Law Summary
Background and Authority
- Executive Order No. 493 (EO 493) (05 January 1978) authorized the Office of the President to charge authentication fees.
- Batas Pambansa Blg. 325 (BP 325) (27 December 1982) allowed the Office of the President to revise fees to cover administrative costs.
- Letter of Instructions No. 1446 (LOI 1446) (23 January 1985) designated the authentication fees as a trust fund solely for the Office of the President’s use.
- Executive Order No. 582 (EO 582) (04 December 2006) transferred the authentication responsibilities from the Office of the President to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and mandated the Office of Consular Affairs (DFA-OCA) to handle document authentication.
Amendment of EO 582
Legal Principle: Section 3 of EO 582 is amended to clarify the allocation of proceeds from authentication fees.
Key Definitions:
- Authentication Fees: Fees collected for the authentication of documents intended for use abroad.
- OP Trust Fund: The fund managed by the Office of the President, where proceeds from authentication fees are deposited.
Important Requirements:
- Revenues collected from the streamlined authentication process shall now accrue to the OP Trust Fund.
- The necessary budget for the operations of DFA-OCA will be sourced from the regular budget of the DFA.
Effectivity
- Timeframe: The Executive Order takes effect immediately upon signing.
- Consequences: The amendment ensures proper allocation of resources for the DFA-OCA while retaining the trust fund for the Office of the President.
Cross-References
- The amendment does not repeal or amend EO 493, LOI 1446, or BP 325, thus ensuring that previous laws remain in effect while harmonizing the provisions with EO 582.
Key Takeaways
- Executive Order No. 582-A amends the prior EO 582 to ensure that authentication fees are allocated to the OP Trust Fund, aligning with previous legislative directives.
- The DFA-OCA will continue to manage the authentication process, funded through the Department's regular budget.
- The amendment highlights the necessity of harmonizing existing legal frameworks regarding authentication processes, maintaining the integrity of prior laws while adapting to current administrative needs.