8 agencies under Office of the President moved to other departments

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte has ordered the transfer of eight agencies under the Office of the President (OP) to certain departments as part of streamlining efforts aimed at ensuring efficiency in the delivery of essential public services.

Duterte signed Executive Order No. 67 rationalizing the OP by consolidating certain agencies under the executive department.

Through EO 67, Duterte ordered the transfer of supervision of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Cooperative Development Authority from the OP to the Department of Trade and Industry.

Supervision over the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, Philippine Commission on Women and the National Youth Commission is placed under the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development will have direct supervision over the National Anti-Poverty Commission, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples and the Presidential Commission on the Urban Poor.

Former Armed Forces chiefs Eduardo Año and Rolando Bautista head the DILG and the DSWD, respectively.

It is also not clear if the transfer of TESDA supervision to DTI would strip newly appointed TESDA director general Isidro Lapeña of his Cabinet rank. Lapeña was Customs chief before his transfer to TESDA.

Last week, Duterte appointed Lapeña as TESDA chief with Cabinet rank. His transfer from the Bureau of Customs came amid the controversy over the smuggling of an estimated P11 billion worth of shabu through Manila’s port.

According to the EO, the concerned agencies shall harmonize their policies and coordinate their programs and activities with their supervising departments.

“The transfer of agency supervision over offices under or attached to the OP to executive departments and agencies with relevant core mandates strengthens the democratic and institutional framework of the executive department by rationalizing policy formulation,” the EO read.

In his EO, Duterte cited the need to further rationalize the OP proper to strengthen its oversight functions over the executive department and further streamline the relevant mandates of its own offices for improved coordination and collaboration, consistent with the right-sizing policy espoused by the administration.

The Executive Office shall have control and supervision over the STAR Office and its constituent offices, while the Common Staff Support System shall have the function of assisting the President in the establishment of agenda topics for Cabinet deliberation or facilitate the discussion of Cabinet meetings.

STAR stands for Strategic Action and Response (STAR), composed of the Presidential Complaint Center, Public Concerns Office, Quick Response Center and the 8888 Citizens’ Complaint Center.

The Cabinet secretariat shall serve as the head secretariat of the different Cabinet cluster secretaries. The Presidential Management Staff (PMS) shall monitor the implementation of presidential directives, Cabinet decisions and Cabinet cluster directives, instructions and commitments, and provide the executive office with policy inputs on the management of the affairs of government.

Through EO 67, Duterte also abolished the Office of the Participatory Governance (OPG) and the Performance and Projects Management Office (PPMO).

The functions of the OPG were absorbed by the DILG, while the functions of the PPMO shall be performed by the PMS.