Pursuant to the authority conferred upon me by law, in acknowledgment of the need for the implementation of nationwide development programs for the coconut industry as a potent force in economic development and general social welfare, and in view of the industry ™s internal capacity for rapid and expansive growth, I, Diosdado Macapagal, President of the Philippines, do hereby create the Coconut Development Committee under the Office of the President.

1. The Committee shall have the following functions and responsibilities:

(a) As a deliberative body concerned with the problems of the entire coconut industry, to discuss and objectify current situations confronting the industry;

(b) As a recommendatory council representing the interests of the industry, to draft and submit concrete recommendations for implementation by the President or for legislation by Congress concerning policies, action programs and other matters which affect the industry;

(c) As a planning committee concerned mainly with the future requirements for sustained growth of the country, to conduct research and market development programs designed to accomplish the objectives of growth in the coconut industry;

(d) As an implementing body geared toward the proper execution and management of policies and action programs approved and proclaimed by the President, to harness available potential resources, from both government and private sectors for the development of the industry; and

(e) As a coordinating body for all policy, promotional, development, regulatory and research groups directly connected or concerned with the industry, to coordinate, collate, resolve or reconcile the various policies, findings and acts or activities of such groups.

2. The Committee shall be composed of a Chairman, who shall be Mr. Ramon Diaz until another person is designated by the President; a Vice-Chairman, who shall be the representative of the Program Implementation Agency designated by the President; and, as members, a representative each from the following organizations, to be designated by the President upon recommendation of such organizations:

a. Philippine Coconut Producers Federation;
b. Philippine Copra Exporters Association;
c. Coconut Manufacturers Association;
d. Philippine Coconut Administration;
e. Philippine Coconut Research Institute;
f. Office of Economic Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs;
g. Philippine National Bank;
h. Development Bank of the Philippines;
i. Central Bank;
j. National Economic Council

3. The Committee shall be headed by its Chairman who shall be the chief executive officer of the Committee, and will be empowered to appoint such persons or entities and to issue such rules and regulations for the purposes of assisting him in the discharge of his duties and responsibilities and of implementing the objectives and programs of the Committee.

4. The Chairman is also authorized to call directly upon any department, bureau, or office in the executive branch of the government or upon any government-owned or controlled entity or agency for such assistance as the Committee may need, and subject to approval by the President, to requisition for, utilize and make use of, the services of their personnel.

5. The Committee may receive such donations, grants or emoluments as are permitted by law, subject to the usual accounting and auditing requirements.

Done in the City of Manila, this 6th day of September, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and sixty-five.

(Sgd.) DIOSDADO MACAPAGAL
President of the Philippines

By the President:
(Sgd.) RAMON A. DIAZ
Executive Secretary