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WHEREAS, the Republic of the Philippines is a signatory to the Convention on International Civil Aviation concluded at Chicago on December 7, 1944, and deposited its instrument of ratification of said Convention on March 1, 1947;

WHEREAS, the Council of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), created and designated by the Convention as the working body of the International Civil Aviation Organization, adopted standards on March 1, 1949, and recommended practices for the facilitation of air travel known as Facilitation of International Air Transport (FAL), Annex 9 to the Convention;

WHEREAS, Article 22 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation expresses the obligation accepted by each contracting state “to adopt all practicable measures, through the issuance of special regulations or otherwise, to facilitate and expedite navigation by aircraft between the territories of Contracting States, and to prevent unnecessary delays to aircraft, crews, passengers, and cargo especially in the administration of the laws relating to immigration, quarantine, customs and clearance”;

WHEREAS, Article 23 of the Convention states that each contracting State is obligated “so far as it may find practicable, to establish customs and immigration procedures affecting international air navigation in accordance with the practices which may be established or recommended from time to time pursuant to this Convention”;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Ramon Magsaysay, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:

1. A Committee on Facilitation of International Air Transport (FAL) in the Philippines is hereby created to perform, among others, the following functions:

(a) To carry out and implement, whenever practicable by promulgation, amendment, or modification of rules and regulations appropriate to the respective bureaus and offices concerned herewith, the standards and recommended practices adopted in Annex 9 to the International Civil Aviation Convention:

(b) To coordinate the activities of the various bureaus and offices having common or joint interests with the clearance of aircraft, passengers and cargo;

(c) To organize technical sub-committees to serve in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)-sponsored FAL Conference and recommend to the President of the Philippines the appointment of officials to compose such technical sub-committees;

(d) To organize other subsidiary committees necessary to take care of the accommodations of representatives of foreign countries and international organizations to the ICAO-sponsored conference to be held in the Philippines. The expenses incident to such conference, other than specific government funds appropriated for the purpose, shall be jointly and equally shouldered by the various bureaus and offices represented in these committees;

(e) To determine its organization and rules of procedure;

(f) To deal with matters within its sphere of action not specifically mentioned herein.

2. The Committee on Facilitation of International Air Transport (FAL) in the Philippines shall be composed of representatives of the following offices:

(a) Bureau of Customs

(b) Bureau of Immigration

(c) Bureau of Internal Revenue

(d) Bureau of Plant Industry

(e) Bureau of Animal Industry

(f) Bureau of Quarantine

(g) Central Bank of the Philippines

(h) Department of Foreign Affairs

(i) Civil Aeronautics Administration

(j) An authorized representative of the Airlines’ Facilitation Committee.

(k) Such other representatives as the Committee may invite to the membership of FAL.

3. The Civil Aeronautics Administration shall call a meeting at the earliest possible time to organize the Committee on Facilitation of International Air Transport (FAL) in the Philippines. The FAL Committee shall elect such officers as may be necessary to carry into effect the purpose for which this Committee is created.

Done in the City of Manila, this 12th day of March, in the year of our Lord, nineteen hundred and fifty-five and of the Independence of the Philippines, the ninth.

(Sgd.) RAMON MAGSAYSAY
President of the Philippines

By the President:
(Sgd.) FRED RUIZ CASTRO
Executive Secretary