EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 510 CREATING THE AFTA MULTISECTORAL STUDY COMMISSION March 16, 1992

WHEREAS, the Philippines has entered into an agreement ASEAN Economic cooperation and an Agreement on the Common Effective Preferential Tariff Scheme, effectively establishing the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) with Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand;

WHEREAS, the said agreement for regional cooperation include trade liberalization, foreign exchange movements and capital flows, tourism, transport and communication, human resource development with the objective of expanding intraregional investments trade and production, and services and have wide reaching effects in all sectors of the economy including business and industry, agriculture, labor and peasantry, finance and service sectors;

WHEREAS, the ASEAN Economic Cooperation and the ASEAN Free Trade Area is a necessary and pragmatic act of regional collaboration to ensure the growth of our industrial, agricultural, finance and service sectors in the ASEAN market, and to sharpen and test our competitive skills and advantages through regional competition;

WHEREAS, the public and private sectors need to collaborate in the formulation, promotion and implementation of a national development agenda inclusive of a comprehensive regional economic strategy to establish and improve our competitive advantages in the regional market and to ensure a development that is human, authentic and sustainable;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, CORAZON C. AQUINO, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. There is hereby constituted the AFTA Multisectoral Study Commission, hereinafter referred to as the commission, composed of the following members and organizations from the public and private sectors:

1. Business leaders:

1. Eugenio Lopez, Jr.
2. Laila Larkin
3. Sylvia Santos
4. Antonio Cojuangco
5. Victor Chongbian
6. John Gokongwei
7. Oscar Hilado
8. Narda Capuyon
9. Dante Santos
10. Luis Lorenzo, Sr.
11. Roberto Villlanueva, Sr.
12. Federico Borromeo
13. Alfonso Yuchengco
14. Jaime Zobel de Ayala
15. Vicente Paterno
16. Raul Concepcion
17. Corazon de la Paz
    

1. Business, Labor and Farmers Organizations:
   

1. Jose Pardo	PCCI
2. Dr. Bernardo Villegas	CRC
3. Atty. Ricardo Romulo	MBC
4. Dean Felipe Alfonso	AIM
5. Mr. Rizalino Navarro	SGV
6. Yao Eng Hue	Fed. of Fil-Chinese
7. Johnny Tan	FFW
8. Democrito Mendoza	TUCP
9. Ben Cruz	Sanduguan
10. Sergio Ortiz	PHILEXPORT
11. Alejandro Herrin	PES
12. Octavio Espiritu	BAP

1. Government Officials :
   

1. Sec. Jesus Estanislao	DF
2. Gov. Jose Cuisia, Jr.	CB
3. Sec. Senen Bacani	DA
4. Sec. Fulgencio Factoran, Jr.	DENR
5. Sec. Lilia Bautista	DTI
6. Chair. Roberto de Ocampo	DBP
7. Sec. Ceferino Follosco	DOST
8. Pres. Jose Abueva	UP
9. Sec. Gen. Cayetano Paderanga	NEDA
10. Sec. Nieves Confessor	DOLE
11. Sec. Raul Manglapus	DFA
12. Sec. Franklin M. Drilon	OP

Hon. Eugenio Lopez, Jr., and Hon. Jesus P. Estanislao shall act as Chairman and Co-Chairman, respectively, of the Commission. The Commission is hereby authorized to expand its membership when so required.

SEC. 2. The Commission shall:

1. Identify the issues and implications of AFTA and ASEAN Economic Cooperation on the Philippine economy and its industrial, agricultural, financial and service sectors, including labor and the peasantry;
2. Propose a work program towards the formulation of a national development agenda incorporating public policy reform, including legislation where needed, and private sector initiatives and technological innovations to increase our competitive advantages in the regional market.
3. Develop a common framework that embodies anti-poverty goals to guide industry competitive analyses and recommend corresponding strategies to establish and improve such competitiveness;
4. Build concensus among business and industry, agricultural and service sectors, with government agencies, science and technology centers, research, technical and management education institutions, labor and peasant organizations and NGO's in a national development agenda, shared growth and prosperity;
5. Recommend guidelines, directions and policies for the government in its continuing discussions and negotiations with the ASEAN governments in all areas of economic cooperation;
6. Ensure that its studies and recommendations incorporate the principles of a just, equitable and sustainable development, through investments in the human capital of the poor that is consistent with long-term growth and shared prosperity; and define the roles of each sector in the attainment of these goals that would balance market competition with human development; and
7. Create such sub-committees and task forces as may be necessary to accomplish these functions.

SEC. 3. The Commission shall establish a Secretariat with the assistance of the Government agencies concerned.

SEC. 4. This Order shall take effect immediately.

Done in the City of Manila, this 16th day of March, in the year of our Lord, nineteen hundred and ninety-two.

By the President:

(Sgd.) FRANKLIN M. DRILON
Executive Secretary