EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 319 April 3, 1996

INSTITUTIONALIZING THE MORAL RECOVERY PROGRAM (MRP) IN ALL GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS, OFFICES, AGENCIES AND GOVERNMENT-OWNED AND CONTROLLED CORPORATIONS THROUGH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF INTEGRITY CIRCLES

WHEREAS, the Preamble of the 1987 Constitution ordains and promulgates that "the sovereign Filipino people imploring the aid of Almighty God in order to build a just and humane society and establish a government that shall embody our ideals and aspirations, promote the common good, conserve and develop our patrimony and secure to ourselves and our posterity the blessing of independence and democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality and peace;

WHEREAS, Article II, Section 21 of the Constitution's Declaration of Principles and State Policies further provides that "[T]he state shall maintain honesty, integrity in the public service and take positive measures against graft and corruption;

WHEREAS, Proclamation No. 62 dated 30 September 1992 declared a Moral Recovery Program in response to the need to strengthen the moral resources of the Filipino people rooted in Filipino culture, values and ideals that are pro God, pro people, pro country and pro nature;

WHEREAS, the same proclamation has declared the Moral Recovery Program as official government policy and enjoined the active participation of all sectors in Filipino Society;

WHEREAS, the MRP vision is a Filipino nation that is God-centered, people-empowered, prosperous national community living in Unity, Justice, Freedom, Love and Peace governed by a visionary government that is democratic, responsive and effective, graft-free, transparent and self-corrective with a community of civil and military servants who are professional, competent, disciplined and trustworthy;

WHEREAS, despite earlier proclamations to create Moral Recovery consciousness, and issuance of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees (R.A. No. 6713), graft and corruption, lack of discipline, dishonesty, patronage, etc., continue to taint the public service;

WHEREAS, during the Third National Summit on Peace and Order, a Covenant for Peace and National Progress through moral enhancement and transformation was adopted requiring the Government Sector's action plan to be institutionalized;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FIDEL V. RAMOS, President of the Philippines, do hereby enjoin and order:

SECTION 1. All government departments, offices, agencies, instrumentalities and government-owned and controlled corporations are enjoined to establish Integrity Circles or any similar mechanism to lay the necessary foundations of the moral recovery crusade for Filipino core value infusion into the organization's culture, systems and processes.

Sec. 2. The Moral Recovery Program National Secretariat, as designated implementing arm of the MRP through the constituted Government Sector Core Group, shall monitor the implementation of the MRP Integrity Circles of various government agencies through the designated Moral Recovery Officer (MRO) of the agency. lawphi1.net

Sec. 3. The MRO designated by the agency will initiate the formation of Integrity Circles or similar mechanisms, strategies and activities that would evolve mass action addressed at affecting personal change and lead to appropriate systematic and structural change within the agency. lawphi1.net

Sec. 4. All the agencies concerned shall allocate 1% of their Human Resource Development (HRD)/Training appropriation for the initial implementation of their agency MRP; additional appropriation may be funded as may be determined by the Department of Budget and Management.

Sec. 5. The agencies are required to provide support to the MRP Integrity Circle's efforts to prime moral recovery transformations among employees and develop role models at all levels and sectors.

Sec. 6. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately. lawphi1.net

Done in the City of Manila, this 3rd day of April in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety Six.

IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING MORAL RECOVERY PROGRAM

AS LAID DOWN UNDER EO 319

July 11, 1996

General Statement of Policy

The Preamble of the 1987 Constitution ordains and promulgates that "the sovereign Filipino people imploring the aid of Almighty God in order to build a just and humane society and establish a government that shall embody our ideals and aspirations, promote the common good, conserve and develop our patrimony and secure to ourselves and our posterity the blessing of independence and democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth, justice, love, equality and peace;

Article II, Section 21 of the Constitution's declaration of principles and state policies further provides that "the state shall maintain honesty, integrity in the public service and take positive measures against graft and corruption";

THEREFORE, it shall be the policy of government to:

a. Strengthen the moral resources of the Filipino people rooted in the Filipino culture, values, and ideals that are Maka-Diyos, Maka-Tao, Maka-Bayan and Maka-Kalikasan.

b. Pursue a vision of a Filipino nation that is God-centered, people empowered, prosperous national community living in Unity, Justice, Freedom, Love and Peace and governed by a visionary government that is democratic, responsive and effective with a community of civil and military servants who are professional, competent, disciplined and trustworthy. lawphi1.net

