WHEREAS, the birth of the Republic of the Philippines is to be celebrated in 1998, and the centennial presents an important vehicle for fostering nationhood and a strong sense of Filipino identity;

WHEREAS, the centennial can effectively showcase Filipino heritage and thereby strengthen Filipino values;

WHEREAS, the success of the Centennial Celebrations may be insured only through long-range planning and continuous developmental programming;

WHEREAS, the active participation of the private sector in all areas of special expertise and capability, particularly in communication and information dissemination, is necessary for long-range planning and continuous developmental programming;

WHEREAS, there is a need to create a body which shall initiate and undertake the primary task of harnessing the multisectoral components from the business, cultural, and media sectors to serve as effective instruments for the launching and overseeing of this long-term project;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, CORAZON C. AQUINO, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. The Committee for the National Centennial Celebrations in 1998, hereinafter referred to as the Committee, is hereby constituted to take charge of the nationwide preparations for the National Celebration of the Philippine Centennial of the Declaration of Philippine Independence, and the Inauguration of the Malolos Congress. The Committee shall be composed of six (6) representatives from the Presidential Commission for Culture and the Arts (PCCA), and five (5) representatives from the Philippine Centennial Foundation, Inc. (PCFI). They shall be appointed by the President upon their nomination by their respective groups.

The Committee members shall elect among themselves the Chairman and Vice Chairman, and such other officers as they may deem necessary.

SEC. 2. The Committee shall have the following powers:

1. To undertake the overall study, formulation and implementation of programs and projects on the utilization of culture, arts, and media as vehicles for value education in the context of the Centennial Celebration;
   
   
2. To act as principal coordinator for all the activities related to awareness and celebration of the centennial;
   
   
3. To constitute sub-committees and working groups which shall undertake the implementation of the programs and projects; and,
   
   
4. To call upon the assistance of any government agency or instrumentality and corporations, and to invite private individuals and organizations to assist it in the performance of its tasks.

SEC. 3. This Administrative Order shall take effect immediately.

Done in the City of Manila this 13th day of June in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and ninety-one.


By the President:
(Sgd.) OSCAR M. ORBOS
Executive Secretary