I, FIDEL V. RAMOS , President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby amend Executive Order No. 190 dated 19 July 1994, and order the following:

SECTION 1. Section 2 is hereby amended to include the following additional functions of the NITC

a. Advise the President, Congress, and other sectors of government and business on IT policy and its various aspects;

b. Coordinate and oversee the implementation of IT21 and its successor plans;

c. Harmonize and coordinate all IT public initiatives, programs, and projects to ensure their consistency with the goals of IT21;

d. Source necessary funds both from the private and public sectors to support the implementation of the IT21;

e. Promote strategic partnership and alliances among local firms and institutions with leading international R&D, educational and training institutions, technology providers, developers, and manufacturers to speed up industry growth;

Create and maintain a national database on IT as part of the national statistical system;

g. Perform such other functions as may be assigned by the President.

SEC. 2. Section 3 is hereby revised to read as follows:

œSection 3. The Council shall have the following composition:

Secretary, Department of Science and Technology	Chairman
Director General, National Economic and Development Authority	Co-Chairman
Private Sector Representative	Co-Chairman
Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry	Member
Secretary, Department of Education Culture and Sports	Member
Secretary, Department of Budget and Management	Member
Chairman, Commission on Higher Education	Member
Secretary, Department of Transportation and Communication	Member
Director General, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority	Member
Managing Director, National Computer Center	Member
One 1) Representative each from the federation of private industries directly related to information technology sector	Member

The Private Sector Representatives, including the Co-Chairman, shall be appointed by the Council for a term of not more than three (3) years each.

The Council shall also establish a Secretariat to be composed of government and private sectors, to provide technical and administrative support to the Council. 

The Council may create, as may be necessary, Committees, advisory bodies and other Technical Working Groups for the furtherance of its objectives.

SEC. 3 Section 6 is hereby revised to read as follows:

œSection 6. The operational budget of the Council shall be sourced from its members to be determined and agreed upon by the Council. 

SEC. 4. Repealing Clause. All issuances, orders, rules, and regulations or parts thereof which are inconsistent with any of the provision of this Executive Order are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 5. Effectivity. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, on this 23rd day of February in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Eight.

(SGD.) FIDEL V. RAMOS
President of the Philippines

By the President:

(SGD.) ALEXANDER P. AGUIRRE
Executive Secretary