WHEREAS, the Government is committed to strengthen the country's resilience against earthquakes to ensure public safety, government and business continuity, and national security;

WHEREAS, the Valley Fault System, consisting of the West and East Valley Faults, poses a tremendous threat of a potentially catastrophic earthquake in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, including Pampanga, Bataan, Zambales, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Batangas, and Quezon, among others, which constitute the Greater Metro Manila Area (GMMA);

WHEREAS, in view of the magnitude of this potential devastation and its repercussions, there is an urgent need to enhance the resiliency of GMMA being the seat of the national government and the main hub of the country's economic, financial, political, and educational centers;

WHEREAS, addressing the foregoing urgent need calls for an innovative approach that goes beyond "business-as-usual" structures, processes, and systems, and includes the establishment of an office that will bridge the gaps of the current bureaucratic framework, work on a full-time, sustained and integrated manner, and focus solely on enhancing the earthquake resiliency of the GMMA;

WHEREAS, the Government adopts a "Two-pronged Strategy Towards an Earthquake Resilient GMMA," consisting of immediate and long-term measures to reduce risks and vulnerabilities of communities and strengthen critical infrastructures; and

WHEREAS, under Section 17, Article VII of the 1987 Constitution, the President shall have control over all the executive departments, bureaus, and offices;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and existing laws, do hereby order the following:

Section 1. Creation and Mandate. The Program Management Office for Earthquake Resiliency of the GMMA, hereinafter referred to as the "PMO-ERG," is hereby created under the Office of the President (OP). The PMO-ERG shall have the following mandates:

a) Spearhead the immediate operationalization of the "Two-Pronged Strategy Towards an Earthquake Resilient GMMA," attached herein as "Annex A;"

b) Integrate all government efforts to enhance the resiliency of the GMMA against earthquakes, fill existing bureaucratic gaps and build on existing resiliency plans and programs;

c)  Undertake all necessary action to fast-track the implementation of urgently-needed interventions, including the action points contained in the Metro Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study (MMEIRS) and the "Key Result Areas in the Earthquake Resiliency of GMMA," attached herein as "Annex B;" and

d) Collaborate closely with the relevant government agencies, local government units (LGUs), private sector, civil society, and the communities themselves in undertaking the above mandates.

Section 2. Functions. The PMO-ERG shall be the primary body responsible for spearheading, orchestrating, and integrating all efforts aimed at enhancing the resiliency of the GMMA in preparation for major earthquakes. In line with this, the PMO-ERG, in collaboration with concerned departments, agencies, and offices of the government, including LGUs, and the private sector, shall perform the following functions:

a) Formulate and operationalize the GMMA Resiliency Plan, including the overall government service continuity plan, which shall be anchored on the specific needs of the area and aligned with the MMEIRS and the Guide to Earthquake Resiliency of GMMA;

b) Ensure availability and adequacy of key lifelines that can be mobilized immediately after a major earthquake, such as, but not limited to the following:

1) Basic needs and utilities (i.e., water, food, shelter, electric supply, and medical services), which must be pre-positioned adequately and strategically in every community and/or LGU; and

2) Effective response mechanisms (i.e., command control and communications, search, rescue and management of dead bodies, fire protection, law and order, transport and mobility) to be provided by well-trained personnel with necessary competencies, resources and technologies. To this end, the PMO-ERG may use existing government facilities such as the Office of Civil Defense's (OCD) 24/7 Operations Center and other command and operations centers and facilities already existing or available;

c) Ensure resiliency of critical infrastructures by facilitating the conduct of structural assessment and retrofitting of buildings and other structures in close coordination with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and monitoring and evaluating the implementation and enhancement of earthquake resiliency measures such as enforcement of zoning ordinance and adoption of resilient building and construction standards, among others;

d) Review, audit, monitor, and provide feedback on the implementation of the earthquake resiliency plans and investment programs of government agencies, LGUs, and the private sector;

e) Mobilize Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (LDRRMCs) towards effective synergy in the implementation of earthquake-resiliency interventions on the ground;

f) Facilitate the development and conduct of advocacy and communication programs, drills and exercises to promote preparedness and resiliency at the household and community levels; and

g) Perform other responsibilities that may be assigned by the Chair of the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation and Disaster Risk Reduction (CCAM-DRR) Cabinet Cluster and/or the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Chairperson in accordance with its mandate.

