GMA bolsters authority of values council

MANILA, Philippines – President Arroyo has bolstered the authority of the Presidential Council on Values Formation (PCVF) in the pursuit of “a just and moral Philippine society,” a Malacañang order said.

Mrs. Arroyo has issued Executive Order (EO) No. 713 amending Executive Orders 314 and 347 and renaming the Ad Hoc Council on Values Formation as the PCVF.

Under EO 713, the PCVF will be the lead government agency that will work and coordinate with the non-government sector in pursuing the goal of establishing a strong foundation for just and moral governance.

She pointed out that the “establishment and institutionalization of just and moral governance is a long-term undertaking founded on the establishment of a just and moral Philippine society.”

She added that previous organizations set up to pursue programs to establish just and moral governance required better coordination to achieve optimal effect.

EO 713 stressed that the “pursuit of just and moral governance in Philippine society is an undertaking that requires an institutional response that is equipped with sufficient authority beyond that provided” by the ad hoc council on values formation.

The President will chair the PCVF, with the Secretary of Education as vice-chairman. A maximum of nine leaders from various religious groups would be invited as members of the PCVF but without government remuneration.

The PCVF is tasked to inculcate and strengthen existing values formation programs not just for the bureaucracy but Philippine society in general.

Included among its function is to make recommendation to the President and act as complainant in any case filed against incorrigible and undesirable government personnel. – Paolo Romero