WHEREAS , rabies is a dangerous disease of dog transmissible to humans through the bite of an infected animal;

WHEREAS , approximately 560,000 bite cases are reported every year;

WHEREAS , rabies accounts for the loss of approximately 300-400 Filipino lives every year and causes much agony and suffering to victims and their families before death;

WHEREAS , the disease can be prevented through mass immunization of pet dogs and responsible pet ownership;

WHEREAS , leashing of dogs and control of stray dogs are important complementary strategies in the control and eradication of rabies;

WHEREAS , information and education on rabies prevention measures, first aid for dog bites, and other relevant facts concerning rabies are critical for its eradication;

WHEREAS , the failure to eradicate rabies in the country greatly affects the public health and safety of the Filipino people;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA , President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby declare that the month of March every year shall henceforth be known as the Rabies Awareness Month, and order:

SECTION 1. A massive information drive on rabies shall be held nationwide every year in the month of March, complemented by a mass immunization of dogs in key areas nationwide and that the vaccines shall be provided for free to the public.

SEC. 2. During the Rabies Awareness Month, the cooperating agencies of the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Animal Industry (DA-BAI), Department of Health-Communicable Disease Control Service (DOH-CDCS), Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) - Provincial Veterinary Office shall conduct seminars, fora, radio and television plugs, symposiums and other information campaigns in coordination with one another.

The DA-BAI shall procure sufficient number of vaccines, and vaccination paraphernalia to cover the key areas during the mass immunization of dogs nationwide;

SEC. 3. There is hereby created a National Rabies Prevention and Control Committee (NRPCC) to be composed of representatives from DA-BAI, DOH-CDCS, DECS, DILG and NGO (Philippine Veterinary Medical Association [PVMA], Veterinary Practitioners Association of Philippines [VPAP] and the Philippine Society of Veterinary Public Health [PSVPH]) to formulate policies and coordinate implementation of the national rabies prevention and control program (NRPCP). A Rabies Control Section shall be created at the BAI which shall be responsible for the implementation and monitoring of the NRPCP.

SEC. 4. All concerned government agencies, including local government units, shall immediately report to the BAI any occurrence of the diseases in their respective areas of jurisdiction. They shall provide all necessary assistance to the BAI-NRPC Task Force operating within their jurisdictions. Further, in case a local government unit is declared as a rabies-infected area by the DA-BAI, five (5) percent of the contingency fund allocated from its Internal Revenue Allotment may be used for the procurement of vaccines and vaccination paraphernalia necessary for the control of rabies in their respective areas.

SEC. 5. Subject to government accounting and auditing procedures, the amount of forty million pesos (PHP 40,000,000.00) shall be allocated for the rabies awareness month every fiscal year to cover the cost of the rabies vaccines and the cost of the printing of information materials as well as the cost of the radio and television plugs, and logistical expenses for the information and immunization campaigns. The Department of Budget and Management shall allocate from the lump sum appropriations of the General Appropriations Act the necessary amount. Funding for the succeeding year shall be included in the budget proposal of the Department of Health.

SEC. 6. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 13th  day of March, in the year of our Lord, nineteen hundred and ninety nine.

(SGD.) JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA
President of the Philippines

By the President:

(SGD.) RONALDO B. ZAMORA
Executive Secretary