QuestionsQuestions (PhilHealth Circular No. 006-2015)
EO 97 approves and adopts a policy framework and guidelines to govern decisions on sending Philippine military, police, and civilian personnel to UN peacekeeping, peace-enforcement, or peace-building operations, and to guide relevant government agencies in executing such decisions.
EO 97 specifically mentions the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Department of National Defense (DND), and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), plus other relevant government agencies.
EO 97 applies to decisions regarding Philippine participation in UN peacekeeping, peace-enforcement, and peace-building operations.
Section 1 provides that the policy framework and guidelines govern all decisions regarding Philippine participation in UN peacekeeping, peace-enforcement, and peace-building operations.
EO 97 allows updates to the policy framework and guidelines because UN peacekeeping is constantly evolving.
EO 97 authorizes the DFA to update the policy framework and guidelines, but only upon the concurrence of the DND and the DILG.
EO 97 states it shall take effect immediately.
EO 97 was signed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. It states she acted “by virtue of the powers vested in me by law.”
Examples include: (1) UN action in Korea (1950–53); (2) UN peacekeeping in the Congo/ONUC (1992–1993); (3) UN peacekeeping/mission in Iraq (UNGCI, 1991 to the present); (4) UN peacekeeping in Cambodia/UNTAC (1992–1993); (5) Haiti/UNMIH (1994); (6) Kosovo (1999 to the present); (7) East Timor (INTERFET and UNTAET, 1999 to the present).
The rationale is that it is imperative to provide an adequate policy framework and guidelines to relevant agencies for executing an Executive decision to send Philippine military, police, and civilian personnel to UN peacekeeping/peace-enforcement/peace-building operations.
To support the claim that the Philippines contributes to maintaining international peace and security in accordance with the UN Charter.
EO 97 is meant to provide policy framework and guidelines for executing the Executive’s decision to send personnel to UN operations, implying that future decisions should be guided by these rules.
The DFA may update them only with the concurrence of the DND and the DILG.
EO 97 explicitly includes Philippine military personnel, police personnel, and civilian personnel.
It places governance through the EO 97 policy framework and guidelines over “all decisions regarding Philippine participation” in the covered UN operations.