WHEREAS, it is imperative that the President of the Philippines be advised on all matters requiring policy pronouncements on national issues and problems and on actions he has to take on the same;

WHEREAS, there are presently two such advisory bodies - the Council of State and the Council of Leaders - whose functions and members are more or less identical and overlapping and duplicating each other; and

WHEREAS, to achieve better coordination of activities and more fruitful results, it is advisable that there be only one policy-making and consultative body to the President.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby organize the Council of Leaders to be composed of the following:

1. The Vice President
   
2. Former Presidents of the Republic of the Philippines
   
3. The President of the Senate
   
4. The Speaker, House of Representatives
   
5. The Executive Secretary and other members of the Cabinet the functions of whose departments are relevant to the subject matter to be discussed in the Council
   
6. The President Pro Tempore of the Senate
   
7. The Speaker Pro Tempore of the House of Representatives
   
8. The Majority Floor Leaders of both Houses of Congress
   
9. The Minority Floor Leaders of both Houses of Congress
   
10. The Chairman and the ranking minority member of the Committee of both Houses of Congress whose functions are relevant to the subject matter to be discussed in the Council.
    
11. The President, Governors and City Mayors League of the Philippines
    
12. The Presidents of the political parties which had candidates on a nation-wide scale in the last elections
    
13. Such other government officials as the President may designate

The Cabinet Secretariat shall serve as permanent Secretariat of the Council and is hereby charged with the responsibility of preparing all implementing actions on, and the following-up of, all matters taken up by the Council, and keeping the President regularly informed of all action taken thereon.

This accordingly amends Executive Order No. 222, series of 1970.

Done in the City of Manila, this 16th day of November, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-one.


By the President:

(SGD.) ALEJANDRO MELCHOR
Executive Secretary