WHEREAS, under Executive Order No. 128, series of 1993, the National Centennial Commission (COMMISSION) has been tasked œto 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; 

WHEREAS, among the priority projects lined up by the COMMISSION in connection with the centennial celebrations of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence in 1998 and the Inauguration of the Malolos Congress in 1999, are the following:

œ1. restoration of major national shrines like the Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite; the Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan; the Rizal Shrines in Calamba, Laguna and Dapitan; the Mabini Shrines in Tanauan, Batangas, and Pandacan, Manila; and other historical sites and landmarks;

œ2. holding of an international exposition at Clark Field with all nations that have touched our history participating;

œ3. an international conference to be attended and participated in by eminent local and international historians and scholars on Rizal and the events that led to the Revolution;

œ4. construction of a national monument to serve as a national landmark which will house the National Library and the National Museum to be known as the ˜Heritage Center ™;

œ5. a Freedom Heritage Trail to mark the path blazed by the leaders of the Revolution from Kawit, Cavite to Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan; and

œ6. a bio-film on Dr. Jose Rizal of high international quality and impact to be produced and shown in 1996 on the occasion of the centennial of Rizal ™s martyrdom. 

WHEREAS, the funds appropriated yearly by Congress for the maintenance and operation of the COMMISSION are not sufficient to enable the COMMISSION to implement the above projects and the other plans and programs of the COMMISSION for the centennial celebrations;

WHEREAS, to enable the COMMISSION to finance its various plans, programs and activities, it is necessary to authorize it to solicit donations, contributions and other forms of financial assistance from the government and private sectors and to engage in other fund-raising activities;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FIDEL V. RAMOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order as follows:

SECTION 1. Executive Order No. 128, series of 1993, is hereby amended by inserting a new Section between Sections 2 and 3 thereof, to be known as Section 2-A, and which shall read as follows:

œSEC. 2-A. The Commission is hereby empowered and authorized to call upon any government agency or instrumentality, including government-owned and/or controlled corporations and their subsidiaries and non-governmental or private organizations or institutions and individuals, for financial and other forms of assistance, such as, but not limited to, donations, contributions and the like, and to engage in other fund-raising activities that will generate the resources needed in the implementation of its various programs and projects.

Any and all moneys received by the Commission as contributions, donations, and other forms of financial assistance as well as the income that it may derive from its fund-raising activities as herein authorized shall be retained by the Commission and shall partake of a trust fund to be deposited in its account with a government depository bank of its choice. These moneys/funds shall be spent by the Commission solely for the implementation of its approved plans, programs, projects and activities in the pursuit of its purposes and objectives.

The management, utilization and disposition of funds derived by the Commission from the sources herein identified shall be the exclusive prerogative and responsibility of the Commission, subject to usual accounting and auditing laws, rules and regulations. 

SEC. 2. This Executive Order takes effect immediately.

Done in the City of Manila, this 27th day of March in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Six.

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

By the President:

(Sgd.) RUBEN D. TORRES
Executive Secretary