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WHEREAS, the present administration has identified as a policy to study and consolidate proposed amendments and/or revisions to the 1987 Constitution;

WHEREAS, the Constitution, as the organic instrument to which fundamental powers of government are established, delimited and defined to be truly reflective of the ideals and aspirations of the Filipino people, should be attuned to the heartbeat of the times.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me, do hereby order:

SECTION 1.Creation. There is hereby created a Preparatory Commission on Constitutional Reform to study and recommend proposed amendments and/or revisions to the 1987 Constitution, and the manner of implementing the same.

SEC. 2. Composition. The Preparatory Commission shall be composed of not more than twenty five (25) members who shall be appointed by the President. The members shall be individuals of national standing with knowledge and recognized competence on the structures and powers of government, including, but not limited to,

a.	Three (3) retired members of the Supreme Court;
b.	A representative from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP);
c.	The Chair, Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments;
d.	The Chair, House of Representatives’ Committee on Constitutional Amendments;
e.	Four (4) representatives from the academe;
f.	A representative from the business sector;
g.	A representative from the women’s sector;
h.	A representative from the youth sector;
i.	Two (2) representatives from the religious sector;
j.	A representative from the media sector;
k.	A representative from local government units;
l.	A representative from the labor sector; and
m.	A representative from the agricultural sector

SEC. 3. Qualifications. No person shall be appointed member of the Commission unless he is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines, a qualified voter, of recognized probity, independence, nationalism and patriotism.

SEC. 4. Chairperson. The President shall appoint a Chairperson to the Commission who shall preside over the meetings, conferences and other proceedings of the Commission.

SEC. 5. Powers of the Commission. The Commission shall determine the rules of its proceedings. It shall conduct consultations with the Filipino people regarding its mandate.

SEC. 6. Secretariat. The Commission shall be assisted by a Secretariat in its day-to-day operations, to be headed by an Executive Director, who shall be appointed by the President.

SEC. 7. Appropriation. The amount of Three Million Pesos (P3,000,000.00) is hereby appropriated for the operational expenses of the Commission to be sourced from the funds of the Office of the President, subject to usual accounting and auditing rules and regulations.

SEC. 8. Time Frame. The Commission shall commence its work on 01 January 1999 and complete the same on or before June 30, 1999, and thereafter present to the President their recommended actions.

SEC. 9. Effectivity. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 26th  day of November in the year of our Lord, nineteen hundred and ninety-eight.

(SGD.) JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA
President of the Philippines

By the President:

(SGD.) RONALDO B. ZAMORA
Executive Secretary