National Printing Office (NPO) is one of 3 Recognized Government Printers in the Philippines (together with
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Apo Production Unit). It was first established in 1901 as the Philippine Bureau of Printing. It is an instrumentality of the Government entrusted with the tasks of printing and binding routine Government publications, public documents, the Official Gazette, and other official forms.
History
On November 7, 1901, the
Philippine Commission
The Philippine Commission was the name of two bodies, both appointed by the president of the United States, to assist with governing the Philippines.
The first Philippine Commission, also known as the Schurman Commission, was appointed by Preside ...
enacted Act No. 296 to create the Bureau of Printing as the pioneer of the Philippine printing industry. Throughout its history, the Bureau has been placed under different government offices. It was initially under the Department of Public Instruction until 1918, when it was placed under the
Department of Finance. In 1947, it was transferred to the
Office of the President Office of the President can refer to:
* Office of the President of Brazil
* Office of the President of the People's Republic of China (entity in the Office of the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party)
* Office of the President (Republi ...
and nine years later in 1958, it was placed under the Department of General Services.
In 1986, under the presidency of
Corazon Aquino
Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; ; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipina politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People P ...
through the virtue of ''Executive Order No. 285'', the Bureau was merged with the printing unit of the Philippine Information Agency to form the National Printing Office. Through the same order, it was placed under the Office of the Press Secretary, which is today known as the
Presidential Communications Operations Office and under which the NPO remains today.
The first Director of the Bureau of Printing was John Sylvannus Leech. Under his term, the Apprenticeship System was adopted in the Bureau to train future printers in the agency's operations. Among the apprentices who benefited from this program was Pablo Lucas, who went on to be the first Filipino Director of Printing.
Functions
The NPO has printing
jurisdiction
Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, areas of jurisdiction apply to local, state, and federal levels.
Jur ...
over the:
*Printing, binding, and distribution of all Standard and Accountable Forms of the National and Local Governments, including Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations
*Printing of
Official Ballots; and
*Printing of public documents such as the
Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines
The ''Official Gazette'', which is printed by the National Printing Office (NPO), is the public journal and main publication of the government of the Philippines. Its website only uploads what has been published; it is managed by Presidential C ...
, the General Appropriations Act, Philippine Reports and development information materials of the
Philippine Information Agency
The Presidential Communications Group, or simply the Communications Group, is the collective name for the offices within the Office of the President of the Philippines and refers to the position of the Office of the Press Secretary, formerly kn ...
.
Together with other recognized government printers, the NPO is tasked with the printing of Accountable Forms and Sensitive High Quality/Volume requirements of the government. Besides the other jobs listed above, the NPO may also accept other government printing jobs, including government publications. However, these are engaged in a non-exclusive basis.
Officials
The NPO is currently headed by Director Carlos A. Bathan (2022). He leads the following officials:
* Carlos A. Bathan (2022), Deputy Director
* Engr. Neil L. Macaraeg, Acting Superintendent, and Acting Chief of the Engineering Division
* Florante M. Fadul, Acting Assistant Superintendent
* Yolanda B. Marcelo, Acting Chief of the Administrative Division
* Adriano C. Gabriel, Acting Chief of the Financial Management Division
* Buenaventura G. Gonzales, Jr., Acting Chief of the Production, Planning, and Control Division
* Engr. Benedicto M. Cabral, Chief of the Composing Division
* Teresita G. Carvajal, Acting Chief of the Photolithographic Division
* Efren P. Villaluz, Acting Chief of the Press Division
* Engr. Rolando L. Caluag, Acting Chief of the Sales and Management Division
* Napoleon G. Gonzalez, Acting Chief of the Finishing Division
* Jean Paul C. Melegrito, Chief of the Records Section
* Joseph J. Ereno, Chief of the Cashier Section
References
{{Reflist
1901 establishments in the Philippines
State publishers