Administrative Agencies

Definition

(See Definition of Terms under E.O. 292)

***Q: Is Cebu City Government an agency?

A: Yes, under sec. 2(4), E.O. 292, “Agency of the Government refers to any of the various units of the
Government, including a department, bureau, office, instrumentality, or government-owned or
controlled corporation, or a local government or a distinct unit therein.

***Q: Differentiate department from instrumentality.

A: Both are agencies of government but occupy different places under the administrative structure.
While a department refers to an executive department created by law, an instrumentality is any agency
of the National Government that is not integrated within the departmental framework. Thus, a
department includes bureaus and the offices under it, while instrumentality covers all other
administrative bodies, including regulatory agencies, chartered institutions and government-owned or
controlled corporations. An instrumentality is vested with special functions or jurisdiction by law,
endowed with some if not all corporate powers, administering special funds, and enjoying operational
autonomy, usually through a charter.

(NOTA BENE: It is legally significant to distinguish between the two for purposes of ascertaining who has
power of control over a particular administrative body and in order to determine whether the creation,
reorganization or abolition of the same is validly done.)

Creation, Reorganization and Abolition

HOW AN AGENCY IS CREATED:

By the Constitution

By statute

By authority of law