MALACAÑAN PALACE
MANILA

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES

[ Administrative Order No. 305, August 11, 1959 ]

CREATING A COORDINATING COMMITTEE ON RELIEF SERVICE.

In order to meet the urgent need for a more adequate and effective coordination of the activities of the different relief organizations and implementing agencies in connection with relief operations during disasters caused by typhoons, floods, fires, earthquakes, and other natural calamities, as well as during emergency other than those caused by natural calamities, a coordinating committee on relief service is hereby created to be composed of the following:

A.-NATIONAL LEVEL

The Executive Secretary Chairman
The Social Welfare Administrator Vice-Chairman
The Commissioner of the Budget Member
The Undersecretary of Finance
The Undersecretary of Agriculture
The Undersecretary of Public Works
The Undersecretary of Education
The Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines
The Director of Medical Services
The Presidential Assistant on Community Development
The Manager, Philippine National Red Cross
The General Manager, National Rice and Corn Corporation
The General Manager, National Marketing Corporation
The General Manager, National Development Company
The General Manager, National Waterworks and Sewerage Authority

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Social Justice, Community Development and Welfare; the Chairman, House Committee on Agrarian and Social Welfare; and the Deputy Auditor General shall act as advisers to the coordinating committee.

B.-PROVINCIAL LEVEL

The Provincial Governor Chairman
The Provincial SWA Representative Vice-Chairman
The Provincial Treasurer Member
The Provincial Agriculturist
The Highway District Engineer
The Division Superintendent of Schools
The Provincial Commander, Philippine Constabulary
The Provincial Health Officer
The Provincial PACD Representative
The Chapter Administrator, Philippine National Red Cross
The Provincial NARIC Representative
The Provincial NAMARCO Representative
The Provincial NDC Representative
The Waterworks District Engineer and/or the District Supervising Well Driller, NWSA
The Provincial Auditor Adviser

The Provincial NARIC, NAMARCO, and NDC representatives shall be designated by competent authorities at the beginning of each fiscal year for each province.

C.-CITY LEVEL

The City Mayor Chairman
The City SWA Representative Vice-Chairman
The City Treasurer Member
The Provincial Agriculturist
The City Engineer
The Superintendent of Schools
The Provincial Commander, Philippine Constabulary
The City Health Officer
The Provincial PACD Representative
The Chapter Administrator, Philippine National Red Cross
The Provincial NARIC Representative
The Provincial NAMARCO Representative
The Provincial NDC Representative
The Waterworks District Engineer and/or District Supervising Well Driller, NWSA
The City Auditor Adviser

D.-MUNICIPAL LEVEL

The Municipal Mayor, who shall be the Chairman of the Committee, may designate such other municipal officials as may be necessary to effectively extend relied assistance to calamity victims. If necessary he may call upon, for assistance, the respective Chairman of the National, Provincial, and City Levels of the Coordinating Committee on Relief Service.

Voluntary relief assistance extended by civic organizations, like the LIONS, ROTARY, and JAYCEES, and by charitable institutions shall be coordinated with the respective Chairman of each committee level.

Extension of relief assistance during disasters or calamities as specified in the first paragraph of this order, occurring within the subprovinces and the municipal districts shall be undertaken by the Provincial Level Committee and the Municipal Level Committee, respectively, to be assisted, if necessary, by the National Level Committee and the City Level Committee.

I.-KINDS OF RELIEF ASSISTANCE

For the guidance of the coordinating committee in the performance of its functions, relief assistance is hereby classified into emergency and rehabilitative. Emergency relief shall include the immediate distribution of food, water, clothing, medicine, and other material assistance as well as the provisions for emergency shelter, necessary transportation, and adequate security. Rehabilitative relief shall include improvement of the sanitary condition and health of the calamity-stricken area, introduction of sanitary measures, establishment of self-help projects, extension of medical care, and slum clearance.

