Question & AnswerQ&A (EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 62)
The Philippine Center on Transnational Crime (PCTC) is an agency created to formulate and implement a concerted program of action among all law enforcement, intelligence, and other government agencies for the prevention and control of transnational crime. It was created under the Office of the President.
The PCTC focuses on the prevention and control of transnational crimes including illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, money laundering, terrorism, arms smuggling, trafficking in persons, piracy, and other crimes that impact the country's stability and security.
The PCTC is headed by an Executive Director appointed by the President and has several directorates including Operations, Plans and Programs, Research, Technology Management, Administration and Finance, and others as the situation demands.
The PCTC has the power to establish a shared central database on transnational crimes, supervise and control anti-transnational crime operations, maintain a database on national and international laws on transnational crime, conduct strategic research, design capacity-building programs, coordinate information exchange and training, select personnel from government agencies, enlist assistance from other government offices, and perform such functions as directed by the President.
The PCTC is assisted by multiple agencies such as the Philippine National Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), various Presidential Anti-Crime Task Forces, National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Finance (DOF), Bureau of Customs (BOC), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and other relevant government bodies.
The PCTC Executive Director reports and is responsible to the President through the Secretary of the Interior and Local Government.
The PCTC focuses on combating organized transnational crime while the PNP remains the primary general law enforcement agency of the country. Close coordination and cooperation between the PCTC Executive Director, the Chief of the PNP, and other government agencies is mandated to ensure synergy in anti-transnational crime efforts.
The PCTC was initially provided with an annual allocation of 100 million pesos in 1999, drawn from the President's Contingency Fund and government savings, with future appropriations to be included in the Office of the President's budget proposal.
The Executive Order cites the Administrative Code of 1987, which empowers the President with continuing authority to reorganize the Office of the President and transfer functions between departments or agencies.
The PCTC employs mechanisms such as developing a shared central database, supervising anti-crime operations, conducting strategic research, coordinating capacity-building projects, exchanging information and training with local and international agencies, and enlisting inter-agency assistance to enhance efficiency in combating transnational crime.