President Benigno S. Aquino III issued last month an executive order renaming the Office of the Cabinet Secretariat to become the Office of Cabinet Secretary to effectively advance the administration’s programs and pro-poor efforts.

The Chief Executive has named former Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras as the Cabinet Secretary. He took his oath of office last Sunday prior to the President’s departure to Laos.

The President signed on October 31 Executive Order No.99 “Reconstituting the Office of the Cabinet Secretariat, Renaming it as the Office of the Cabinet Secretary, Defining its Powers and Functions, Providing for its Support Staff and for Other Purposes.”

Under EO No.99, among the functions of the Office of the Cabinet Secretary include advancing the President’s social contract with the Filipino people, making recommendations on measurable performance and project roadmap, ensuring implementation of government performance and project roadmap, representing the President in meetings, providing timely information to the Cabinet on important issues, and performing other tasks based on the President’s instructions.

The order also transfers the functions of the Inter-Agency Task Force created under Administrative Order No.25 to the Office of the Cabinet Secretary. Based on the new order, the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) will serve as the technical resource institution to the Office of the Cabinet Secretary.

In issuing EO No.99, the President amended EO 43 making the Office of the Cabinet Secretary a member of the Cabinet Clusters. The Cabinet Secretary will also be a member of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board Executive Committee and other NEDA committees. The Cabinet Secretary will have a cabinet rank and will report directly to the President, according to the new EO.

For policy direction, relevant offices in the Presidential Management Staff (PMS), Performance and Projects Management Office, and other attached agencies, will now be supervised by the Office of the Cabinet Secretary.

The Office of the Cabinet Secretary could seek the assistance from any government agency for the effective performance of its duties, according to the EO. For this purpose, all departments, agencies, bureaus, offices, including GOCCs shall designate a focal person to closely coordinate with the Office of the Cabinet Secretary.

The initial operations of the Office of the Cabinet Secretary will be funded by the President’s Contingent Fund. The fund for the succeeding years will be prepared in accordance with the regular government budget procedures.

The EO No.99 takes effect immediately upon publication in a newspaper of general circulation.

http://www.president.gov.ph/news/aquino-creates-office-of-the-cabinet-secretary-through-eo-no-99/