WHEREAS, the Philippines is a major world producer of abaca and as such must sustain the ever-increasing ˜ demand from all sectors dependent on it for raw materials to manufacture marine cordage, pulp and paper, handicrafts and all other abaca-based products;

WHEREAS, in addition to the current program of the Department of Agriculture to rehabilitate and develop the abaca industry, the forthcoming 8th session of the FAO Inter-governmental Group on Hard Fibers to be held in Manila would undoubtedly drum up more enthusiastic response from among our abaca farmers/producers;

WHEREAS, as host to the FAO ™s Session on Hard Fibers which will be held in Manila on January 22-25, 1975, the first FAO Conference ever held in Asia and only the second outside of Rome, would considerably prove to the world the changes and achievements of our New Society;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby constitute and create a Committee to supervise and coordinate the necessary preparations and arrangements for the forthcoming FAO Conference on Hard Fibers in Manila and undertake liaison work with the FAO Secretariat in Rome, such Committee to be composed of the following:

Agriculture Undersecretary J. D. Drilon, Jr.	-	Chairman
Mr. Arcadio D. Sarmiento, Department of Agriculture	-	Vice-Chairman
Mr. Vidalito F. Ranoa, Department of Trade	-	Member
Mrs. Ramona Miguel, Board of Investments	-	Member
Mr. Verden Dangilan, Development Bank of the Philippines	-	Member
Mr. Manuel Soliven, Philippine National Bank	-	Member
Mr. Ernesto Singson, Department of Tourism	-	Member
Mr. Sergio A. Barrera, Department of Foreign Affairs	-	Member
Mr. Lorenzo Cruz, Bureau of National Foreign Information	-	Member
Mr. Marcelino de Guzman, Department of National Defense	-	Member
Mr. Bernardo Ricarte, Bureau of Customs	-	Member
Mr. Bernardo G. Silverio, Isarog Pulp and Paper-Co.	-	Adviser
Mr. Jose R. Mejia, Columbian Philippines, Co.	-	Adviser

The Committee is empowered to call upon any department, bureau, office, agency or instrumentality of the government for such assistance as it may need for the accomplishment of its task.

Done in the City of Manila, this 2nd day of December, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-four.


(Sgd.) ALEJANDRO MELCHOR
Executive Secretary