Question & AnswerQ&A (EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 489)
The Secretary of Health is the Chairman of the Committee.
The Committee shall formulate policies and guidelines for environmental health protection; coordinate, monitor, and evaluate environmental health programs; conduct information dissemination campaigns; support environmental research; and perform other necessary tasks related to environmental health.
The Committee is composed of the Secretaries of Health, Environment and Natural Resources, Public Works and Highways, Interior and Local Government, Agriculture, Trade and Industry, Transportation and Communications, Science and Technology, Labor and Employment, and the Directors-General of the National Economic and Development Authority and the Philippine Information Agency.
The Committee is authorized to call on any government agency, local government unit, government-owned or controlled corporation, and non-governmental agencies or institutions for support and assistance in implementing the Executive Order.
The Committee is assisted by a Secretariat headed by the Director of the Environmental Health Service, Office for Public Health Services, Department of Health.
An amount of One Million Pesos is allotted from the emergency funds of the Office of the President for 1992, with subsequent funding incorporated into the General Appropriations Act under the Office for Public Health Services, Department of Health.
The Executive Order took effect immediately upon issuance on November 22, 1991.
Yes, the Committee is mandated to promulgate the necessary implementing guidelines to accomplish the objectives of the Executive Order.
It emphasizes the government's policy to safeguard and improve the environment to promote and maintain the health of the Filipino people nationwide.