WHEREAS, in
consonance with the present campaign of the AFP against insurgency and
its thrusts towards civil-military operations, the Armed Forces of the
Philippines is in dire need of the services of additional lawyers,
doctors and chaplains.
WHEREAS, the highly competitive motivations provided by the private
sectors, have drastically limited the number of applicants for
commission in the Judge Advocate General's Service, Medical Corps and
Chaplain Service due to the stringent requirement for commission in
those services and the comparatively low pay and rank (First
Lieutenant) for initial appointment in the Armed Forces of the
Philippines.
WHEREAS, to expedite the procurement of such officers and to attract
the best qualified professionals mentioned to enter the military
service it is imperative that the law constituting the procurement of
technical service officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines be
amended by raising their initial entry grade by one rank and by doing
away the two-year practice prerequisite. chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines by
virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby order
and decree that:cralaw:red
Section 1. Section 4C of Republic Act Number 291 as
amended be further amended to read:cralaw:red
"Sec. 4. Procurement of additional officers. —chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
(c) Except as hereinafter authorized or unless
otherwise expressly provided by law, all initial appointments of
Regular Officers shall be in grade of Second Lieutenant. Priority in
the filling vacancies in the grade of Second Lieutenant will be given
first, to graduate of Philippine Military Academy or the United States
Military or Naval Academy, or Philippiner Force or United Statesr Force
Flying School; second, to honor graduates of senior military training
units in schools and colleges; third, to enlisted men, who at the time
of appointment shall have served for at least one full term of
enlistment in the Armed Forces of the Philippines and have such other
qualifications as may be prescribed by the MINISTER OF NATIONAL
DEFENSE; and fourth, others who shall such qualifications as the
MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENSE shall prescribe. PROVIDED, THAT ORIGINAL
APPOINTMENTS IN THE JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL'S SERVICE, MEDICAL CORPS AND
THE CHAPLAIN SERVICE SHALL BE IN THE GRADE OF CAPTAIN FROM AMONG
APPLICANTS WHO AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT SHALL NOT BE LESS THAN
TWENTY-FIVE NOR MORE THAN FORTY YEARS OF AGE AND SHALL HAVE BEEN
ADMITTED TO THE PRACTICE OF LAW IN THE PHILIPPINES, IF APPOINTMENT IS
TO BE MADE IN THE JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL'S SERVICE: SHALL HAVE BEEN
ADMITTED TO THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE IF APPOINTMENT IS BE MADE IN THE
MEDICAL CORPS, AND SHALL HAVE BEEN ORDAINED AND DULY INDORSED FOR
CHAPLAINCY ACCORDING TO THE LAWS AND USAGES OF HIS CHURCH IF
APPOINTMENT IS TO BE MADE IN THE CHAPLAIN SERVICE. PROVIDED FURTHER,
THAT SUCH OFFICERS IN THE JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL'S SERVICE, MEDICAL
CORPS OR CHAPLAIN SERVICE WHO ARE HOLDING THE GRADE OF FIRST LIEUTENANT
SHALL BE READJUSTED TO THE GRADE OF CAPTAIN UPON APPROVAL OF THIS
DECREE. PROVIDED, FINALLY, that the President may appoint professors
without military rank for the Military Academy, with such compensation
as he may determine, such professors, associate professors and
assistant professors, to be carried as separate roster and in addition
to the number of commissioned officers prescribed. chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
Section 2. Any law, decree, letter of instructions,
executive orders, rules and regulations which are inconsistent with
this decree, are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
Section 3. This decree shall take effect upon
approval.
Done in the City of Manila,
this 22nd day of March in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and
Eighty-Four.
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