The Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines have expressed their gratitude to the members of the Senate for addressing the concerns hounding military personnel on the implementation of Republic Act 11709.
Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said the senators’ proposed legislative amendments would boost the morale of the officers in the military organization.
The defense department earlier admitted there had been grumblings within the AFP ranks over the “unintended consequences” of RA 11709, which mandated fixed terms for the highest-ranking officials in the military.
Thereafter, various senators filed proposed measures to address the gaps identified by the DND and AFP.
Galvez cited Senate Bill 1849, authored by Senator Jinggoy Estrada and co-authored by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, which seeks to amend some provisions of the law, particularly Sections 2, 6, 10, 11 and 15.
Estrada underscored the need to “definitely usher in a level of improved morale within and among the ranks of the country’s armed forces.”
SB 1849 is intended to prevent stagnation in the careers of AFP officers.
“Ensuring a level playing field for career advancement is the least we can do for our soldiers, airmen, sailors, and marines who continue to lay their lives on the line protecting the Filipino people and defending the Philippines,” he said.
Meanwhile, Zubiri said the new bill will keep the goal of continuity in the AFP ranks and will foster a more professional military organization.
“We also want to help open up a healthier environment for promotion within the ranks, allowing our officers a fair chance to step up to the leadership positions they have worked their whole careers toward,” he said.
Galvez also extended the DND’s appreciation to the House of Representatives for submitting its own version of the bill in December 2022.
“The strong support of both houses of Congress for amending certain provisions of RA 11709 will ensure a professional, dynamic, and responsive AFP that is very much capable of adapting to current times,” Galvez told reporters in an interview on Wednesday.
The senators believe the proposed amendments in five provisions of RA 11709 “will definitely address” and put the so-called “grumblings” to rest.
The Senate also seeks to remove enlisted personnel from the coverage of RA 11209.
The proposal will revert to the previous system where the promotion, separation, and maximum allowable tenure of enlisted personnel will be governed by the issuances of the DND and the AFP.
This will afford the DND and AFP flexibility in adjusting the policies concerning enlisted personnel depending on their developing and expanding needs.
The bill also reintroduces one year of prohibition for promotions, which was effectively removed by RA 11709, and reinstitutes the previous tenure-in-grades of colonels/commanders and brigadier generals/commodores.
Also, the measure seeks to limit the tour of duty to five tenured key officers and allow other key officers’ lateral movement to key positions.
The AFP Chief of Staff will still be accorded a maximum tour of duty of three years, while the PMA superintendent will still have a maximum tour of duty of four years.
The tour of duty of major service commanders, however, will be shortened to 2 years, which will foster the continuity of policies for the tenured key positions, and at the same time afford the subsequent commissioned classes a fair and equitable opportunity to compete for promotions to these positions.
All other key officers, including the vice chief of staff, deputy chief of staff, unified command commanders, and the inspector general, will be allowed lateral movement provided that an appointment to a tenured key position will be covered by the one-year prohibition on promotions.