WHEREAS, the Committees on Trade of both the Senate and the House of Representatives have yet to finalize their respective bills to eradicate racketeers and pernicious syndicates in the Philippines;

WHEREAS, the signing into law of a bill that shall effectively arrest the pernicious practice of criminal organization will be to the best interest of the government;

WHEREAS, such a bill should take into consideration the concerns of various government agencies tasked with fighting syndicated crimes in the country;

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:

SECTION 1. Composition. - There is hereby constituted a Committee that shall formulate a bill to eliminate criminal and harmful syndicates in the Philippines, which shall be composed of the Secretary of Justice, as Chairman, with the following as Members:

1. The Secretary of Trade and Industry
2. The Secretary of Finance
3. The Chairman, Presidential Commission on Good Government
4. The Chief, Presidential Legal Counsel

SEC. 2. Secretariat. - The Office of the Assistant Executive Secretary for Legislative Affairs shall provide the secretariat support to the Committee.

SEC. 3. Reportorial Requirement. - The Committee shall submit to the President, within 30 days from the effectivity of this Order, the final version of the formulated bill for his approval.

SEC. 4. Effectivity. - This Administrative Order shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 13th day of January, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Seven.

By Authority of the President:
(Sgd.) RUBEN D. TORRES
Executive Secretary