All government departments, agencies, and instrumentalities are hereby directed to provide the necessary support to the PMO-ERG in the accomplishment of its mandates and functions.

Section 3. Operational Mechanism. The PMO-ERG shall operate under the following mechanism:

a) Relationship with the OP. The PMO-ERG shall be under the operational control of the President through the CCAM-DRR Cabinet Cluster and shall report to the President through the CCAM-DRR Cabinet Cluster Chair.

b) Relationship with the NDRRMC and the OCD. The PMO-ERG shall be primarily responsible for earthquake preparedness, mitigation, and resiliency measures in the GMMA during pre-disaster phase while the NDRRMC-OCD shall continue to be responsible for disaster response during and post-earthquake scenario in the GMMA.

The PMO-ERG shall align its resiliency programs, projects, and activities (RPPAs) for GMMA with the DRRM policies of the NDRRMC, in coordination with the OCD. Further, it shall integrate the implementation and operationalization of said RPPAs in collaboration with the CCAM- DRR Cabinet Cluster. The PMO-ERG shall assist the NDRRMC Chairperson in the effective and responsive implementation of RPPAs during post-earthquake scenario.
 

c) Relationship with executive agencies, LDRRMCs and NDRRMC-OCD Regional Offices. All relevant executive departments, agencies and offices ("key agencies"), including the LDRRMCs and NDRRMC- OCD Regional Offices for the NCR, Regions III and IV-A, as well as the Metro Manila Development Authority, shall actively collaborate with and seek guidance and inputs from the PMO-ERG to ensure the integration and coordinative implementation of earthquake resiliency and preparedness measures for GMMA on the ground.

The PMO-ERG, NDRRMC-OCD, MMDA, key agencies, and LDRRMCs are mandated to ensure the seamlessness of their operations, systems, protocols and procedures pertaining to the earthquake preparedness and resiliency of the GMMA.

A flowchart/workflow summarizing the above operational mechanism is contained in "Annex C" hereof.

Section 4. Composition. The PMO-ERG shall be headed by an Executive Director with the rank and emoluments of an Undersecretary. S/He shall be assisted by a Deputy Executive Director with the rank and emoluments of an Assistant Secretary.

The PMO-ERG Executive Director is hereby directed to craft and submit to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) its proposed organizational and staffing pattern, which shall provide for the hiring of experts in the field of disaster preparedness and management and other relevant highly specialized skills, and other personnel necessary for the PMO to carry out its mandate. The DBM is directed to prioritize and facilitate the urgent establishment of the PMO-ERG.

Section 5. Earthquake-resistant infrastructure. All concerned government agencies are mandated to take proactive steps to guarantee the resiliency of all public infrastructures (e.g., roads, bridges, buildings, hospitals, ports, and airports) in the GMMA. Meanwhile, all LGUs in the GMMA are enjoined to ensure the resiliency of private infrastructure and compliance by private entities with the National Building Code of the Philippines. Agencies as well as private entities are highly encouraged to go beyond the minimum standards set in the Building Code to ensure that all future infrastructures are fully earthquake resilient and compliant with international earthquake-resistant designs and standards.

Section 6. Reporting. The PMO-ERG shall submit periodic reports on its operations and accomplishments to the CCAM-DRR Cabinet Cluster Chair, a copy of which shall be furnished the NDRRMC.

Section 7. Funding. Funds for the operationalization of the PMO-ERG shall be sourced from the existing budget of the OP and such other funding sources to be determined by the DBM, subject to the usual government accounting and auditing laws, rules and regulations. Appropriations for succeeding years shall be incorporated in the regular budget of the OP.

Section 8. Separability. If any provision of this Executive Order is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected thereby shall remain valid and subsisting.

Section 9. Repeal. All issuances, orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Executive Order are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Section 10. Effectivity. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately. The PMO-ERG shall exist until a law creating a permanent office is passed by Congress or unless the same is dissolved by the President.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 8 th day of May , in the year of our Lord, Two Thousand and Eighteen.

(SGD.) RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE

By the President:

(SGD.) SALVADOR C. MEDIALDEA
Executive Secretary