Question & AnswerQ&A (Republic Act No. 1069)
The main purpose of Republic Act No. 1069 is to establish the Chaplain Service as a regular component of the Armed Forces of the Philippines by amending pertinent provisions of the Armed Forces Officer Personnel Act of 1948, as amended.
Appointments of officers below brigadier general in the Regular Force are made specifically in the Air Force, Navy, Judge Advocate General's Service, Chaplain Service, and Medical Service Corps. Appointments without specification of branch, arm, or service are assigned by the Secretary of National Defense to various branches, excluding the aforementioned specialized services.
Transfer to but not from the Air Force and the Navy is permitted, meaning officers may transfer into the Air Force and Navy but cannot transfer out from them once appointed.
The Secretary of National Defense determines the authorized active list of commissioned officer strength within each branch or service, within the limitations provided by law.
The Chaplain Service promotion list shall contain the names of all officers eligible for promotion within the Chaplain Service, separate from other branches or services.
Original appointees in the Chaplain Service shall be in the grade of first lieutenant and must be between 25 to 35 years old at appointment, have engaged in the practice of ministry or priesthood for at least two years, and meet any other qualifications prescribed by the Secretary of National Defense.
No, officers appointed in the Judge Advocate General’s Service, the Chaplain Service, and the several corps of the Medical Service are not eligible for nomination or appointment as Chief of Staff.
Priority is given first to graduates of military academies or flying schools, then to honor graduates of senior military training units, followed by enlisted men who have served at least one full term of enlistment with other qualifications, and lastly to others with qualifications prescribed by the Secretary of National Defense.
The President may appoint professors without military rank for the Military Academy, with compensation as prescribed or in commissioned grades, to be carried as a separate roster in addition to the number of commissioned officers authorized.
All references to the Air Corps and Naval Patrol in the Armed Forces Personnel Act of 1948 shall be updated to pertain to the Philippine Air Force and the Philippine Navy, respectively.