MALACAÑAN PALACE
MANILA

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES

[ ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 25, March 18, 2020 ]

AMENDING ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 10 (S. 2018), ENTITLED "CENTRALIZING ALL GOVERNMENT EFFORTS FOR THE REINTEGRATION OF FORMER REBELS AND CREATING FOR THE PURPOSE AN INTER-AGENCY TASK FORCE"

WHEREAS, Administrative Order (AO) No. 10 (s. 2018) centralizes all government efforts for the reintegration of former rebels who were members of the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People's Army, and National Democratic Front through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP);

WHEREAS, there is a need to expand the coverage of the E-CLIP to facilitate the reintegration to civilian life of other rebels who have similarly chosen to lay down their arms and become productive and law-abiding members of society;

WHEREAS, Section 17(a) of Republic Act No. 7160 or the "Local Government Code of 1991," as amended, provides that local government units (LGUs) shall discharge the functions and responsibilities of national agencies and offices devolved to them pursuant to the Code, as well as those necessary, appropriate or incidental to the efficient and effective provision of basic services such as but not limited to social welfare services, programs and projects for rebel returnees;

WHEREAS, Section 17, Article VII of the Constitution confers to the President the power of control over all executive departments, bureaus, and offices, as well as the mandate to ensure the faithful execution of laws; and

WHEREAS, under Section 4, Article X of the Constitution, the President exercises general supervision over local governments;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:

Section 1. Amendments to AO No. 10. (a) Section 2 of AO No. 10 is hereby amended and renumbered as Section 1 to read as follows:

"Section 1. Centralizing all Government Efforts for the Reintegration of Former Rebels (FRs) and Former Violent Extremists (FVEs). The National Government shall centralize all government efforts to reintegrate FRs / FVEs (hereinafter collectively known as "Reintegration Efforts) by intensifying the convergence of various government programs such as the E-CLIP and PAMANA Program, with due regard to the individual needs of the FRs / FVEs and their families, as well as the entire community.

For this purpose, an Inter-Agency Task Force for the reintegration of FRs and FVEs, to be known as the "Task Force Balik-Loob,"is hereby created composed of representatives, with a rank not lower than an Undersecretary, from the Department of National Defense (DND), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Social Welfare and Development, Office of the President (OP), National Housing Authority, OPAPP, and Office of the Presidential Adviser on Local Extremist Groups Concerns. The Task Force shall be chaired by the DND representative, who may invite such other government agencies or instrumentalities to the meetings of the Task Force, as may be deemed necessary. The representatives of invited agencies shall have a rank not lower than an Assistant Secretary or its equivalent.

The Task Force shall organize and designate the heads of two (2) clusters that shall focus on FRs and FVEs, respectively.

The Task Force shall be assisted by a Secretariat, which shall be composed of technical and administrative personnel from the member- agencies of the Task Force under secondment, detail, or other appropriate arrangement."

(b) Section 1 of AO No. 10 is hereby amended and renumbered as Section 2 to read as follows:

"Section 2. Coverage. The National Government shall pursue genuine reintegration of FRs and FVEs by providing a complete package of assistance specifically tailored to their needs and those of their respective communities. This package of assistance applies to:

a. FRs who are former members of the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People's Army and National Democratic Front who have surfaced beginning 01 July 2016, as well as their qualified beneficiaries; and

b. FVEs who are former members of the Abu Sayaff Group, Maute Group, and other violent extremist groups, as may be identified by the Task Force, who have surfaced beginning 01 July 2016, as well as their qualified beneficiaries '

(c) Section 3 of AO No. 10 is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Section 3. Mandates. As the central coordinating body that will supervise the Reintegration Efforts, the Task Force shall have the following powers and functions:

a. Design and implement, in coordination with relevant government agencies and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed conflict, a holistic assistance package or intervention programs specifically designed to address the needs of FRs and FVEs, including their family members and communities;

b. Review and update the Strategic Communication (StratCom) Plan, as well as programs, projects or activities of the Reintegration Efforts, ensure implementation thereof, and monitor legal compliance of beneficiaries;

c. Monitor, evaluate and address implementation issues of the Reintegration Efforts at the national and local levels, including the creation of a comprehensive and systematic database accessible to all concerned agencies;

d. Coordinate and call upon the assistance and cooperation of all concerned government agencies or instrumentalities, LGUs, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, as well as private or non-government entities, organizations, and groups for the effective, timely and responsive implementation of the Reintegration Efforts;

e. Provide capability assistance to concerned LGUs; and

f. Prepare a bi-annual report to be submitted to: (i) the OP, through the Office of the Executive Secretary, on the implementation of the Reintegration Efforts, including a validated list of actual beneficiaries and the type of assistance they received; and (ii) the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on the utilization of funds provided under the E-CLIP.'

(d) Section 5 of AO No. 10 is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Section 5. Funding. Subject to applicable budgeting, accounting, and auditing laws, rules, and regulations, the amount necessary for the implementation of this Order shall be charged against the existing appropriations for the E-CLIP under the General Appropriations Act, as well as the respective budgets of the concerned agencies, and such other funding source as may be identified by the DBM.

The succeeding year's appropriations for the Reintegration Efforts shall be included in the annual budgets of the concerned agencies, subject to the usual budget preparation process."

(e) A new section is hereby inserted after Section 5 of AO No. 10 to read as follows:

"Section 6. Sanctions. Failure to comply with this Order shall result in the filing of appropriate administrative cases pursuant to the Civil Service Commission Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service, the Local Government Code, as amended, and other relevant laws, rules and regulations. Towards this end, the DILG shall take appropriate action against local chief executives of erring LGUs identified by the TFBL while the DOJ shall investigate and prosecute public officials and employees involved in any irregularity and corruption in implementing the Reintegration Efforts."

(f) Section 6 of AO No. 10 is hereby amended and renumbered as Section 7 to read as follows:

"Section 7. Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). The Task Force shall issue the IRR of AO No. 10, as amended, within sixty (60) working days from the effectivity of this Order. Thereafter, member-agencies of the Task Force shall issue the necessary Guidelines to implement the revised IRR within thirty days from its effectivity."

(g) Sections 7 (Repeal), 8 (Separability), and 9 (Effectivity) of AO No. 10 are hereby renumbered as Sections 8, 9 and 10, respectively.

Section 2. Unaffected provisions. Except as expressly modified by this Order, all other provisions of AO No. 10 shall remain in full force and effect.ℒαwρhi৷

Section 3. Repeal. All orders, rules and regulations, issuances, or any part thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Order, are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Section 4. Effectivity. This Order shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 18th day of March , in the year of our Lord, Two Thousand Twenty.

(SGD.) RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE

By the President:

(SGD.) SALVADOR C. MEDIALDEA
Executive Secretary


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