Legal basis and controlling limits
- The President is empowered by Republic Act No. 645 to appoint and commission reserve officers in the Regular Force within a period of three years from July 1, 1952.
- Republic Act No. 645 limits the number of appointees to not to exceed one hundred and fifty officers in the first year, and not to exceed fifty officers yearly in the next two years.
- Executive Order No. 601 requires appointments and commissions to be made on a fair and equitable basis, considering:
- the demonstrated fitness of reserve officers to hold Regular Force commissions; and
- the necessity of ensuring that officers already in the Regular Force receive reasonable security.
- Appointments and commissions under Republic Act No. 645 are subject to the qualifications, conditions, and limitations stated in Executive Order No. 601.
Covered grades and appointment caps
- Reserve officers appointed and commissioned into the Regular Force are placed in the grades of first lieutenant, captain, and major, and the equivalent grades in the Navy.
- The Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines determines:
- the number of officers to be appointed and commissioned in each grade; and
- the allocation to the several services, arms, or branches of the Regular Force.
- The total number of reserve officers appointed and commissioned into the Regular Force is capped as follows:
- First Period (July 1, 1952 to June 30, 1953): not to exceed one hundred and fifty.
- Second Period (July 1, 1953 to June 30, 1954): not to exceed fifty.
- Third Period (July 1, 1954 to June 30, 1955): not to exceed fifty.
Eligibility and credited service rules
- To be eligible, a reserve officer must be:
- a citizen of the Philippines; and
- of good moral character; and
- physically fit for general military service.
- A reserve officer must satisfy active commissioned service requirements as of the appointment period’s July 1 date:
- For the Medical Corps, Dental Corps, and Judge Advocate General’s Service: at least two years of active commissioned service.
- For all other branches of service: at least four years of active commissioned service in any of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, or in any guerrilla unit recognized as a component thereof.
- Service prior to July 4, 1946 in the Armed Forces of the United States is also creditable.
- Reserve officers are inserted into the applicable Regular Force promotion list based on their total period of active commissioned service on May 28, 1952.
- An Air Force officer’s service as a flying cadet earns credit:
- one-half of the length of flying cadet service on or after December 8, 1941 up to and including July 4, 1946 is credited as active commissioned service.
Promotion list placement and ranking rules
- Reserve officers appointed and commissioned (subject to the special branches below) are inserted into the Regular Force promotion list based on active commissioned service on May 28, 1952, with placement rules that direct whether the officer is placed:
- below specific groups of officers previously placed on the list (including Philippine Military Academy graduate cohorts referenced in Republic Act No. 207, Republic Act No. 573, and Executive Order No. 242, series 1949, as amended); or
- at the bottom of specific promotion lists effective on May 28, 1950 or May 28, 1952; or
- at the bottom of the relevant promotion list as of the date of appointment if they meet minimum service but fall outside the listed brackets.
- For Air Force reserve officers, insertion into the Air Force promotion list is based on active commissioned service on May 28, 1952, with additional tie-breaking rules:
- For identical length of active commissioned service, the officer appointed under Republic Act No. 207, Republic Act No. 573, and Executive Order No. 242, series 1949, as amended is senior.
- A rated airplane pilot is senior to a non-pilot where both have identical commissioned service.
- Placement rules also include bottom-of-list categories for brackets including at least six but less than eight years and four or more but less than six years of active commissioned service, and for those with at least four years of active commissioned service on July 1 prior to the appointment period.
- For Navy reserve officers, insertion into the Navy promotion list is based on active commissioned service on May 28, 1952, with sequential placement rules tied to prior Regular Force cohorts (including specific prior grades such as lieutenant commander, lieutenant, and lieutenant junior grade).
- For Judge Advocate General’s Service, Medical Corps, and Dental Corps reserve officers, insertion into the appropriate promotion list is governed by placement rules based on active commissioned service on May 28, 1952, with placement referenced to prior officer grades such as major, captain, and first lieutenant.
- For reserve officers in the Veterinary Corps, Nurse Corps, and Chaplain Service (conditional on legislation establishing these as regular services during the Executive Order’s effectivity), the Executive Order establishes grade appointments by years of active commissioned service on May 28, 1952 and July 1 prior service:
- Major for fourteen or more years on May 28, 1952.
- Captain for seven or more but less than fourteen years on May 28, 1952.
- First lieutenant for four or more but less than seven years on May 28, 1952, and for those with at least four years on July 1 prior to the appointment period.
- Officers appointed in the Second Period are placed below officers appointed for the First Period, and officers appointed in the Third Period are placed below officers appointed for the Second Period.
- Reserve officers (except those appointed in the Veterinary Corps, Nurse Corps, and Chaplain Service) are appointed in a grade equal to the grade of the officer immediately above whom they are placed in the promotion list.
- If the officer above whom they are placed is in the grade of second lieutenant, the reserve officer is appointed as first lieutenant.
Seniority determination between officers
- Seniority among officers appointed and commissioned into the Regular Force (except the Air Force) is determined by active commissioned service in the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
- If active commissioned service is identical, rank order is determined by seniority in age.
- If both active commissioned service and age are identical, rank order is determined by officers’ educational and military preparation.
- For Navy officers with identical commissioned service and who were classmates in the Off-shore Patrol School or the Naval Training Center, seniority is determined by class standing upon graduation from the school or center.
- For Air Force officers, seniority follows the same active commissioned service rule, with additional pilot/non-pilot differentiation:
- a rated airplane pilot is senior to a non-pilot where service is identical;
- if both are pilots or both are non-pilots and service is identical, rank is determined by educational and military preparation;
- for pilot classmates in the Philippine Army Flying School or the Philippine Air Force Pilot School, seniority is determined by class standing upon graduation.
- Despite Sections on promotion/listing and grade appointment, no reserve officer appointed and commissioned under Republic Act No. 645 and Executive Order No. 601 is senior to any Regular Force officer previously appointed and commissioned under Republic Act No. 207, Republic Act No. 573, Executive Order No. 242, series 1949, as amended, and Republic Act No. 645 and Executive Order No. 601 if the earlier officer has an equal or longer period of active commissioned service as of the appointment date.
- A reserve officer who was a cadet at the Philippine Military Academy but did not graduate is not senior to any academy classmates who graduated.
- A reserve officer who was an aviation cadet at the Philippine Army Flying School or the Philippine Air Force Pilot Schools but did not graduate is not senior to any classmates who graduated.
Probation, revocation, and permanent appointment
- All appointments made under Republic Act No. 645 and Executive Order No. 601 are probationary for a period of one year.
- The probationary period for officers appointed in the Third Period is capped and must not extend beyond July 1, 1955.
- During the probationary period, the President may revoke the appointment of an officer found unfit for the commission upon the recommendation of the Secretary of National Defense.
- Upon completion of the probationary period, if the appointment is not revoked through the required steps, the officer is deemed permanently appointed and commissioned in the Regular Force as of the date of the probationary appointment.
Restrictions on former resignations
- No reserve officer who once resigned a commission in the Regular Force or Reserve Force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines is appointed under these provisions.
- The prohibition allows appointments only for a resignation made for the purpose of accepting a Regular Force appointment under Executive Order No. 601, or when the Secretary of National Defense specifically determines the resignation was justifiable.
Implementing authority and effectivity
- The Secretary of National Defense must prescribe the regulations and procedures for the selection and appointment of reserve officers in the Regular Force consistent with these rules.
- The Executive Order takes effect July 1, 1952 and remains in force until the expiration of the three-year period prescribed in Republic Act No. 645.