Question & AnswerQ&A (EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 502)
The main purpose of Executive Order No. 502 is to ban the harvesting, gathering, buying, selling, and mutilating of matured and young leafsheaths of abaca plants for commercial purposes to protect the abaca industry and prevent the spread of viral diseases.
Executive Order No. 502 covers all areas planted and those to be planted with abaca.
The harvesting, gathering, buying, selling, and mutilating of matured abaca plants and young leafsheaths known locally as abakbaka or aumbaka for commercial purposes are totally banned.
'Abaca Plant' refers to the plant scientifically known as Musa textiles (likely a typographical error for Musa textilis) Nee, belonging to the family Musaceae, similar to a banana but with upright, pointed, narrower, and more tapering leaves.
Terms such as aUmbak, Bakbaka, or similar locally used terms refer to the abaca leafsheaths or overlapping leafsheaths that form a solid mass commonly called the stalk or stem of the abaca.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is responsible for supervising and monitoring the implementation of the Executive Order.
The Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA), an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, is the lead agency for coordinating the implementation.
Barangay, Municipal, and Provincial Government Units, Regional Field Units of the DA, Philippine National Police, Philippine Ports Authority, Bureau of Customs, Legislative Officials, and other government instrumentalities are involved in enforcement.
The Department of Agriculture shall issue the implementing guidelines, including budget allocations for the Fiber Industry Development Authority, to effectively implement the Executive Order.
The Executive Order took effect immediately upon its publication in a newspaper of general circulation.