WHEREAS, the Philippine Government has long exerted efforts to uplift the living conditions and the welfare of the prisoners serving sentence in various penal institutions in the country;

WHEREAS, the problems raised in the past with respect to these penal institutions have dealt mainly on the lack of manageable and efficient systems for the confinement and rehabilitation of prisoners, as exhibited in the long-recognized problems of congestion, lack of available penal and rehabilitative institutions, and an inability to segregate various type of offenders;

WHEREAS, as early as 1972, legislation had already been enacted to resolve these problems, but despite said legislation and succeeding efforts of the Philippine Government, the above-mentioned problems have continued to plague the country ™s penal system, a situation which calls for the modernization and development of the various penal institutions in the country, particularly the National Penitentiary located at Muntinlupa;

WHEREAS, in consonance with the modernization and development efforts of the present government, there is a need to restudy the continued stay of the National penitentiary at Muntinlupa, with the possibility of disposing such property;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby create a Presidential Committee to be given the primary responsibility of studying and taking measures for the modernization and development of the various penal institutions in the country. The Committee shall have the following members:

1.	Executive Secretary	Chairman
2.	Secretary of Justice	Vice-Chairman
3.	Secretary of Budget and Management	Member
4.	Secretary of Public Works and Highways	Member
5.	Chairman, Public Estates Authority	Member

The Committee shall coordinate with the Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives, and with the Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations of the same chamber, with the former tasked to identify the necessary funds to be provided in the annual budget, among other source, in connection with the planned modernization and development.

The Committee shall brief the President regarding possible recommendations on the continued stay of the national penitentiary at Muntinlupa. The probability of transferring said penal institution, or its disposal, should be taken into consideration.

The Committee may call upon any department, bureau, office, agency or instrumentalities on the Government for such assistance as it may need in the performance of its functions.

The Committee shall submit to the President a periodic report of its activities.

(SGD.) JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA
President of the Philippines

By the President:

(SGD.) RONALDO B. ZAMORA
Executive Secretary

26 OCT 1998