Legal basis and governing framework
- Executive Order No. 276 is issued for the purpose of uniformity and as a supplemental measure to Executive Order No. 39 dated June 23, 1936.
- Executive Order No. 276 governs the conduct of administrative investigations by prescribing a specific, uniform procedure to be followed.
- Executive Order No. 276 operates in addition to the procedural framework already established by Executive Order No. 39.
Policy purpose and intent
- Executive Order No. 276 establishes uniformity in the investigation of administrative charges against government officers and employees.
- Executive Order No. 276 aims to standardize notice, the opportunity to answer and be heard, and the forwarding of case records for review.
Core procedure for investigations
- The respondent must be notified in writing of the charges by the head or chief of the bureau or office concerned.
- The written notice must inform the respondent that he will be heard on a given date if he so elects.
- The respondent must be allowed within a period of not less than seventy-two hours after receipt of the charges to submit a detailed answer and whatever written evidence he may desire to present.
- If the respondent elects to be heard, a hearing must be held where he is given the opportunity to defend himself personally or by his counsel.
- The investigation must be finished within fifteen days in all cases.
- After termination of the investigation, the complete record of the case, with comment and recommendation, must be forwarded through the usual channels to the Commissioner of Civil Service.
Required timelines and forwarding of records
- Written notice of charges must be issued before the respondent’s opportunity to answer and elect a hearing.
- The respondent’s period to submit a detailed answer and written evidence must be not less than seventy-two hours after receipt of the written charges.
- Any hearing held upon election to be heard must fit within the governing rule that the entire investigation is finished within fifteen days.
- The completed record, including comment and recommendation, must be forwarded to the Commissioner of Civil Service within ten days after the termination of the investigation.
Signature and official acts
- President Manuel L. Quezon signed Executive Order No. 276.
- Jorge B. Vargas, as Secretary to the President, countersigned Executive Order No. 276.
- The order was issued from the City of Manila on May 26, 1940.