nothing to fear about EO 739, says DILG secretary

Miami
September 22, 2008
Story: nothing to fear about EO 739, says DILG secretary

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) wants to assure the public that there is nothing to fear about the Executive Order 739 or Reorganizing the Peace and Order Council which was signed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo last August 19, 2008.

DILG Secretary Ronaldo Puno clarify that there are no special powers vested for him as Secretary of DILG when the President issued the executive order.

“So the only thing that executive orders can do is to delegate authority that the president possesses to members of her cabinet. Now frankly, the executive order does not delegate any additional authority to the chair of the peace and order council. By the way the chair of the national peace and order council has always been the secretary of DILG from 1990 from the time of secretary (Aquilino) Pimentel now senator Pimentel, the chair of the national peace and order council the secretary of DILG. So the president has not vested any special authority on my office,” Puno said in a press conference at Camp Crame.

Puno said national councils will apply moral suasion to and or recommend sanctions against local chief executives who are giving materials and political support to the communist rebels.

“That is the authority of the peace and order councils, the DILG Secretary on his own can do such things without this executive order in the assistance of the control and supervision powers of the president. This executive order has nothing to do with misfeasance or malfeasance of local officials and certainly cooperating with insurgencies is contrary to law and any local official who is in collusion with anyone who is advocating the overthrow of the state.” Puno said.

He also noted that the executive order merely recognizes the peace and order councils and adds certain things such as monitoring the provisions of livelihood and infrastructure development programs.

He added that the main thrust of the EO 739 was to move the attention of peace and order councils away from normal peace and order problems which are already their responsibilities as local officials and turn it to things that are of common concern in the region. The chair for the regional peace and order councils will be the local officials themselves so that implementing the peace and order will become easily.

Puno also denied reports that this is another form of martial law.