ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 79 - DESIGNATING THE BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIPINAS AS THE EXCLUSIVE MANUFACTURER OF PRESIDENTIAL MEDALS AND DECORATIONS

WHEREAS, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), as the central monetary authority, has the exclusive authority to issue Philippine coins and to prescribe the design, fineness and other characteristics thereof;  

WHEREAS, the BSP Mint has the equipment and skilled technicians trained abroad in the exacting art of manufacturing state and military medals and decorations;

WHEREAS, presidential medals and decorations, being official symbols of the presidency, should be the product of superior workmanship and artistic excellence;

WHEREAS, the BSP has the capacity and has expressed willingness to undertake the manufacture, as is the practice in other countries, of presidential and other state medals and decorations;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Philippines, by the power vested in me by law, do hereby order:

Section 1. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is hereby designated as exclusive manufacturer and supplier of presidential medals and decorations, subject to existing agreements, if any, entered into by the Office of the President with medal and decoration manufacturers. For this purpose, the Historical Affairs Office and the Protocol Office shall continue consultations with the BSP with respect to the manufacture of these items, to include the drafting of technical and gender-friendly drawings for these decorations to replace the original, but missing, specifications; 

Sec. 2. Other agencies, particularly the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, are encouraged, as a cost-saving measure and to maximize the revenue-generating potential of a government instrumentality, to tap the services of the BSP for their medal and decoration requirements, subject to existing laws on procurement.

Sec. 3. All issuances, rules and regulations inconsistent herewith are superseded or modified accordingly.

Sec. 4. This Order shall take effect immediately.

Done in the City of Manila, this 4th day of August, in the year of our Lord, two-thousand and three.