis without refunding the unexpired portion of the gratuity and accumulated leave benefits received by him from the government.

SEC. 2. Hiring through contract of other research project personnel. For purposes of undertaking scientific and technological research activities that are by nature highly technical and essentially temporary, other qualified persons may be hired on contract basis for assignment in research projects.

SEC. 3. Exemption from Civil Service rule on nepotism. The appointment of research personnel to positions of research assistant and upwards shall not be covered by the civil service rule on nepotism in consideration of the highly technical nature of these positions.

SEC. 4. Sabbatical leave privilege of scientists. Any scientist, who in the judgment of the governing board of a research agency is entitled to sabbatical leave, may be granted such leave upon application under the terms and conditions that may be promulgated by the governing board.

SEC. 5. Honoraria of researchers, technical and support personnel. Honoraria of researchers, technical, and support personnel whose assistance may be sought by the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Resources Research (PCARR) or whose services are engaged in research projects monitored and or supervised by the PCARR or the National Science Development Board, shall not be pegged to the basic salary that they receive from their respective agency. The amount of honoraria that may be paid to them directly shall conform with a schedule formulated by the PCARR on the basis of research out put and in consultation with the National Science Development Board and related research and educational institutions and approved by the Governing Council.

SEC. 6. Payment of hardship and/or hazard allowance. Hardship and/or hazard allowance may be paid to research, technical and supportive personnel who are engaged in research that cause hardship and/or hazard to health and life in amounts pre-determined by the research agency concerned.

SEC. 7. Travel expenses of research agency teams and other authorized personnel. Duly receipted actual expenses for lodging of researchers, research team members, and other authorized personnel doing or evaluating research projects outside their official stations may be reimbursed to them upon application subject, however, to the availability of funds. Expenses for subsistence incurred by then shall be reimbursed at rates prevailing in the particular locality as may be certified by the Commission on Audit.

SEC. 8. Travel insurance of researchers and technical personnel. Premiums for the individual accident insurance of researchers and technical personnel of research agencies traveling by air, water, and land transportation, may be paid at government expense; Provided, That the amount of the individual accident insurance does not exceed P100,000 and the purpose and duration of the trip has the prior approval of the research agency head or his duly authorized representative.

SEC. 9. Purchase of locally produced or manufactured articles. When the price of locally produced or manufactured articles is from 10% to 20% lower than that listed in the NACIDA price lists, purchase of these articles may be made from the sources offering the lower prices.

SEC. 10. Exemption from the ban on the purchase of equipment. Procurement of scientific equipment and necessary accessories needed for research in science and technology, in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, mineral resources, in industry and engineering and other related fields, except petroleum and other mineral oils, may be exempted from any ban, provided that the need for the equipment and accessories to be purchased has been evaluated and certified by either the PCARR or the NSDB.

SEC. 11. Procurement of supplies, materials and equipment without the benefit of public bidding. Supplies, materials, and equipment in amounts not exceeding P5,000, in each case, may be purchased without the benefit of public bidding, when these are urgently in the priority listing of the national agricultural research program established by PCARR pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 48, as amended, or by NSDB for use in industrial research and other research areas not covered by PCARR. When purchases of similar urgency and falling within the same priorities are made from reputable and duly licensed manufacturers, in the case of supplies, materials, and equipment of Philippine-make or origin or from exclusive distributors or agents in the Philippines, in the case of imported supplies, materials, and equipment, the requirement of public bidding way be waived where the amount of the purchase is more than P5,000.

SEC. 12. Deposit of government funds for research activities. Grants of financial assistance made by PCARR for researches in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and mineral resources, except petroleum, and other mineral oils, pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 43, as amended, NSDB for industrial and other research areas, may be released to the researchers and deposited with the Philippine National Bank or its branches or with rural banks or other private commercial banks where there are no branches of the Philippine National Banks or rural banks nearest the locale of the research projects.

SEC. 13. Purchase of Large Cattle. Large cattle, including carabaos, horses, mules, asses and other members of the bovine family to be used in research work may be procured without the intervention of the Bureau of Animal Industry, provided that the agency engaged in the research is properly authorized to conduct such research by reason of its acknowledged capability.

SEC. 14. Construction and or repair of infrastructures and other facilities for research. Infrastructures and other facilities for research in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and mineral resources, except petroleum and other mineral oils, to be constructed and or repaired in research centers included in the PCARR research network in the country or by the NSDB, irrespective of the source of funds, shall be carried out by or under the control and supervision of the PCARR, or the NSDB; in particular sections 1901 and 1917 of the Revised Administrative Code, as amended, shall not apply to any such construction and or repairs.

SEC. 15. All acts, parts of acts, executive orders, rules and regulations which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Presidential Decree are hereby deemed repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.

SEC. 16. This Decree shall take effect immediately.

Done in the City of Manila, this 11th day of June in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-eight.

 

(Sgd.) FERDINAND E. MARCOS
President of the Philippines

   

 

By the President:    

(Sgd.) JACOBO C. CLAVE  

  Presidential Executive Assistant