WHEREAS, overseas chapters of Science and Technology Advisory Councils (STACs) have been organized by Filipinos in New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, New Orleans, Honolulu, Ottawa, Vancouver, Toronto, Stockholm, Vienna and Bangkok;

WHEREAS, the said chapters of STACs have been supporting the Science and Technology (S & T) thrusts of the Philippines by monitoring scientific and technological developments abroad, facilitating technology transfers, and performing voluntary consulting work, and functioning as conduits of assistance for beneficiary groups in the Philippines;

WHEREAS, the National Security Council (NSC) has proposed that the foreign-based STACs be utilized in Philippine capacity-building for technology assessments, acquisitions and referral;

WHEREAS, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) acts as the advisory agency in identifying the S & T requirements for tapping foreign-based scientists as information sources;

WHEREAS, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in collaboration with the DOST serves as the coordinating body in the Philippines in matching the country ™s S & T requirements with expertise of foreign-based scientists through STACnet;

WHEREAS, members of STACs have proven to be effective in tapping foreign-based scientists as information source in coordination with the DFA, thus supporting NSC and DOST in the Science and Technology Agenda for National Development;

WHEREAS, members of STCs are linked worldwide through STACnet, an electronic mail facility in the Internet, a global communications network, thus enabling them to gather and move information faster;

WHEREAS, the first Philippine hook-up to the Internet was made possible by STACnet, proof of their determination to bring new technology to the Philippines;

WHEREAS, members of STACs have created a means to reverse the œbrain-drain  of Filipino experts through their œbrain-gain  program;

WHEREAS, the said chapters of STACs and their volunteer members are valuable partners in the economic development of the Philippines, contributing to overall efforts to achieve the status of newly industrializing country by the year 2000;

WHEREAS, in cities wherein Philippine Embassies and Consulates are located, there is still a large number of untapped expatriate Filipino scientists, technologists, engineers, and applied professional who have expressed their willingness and desire to organize new STAC chapters;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FIDEL V. RAMOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order all Philippine Diplomatic and Consular Posts through the Secretary of Foreign Affairs to assist in organizing expatriate Filipino scientists, technologists, engineers, and allied professionals in their jurisdictions into overseas chapters of the Science and Technology Advisory Council.

This order shall take effect immediately.

Done in the City of Manila, this 9th day of August, 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