WHEREAS, in response to these needs, the Government through the Department of Energy and the National Power Corporation have proposed construction of the San Roque Multi-Purpose Dam Project (SRMDP) in San Manuel and San Nicolas, Pangasinan, and Itogon, Benguet through a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) scheme;

WHEREAS, the SRMDP is expected to generate 345 megawatts of reliable hydropower, irrigate about 87,000 hectares of farmlands and reduce by 50% the perennial inundation of at least 16 towns in Pangasinan and Tarlac;

WHEREAS, to soften the impact on communities that will be affected by the SRMDP ™s construction, the Government had initiated a host of institutional, infrastructural and program-specific responses with due regard for just and adequate compensation, suitable relocation and livelihood opportunities and preservation of history, culture and traditions particularly that of the Ibaloi tribe in Benguet;

WHEREAS, in the conduct of the advocacy program for the social acceptance of the SRMDP, the participation and cooperation of a large number of government agencies and local government units were solicited to make the campaign holistic and comprehensive;

WHEREAS, with the start of the construction of the project this year, the Presidential Task Force on the SRMDP, created pursuant to Memorandum Order No. 334, series of 1996, shall cease to exist;

WHEREAS, there exists a need for a new body to oversee and ensure the successful completion of the various programs and projects committed by the line agencies and the LGUs;

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 the following:

SECTION 1. There is hereby created an Inter-Agency Task Force which shall be composed of the following:

Secretary, Department of Energy	- Chairman
Secretary, Department of Environment and Natural Resources	- Co-Chairman
Presidential Assistant for Social Development	- Co-Chairman
Secretary, Department of Public Works and Highways	- Member
Secretary, Department of Agriculture	- Member
Presidential Assistant for Budget Affairs	- Member
Presidential Assistant for Cordillera Affairs	- Member
Administrator, National Irrigation Administration	- Member
Governor, Province of Pangasinan	- Member
Governor, Province of Benguet	- Member
Mayor, San Manuel, Pangasinan	- Member
Mayor, San Nicolas, Pangasinan	- Member
Mayor, Itogon, Benguet	- Member
President, National Power Corporation	- Member
General Manager, Philippine Tourism Authority	- Member
Head, Agno Flood Control Project Management Office, Pangasinan	- Member
Regional Director, Philippine National Police Region I	- Member

The members may designate their permanent representatives to the Sub-Task-Force.

The existing Secretariat of the Presidential Task Force on the SRMDP shall continue to undertake its functions taking into consideration the expanded mandate of the newly created Task Force.

SEC. 2. The Task Force shall have the following functions:

2.1	coordinate and monitor the activities of the three (3) Committees created to address the concerns of the affected communities, namely, the Siltation Steering Committee, the Ambuklao-Binga Dams Claims Committee, and the Project Monitoring Committee. These committees shall henceforth report regularly to the Task Force;
2.2	provide administrative and institutional liaisoning assistance towards the speedy implementation of various infrastructure and livelihood projects, including those in the Memorandum of Agreement signed between the National Power Corporation and the affected local government units;
2.3	ensure the proper coordination with relevant agencies to maintain peace and order in the project area, including safety of personnel and equipment;
2.4	continue to undertake and maintain a public information program that will highlight the beneficial impact of the project, as well as clarify the misconceptions and disinformation about its nature, effects, and purpose; and
2.5	undertake such other duties and functions as may be necessary to perform its mandate.

SEC. 3. The funding of activities necessary to carry out the mandate of this Order shall come from the appropriate budget of participating agencies. The amount of P1,000,000.00 for the operational requirements of the Secretariat shall come from the National Power Corporation.

SEC. 4. The Task Force shall cease to exist six (6) months after the completion of the SRMDP.

SEC. 5. Any provision of previous related issuances contrary to this order are hereby superseded.

SEC. 6. This Order shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 27th day of June, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Seven.

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

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