EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 248
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 248 -
PRESCRIBING RULES AND REGULATIONS AND NEW RATES OF ALLOWANCES FOR
OFFICIAL LOCAL AND FOREIGN TRAVELS OF GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL
WHEREAS, the existing rules and
regulations and authorized rates of allowances for official local and
foreign travels of government personnel become unrealistic and no
longer responsive to their reasonable needs;
WHEREAS, present circumstances warrant a review of the existing rules
and regulations and rates of travel allowances governing official
travel here and abroad of government personnel;
WHEREAS, to provide government personnel on official travel here and
abroad with fairly reasonable means within the financial capability of
the government to enable them to travel in a manner befitting their
representative capacity, it is necessary to further modify and adjust
existing rules and regulations and authorized allowances thereon;
WHEREAS, pursuant to Sec. 79 of Presidential Decree No. 1177, dated
July 30, 1977, and Sec. 72, Chapter 7, Book VI of Executive Order
No. 292, otherwise known as the Administrative Code of 1987, the rates
of travel allowances may be changed from time to time as may be
determined by the President upon recommendation of the Travel Rates
Committee therein created consisting of the Secretary of Budget and
Management as Chairman, Commission on Audit, on their representatives,
as members;
WHEREAS, the Travel Rates Committee in accordance with its mandate has
submitted to the President recommendations to modify and adjust
existing rules and regulations and authorized allowances for local and
foreign travels.
NOW, THEREFOR, I, FIDEL V. RAMOS, President of the Republic of the
Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby
order:
Section 1. Coverage. — This Executive Order shall
govern official local and foreign travels of government personnel, both
national and local, including personnel of government-owned and/or
controlled corporations and government financial institutions.
Sec. 2. Nature of Travel. — Travels and
assignments under this Executive Order shall cover only those which are
urgent and extremely necessary, will involved the minimum expenditure
and are beneficial to the agency concerned and/or the country.
Sec. 3. Category of Travel and the Governing Rules
and Regulations. — Official Local Travel shall be governed by TITLE I,
Official Travel Abroad by TITLE II, and the Miscellaneous Provisions in
TITLE III.
TITLE
I. — OFFICIAL LOCAL TRAVEL OF GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL
Sec. 4. Definition of Terms. — For purposes of
this Executive Order, the following terms shall be construed to mean:
a)
Permanent Official Station — the office or regular place of work of the
officer or employee concerned.
b) Travel
Allowance — the authorized amount which shall cover the daily
subsistence and incidental travel expenses while on official travel.
c) Hotel
Room/Lodging Rate — The daily hotel room rate including prescribed
taxes and service charges.
Sec. 5. Approval of Travel. — Official local
travel for (7) calendar days and below shall be approved by the head of
office/bureau or their equivalent. Travel that will last for more than
seven (7) calendar days but not more than one (1) calendar month shall
be approved by the Department Secretary or his equivalent. Travel that
will last for more than one (1) calendar month shall be approved by the
President of the Philippines or official duly authorized by him.
For purposes of this Order, approval of travel of officials and
employees of government-owned and/or controlled corporations and
financial institutions that will last for not more than one (1)
calendar month shall be subject to the policies, rules and regulations
that will be adopted by their respective governing Boards, and by the
Secretary of the Interior and Local Government in the case of officials
and employees of local government units.
Sec. 6. Allowable Travel Expenses. — The travel
expenses of government personnel regardless of rank and position shall
be in amount of Three Hundred Pesos (P300.00) per day divided into two
(2) components: a) Travel Allowance of Two Hundred Pesos (P200.00)
which will cover the cost of meal, inland transportation and other
incidental expenses; and b) Hotel Room/Lodging Rate at One Hundred
Pesos (P100.00).
Claims for reimbursement of actual travel expenses in excess of Three
Hundred Pesos (P300.00) above prescribed for travel allowance and hotel
room/lodging rate may be allowed upon certification by the head of
agency concerned as absolutely necessary in the performance of an
assignment and presentation of bills and receipts; Provided, That, for
this purpose, certification or affidavit of loss shall not be
considered as appropriate replacement for the required hotel
room/lodging bills and receipts.
Full travel expenses shall be allowed only in cases of absence from the
permanent official station for one (1) full day. In cases where such
absence is for less than a full day the travel allowance shall be
divided as follows:
a)
When leaving the permanent official station before 12:00 noon shall be
allowed the full amount of the travel expenses.
b) When
leaving the permanent official station after 12:00 noon shall be
allowed only one-half (1/2) of the amount of the travel allowance, and
full amount for Hotel Room Lodging Race.
c) When
returning to the permanent official station before 12:00 noon shall be
allowed one-half (1/2) of the amount of the travel allowance
only.
d) When
returning to the permanent official station after 12:00 noon shall be
allowed the full amount of the travel allowance only.
