Preamble
WHEREAS, the national development plan has set self-reliance as a priority goal in order to accelerate countryside development; WHEREAS, effective rural development strategy includes science-based production technology, support services and socially oriented programs for agriculturally-based communities where the primary activities are in crop, livestock, fishery, and forestry production; WHEREAS, implementation of the programs for agriculturally-based communities require the concerted support and complementation of the respective field staffs, development workers and extension workers of the different government agencies; WHEREAS, the extension workers require a continuous deepening and widening of competence to achieve a wide community participation and strong individual commitment of both the extension workers and the resident local leaders; WHEREAS, systematic training programs and related activities are necessary to secure constantly developing competence among extension workers and farmer leaders, and such programs need to be continuously assessed and related to national development plans and goals; WHEREAS, the development implementation and assessment of training programs and other support services in rural development requires the active participation not only of the Departments of Agriculture, Agrarian Reform, Education and Culture, Local Government and Community Development, and Natural Resources, but also of the agricultural Colleges and Universities; WHEREAS, agricultural Colleges and Universities have the critical mass of experts and research information necessary to improve the training of extension workers and farmers leaders for development in the Philippines; NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the constitution do hereby decree and order the following: