EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 776 February 24, 1982

TO : The Minister of Finance

The Governor, Central Bank of the Philippines

The Minister of Industry

The Minister of Health

The Commissioner, Bureau of Customs

The Administrator, Food and Drug Administration

SUBJECT : ALLOWING THE IMPORTATION OF SEMI-SYNTHETIC ANTIBIOTICS ONLY ON QUANTITIES AND TYPES NOT PRODUCED IN THE PHILIPPINES

WHEREAS, the promotion of health is a primary national objective demanding the attainment of self-sufficiency in materials used in the manufacture of life-saving medicines;

WHEREAS, the establishment in the country of a plant to produce semi-synthetic antibiotics answers a long-felt need to have a reliable local source of semi-synthetic antibiotics, the main ingredients used in the manufacture of life-saving antibiotic medicines;

WHEREAS, with domestic production, the country is free to act in any sudden exigencies arising from the spread of infectious diseases, thus safeguarding not only its people's health but its national security as well;

WHEREAS, the first Philippine semi-synthetic antibiotics plant signifies a major step in bringing the gap between the country's rich scientific knowledge and inadequate technological knowhow;

WHEREAS, besides its contribution to the promotion of health, national security and technological advancement, the semi-synthetic anti-biotics plant will contribute concrete economic benefits, among which are foreign exchange earnings and savings and the upstream industrialization of the local pharmaceutical industry;

WHEREAS, this plant has an annual production capacity more than adequate to meet not only the domestic consumption requirements but also part of the export demand emanating from some countries in the region;

WHEREAS, the locally-produced semi-synthetic antibiotics are comparable to the imported counterparts in terms of price and quality;

WHEREAS, conscious of the fact that the local production of semi-synthetic antibiotics transcends the narrow confines of a purely business venture and bears directly on the attainment of the national objectives pertaining to health and security, the government has seen it fit to take certain steps that will ensure the viability thereof;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby order and instruct:

1. The importation of semi-synthetic antibiotics shall be allowed only for quantities and types that cannot be produced in the Philippines. The Central Bank, in consultation with the Board of Investments, Minister of Health and the Food and Drug Administrator, shall issue guidelines regulating such importations.

2. The Collector of Customs shall apprehend all illegal importations of semi-synthetic antibiotics.

Done in the City of Manila, this 24th day of February, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and eighty-two.