EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 523
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 523 -
RESTRUCTURING THE FOREIGN SERVICE OF THE PHILIPPINES
WHEREAS,
the emerging trend in world diplomacy is the accreditation of men and
women who are not only well-trained in the art and amenities of the
foreign service but who also possess a development orientation that is
essential in today’s international relationships;
WHEREAS, the Philippine foreign service cannot afford to ignore this
trend considering the critical need to establish strong and effective
linkages throughout the world, whether economically, politically,
socially or culturally;
WHEREAS, in keeping with such trend, changes have been made in the
selection of men for the foreign service such that younger and more
dynamic personnel are being recruited to complement the existing core
of career diplomats, thus, providing a desirable balance between
innovative dynamism and responsible mature judgment; and
WHEREAS, because of the new developments in world diplomacy and the
demands of our own efforts to develop our country, there is a need for
more drastic measures to revamp our foreign service to encompass a
comprehensive assessment of its human resource capabilities to make it
more sensitive to the national interest, particularly the need to
promote and expand foreign trade, to attract foreign tourists and
investments, and to protect and advance the interests of Filipino
migrant workers, among others.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines,
by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order and direct
that:
Section 1. Restructuring of Foreign Service;
Definition of Goals and Objectives of Diplomatic Posts. — The Minister
of Foreign Affairs shall immediately undertake a restructuring of the
Ministry and the Foreign Service to provide a more effective support to
the goals and programs for national development of the President.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall further provide each diplomatic
mission in the Philippine Foreign Service with a set of clearly defined
goals and objectives, particularly, the promotion and expansion of
Philippine exports, the attraction of foreign tourists to visit the
Philippines, the protection and advancement of the interests of
Filipino migrant workers within the jurisdiction of the mission. He
shall review said goals and objectives annually and make such
adjustments as may be necessary, based on the performance of each
diplomatic mission for the past year and the recommendation of the
Chief of Mission, within the framework of the national economic and
development plans as drawn up by the National Economic and Development
Authority and approved by the President. The diplomatic missions shall
be furnished copies of the revised goals and objectives for
implementation.
A copy of the approved goals and programs shall be submitted to me for
my information.
Sec. 2. Recruitment, Selection, Promotion,
Assignment and Reassignment of Foreign Service Personnel. — To insure
effective and efficient attainment of these goals and objectives, the
Minister of Foreign Affairs shall immediately promulgate clearly
defined rules and regulations on personnel management in the Foreign
Service, including recruitment, selection, promotion, assignment and
reassignment of personnel. He shall see to it that only personnel who
meet the standards of education, experience, aptitude and potential,
previously determined to be indispensable for the achievement of such
goals and objectives, are recruited into the foreign service and
properly assigned to the Home Office and the different foreign service
establishments. Only those officers whose training and experience are
relevant to a particular post shall be assigned to such post. Conscious
and concerted efforts must be exerted to integrate into the service
those persons who are trained in diplomacy, international law, foreign
trade, tourism, investments, cultural exchanges, foreign languages,
negotiations, and international relations.
Sec. 3. Lateral Integration of Personnel. —
Whenever necessary and to achieve a balanced growth of specialists and
generalists in the career foreign service, personnel from other
ministries and agencies of the government who are highly trained and
professionally experienced or who have had previous experience in the
foreign service shall be recruited to appropriate ranks of Foreign
Service Officer and Counselor.
Sec. 4. Classification of Diplomatic
Establishments. — The Diplomatic establishments shall be classified
into Class I Missions (or areas of greater importance), and Class II
Missions (or areas of lesser importance) on the basis of the following
criteria; (1) economic trade interests; (2) number of Filipino resident
nationals; (3) geo-political and military significance of the post; (4)
historical-cultural considerations; and (5) prestige factors, such as
the existence of international or regional organizations in the post.
Sec. 5. Classification of Consular Establishments.
— Consular establishments shall likewise be classified Class I
Consulates General and Class II Consulates General on the basis of
volume of trade and trade potential and the number of Filipino resident
nationals in the post.
Sec. 6. Flexibility in Staffing. — Flexibility
shall be observed in the staffing of Foreign Missions and Consulates
General. The actual number of personnel shall be arrived at considering
the extent or volume of work needed in the post in relation to the
criteria used as basis for the classification of diplomatic missions
and consulates.
Sec. 7. Appointment of Attaches. — Except in
extraordinary cases, each foreign service established shall have only
military, labor, revenue, tourism, information and commercial attaches.
The authority to appoint attaches shall be vested in the head of the
agency maintaining the attache service. However, such head shall
consult with the Minister of Foreign Affairs as to the actual need for
opening particular types of attache services and as to the places where
these services shall be made available.
