Legal basis and predecessor rules repealed
- Executive Order No. 310 expressly establishes a complete regulatory scheme for the heraldic symbols of the President and Vice President.
- Executive Order No. 38 (January 7, 1947), as amended by Executive Order No. 457 (July 4, 1951) and Executive Order No. 19 (August 27, 1998), is repealed (Section 6).
- All other Presidential directives, issuances, orders, rules, and regulations, or parts thereof, inconsistent with Executive Order No. 310, are repealed or modified accordingly (Section 6).
Policy and intent
- Executive Order No. 310 implements a national interest to promulgate regulations that enhance the effective use of the symbols and the proper respect due the same (WHEREAS clauses).
- The President and Vice President heraldic symbols are established as exclusive symbols intended for the dignity and history of the Presidency and Vice Presidency (WHEREAS clauses).
Presidential coat-of-arms, seal, and flag
- The Coat-of-Arms of the President of the Philippines is a circular blue shield bearing an eight-rayed golden-yellow Philippine sun at the center (Section 1(a)).
- A red equilateral triangle overlaps the Philippine sun, and at the center of the triangle is the traditional golden-yellow sea lion (Ultramar) of the Coat-of-Arms granted to the City of Manila in 1956, on guard with a sword on its right paw, at hilt (Section 1(a)).
- Each of the three (3) angles of the equilateral triangle contains a five-pointed golden-yellow star representing Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, respectively (Section 1(a)).
- The outer edge of the blue shield encircles the enumerated elements with five-pointed golden-yellow stars, with one point of each star pointing outward on imaginary radiating center lines, and the number of stars conforms to the number of provinces of the Republic of the Philippines at any given time (Section 1(a)).
- The Seal of the President consists of the President’s Coat-of-Arms, and a white circle around it enclosed by two (2) golden-yellow marginal rings, with the words “Sagisag ng Pangulo ng Pilipinas:” in black on the upper arc and the lower arc divided by three (3) five-pointed golden-yellow stars (Section 1(b)).
- The Flag of the President consists of the President’s Coat-of-Arms in proper colors, with a rectangular blue background conforming to the blue color of the national flag under Republic Act No. 8491, and with a knotted yellow silk fringe; the flag ratio is 1:2 (Section 1(c)).
- Illustrations of the President’s Coat-of-Arms, Seal, and Flag, in proper colors, are attached as Annex “A”, Annex “B”, and Annex “C”, and are integral parts of Executive Order No. 310 (Section 1(a)–(c)).
Vice Presidential coat-of-arms, seal, and flag
- The Coat-of-Arms of the Vice President of the Philippines is a circular white shield bearing an eight-rayed golden-yellow Philippine sun at the center (Section 2(a)).
- A red equilateral triangle overlaps the Philippine sun, and at the center of the triangle is the traditional golden-yellow sea lion (Ultramar) of the Coat-of-Arms granted to the City of Manila in 1956, on guard with a sword on its right paw, at hilt (Section 2(a)).
- Each of the three (3) angles of the equilateral triangle contains a five-pointed golden-yellow star representing Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, respectively (Section 2(a)).
- The Seal of the Vice President consists of the Vice President’s Coat-of-Arms and a blue circle around it; the blue circle contains the words “Sagisag ng Pangalawang Pangulo ng Pilipinas” in white on the upper arc, and the lower arc is divided by one (1) five-pointed white star (Section 2(b)).
- The Flag of the Vice President consists of the Vice President’s Coat-of-Arms in proper colors with a rectangular white background, a knotted yellow silk fringe, and a flag ratio of 1:2 (Section 2(c)).
- Illustrations of the Vice President’s Coat-of-Arms, Seal, and Flag, in proper colors, are attached as Annex “D”, Annex “E”, and Annex “F”, and are integral parts of Executive Order No. 310 (Section 2(a)–(c)).
Exclusive use and permitted uses
- The coat-of-arms, seal, and flag of the President are exclusively used to represent the President, and those of the Vice President are exclusively used to represent the Vice President, except when otherwise provided by law or Presidential issuance (Section 3).
- Manufacture, reproduction, sale, purchase for sale, use, display, or possession in commercial quantity of the President’s or Vice President’s Coat-of-Arms, Seal, and/or Flag, or any likeness or substantial part thereof, is permitted only for the enumerated uses, except as used by the President or the Vice President or as may otherwise be provided by law or Presidential issuance (Section 3).
- Permitted uses for commercial quantity include use in encyclopedias, dictionaries, books, journals, pamphlets, periodicals, or magazines incident to description or history of coats-of-arms, seals, flags, heraldry, or the Philippine Presidency or Vice Presidency (Section 3(a)).
- Permitted uses also include use in libraries, museums, or educational facilities incident to descriptions or exhibits relating to coats-of-arms, seals, flags, heraldry, or the Philippine Presidency or Vice Presidency (Section 3(b)).
- Permitted uses include use as an architectural embellishment in libraries, museums, monuments, or archives established to house the papers or effects of former or incumbent Presidents or Vice Presidents of the Philippines (Section 3(c)).
- Permitted uses include photographic or electronic visual reproduction in pictures, moving pictures, telecast, or otherwise of bona fide news content (Section 3(d)).
- The President’s Protocol Office may authorize, in writing, other uses for exceptional historical, educational, or newsworthy purposes (Section 3(e)).
- The use of stationery, business cards, identification cards, or any other items containing the President’s or Vice President’s Coat-of-Arms, Seal, and/or Flag, or any likeness or substantial part thereof, by persons other than the President or Vice President is strictly prohibited (Section 3).
Enforcement and sanctions
- Any violation of Executive Order No. 310 must be severely dealt with administratively, civilly, and criminally (Section 4).
Implementation and administrative responsibilities
- The Office of the President Protocol, in consultation with the National Historical Institute, must prepare the Implementing Rules and Regulations in the form of a comprehensive usage manual, which requires approval by the Office of the President (Section 5).
- The comprehensive usage manual must include:
- a single reference for all standards and aspects of nomenclature and graphic representation for reproduction of the President’s and Vice President’s Coat-of-Arms, Seal, and Flag;
- templates for stationery, business cards, and publications;
- information on electronic design; and
- application to collateral materials and signage, among others (Section 5).
- The Office of the President Protocol must provide the comprehensive usage manual, or a simplified version, to concerned government agencies for implementation by all relevant government agencies (Section 5).
- The National Printing Office and the Philippine Information Agency must immediately use the correct graphic representation as provided in Executive Order No. 310 and/or its Implementing Rules and Regulations upon effectivity (Section 5).
Provisions on separability, limitations, and transitory
- Executive Order No. 310 provides a repealing clause covering prior related Presidential executive orders and inconsistent directives, orders, rules, and regulations (Section 6).
- Executive Order No. 310 takes effect immediately upon publication in a newspaper of general circulation (Section 7).