No portion of the actual cost of travel expenses allowed to travel to
Department Secretaries, Undersecretaries, Assistant Secretaries, and
their equivalent, and other government officials shall cover the
expenses of any of the staff accompanying said officials in the travel,
otherwise, such staff shall not be allowed any of the allowances herein
authorized.
The Department/Agency Head concerned or his equivalent shall determine
the mode and class of transportation and the kind hotel/lodging/pension
houses to be taken which in all cases shall be the most advantageous to
the government from the standpoint of economy and efficiency. Only the
ordinary public conveyance or customary modes of transportation shall
be used, except in meritorious cases and justified by prevailing
circumstances.
Officials and employees whose permanent official station is within the
Metropolitan Manila Area shall not be allowed the travel expenses
herein authorized for their travel/assignment to places within the
Metropolitan Manila Area. The same restriction shall also apply to
those in cities and municipalities outside the Metropolitan Manila Area
when assigned to places within the city or municipality wherein their
permanent official station is located.
Claims for payment of travel expenses for official travel/assignment to
places within the fifty (50) kilometers radius from the last city or
municipality covered by the Metropolitan Manila Area in the case of
those whose permanent official station is located in the case of those
outside the Metropolitan Manila Area, shall be allowed only upon
presentation of proof duly supported by bills or invoices with official
receipts of expenses incurred, that they stayed in the place of their
assignment for the whole duration of their official travel. If they
commute daily from the place of their assignment to the place of their
residence or permanent official station, they shall be allowed only the
reimbursement of actual fare at the prevailing rates of the authorized
mode of transportation from the permanent official station to the
destination or place of work and back, and a reasonable cost of actual
meal allowance, but in no case shall exceed the Two Hundred Pesos
(P200.00) travel allowance herein authorized.
TITLE
II. — OFFICIAL TRAVEL ABROAD OF GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL
Sec. 7. Nature of Travel. — Travels and
assignments under this Executive Order shall cover only those which are
urgent and extremely necessary, will involved the minimum expenditure
and are expected to bring immediate benefit to the country, and shall
refer only to those under the category of conferences, special
missions, and other non-study trips such as those undertaken for the
following purposes:
a)
To attend conferences or seminars sponsored by foreign governments
organizations to which the Philippine Government is committed or
invited to send representatives or participants;
b) To attend
conferences or seminars sponsored by private organizations, whether
international or not, invitations to which have been sent through their
respective governments to the Philippine Government;
c) To conduct
examinations or investigations of Philippine Government agencies or
affairs;
d) To
undertake any other official mission which cannot be assigned to any
other Philippine government official or officials already abroad;
e) To
participate in short courses in certain areas of specialization
arranged directly by government agencies with foreign institutions of
learning;
f) To attend
training seminars as component of contracts of foreign suppliers, with
or without government funding; and
g) To attend
training courses funded from loans secured from foreign sources.
Sec. 8. Approval of the President. — All officials
travels abroad of Department Secretaries, Undersecretaries, Assistant
Secretaries, heads, senior assistant heads and assistant heads of
government-owned and/or controlled corporations and financial
institution, and heads of local government units like Provincial
Governors and Mayors of highly urbanized cities or independent
component cities, and other officials of equivalent rank whose nature
of travel falls under the categories prescribed in this Order shall be
subject to the prior approval of the President of the Philippines. All
other positions concerned shall be with prior approval of their
respective Department Secretaries and their equivalent; Provided, That,
travel that will last for more than one (1) calendar month shall also
be subject to the approval of the President of the Philippines.
For this purpose, official foreign travel that will last for one (1)
calendar month and below of other officials and employees of
government-owned and/or controlled corporations and financial
institutions shall be approved by the Department Secretaries or their
equivalent to which such government owned/controlled corporations and
financial institutions are attached, and by the Secretary of the
Interior and Local Government in the case of other officials and
employees of local government units.
Prior clearance from the Office of the President shall also be required
for foreign trips of delegations or groups of two or more persons
regardless of the rank of participants.
Sec. 9. Pre-Departure Expenses. — Officials and
employees authorized to travel abroad shall be entitled to One Thousand
Five Hundred Pesos (P1,500.00) commutable pre-departure allowance to
cover miscellaneous/incidental expenses, such as taxi fare,
passport photographs, immunization, visa fees, tips, porterage, and
airport terminal fees.