SECTION 1. Definition of Terms. For the purposes of those Rules, the following terms are defined:

a. Institutionalization refers to the Presidential Order to formally/officially recognize, accept and include the Moral Recovery Program vision, values, programs, strategies and structures in the training/development programs and structures of all government departments, offices, agencies and government owned and controlled corporations and instrumentalities to formally allocate adequate and regular budget for this purpose.

b. The Moral Recovery Program (MRP) refers to the national campaign for moral renewal which includes the objectives, strategies and cumulative experiences generated in the course of implementing Presidential Proclamation No. 62 dated 30 September 1992.

c. Integrity Circles are the basic operating units of MRP's structure and promotional mechanism whereby government and civil society organizations are able to actively express/create/promote/enhance/advance/realize their members' own wholeness and integrity towards the achievement of the shared national vision. As such they constitute MRP's basic operational structure to lay the necessary foundation of the moral recovery crusade for the Filipino core values' infusion into the organizational culture, system and processes.

d. Department includes any of the executive departments or entities having the category of a department, including the judiciary and the other constitutional commissions and bodies.

e. Offices are grouped primarily on the basis of major functions to achieve simplicity, economy and efficiency in government operations and minimize duplication and overlapping of activities.

f. Agencies/instrumentalities are units attached to the departments which operate and function in accordance with their respective characters law or orders creating them, except as otherwise provided in the Administrative Code.

g. Government-owned and controlled corporations are units attached to appropriate departments with which they have allied function as provided in the Administrative Code, or as may be provided by executive order, for policy and program coordination and for general supervision.

h. Moral Recovery Officer (MRO) refers to an officer designated to initiate/convoke/inspire the formation of integrity circles or similar mechanisms, strategies and activities that would evoke mass action addressed at affecting personal change and lead to appropriate systematic and structural change within the organization.

SEC. 2. Creation of the Moral Recovery Program National Secretariat. The MRP National Secretariat shall be the implementing arm which shall monitor the performance of the MRP Integrity Circles of government agencies.

The composition of the MRP National Secretariat shall be as follows:

1. National Program Director who directs the policy formulation and implementation of plans and programs of the MRP Secretariat in accordance with Proclamation 62 and Executive Order 319 and in pursuit of the goals and objectives of the MRP;

2. Executive director who directs and supervises the day to day operations of the MRP Secretariat in accordance with the work program approved by the National Program Director;

3. Operations and Support Services Staff for the implementation of the programs and projects from the national down to the grassroots level in accordance with MRP goals and objectives;

The operational structure of the National Secretariat shall be replicated at the regional, provincial, municipal/city and barangay levels through the Inter-Agency Councils, in pursuance of its objectives;

There shall be a Council of Exemplars to be known as Kapulungan ng mga Kabayani sa Kabuuan at Kaginhawaan (KKKK) which shall serve as the advisory and policy making body of the Program. The composition of the Council shall be the result of the selection process from the barangay up to the regional level and who shall embody the seven core Filipino values. The members shall be appointed by the President from a list of exemplars nominated by the regions and who in turn will be given recognition by the President at the Sambayanihan Congress to be held in celebration of Filipino values month every November.

SEC. 3. Designation of Moral Recovery Officer. The heads of government agencies shall designate an MRO to initiate/convoke/inspire the formation of Integrity Circles from among the agencies' offices and staff.

SEC. 4. Quarterly Reports. The MRP National Secretariat shall monitor the establishment of the Integrity Circles and submit quarterly reports on their activities and accomplishments to the Office of the President, through the Office of the Executive Secretary, copy furnished the Head, Presidential Management Staff.

SEC. 5. Allocation of Human Resource Development (HRD) Training Appropriation. The 1% agency HRD training appropriation (GAA, MOE, Item No. 7) shall be allocated and used for the initial implementation of the agency's MRP.

SEC. 6. Need for Agencies to Support the Integrity Circles. All agencies are required to provide the necessary support to the formation and maintenance of the agencies' Integrity Circle's and its efforts to initiate changes, transformation and to recognize and develop role models at all levels and sections and to render periodic report of the same to the National MRP Secretariat.

SEC. 7. Effectivity. These rules shall take effect immediately. lawphi1.net

DONE in the City of Manila, this 11th day of July in the year on Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Six.


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