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WHEREAS, environmental pollution and contamination are increasing at an alarming rate;

WHEREAS, there is an urgent need to prevent, mitigate or eliminate the increasing damages to marine resources as a result of pollution;

WHEREAS, the dangers of major oil spills are increasing with the increase of the size and number of oil tankers traversing waters close to the Philippines;

WHEREAS, the Philippines is not yet fully prepared to handle major oil spills which are likely to happen in the future;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby decree and order the establishment of a National Operations Center for Oil Pollution in the Philippine Coast Guard Headquarter.

SEC. 1. Title. — This Decree shall be known as the National Oil Pollution Operations Center Decree.

SEC. 2. Assistance from other Agencies. — The Center may call upon any department, bureau, office, agency or instrumentality of the government for such assistance as it may need in the form of personnel, facilities and other resources.

SEC. 3. Direct Negotiation. — The Philippine Coast Guard may negotiate directly with local companies which have oil containment and recovery facilities for the use of such equipment in combating oil pollution.

SEC. 4. ASEAN Point of Contact. — The Center shall be the point of contact with similar national operations centers of ASEAN member countries and shall cause, when necessary, the immediate call for assistance from such countries to help contain oil pollution. The Center shall, similarly, respond to call for assistance by ASEAN member countries.

SEC. 5. Effectivity. — This Decree shall take effect immediately

Done in the City of Manila, this 9th day of December, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-four.