Purpose and policy intent
- The Council exists to advise the President on all matters requiring policy pronouncements on national issues and problems and on actions the President has to take on the same.
- The Council consolidates overlapping advisory functions previously exercised by two bodies.
- The Council is organized to achieve better coordination of activities and more fruitful results by having only one policy-making and consultative body for the President.
Relationship to prior advisory body
- The Executive Order provides that there are presently two advisory bodies with functions and members that are more or less identical and overlapping and duplicating each other.
- Executive Order No. 349 amends Executive Order No. 222 (series of 1970) to effect the creation of a single policy-making and consultative body.
Composition of the Council of Leaders
- The Council is composed of the Vice President.
- The Council includes Former Presidents of the Republic of the Philippines.
- The Council includes the President of the Senate, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the Majority Floor Leaders of both Houses of Congress and the Minority Floor Leaders of both Houses of Congress.
- The Council includes the Speaker, House of Representatives, the Speaker Pro Tempore of the House of Representatives, and the Chairman and the ranking minority member of the Committee of both Houses of Congress whose functions are relevant to the subject matter to be discussed in the Council.
- The Council includes the Executive Secretary and other members of the Cabinet whose department functions are relevant to the subject matter to be discussed in the Council.
- The Council includes the President, Governors and City Mayors League of the Philippines.
- The Council includes the Presidents of the political parties which had candidates on a nation-wide scale in the last elections.
- The Council includes such other government officials as the President may designate.
Cabinet Secretariat role as permanent Secretariat
- The Cabinet Secretariat serves as the permanent Secretariat of the Council.
- The Cabinet Secretariat prepares all implementing actions on matters taken up by the Council.
- The Cabinet Secretariat performs following-up of all matters taken up by the Council.
- The Cabinet Secretariat keeps the President regularly informed of all action taken thereon.
Scope of matters handled
- The Council addresses matters that require policy pronouncements on national issues and problems and on actions the President has to take on the same.
- Participation of Cabinet members and the relevant Committee members is tied to the subject matter being discussed in the Council.
- The role of the Cabinet Secretariat is tied to implementing and following up actions on matters taken up by the Council.