April 16, 1980

LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS NO. 1007

WHEREAS, the Philippines, particularly Metro Manila, has come to be known as a Convention City and, for years, has served as a great meeting ground for the peoples of the World; cda

WHEREAS, the Seventh General Conference together with the Thirty-Sixth and the Thirty-Seventh Administrative Board Meetings of the International Association of Universities in 1980 will be held in the Philippines on the invitation of the national government; cda

WHEREAS, the success of this Congress will be another milestone in our country's effort to become a leading member of the Third World in as much as the Congress will discuss development; and

WHEREAS, in order to expedite and support the development of the convention industry, there is a need to develop a "Conference Model" that will serve as basis for the operation of international conventions and show more visibly and, where possible, in a qualified manner, the benefits that accrue to and are spread out in the country's economy; cd i

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order and instruct:

1. The Center for Conference Model Development (CCMD) to be organized as an instrumentality of the Fund for Assistance to Private Education (FAPE) enjoying all the benefits and privileges conferred under its charter and to operate until December 31, 1981.

This instrumentality will undertake the development of a "Conference Model" that will pinpoint the direct and indirect benefits the country derives from hosting international conventions.

Guided by the realities that typical international organizations would usually ask for free facilities, full hosting for officers, partial hosting for participants, non-imposition of registration fees by the host organization which, in turn, is required to provide funds and yet not allowed to undertaken activities that the Conference Model will have the following thesis: cdt

a. international conferences can be income-generating not only to the host country but also to the host organization;

b. a conference will be more valuable and economically viable if it leaves a long-term project that will benefit the host country or several countries and cdtai

c. officers of host organizations need not be bothered about details concerning the convention.

Realizing the difficulties faced by host organizations like their spending a lot for bidding, their inability to turn down the conditions, imposed by international organizations, and their tendency to tax the officers of host organizations with conference details, the Conference Model will try to accomplish the above-mentioned objectives by using the following approaches, among others:

a. Bidding for and implementing the conference will be done in the simplest way possible without losing the traditional mark of Philippine hospitality; cd

b. The local host organizations will still conform with the wishes of the international association;

c. The funds to be used for the conference will be properly treated as money borrowed by the host organizations from the CCMD which will be jointly responsible for recovering and repaying the conference fund before deducting the costs of operating CCMD;

d. A long-term project that will be based in Manila, but designed to benefit other countries as well, will be conceptualized and founded along the theme of the conference; cda

e. Promotion of conference attendance will be an organized effort;

f. Exhibitions will be used as a vehicle to complement the conference and to raise funds; and

g. Key executive and coordinating staff will be trained and employed while committees coming from the local host organization support their operations.

2. The CCMD shall have:

a. a policy-making body to be known as the Conference Model Governing Committee (CMGC) to be composed of individuals acting in their official capacities, namely:

(1) Hon. Onofre D. Corpuz as Minister of Education and Culture, Chairman; cdtai

(2) Hon. Abraham I. Felipe as President, FAPE, Vice-Chairman;

(3) Hon. Jose D. Aspiras as Minister of Tourism, Member;

(4) Hon. Helena Z. Benitez as Assemblywoman, Batasang Pambansa, Member;

(5) Hon. Emmanuel V. Soriano as President, University of the Philippines, Member; aisa dc

(6) Hon. Manuel S. Alba as Deputy Minister of the Budget, Member; and

(7) Hon. Gregorio M. Cenda a as Officer-in-Charge, Ministry of Public information, Member.

The CMGC shall exercise all the powers, administer all the properties including all its funds and conduct all the business of the Center; and

b. an Executive/Management Staff to include

(1) Director Eryl Gil A. Buan Executive Director, IAU-POC; and casia

(2) Assistant Directors, consultants, coordinators and others that may be appointed by the CCMD.

3. The CCMD to attend to all work necessary to accomplish the objectives set forth in this Conference Model especially the activities of the International Association of Universities-Philippine Organizing Committee (IAU-POC) on the holding of the Administrative Board Meetings, the Seventh General Conference, both of the IAU, and the Manila International Book Fair in August 1980 which is hereby declared "Book and Educational Technology Month".

4. All government ministries, bureaus, institutions, agencies and corporations concerned to assist in accomplishing the objectives of the "Conference Model" through any or all of the following activities, among others: cd

a. the extension of their usual services more efficiently to facilitate all work in connection with the Administrative Board Meetings and the General Conference of the International Association of Universities, the Manila International Book Fair 1980 and projects related thereto;

b. the issuance of commemorative stamps and the preparation of special car plates for all vehicles needed in these activities;

c. the facilitation of working, entry and exist permits and of travel of participants and staffs whose services had been hired for these meetings and the entire project;

d. the production and distribution of promotional materials and other literature; and

e. the issuance of an attractive air package and/or government order for special air fares for the delegates, officers and staff of these meetings and fair. cd

5. The Ministry of the Budget to release immediately to the Fund for Assistance to Private Education (FAPE) as Trustee for the use of the CCMD the sum of P8,700,000.00 as trust fund provided that all expenses incurred during the preparatory work in 1979 and in early 1980 are charged against this budget.

6. The CCMD to engage the services of personnel necessary for the pre-conference, conference and post-conference activities on emergency, casual or contractual basis, and to pay their salaries or honoraria accordingly; and

7. The Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC) and the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) to coordinate with all government instrumentalities to assist in achieving the objectives and purposes of this "Conference Model".

This Letter of Instructions shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 16th day of April, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Eighty. aisa dc