Section 7May 6, 1997, Sec./Art. 7

Sec. 10 of Republic Act No. 6977 is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Sec. 10 Rationalization of Existing Small and Medium Enterprise Programs and Agencies. - The Council shall conduct continuing review of government programs for small and medium enterprises and submit to Congress and the President a report thereon together with its policy recommendations.

"The President is hereby also empowered to establish a small a and medium enterprise promotion body which shall be the principal government agency that will formulate, implement, coordinate and monitor all non-financing government programs, including fee-based services, to support and promote micro, small and medium enterprises. It shall be attached to the Department of Trade and Industry and shall be under the policy, program and administrative supervision of the SMED Council. The said office shall receive no less than fifty percent (50%) of the assets, and budgetary allocations of the agencies for promotion, development and financing of small and medium enterprises that may be henceforth dissolved and/or abolished and absorbed, incorporated and integrated into the SMED Council."