MALACAÑANG has released a new set of guidelines on the deployment and assignment of military and police personnel to government officials and civilian offices aimed at maximizing the services of the uniformed personnel.
Executive Order 98, signed by President Duterte on November 29, provides the rules and regulations governing the designation of military and police personnel to civilian offices and government officials as security details and the number of soldiers and policemen that can be deployed per official.
EO 98 repeals Executive Order 41 and 207 that were issued in 1966 and 2016, respectively, and which previously served as the guide in the deployment of military and police personnel to civilian offices, former presidents and their families, and incumbent government officials who need security assistance or protection.
Under the new executive order, only the president can have an aide-de-camp, military assistant and a military administrative assistant; while the vice president may have an aide-de-camp and a military assistant.
The vice president can also be assigned a military administrative assistant on the approval of the secretary of the Department of National Defense (DND).
The Senate President, the Speaker, the Executive Secretary, the chairmen of the Senate and House committees on national defense and security, the National Security adviser, the director general of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, and other government officials “as may be determined and approved by the DND secretary” may also be assigned military assistants and military administrative assistants.
On the other hand, the defense secretary, visiting foreign military or civilian dignitaries and other government officials may also be assigned an aide-de-camp “as may be determined and approved by the DND secretary.”
The executive order likewise allows former presidents to have military assistants, military administrative assistants and a police protective security, in any combination as he or she may determine, “but in no case exceeding 12 personnel.”
Their spouses or widows, on the other hand, are allowed to have military administrative assistants and protective security not exceeding a total of six personnel.
No military personnel shall be shall be detailed to a private individual unless approved by the president and only upon the recommendation of the defense secretary.
On the deployment of police personnel to government officials and private persons, the assignment shall be authorized by the PNP director general.
The termination and extension of details of the uniformed personnel shall be based on an evaluation and the recommendation of the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the approval of the defense secretary, in the case of military personnel and the secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government in the case of police personnel.
The initial assignment of military personnel shall be for a period of one year, unless terminated early, and unless extended which is limited to only up to three years; while the detail of police personnel shall be governed by the rules and regulations on the availment of protective security issued by the police and upon the approval of the DILG.
The executive order defines an aide-de-camp as “a commissioned officer of the AFP, in the active service, selected for the purpose of providing general assistance to entitled government officials and foreign military or civilian dignitaries.”
A military assistant, on the other hand, is “a commissioned officer of the AFP with a field grade rank in the active service, or in the appropriate rank of Technical Service of the AFP, detailed to a civilian office and/or official for the purpose of rendering professional/technical advice and assistance on military matters.”
