An Act Creating the Philippine National FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) Committee

REPUBLIC ACT No. 4594

An Act Creating the Philippine National FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) Committee

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippine Congress Assembled:

Section 1. There is hereby created under the President of the Republic of the Philippines the Philippine National FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) Committee, hereinafter called the Committee. The Committee shall be composed of a Chairman, an Executive Secretary, and the following other Members: the directors of the Bureau of Animal Industry, Bureau of Plant Industry, Bureau of Soils, Bureau of Lands, Bureau of Forestry, Bureau of Public Schools, Bureau of Health and Research Laboratory, Food and Nutrition Research Center of the National Science Development Board, Foreign Aid Coordination of the National Economic Council; the commissioners of the Philippine Fisheries Commission, Commission on Agricultural Productivity; the Chairman and General Manager, Philippine Coconut Administration; the General-Manager, PHILSUGIN; the Administrator, National Irrigation Administration; the Administrator, Agricultural Credit Administration; the Chief, Economic Affairs Division, Department of Foreign Affairs; and the Dean, College of Agriculture, University of the Philippines.

The Chairman and the Executive Secretary of the Committee shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines, but the latter shall be appointed in accordance with the Civil Service Law. No person shall be appointed as Chairman of the Committee unless he is a man of science, enjoys the respect of his peers, possesses broad knowledge of FAO affairs and wide experience in international conferences, has many years of administrative practice, and holds at least a Bachelors degree in Agriculture or its related equivalents. No person shall be appointed as Executive Secretary of the Committee unless he has technical training in food and agriculture, broad knowledge and extensive experience and interest in FAO and related matters, a working knowledge of one of the official languages of the FAO of the United Nations, and is a holder of at least a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Home Economics or related fields.

The Chairman shall be the head of the Committee and the presiding officer of its meetings. The Executive Secretary shall be a Member of the Committee and also the administrative officers of its Secretariat and the recorder of its deliberations. In the absence of the Chairman or in his inability to preside over a Committee meeting, the Members may elect a temporary chairman from among themselves to preside over such meeting.

The Chairman shall receive an annual compensation of eighteen thousand pesos plus a representation allowance of two thousand four hundred pesos annually. The Executive Secretary shall receive an annual compensation of twelve thousand pesos. The other Members of the Committee shall receive a per diem of twenty-five pesos each for every meeting of the Committee attended by them.

The Committee shall have such technical, secretarial and other personnel as may be necessary whose number and compensation shall be determined by the Committee. They shall be appointed by the Chairman in accordance with the Civil Service Law and their compensation shall be fixed in accordance with the scale of salaries and wages prescribed by the Wage and Position Classification Office.

Section 2. The Committee shall have the following general functions:

Section 3. The Committee shall have the following specific powers and duties:

Section 4. The Committee is empowered to call upon any officer or employee of any department, bureau, office, agency, or instrumentality of the Government for such assistance as may be needed for the proper discharge of its functions.

Section 5. To carry out the purposes of this Act for the fiscal year nineteen hundred sixty-six, the sum of one million pesos is authorized to be appropriated out of any funds in the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the same to be expended by the Committee for its operation as follows:

Section 6. Administrative Order Numbered Forty-one, issued by the President of the Philippines on June seventeen, nineteen hundred forty-six, as amended, and all Acts, executive orders, rules and regulations, or parts thereof, inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, are repealed, and the Philippine Committee on Food and Agriculture created by the said Administrative Order is hereby abolished and its records, property, assets and liabilities are transferred to the Committee herein created.

Section 7. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved: June 19, 1965.