Question & AnswerQ&A (EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 475)
The main purpose of Executive Order No. 475 is to transfer the Philippine Coast Guard from the Department of National Defense to the Office of the President and to provide for its powers, functions, and organizational adjustments.
The Philippine Coast Guard was created and established as a major unit of the Philippine Navy pursuant to Republic Act No. 5173.
The Philippine Coast Guard was transferred from the Philippine Navy, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Department of National Defense to the Office of the President.
The primary mandates of the Philippine Coast Guard are the promotion of safety of life at sea and the protection of the marine environment.
The Transition and Liquidation Committee is composed of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) as Chairman, and members from the Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, Department of Budget and Management, and the Office of the President.
The Committee is tasked to recommend plans and measures to effect the transfer of the Philippine Coast Guard, to conduct an inventory and disposition of all PCG properties, and to ensure smooth transition within 30 days from the signing of the EO.
All current appropriations and assets in possession or control of the PCG are deemed as PCG properties and the appropriations shall continue to be carried in the Annual General Appropriations Act. The PCG will prepare its own budget as a Key Budgetary Item thereafter.
No. The uniformed personnel of the PCG shall continue to receive the same base pay, longevity pay, allowances, and benefits as authorized for corresponding ranks in the AFP. They are also covered by PD 1638 (AFP Retirement Law) until the PCG establishes its own retirement system.
All Executive Orders, Rules, and Regulations or parts thereof that are contrary to or inconsistent with EO No. 475 are repealed or modified accordingly.
EO No. 475 took effect immediately on March 30, 1998, the date it was signed by the President of the Philippines.