WHEREAS , the Philippines seeks to attain its vision of a newly industrializing country by the year 2000 through the twin strategies of global competitiveness and people empowerment;

WHEREAS, in pursuing this vision, the Philippine government should develop and strengthen its industries to be internationally competitive;

WHEREAS, the fashion industry is now faced with stiff competition in the global markets and will have to improve its global competitive position by upgrading its technologies and manpower skills;

WHEREAS, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is empowered to develop the capabilities of industry to upgrade the quality of products according to competitive international standards;

WHEREAS, in response to new world developments, the DTI sees the need to establish a fashion design and technology institute that will develop the Philippine ™s fashion industry ™s human and technical resources in the files of design, pattern making, manufacturing technology, merchandising and export marketing;

WHEREAS, the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), a state university of New York, and an internationally recognized institute in the field of art and design, business and technology, has assisted developing countries such as India and Brazil in establishing and later strengthening their respective institutes of design and technology;

WHEREAS, the FIT has extended its assistance to the DTI by allowing its faculty and experts to undertake the initial studies that will lead to the establishment of an Asian Institute of Design and Technology in Manila and to conduct training programs designed to upgrade the professional skills of the fashion industry workforce at subsidized rates;

WHEREAS, there is an urgent need to progress the plan to establish the AIDT into its implementation stage and to continue the conduct of the training programs which will help build up systems and programs that upgrade the technical skills of the fashion industry ™s manpower within the next three years;

WHEREAS, the Technical Education and Skills Authority (TESDA) was vested with the primary responsibility of formulating continuing coordinated and fully integrated technical education and skills development policies and was also empowered to review and recommend action to concerned authorities on proposed technical assistance programs for technical education or skills development;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FIDEL V. RAMOS , President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby authorize the Department of Trade and Industry, for a period of three years, to oversee the progression of the plan and implementation of establishing the Asian Institute of Design and Technology.

SECTION 1. Task of the Department of Trade and Industry. The Department of Trade and Industry shall exercise the following task and responsibilities as overseer of the Project:

1. Negotiate and conclude contracts with the Fashion Institute of Technology of New York in the continued conduct of the needed training programs for the garment export industry that will lead to the establishment of the AIDT; and

2. Coordinate with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) on matters of training design, content and implementation to ensure that the curricula address the needs of the fashion design export industry.

SEC. 2. Funding. The DTI is authorized to secure and provide the funds necessary for the implementation of the project and to authorize the Philippine Trade and Training Center (PTTC) to collect seminar fees and deposit said fees into revolving funds that will be used for the project.

SEC. 3. Effectivity. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 22nd day of May in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Seven.

(SGD.) FIDEL V. RAMOS

By the President:

(SGD.) LUIS C. LIWANAG II
Acting Executive Secretary