Sec. 10. Transportation. — In case officials and
employees authorized to travel abroad are not provided with
transportation by the host country or sponsoring organization or
agency, they shall be allowed official transportation which shall be of
the economy class unless otherwise specified in the travel authority
and approved by the President.
Sec. 11. Clothing Allowances. — Officials and
employees authorized to travel shall be granted clothing allowance
equivalent to Four Hundred United States Dollars (US$400.00)
Clothing allowance shall not be granted oftener than once in every
twenty-four (24) months and a certification shall be submitted to the
effect if no clothing allowance had been received during the next
preceding twenty-four (24) months.
Sec. 12. Travel Allowance and Hotel Room Rate/Per
Diem. — Officials and employees who travel abroad shall be granted
travel allowance of One Hundred United States Dollars (US$100.00) and
hotel room/lodging rate of Two Hundred United States Dollars
(US$200.00) per day.
Claims for lodging or hotel accommodation shall be allowed only when
duly supported by appropriate hotel room bills with official receipts;
Provided, That, for the purpose, no certification or affidavit of loss
shall be considered or accepted.
Subject to approval of the President, actual travel expenses in excess
of the Three Hundred United States Dollars (US$300.00) above-prescribe
for travel allowance and hotel room/lodging rate, may be allowed upon
certification by the head of agency concerned as absolutely necessary
in the performance of an assignment and presentation of hotel room bill
with official receipts.
The above travel allowance is intended to cover subsistence, local
transportation and other incidental expenses, and shall not be divided
into units; Provided, That, full travel allowance shall be allowed only
in accordance with the provisions of the third paragraph of Sec. 6
hereof.
For purposes of this Order and of the provisions of Sec. 75 of R.A.
No. 7157, otherwise known as the Foreign Service Act of 1991, the
travel allowance and hotel room rate herein provided shall also be
known as per diems insofar as the Department of Foreign Affairs is
concerned. As such, it shall consist of four (4) units: breakfast,
lunch, dinner and lodging. The Secretary of Foreign Affairs is duly
authorized to prescribe additional guidelines thereon, particularly in
the proper allocation of amounts per unit thereof.
The travel allowance herein provided for shall be granted only for the
duration of the official trip, including actual travel time, which
shall be computed according to the most direct air route, unless
otherwise specified in the authority for the trip. Any additional time
extension caused by taking a diverse route shall not be on government
time and expense.
Sec. 13. Representation Expenses. — Philippine
delegations to international conferences, conventions or special
missions, as well as individuals travelling on official business may,
upon prior approval of the President, be allowed non-commutable
representation expenses not exceeding One Thousand United States
Dollars (US$1,000.00), duly supported by bills or receipts, as shall be
absolutely necessary to enable them to uphold the prestige of the
Republic of the Philippines, to represent the country with dignity and
distinction, and to carry out their functions and objectives more
effectively.
Representation expenses may be incurred for necessary entertainment,
contributions, flowers, wreaths, and the like, when justified by
circumstances and in conformity with the generally accepted customs,
usages, and practices.
Sec. 14. Applicability to Personnel Stationed
Abroad. — Officials and employee already posted abroad may avail
themselves of the allowances prescribed under this Order when they
travel officially outside of their post of assignment, or to countries
to which they are duly accredited on a non-resident basis, or to
countries over which the post has concurrent jurisdiction; Provided,
That (1) unless indicated otherwise, funds therefor are chargeable to
the post allotment and no supplemental budget is requested for the
purpose; (2) prior authority is secured from their respective
Department Secretaries and those Officials of equivalent rank;
(3) the travel necessitates an overnight stay by reason of
distance and/or the non-availability of return transportation; and (4)
travel within the one hundred (100) mile radius from the city or
municipality wherein the official station of such official or employee
is located shall not be allowed any of the allowances herein authorized.
Officials and employees who are either assigned from their Home Office
to a post abroad or cross-posted from one post to another shall be
entitled to the lodging portion of the allowances herein granted during
the month said personnel arrived at the post; Provided, That the claim
which hall be supported by appropriate bills with receipts does not
commence until their actual arrival at the post of assignment;
Provided, Finally, That, the lodging portion of the allowance shall be
granted on the basis of the classification of the post as stated under
E.O. No. 101, series of 1993, with Two Hundred United States Dollars
(US$200.00) per day as the ceiling thereof.
Sec. 15. Payment of Allowance Differential. —
Where the official or employee travelling abroad is provided by the
host government or institution with per diem, or allowance lower than
that prescribe in this Order, he shall be entitled to the difference
only.
