Question & AnswerQ&A (OP ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 11)
The primary purpose of RA 8425 is to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of the poor through a multidimensional approach involving access to quality basic services, asset reform, sustainable development of productive resources, and democratizing governance and decision-making.
The NAPC is a coordinating and advisory body created under the Office of the President to oversee the implementation of the Social Reform Agenda and poverty alleviation programs. It is the successor to the abolished Presidential Commission to Fight Poverty, Social Reform Council, and Presidential Council for Countryside Development.
The four key dimensions are: Economic Dimension (Asset Reform), Social Dimension (Access to Basic Services and Protection), Ecological Dimension (Sustainable Development of Resources), and Governance Dimension (Equal Representation and Participation).
Asset Reform aims to widen the share of resources citizens can access and control, addressing inequities in ownership, distribution, and management. It specifically targets farmers, fisherfolk, urban poor, indigenous communities, workers in both formal and informal sectors, and disadvantaged groups such as women and persons with disabilities.
The NAPC is composed of representatives from both the government and the basic sectors as mandated by the Act, with the possibility of additional members appointed by the President representing basic sectors or agencies as deemed necessary for the Social Reform Agenda.
The NAPC coordinates implementation of poverty alleviation programs, works with local governments, recommends policy measures, ensures representation of basic sectors, oversees implementation and monitoring of programs, advocates for fund mobilization, provides incentives to local government units, and submits annual reports to Congress.
Sectoral Councils serve as the venue for basic sectors to establish consensus on sector matters including nomination and recall of Sectoral Commissioners. They convene quarterly to discuss sectoral issues, ensure accountability of Commissioners, and participate in program monitoring.
Sectoral Commissioners are nominated and elected by their respective Sectoral Councils formed through Sectoral Assemblies. The Councils have the sole authority to initiate recall petitions for commissioners with grievances filed to the Office of the President through the NAPC Lead Convenor.
Flagship programs are sectoral and cross-sectoral initiatives addressing the needs of basic sectors. They are managed by designated Flagship Lead Agencies responsible for coordinating implementation, resolving issues, and consulting counterpart sectoral councils.
The NBSA is composed of all Sectoral Commissioners and their alternates, institutionalized to ensure transparency, accountability, and effective participation of basic sectors in the NAPC. NBSA serves as a consensus-building mechanism on cross-sectoral issues and establishes its own rules and procedures.