II.-FUNCTIONS

The relief agency members shall perform the following functions:

A.-EMERGENCY

1. The Social Welfare Administrator shall

(a) Conduct an on-the-spot survey to determine extent of damage and number of victims eligible for immediate assistance and relief;

(b) Refer cases of victims needing immediate medical care to nearby medical units;

(c) Effect immediate arrangement for emergency shelter;

(d) Distribute adequate relief in the form of foodstuffs and clothing;

(e) Dispatch an emergency relief team from the SWA Central Office to the disaster-stricken area with additional relief supplies when local SWA Units cannot cope adequately with the situation;

(f) Coordinate with local government officials and civic organizations in order to avoid duplication of services;

(g) Extend guidance, counselling, and other special services to boost the morale of the victims and determine their other needs; and

(h) Prepare case records of victims, in close coordination with participating teams and agencies, to determine and insure the necessity of further rehabilitative services.

2. The Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, through the Bureau of Agricultural Extension, Bureau of Plant Industry, Bureau of Forestry, and the Bureau of Animal Industry, shall

(a) Conduct a survey and investigation of the extent of damage to crops and livestock in the effected areas; and

(b) Help the people, especially the farmers, save whatever crops and livestock that might have survived the calamity.

3. The Department of Public Works and Communications shall

(a) Direct its field offices to mobilize all possible men and equipment;

(b) Release appropriate and available funds for the restoration of damaged or destroyed structures and other buildings; and

(c) Cooperate with other government agencies arid relief organizations.

4. The Chief of Staff, AFP, shall

(a) Provide necessary transportation, security, emergency shelter, communication facilities; and

(b) Extend assistance in the distribution of relief goods and supplies.

5. The Department of Health, through the Bureau of Medical Services shall

(a) Establish emergency stations for the purpose of rendering first aid treatment and other medical services to those who suffer, injuries as a consequence of the calamity;

(b) Prepare wounded or injured people for hospitalization in hospitals nearest to the site of the disaster; and

(c) Assist in the distribution of emergency aid, such as medicine and other relief goods.

6. The Presidential Assistant on Community Development, through his provincial community development personnel, shall assist other relief agencies.

7. The Philippine National Red Cross shall

(a) Conduct on-the-spot survey of sufferers as basis for relief distribution;

(b) Effect immediate distribution of food and other basic necessities during emergency period immediately following the disaster;

(c) Locate sufferers in, homes of friends, neighbors, and relatives for emergency shelter and available public buildings to be used for this purpose;

(d) Render first aid treatment to disaster victims;

(e) Assist sufferers in establishing contacts with relatives living in other provinces; and

(f) Coordinate with other agencies.

8. The National Rice and Corn Corporation shall

(a) Make available for sale at government price such quantity of rice and corn as may be needed for distribution to disaster victims;

(b) Put up stores (either stationary or rolling) where rice at government price may be made available for sale to the victims; and

(c) Upon approval of the NARIC Board of Directors, extend on credit to government instrumentalities and agencies such amount of rice and corn as may be needed at the time of calamity, in a quantity not exceeding the equivalent of five days ration as determined by the Social Welfare Administration.

9. The National Marketing Corporation shall

(a) Make available for sale at government price to the SWA or any other arm of the Relief Task Force such quantities of canned goods and other foodstuffs as may be needed for immediate distribution to the victims of calamities;

(b) Put up stores, either stationary or rolling; in places of calamity in case the retail outlets of the NAMARCO thereat may be found inadequate;

(c) Direct its distributors and retailers to assist in the extension of relief assistance by making available to disaster victims commodities at government price;

(d) Upon approval by its Board of Directors, extend on credit to government instrumentalities and agencies .such basic commodities as may be needed at the time of calamity, such as canned milk, canned fish, canned meat and certain construction materials, in a quantity not exceeding the equivalent of five days ration as determined by the Social Welfare Administration.

10. The National Development Company shall

(a) Assist the SWA in the requisition and procurement of textile and other clothing materials;

(b) Upon approval by its Board of Directors, extend credit to government instrumentalities and agencies such commodities, which are produced by the NDC as may be needed at the time of calamity, in quantity not exceeding the equivalent of five day ration as determined by the Social Welfare Administration.

