Cognizant of the numerous complaints being received by the Office of the President regarding the manner the various officials and personnel of the different Executive Departments, bureaus, offices, agencies, instrumentalities and government-owned or controlled corporations are performing the duties entrusted to them by law and complaints against the acts, conduct or behaviour of any official or employee thereof, and for the purpose of expediting actions on all such complaints and encouraging public participation in making government service more responsive to the needs of the people, I, RAMON MAGSAYSAY, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, hereby create the Complaints and Action Committee in the Office of the President.

1. The Complaints and Action Committee shall be directly under and responsible solely to the President of the Philippines.

2. The Complaints and Action Committee shall be headed by a Technical Assistant to be designated by the President, who shall be known as Chairman, and shall be composed of such personnel as may be required to properly carry out its duties and functions. Personnel of other departments, bureaus, offices, agencies or instrumentalities of the government may, upon recommendation of the Chairman, be assigned or detailed to the Committee.

3. The Presidential Complaints and Action Committee shall have the following duties and functions:

a. To receive, process and evaluate, and to conduct or cause the performance of preliminary fact-finding investigations of, complaints regarding the manner the various executive departments, bureaus, offices, agencies or instrumentalities of the government, including government-owned or controlled corporations are performing the duties entrusted to them by law;

b. To receive, process and evaluate, and to conduct or cause the performance of preliminary fact-finding investigations of, sworn complaints against the acts, conduct or behaviour of any official or employee of any of the executive departments, bureaus, offices, agencies, or instrumentalities of the government, including government-owned or controlled corporations;

c. To refer and/or recommend to the governmental agency concerned for appropriate action all such complaints as may be received by the Committee to the end that justice, economy, efficiency and a high standard of morality may be observed and effected in the various branches, departments, bureaus, offices, agencies and instrumentalities of the government, including government-owned or controlled corporations;

d. To keep the President of the Philippines informed on the implementation of government measures designed to improve the public service and the efficiency of government personnel;

e. To make and submit from time to time appropriate recommendations for the improvement of the administration of the government and its essential services and operations; and

f. To perform such other duties and related functions as the President of the Philippines may from time to time assign to it.

4. The Chairman of the Presidential Complaints and Action Committee is hereby authorized to utilize and allow the use of any form of transportation or means of conveyance in his official travels or those of the Committee personnel.

5. The Chairman or his representative may summon witnesses by subpoena and subpoena duces tecum, administer oaths and take testimony relevant to the preliminary fact-finding investigation conducted by them.

6. All departments, bureaus, offices, agencies and instrumentalities of the government, including the government-owned and controlled corporations, are enjoined to extend full assistance and cooperation to the Chairman of the Presidential Complaints and Action Committee or his representative. To facilitate this arrangement, the heads of all executive departments, bureaus, offices, agencies and instrumentalities of the government, including government-owned and controlled corporations, shall designate an official whose services shall be made available to the Presidential Complaints and Action Committee whenever such services are required on matters pertaining to their respective departments, bureaus, offices, agencies or entities.

This Executive Order supersedes Executive Order No. 1, dated December 30, 1953.

Done in the City of Manila, this 17th day of March, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and fifty-four, and of the Independence of the Philippines, the eighth.

(Sgd.) RAMON MAGSAYSAY
President of the Philippines

By the President:
(Sgd.) FRED RUIZ CASTRO
Executive Secretary