TITLE
III. — MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
Sec. 16. Rendition of Account on Cash Advances. —
Within sixty (60) days after his return to the Philippines, in the case
of official travel abroad, or within (30) days of his return to his
permanent official station in the case of official local travel, every
official or employee shall render an account of the cash advance
received by him in accordance with existing applicable rules and
regulations and/or such rules and regulations as may be promulgated by
the Commission on Audit for the purpose. Payment of the salary of any
official or employee who fails to comply with the provisions of this
Section shall be suspended until he complies therewith.
Sec. 17. Automatic Adjustment. — If in a span of
at least five (5) years the inadequacy of the adjusted rates of
allowances is again felt, upward adjustment may be automatically made
using the factors and computation used by the Travel Rates Committee,
particularly Attachments A and B, which are made integral parts
hereof.
Sec. 18. Submission of Report. — Every official or
employee assigned or authorized to travel under this Order shall,
within one (1) month after his return to official station, submit a
report with his recommendations, if any, on the conference or seminar
attended, examination or investigation conducted, or mission
undertaken, to the head of his office. In case of participation in an
international conference or convention abroad in which the Philippines
is represented by a delegation, a report of the delegation shall be
submitted to the President of the Philippines through the Secretary of
Foreign Affairs not latter than one (1) month after the closing of the
conference or convention. Any member of the delegation may also submit
a supplementary report.
Violation of the provisions of this Section shall subject the official
or employee concerned to disciplinary action.
Sec. 19. Insurance. — Any official or employee on
travel pursuant to this Order shall be allowed reimbursement of premium
for accident insurance coverage, not exceeding Two Hundred Thousand
Pesos (P200,000.00) for the duration of his official travel. Under no
circumstances, however, shall premiums on insurance of personal or
household effects belonging to any official or employee on official
travel be charged to government funds.
Sec. 20. Chargeability of Expenses. — The expenses
authorized under this Order shall, unless otherwise specified, be
chargeable against the appropriations of the office to which the
official or employee concerned belongs.
Sec. 21. Saving Clause. — Cases not covered by
this Order shall be referred to the Office of the President for final
resolution.
Sec. 22. Funding Source. — In the case of regular
government offices/agencies, the funds shall be as provided for each of
the departments/agencies/offices for the item on Travelling Expense in
the annual General Appropriation Act. For government-owned and/or
controlled corporations and financial institutions and local government
units, funding for the purpose shall be sourced solely from their
respective corporate and local funds.
Sec. 23. Repealing Clause. — The pertinent
provisions of Executive Order No. 53, dated October 29, 1986, Executive
Order No. 151, dated March 19, 1987, as implemented by National Budget
Circular No. 391, dated October 6, 1987, and National Budget Circular
No. 391-A, dated June 29, 1989, Executive Order No. 401, dated April
26, 1990, and administrative authorizations not consistent with this
Order are hereby modified or repealed accordingly.
Sec. 24. Effectivity. — This Executive Order shall
take effect immediately.
DONE in the City of Manila,
this 29th day of May, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and
Ninety-Five.
Attachment A
EXISTING RATES = LOCAL TRAVEL
Metro Manila
and other Places
Highly
Other Other
Urbanized
Charactered than
Cities Cities
Cities
————— ———— ————
GROUP I
Senior Management
Positions and
Equivalent
P175.00
P165.00 P155.00
GROUP II
Middle Management
Positions and
Equivalent
155.00
145.00 135.00
GROUP III
All other positions
135.00 125.00 115.00
Attachment B
CATEGORY = GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS/EMPLOYEES
a)
Department Secretaries, Executive Secretary, Cabinet Secretary,
Chairmen of Constitutional Commissions, and those of equivalent rank
b) Department
Undersecretaries, Deputy Executive Secretary, Cabinet Undersecretary,
Member of Constitutional Commissions and those of equivalent rank
c) Assistant
Secretaries, Chairmen of governing boards, General Managers or Managing
Heads of government-owned and/or -controlled corporations and financial
institutions. Heads of Delegations with Full Powers, Bureau Directors,
Directors of Bureau-level offices. Department Regional Directors, Chief
of Mission, Ambassadors Extra-Ordinary and Plenipotentiary,
Consuls-General, Career Ministers, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces
of the Philippines, and other officials of equivalent rank
d)
Vice-Chairmen and Members of the governing boards and councils,
Assistant General Manager and other Assistant Managing Heads of
government-owned and/or -controlled corporations and financial
institutions, Assistant Bureau Directors, Bureau Regional Directors,
other General officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Foreign
Service Officers, and other officials of equivalent rank
e) Heads of
Primary Units of at least Division level and those of equivalent rank
f) All other
employees