11. The National Waterworks and- Sewerage Authority shall

(a) Take immediate steps necessary to restore damaged water supply facilities or provide alternative source of supply and shall see to it that the water is safe for human consumption;

(b) Keep in stock the necessary quantity of disinfecting materials, equipment, and other things that the Authority may need; and

(c) Secure the assistance, including personnel, materials and equipment, of the municipal, city, provincial, or national agencies.

B.-REHABILITATIVE

1. The Social Welfare Administration shall create local screening committees to review case records of all disaster victims and determine their eligibility for rehabilitative services, cash aid, building materials, additional relief supplies, etc.

2. The Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, through the aforesaid bureaus, shall

(a) Help and guide the farmers where to secure seeds and plant materials as well as livestock with which to rehabilitate their farms;

(b) Help the people, especially the farmers, in the control of plant and animal pests and diseases; and

(c) Help the farmers in the solution of their various agricultural problems arising from a disaster.

3. The Department of Public Works and Communications shall assist in the reconstruction of community projects, such as artesian wells, school buildings, community centers, and other public structures, and in the repair and installation of communication facilities.

4. The Chief of Staff, AFP, shall extend rehabilitative services concerning planning, communication, transportation, legal assistance, construction, intelligence, and such other measures as may adequately prevent hoarding of foodstuffs and spiralling of prices.

He shall help other agencies in the implementation of communication, legal assistance, and construction requirements.

5. The Department of Health, through the Bureau of Medical Services, shall

(a) Establish emergency stations for the purpose of immunizing the residents in the affected area in order to prevent the occurence or spread of an epidemic;

(b) Help maintain the sanitary conditions in the affected area to forestall the outbreak of diseases or epidemic.1aшphi1

6. The PACD, through proper media, shall guide victims to develop self-help projects.

7 The National Rice and Corn Corporation shall

(a) Put up agencies where they may be needed to serve both as distribution centers for low-priced rice and as procurement agencies for palay and/or corn which may be produced by the farmer-victims on lots assigned to them by the government.

8. The National Marketing Corporation shall respond to any request of the President with respect to the rehabilitation of a person, group of persons, or of any building or build-dings, or of any project or projects, in which the Government is directly interested.

9. The National Development Company shall make available the facilities and personnel of the Home Industries Department of the Company.

10. The National Waterworks and Sewerage Authority shall extend all possible assistance to others in connection with the rehabilitative phase of the relief activities, with special emphasis on its assistance to the repair, and/or reconstruction of artesian wells and/or waterworks.

III.-FINANCING

The relief Activities of the Committee shall be financed as follows:

A. In case of extension of emergency relief, the expenses incurred therefor, particularly those affecting distribution of relief assistance, shall be borne by the respective relief agencies, using transportation facilities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, if organic transportation of relief agencies concerned are neither available nor adequate.

If deemed necessary, provincial relief agencies concerned may incur such overdrafts as may be reasonably sufficient to augment their appropriations for the purpose, such overdrafts to be charged against the contingent fund of the Office of the President.

B. With respect to rehabilitative relief, the cost of rehabilitation shall be borne by the victims, assisted by the Social Welfare Administration. Voluntary contributions for the purpose may be distributed by the coordinating committee with the assistance of the local committee.

IV.-RULES AND REGULATIONS

The Committee is hereby authorized to adopt such rules I and regulations on working procedures as may be necessary to carry out the aims, objectives, and purposes of this Order.

V.-REPORTS

At the completion of each relief work, the Committee shall render a report to the President, as well as an annual report which shall include summary of emergency measures, progress of rehabilitation, and recommendations for necessary appropriations for the succeeding fiscal year.

VI.-REPEALING CLAUSE

This order supersedes Administrative Order No. 202, dated November 18, 1952, and all inconsistent rules and regulations.

Done in the City of Manila, this 11th day of August in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and fifty-nine and of the Independence of the Philippines, the fourteenth.

(Sgd.) CARLOS P. GARCIA
President of the Philippines

By the President:

(Sgd.) JUAN C. PAJO
Executive Secretary


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