Administrative Order No. 292, March 3, 1959

REORGANIZING THE PHILIPPINE INFORMATION AGENCY, CREATED BY ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 60, SERIES OF 1954, AS AMENDED BY ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 177, SERIES OF 1956.

For the purpose of promoting the prestige and national interests of the Republic of the Philippines locally and abroad through the dissemination of accurate information concerning its political, economic, social, and cultural conditions and activities, I, CARLOS P. GARCIA, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby reorganize the Philippine Information Agency, created by Administrative Order No. 60, series of 1934, as amended by Administrative Order No. 177, series of 1956, and placed under the Office of the President. This agency shall be administered by a Director and supervised by an advisory board composed of the following:

Hon. Juan C. Pajo	Chairman
Hon. Jose C. Nable	Vice-Chairman
Hon. Mariano K. Logarta	Executive Director
Col. Vicente O. Tiongson	Member
Capt. Marcelo E. Inton	Member
Mr. Ramon V. Mitra	Secretary to the Board and Director of the Agency

1. The Philippine Information Agency shall have the following duties and functions:

a. To gather political, economic, social, and administrative intelligence information vital to national security and interests.

b. To coordinate the preparation of all government information and production of publication intended for local and overseas circulation.

c. To provide services and materials needed for carrying out government publicity locally and abroad.

d. To establish and maintain contacts for continuous and effective dissemination of government information locally and abroad.

e. To release official texts of government documents for national and international consumption.

f. To prepare and release information on the governments position on national and international issues.

g. To prepare background materials on important local issues and developments for use of foreign affairs Officers and for circulation abroad.

h. To compile and distribute general information on the Philippines of interest abroad.

2. In carrying out the functions above enumerated, the Philippines, Information Agency shall use the following channels, of distribution:

a. Philippine embassies and consulates abroad.

b. Foreign embassies and consulates in the Philippines.

c. Trade and business organizations, such as the Philippine Association, chambers of commerce with connections abroad, etc.

d. Newspapers, local and abroad.

e. TV and radio stations, local and abroad.

f. Tourist centers, local and abroad.

3. The Philippine Information Agency shall have a central administrative office under the Office of the President. Three regional offices shall be established abroad. The Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., U.S.A., shall be the regional office of the Agency for North and South America. The Philippine Embassy in London, England, shall be the regional office of the Agency for Europe and Africa. For the time being, the central administrative office of the Agency in Manila shall also be the regional office for Asia, the Southwest Pacific, and the Middle East. For the immediate performance of the functions of the Philippine Information Agency in North and South America, the President shall designate a regional office in Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

The regional offices shall perform the following functions:

a. To plan an information campaign in the region.

b. To supervise production of materials prepared by the Agency.

c. To arrange for translation of materials when necessary for Asian, European, and South American countries.

4. The Philippine Information Agency is authorized to call upon any department, bureau, office, agency, or instrumentality of the Government, including the corporations owned and controlled by it, for such assistance, financial and otherwise, as it may need in carrying out its functions.

5. The Advisory Board shall hold regular meetings of once a week and such number of special meetings as may be called by the Chairman or by any three members from time to time.

This Order, which supersedes Administrative Order No. 60, series of 1954, as amended by Administrative Order No. 177, series of 1956, shall take effect as of September 1, 1958.

Done in the City of Manila, this 3rd day of March, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and fifty-nine, and of the Independence of the Philippines, the thirteenth.

(Sgd.) CARLOS P. GARCIA

President of the Philippines

By the President:

(Sgd.) JUAN C. PAJO

Executive Secretary