WHEREAS, Geronima Tomelden Pecson is one of our illustrious Filipinos who blazed the hitherto unchartered trails for women in the fields of education, culture and sports both locally and internationally;

WHEREAS, in 1947 Geronima T. Pecson became the first and only woman member of the Board of Directors of the Philippine Amateur Athletic Association;

WHEREAS, also in 1947 Geronima T. Pecson was elected first woman Senator of the Philippines where she distinguished herself with authorship and/or sponsorship of landmark bills enacted into laws on education, social, cultural, sports, women and youth, and agriculture, among other important legislations;

WHEREAS, in 1950 Geronima T. Pecson was elected by the delegates from the 60 member nations of UNESCO as the first Filipino and woman member of the Executive Board of that international agency of the United Nations which she served with distinction for eight years;

WHEREAS, on January 26, 1989 UNESCO Director-General Federico Mayor in a testimonial plaque to Geronima T. Pecson in cognizance œof her more than three decades of untiring, outstanding and exemplary support to UNESCO in spirit and in deeds  said in Part:

œIn recognition of exceptional services to her country and people as a model teacher, educator and school administrator . . . as uncompromising champion of youth development as exemplified in having founded in 1966 the Foundation for Youth Development in the Philippines . . . and as a dedicated social worker to the amelioration of the lives of the under-privileged . . . With deep respect for the unfailing resilience of her human spirit inspired by her genuine love for humanity as a whole and her abiding dedication with the millions of people left in illiteracy and despondency, as well as her sagacity, sincerity, simplicity, and force of creativity, which have earned her the distinction of being known to many as Mother UNESCO.  ˜

WHEREAS, December 19, 1996 will mark the centennial of the birth anniversary of this great Filipino woman and it is only fitting that such significant event be commemorated and celebrated with fitting programs, activities and projects not only in her home province of Pangasinan in Luzon but also in the Visayas and Mindanao;

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. A Special Committee is hereby created to take charge of the nationwide preparations to commemorate the centennial of the birth anniversary of Geronima Tomelden Pecson on December 19, 1996, to be composed of the following:

The Committee, in coordination with all agencies concerned, is hereby designated to take charge of the celebration and to undertake the following activities:

a. Prepare the general program of the Centennial and submit a copy of the same to the President for information;

b. Promote and direct an appropriate symposium on the life of Geronima Tomelden Pecson either in Manila or in Pangasinan;

c. Prepare and publish a comprehensive biography of Geronima Tomelden Pecson; and

d. Install a fitting and inspiring monument in honor of the late Senator Geronima Tomelden Pecson in her birth place of Lingayen, Pangasinan.

SEC. 2. The Committee shall be provided with technical and administrative support to be composed of detailed personnel from the National Historical Institute, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and the National Centennial Commission.

SEC. 3. The Committee shall be funded with an initial budget to be drawn from the President ™s Contingent Fund, in an amount to be recommended by the Committee and approved by the President.

SEC. 4. The Committee shall be an ad hoc body and its existence shall terminate upon the completion of all the activities, programs and projects related to the centennial of the birth anniversary of Geronima Tomelden Pecson.

SEC. 5. This Order shall take effect immediately.

Done in the City of Manila, this 25th day of October, 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