Question & AnswerQ&A (Commonwealth Act No. 569)
The registration of citizens for military service is a civil function carried out by civil authorities under the supervision of the Chief of Staff.
The Philippines shall be divided into military districts as the President may direct for recruiting manpower, providing preparatory military training, executing mobilization plans, and supplying the needs of the armed forces.
The provincial governor is responsible for executing all recruitment laws and laws governing the mobilization of persons and resources for national defense, with the Philippine Constabulary Provincial Inspector as part of his staff.
Mobilization centers are located in municipalities and other localities according to military population and reserve assignment. The Chief of Staff determines their location and type, and the District Commander is responsible for their operation.
It includes the Regular Force and the Reserves, composed of necessary organizations for prompt mobilization, usually organized into battalions, regiments, divisions, and higher units as necessary.
The Regular Force consists of Infantry, Cavalry, Field Artillery, Coast Artillery Corps, Air Corps, Corps of Engineers, Chemical Corps, Signal Corps, Off-Shore Patrol elements, General Staff Corps, and various Services including Adjutant General's, Judge Advocate General's, Inspector General's, Quartermaster, Finance, Medical, Ordnance, and Chaplain Services.
Appointments are generally in the grade of third lieutenant with priority given to graduates of military academies, senior military training unit graduates, enlisted men with service, and others. Specific grades apply to Judge Advocate General's, Medical and Chaplain Services. Temporary promotions to major are allowed under certain roles without vacating permanent commissions.
The General Staff Corps consists of the Chief of Staff, Central General Staff, and General Staff with troops. It plans national defense, mobilization, inspects the army, supervises training, and coordinates operations under the President and Chief of Staff.
Services include Adjutant General's (personnel management), Judge Advocate General's (legal assistance), Inspector General's (inspections/investigations), Quartermaster (procurement and logistics), Finance (financial disbursements), Medical (health and sanitation), Ordnance (special equipment procurement), and Chaplain Service (religious welfare).
Male citizens between 18 and 30 years old, able-bodied, disease-free, of good moral character and average intelligence may enlist for three years. Minors require parental or guardian consent. Enlistment is generally from residents of provinces except for some corps and is apportioned accordingly.
Military training starts with preparatory training from age 10 to 21. All able-bodied males 20-51 years are classified as Trainees (20-21 years old), First Reserve (22-31), Second Reserve (32-41), and Third Reserve (42-51).
Ecclesiastics, certified physicians, superintendents of penitentiaries and asylums, coast guard and lighthouse personnel, pilots and navigators, and Filipino civil service eligibles employed by the U.S. government are exempted from trainee instruction.
They may be fined not more than one hundred pesos for deliberate failure to compel attendance at preparatory military training.
Trainees receive five centavos per day plus meals, barracks, medical attention, clothing, and transportation. Enlisted men receive monthly pay based on rank, rations, quarters, medical care, clothing, and additional allowances if quarters or rations are not provided in kind.
Reserve officers and enlisted men on active duty or extended tours receive pay and allowances as prescribed by the President, with no pay while inactive or on annual training except in emergencies or mobilization.
All reservists aged 21 to 51 must register their names with the municipal secretary or, in chartered cities, with the Chief of Police, using registry books provided by the Chief of Staff.
Injury or disease is considered contracted in line of duty if acquired in service and not due to misconduct, willful failure, intemperate use of drugs or alcohol, or vicious habits.
Public funds must be appropriated and accounted for payroll and allowances, maintenance of personnel, transportation, armament and supplies, construction of military facilities, and miscellaneous expenditures for army contingencies and operations.