Question & AnswerQ&A (EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 320)
The main purpose of Executive Order No. 320 is to amend Executive Order No. 309 to ensure a more comprehensive and effective coordination of government efforts and the active participation of the citizenry in the national campaign against criminality and insurgency.
The Secretary of Local Government serves as the Chairman of the National Peace and Order Council (NPOC).
The NPOC is composed of the Secretary of Local Government (Chairman), Secretary of National Defense (Vice-Chairman), Secretary of Justice, Secretary of Social Welfare and Development, Secretary of Public Works and Highways, Secretary of Trade and Industry, Press Secretary, Director of the National Security Council, Chairman of the National Peace Commission, Director of the National Bureau of Investigation, Chairman of the National Police Commission, Chairman of the Commission on Human Rights, Executive Director of the Dangerous Drugs Board, AFP Chief of Staff, Chief of Constabulary/Director General of the INP, and eight representatives from the private sector.
The special Action Committee, composed of key officials including the Secretary of Local Government, Secretary of National Defense, Secretary of Social Welfare and Development, Secretary of Justice, and the AFP Chief of Staff, is organized to take decisive action in emergency situations.
The RPOC consists of regional counterparts of the departments, offices, and agencies found in the NPOC, appointed by their respective agency heads. The RPOC Chairman and Vice-Chairman are appointed by the Chairman of the NPOC, and the Chairman appoints at least three private sector representatives after consulting RPOC members.
They are responsible for the proper management and supervision of civilian volunteer organizations, formulating and recommending peace and order plans, monitoring implementation of peace and order programs and counter-insurgency activities, assessing the peace and order situation regularly and reporting to the Chairman of the NPOC, and receiving complaints against government personnel for appropriate action.
The national and regional offices of the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) serve as the Secretariat for the NPOC and RPOC respectively, with the Chairman of NAPOLCOM acting as the Secretary General of the NPOC and the regional director acting as head of the RPOC Secretariat.
The Secretariat of the Provincial, City, and Municipal Peace and Order Councils is headed by the most senior Department of Local Government (DLG) officer stationed in the respective province, city, or municipality.
The Chairman of the Peace and Order Council, upon direction from the President, is authorized to issue directives and guidelines to ensure the effective implementation of the Rules and Regulations related to this Executive Order.
Executive Order No. 320 took effect immediately upon its signing on March 11, 1988.