Republic Act No. 7640

Former President Fidel V. Ramos approved Republic Act No. 7640 on 9 December 1992 as the consultative and advisory body to the President as the head of the national economic and planning agency.

Republic Act No. 7640

An Act Constituting the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council

SECTION 1. Declaration of Policy. — It is the policy of the State to formulate after consultations with appropriate public agencies, the private sector, and local government units socioeconomic development programs taking into account the requirements of conservation and ecology and in accordance with its constitutional mandate to promote a more equitable distribution of opportunities, income, and wealth; a sustained increase in the amount of goods and services produced by the nation for the benefit of the people; an expanding productivity as the key to raising the quality of life for all, especially the under privileged.

The State shall promote industrialization and full employment based on sound agricultural development and agrarian reform, through industries that make full and efficient use of human and natural resources, and which are competitive in both domestic and foreign markets. However, the State shall protect Filipino enterprises against unfair foreign competition and trade practices.

The Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council shall constitute an effective advisory and consultative mechanism to ensure consistency in coordinating executive development planning and congressional budgeting.

SECTION 2. Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council. — Pursuant to the foregoing policy, there is hereby constituted a consultative and advisory body to be known as the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council, hereinafter referred to as the Council. It shall be composed of twenty (20) members with the President as Chairman and the following as members: the Vice President, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, seven (7) members of the Cabinet to be designated by the President, three (3) members of the Senate to be designated by the President of the Senate, three (3) members of the House of Representatives to be designated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives at least one (1) of whom shall come from the dominant minority party, and the following to be appointed by the President: a representative of the local government units, a representative of the youth, and a representative of the private sector from any or a combination of the following: business, cooperatives, agriculture, and labor.

Membership in the Council of the members of the legislature shall be an extension of their legislative functions. Membership in the Council of the members of the Cabinet shall be in an ex officio capacity.

The Chairman and members of the Council who are government officials shall serve in the Council without any additional emoluments, allowances, or pay, by virtue of and in connection with the positions they have been elected to or appointed to, as the case may be.

The Council may form its own subcommittees as may be needed and may call on any government agency or resource persons for assistance.

SECTION 3. Functions of the Council. — The Council shall serve as a consultative and advisory body to the President as the head of the national economic and planning agency for further consultations and advice on certain programs and policies essential to the realization of the goals of the national economy with the following functions:

a) determine and recommend socioeconomic development goals in pursuance of established policies which shall guide the formulation and implementation of the national development plan;

b) provide policy advice to the President on vital issues affecting the socioeconomic development of the country;

c) direct the study of measures to ensure that the regional development plans and programs are integrated into the national development plan;

d) receive, and in appropriate cases, require reports on, and study measures to improve, the implementation of official development assistance from multilateral and bilateral entities;

e) assess effectiveness of implementation of the national development plan;

f) integrate environmental concepts, principles and practices into the national development plan for a balanced and cohesive approach to national development;

g) review the relationship of the legislative agenda to the national development plan to ensure the integration of both;

h) study and recommend to the President and to Congress sources of revenue as well as measures to reduce unnecessary expenditures to the end that the resources of the Government will be used to the optimum.

SECTION 4. Secretariat. — The Council shall have the National Economic and Development Authority secretariat as the principal secretariat in providing staff support to the Council, assisted by personnel from the Presidential Management Staff and the economic planning staff of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

SECTION 5. Meetings of the Council. — The Council shall meet at least once every quarter, but may be convened by its Chairman to such special meetings as may be necessary. The members of the Council shall be duly notified of any meeting in advance. The first meeting of the Council shall take place within one (1) month from the effectivity of this Act, at a time and place to be designated by the Chairman.

SECTION 6. Priority Concerns. — The Council shall give special attention to measures which will:

a) involve concerned private sector, relevant non-government groups and people’s organizations in the processes of economic planning by national agencies and by regional, provincial, and other local development councils, as well as in monitoring the implementation of development projects.

b) bring about effective integration of the priority development programs and projects proposed by regional, provincial and other local development councils into the national development plan, within the constraints of the national budget;

c) accelerate the study and formulation of projects and programs, which will answer priority needs of the people for livelihood and social services, and which may be funded from national revenues and/or grants and concessional loans from external sources;

d) hasten the utilization of grants and concessional loans for priority development projects and programs, while also improving the efficiency of project implementation; and

e) recommend measures that would strengthen mechanism for monitoring the implementation of development projects and programs, and for promoting efficiency of execution and timeliness of completion.

SECTION 7. The Council shall render reports after every meeting to all Senators and Congressmen who are not members of the Council, particularly the progress and action taken on priority concerns embodied in Section 6 hereof.

SECTION 8. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within sixty (60) days from the approval of this Act, the Council shall promulgate all the necessary rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of this Act.

SECTION 9. Appropriations. — The amount of Three million pesos (P3,000,000.00) is hereby authorized out of the funds of the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated for the operating and capital expenditures of the Council for the Fiscal Year 1993. Thereafter, the necessary appropriations shall be provided in the Annual General Appropriations Act.

SECTION 10. Separability Clause. — In case any provision hereof is declared unconstitutional, the other provisions not so declared and affected shall remain in force and effect.

SECTION 11. Repealing Clause. — All laws and executive orders which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or amended accordingly.

SECTION 12. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette.