LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS NO. 598

: Extension workers shall be fielded in a fully coordinated manner to cover as many barangays as possible and trained broadly to work in their areas of basic and secondary competence.
: The Coordinating Committee on Government Extension Workers was created to develop and coordinate programs and projects implementing the policy of coordinated extension work.
: The Committee is headed by the Presidential Executive Assistant.
: Members include the Secretaries of Agriculture, Agrarian Reform, Health, Social Services and Development, Local Government and Community Development, Education and Culture; the Chairman of the Civil Service Commission; and the Commissioner of the Budget or their designated representatives.
: Tasks include preparing an annual integrated program for field workers, ensuring implementation of approved plans, and monitoring/coordinating work schedules of field personnel.
: The Civil Service Commission coordinates training activities to broaden extension workers' skills beyond their basic competence.
: The Budget Commission designs staffing programs and evaluates budgets to ensure alignment with the integrated program, with costs borne by participating agencies and the Barangay Development Fund up to five hundred thousand pesos annually.
: Community development workers from the Department of Local Government and Community Development serve as team leaders for extension workers in standard geographic units.