WHEREAS, the government recognizes that the opportunities for full participation in development and equality of persons with disabilities, particularly in the field of employment, continue to be far less than those available to their able-bodied peers;

WHEREAS, with such recognition and by virtue of the Philippines ™ membership in the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP), Proclamation No. 125 has been issued to commence the nationwide observance of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons (1993-2002);

WHEREAS, the Eighth Congress of the Philippines, in its Third Regular Session, ratified ILO Convention No. 159 which promotes employment opportunities for all categories of disabled persons based on the principles of equal opportunity and treatment;

WHEREAS, Republic Act No. 7277, otherwise known as the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons, was signed into law on 24 March 1992 with specific provisions for their employment; and

WHEREAS, efforts from both the public and private sectors must be coordinated and intensified to give meaning and substance to the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons and other relevant laws on employment to facilitate their integration into the mainstream of society, in general, and the labor force, in particular;

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 order that:

SECTION 1. There is hereby established a Committee on Employment Promotion, Protection and Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, hereinafter referred to as the Committee. The Committee shall be chaired by the Secretary of Labor and Employment with the following members:

1. Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development;

2. Secretary of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports;

3. Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry;

4. Secretary of the Department of Health;

5. Secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government;

6. Chairman of the Civil Service Commission;

7. Director General of the Technology and Livelihood Resource Center;

8. Executive Director of the Employees ™ Compensation Commission;

9. Director General of the Philippine Information Agency;

10. Executive Director of the National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons;

11. President of the Katipunan ng May Kapansanan sa Pilipinas, Inc.;

12. Two (2) representatives of Employers ™ groups;

13. Two (2) representatives of the Labor sector; and

14. Three (3) representatives of NGOs for the impaired/disabled.

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

1. To coordinate and monitor the implementation of and compliance with the employment provisions of the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons, and other relevant laws;

2. To develop, coordinate and implement a continuing program of public information and education designed to provide increased employment opportunities for persons with disabilities;

3. To foster, strengthen and ensure cooperation among all government agencies, private organizations and individuals, in collaboration with the International Labor Organization in the enhancement of employment of persons with disabilities by promoting the alignment of their policies and programs with the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons and other relevant laws;

4. To identify, formulate and advocate legislative and administrative measures and policies designed to promote, protect and uplift the welfare and employment of persons with disabilities; and

5. To promote and assist in the conduct of relevant studies and researches on vocational rehabilitation, occupational safety and health, and in the conduct of awareness-raising and advocacy, particularly those pertaining to equalization of opportunities and participation of persons with disabilities in national development.

SEC. 3. The Committee, through the Chairperson, shall make a periodic report of its activities to the President.

SEC. 4. The Bureau of Local Employment of the Department of Labor and Employment shall serve as the Committee ™s Secretariat and liaison/coordinating arm with Congress and other government agencies.

SEC. 5. All participating government agencies shall include in their respective Annual Work and Financial Plans the necessary budget for the implementation of this Order.

SEC. 6. This Executive Order shall take effect upon its signing.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 17th day of July, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Five.

(Sgd.) FIDEL V. RAMOS
President of the Philippines

By the President:

(Sgd.) RUBEN D. TORRES
Executive Secretary