WHEREAS, Article II, Section 24 of the 1987 Constitution declares that the State recognizes the vital role of communication and information in nation-building;

WHEREAS, Article III, Section 4 of the 1987 Constitution reaffirms the commitment of the State to guarantee the freedom of the press;

WHEREAS, the Press Foundation of Asia, which represents various publishing houses and national press institutes in the Asia region will hold its Fourth One Asia Assembly in Manila on February 18 to 22, 1990, as a sequel to the previous One Asia Assemblies that have been held in Manila (1970), Bali (1971) and New Delhi (1973);

WHEREAS, the One Asia Assembly is a continuing conference which seeks to promote the aspirations of the Asian Media and the people of Asia;

WHEREAS, the One Asia Assembly 1990, with the theme œPeople, Media and Power - Moving into the 21st Century,  endeavors to provide the forum for Asian political leaders, journalists, intergovernmental institutions, economists, business corporations and investment bankers to discuss major concerns of our time;

WHEREAS, recent events, both here and abroad, have demonstrated the power of mass media as catalyst of change.

WHEREAS, it is now incumbent upon the Philippine Government to undertake such preparations as are necessary to support the efforts of Press Foundation of Asia in organizing the Fourth One Asia Assembly in Manila and to promote wide participation in the Assembly, thus ensuring its success;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, CORAZON C. AQUINO, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby create the National Organizing Committee for the Fourth One Asia Assembly, hereinafter referred to as the Committee.

The Committee shall be composed of the following:

The Secretary of Foreign Affairs - Honorary Chairman The Secretary of Education, Culture & Sports - Member The Secretary of National Defense - Member The Secretary of Tourism - Member The Secretary of Transportation and Communications - Member The Press Secretary - Member The Presidential Spokesman - Member The Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines - Member The Designated over-all Chairman and duly authorized Board Committee members from the Press Foundation of Asia - Members

These Committee members may designate their permanent representatives in case of their inability to participate personally in the work of the Committee.

The Committee shall establish a Secretariat jointly with the Press Foundation for Asia to implement the policies and guidelines formulated by the Committee.

The Committee may call upon any agency and instrumentality of the Government, as well as private organizations and individuals concerned, to lend support and assistance to the Committee in the performance of its tasks to ensure the success of the conference.

Such amount as may be necessary for the operation of the Committee, its Secretariat and the holding of the conference shall be charged equally against the available funds of the Departments represented in the said Committee starting with the Department of Foreign Affairs and ending with the Office of the Press Secretary.

This Administrative Order shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 31st day of January, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and ninety.


By the President:
(Sgd.) CATALINO MACARAIG, JR.
Executive Secretary