Sec. 8. Number of Attaches. — A ministry or agency
shall have only one attache accredited to it by the receiving
government. In the event of the actual need for more than one attache
to be determined by the ministry or agency in consultation with the
Minister of Foreign Affairs, the succeeding attache shall be accredited
as assistant attache.
Sec. 9. Relationship of Chiefs of Missions and
Attaches. — The supremacy of the Chief of Mission for the conduct of
foreign relations at the post is established. All attaches shall be
under the administrative supervision and control of the Chief of
Mission where they are assigned. They shall compulsorily submit their
reports to their agency through the Chief of Missions and the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, except when national security requires otherwise.
They shall clear with the Chief of Mission all their public
pronouncements at the diplomatic post and all documents and materials
they send through the diplomatic pouch. The Chief of Mission shall have
the authority to discipline attaches within his Mission including the
authority to have them recalled, if necessary.
Sec. 10. Uniform Rules for Attache Services. — A
uniform set of rules and regulations shall govern attache services. For
this purpose, there is created an Inter-Ministerial Committee to draft
such rules and regulations. The Committee shall be composed to Deputy
Ministers or equivalent officials of the Ministry of agencies of the
government maintaining attaches abroad with the representative of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Committee Chairman.
Sec. 11. Promotion of Foreign Service Officers;
Creation of Promotion Board. — The promotion of Foreign Service
Officers, particularly that involving promotion to the positions of
Foreign Service Counselor and Chief of Mission, shall be based upon
performance, education and training and potential. No Foreign Service
Officer shall be promoted unless he meets the criteria required for the
position which shall be determined by a Promotion Board which shall be
established by the Ministry with the following composition:
(1)
one member designated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs;
(2) one member
designated by the Chairman of the Civil Service Commission;
(3) one member
designated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs from among those
nominated by the National Economic and Development
Authority;
(4) one member
designated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs from among those
nominated by the Foreign Service Association of the Philippines;
(5) one member
designated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs from among those
nominated by academic institutions.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall designate the Chairman of the
Board from among the above members.
Sec. 12. Promotion of Other Personnel. — Promotion
from the position of FSSE I to that of FSSO III shall be by competitive
examinations and no officer or employee may be promoted to FSSO III
unless he shall have qualified in such examination, irrespective of
civil service eligibility.
Sec. 13. Assignment of Personnel to Foreign
Service Posts. — Proposals for assignment in foreign service posts
shall take into consideration the particular area of concern that the
Philippine government seeks to promote in said country so that only
personnel qualified and training in this concern shall be assigned
thereto. Such proposals shall be the subject of joint consultation
between the Home Office and the Chief of Mission. No officer or
employee shall refuse an assignment nor seek revocation or change of
assignment.
Sec. 14. Rotation of Foreign Service Personnel. —
There shall be a periodic and systematic rotation of FSO’s and FSSO’s
to insure dynamic and sustained implementation of national economic
development goals and programs. Accordingly, no FSO or FSSO shall be
assigned to a diplomatic or consular post for less than 2 years nor
more than 6 years, and no position in the foreign service shall be left
vacant for more than 60 days. Furthermore, to insure the efficient
assignment of qualified personnel, the Minister of Foreign Affairs
shall periodically submit the names and personal histories of newly
recruited PSO, FSSO, FSSE, to the appropriate government agencies for
clearance. Officers and employees previously cleared by such agencies
shall be immediately available for foreign assignment without need for
a new clearance unless the agency concerned indicates the specific
grounds for non-implementation of the assignment order within 30 days
after it has been furnished copies thereof.
Sec. 15. Funding Support. — In order to implement
the rotation program effectively, the Ministry of the Budget is hereby
directed to consider proposals for increase in the budget of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs to fund the regular rotation of personnel.
Sec. 16. Inspection or Audit. — There is hereby
installed a system of inspection to enable the President and the
Minister of Foreign Affairs to assess at first hand the performance of
the different missions and consulates and at the same time establish
closer ties with the foreign service establishments. The inspection
shall be carried out or conducted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs or
when the President considers it necessary, he may designate the
Minister of the Budget, Chairman of the Presidential Reorganization
Commission, Chairman of the Civil Service Commission or any other
person to conduct the inspection or audit.
Sec. 17. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — The
Minister of Foreign Affairs shall promulgate such rules and regulations
as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Order.
Sec. 18. Repealing Clause. — All orders, rules and
regulations inconsistent with this Executive Order are hereby repealed
or modified accordingly.
Sec. 19. Effectivity. — This Order shall take
effect immediately.
DONE in the City of Manila,
this 11th day of February, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred
and seventy-nine.