Article 24p. 24

ADMINISTRATIVE CODE AND LAW OF PUBLIC OFFICERS TEXT AND RULES

(3) Foreign Service Officers

(4) Foreign Service Staff Officers

(5) Foreign Service Staff Employees

(6) Honorary Consuls

(7) Alien Employees

SECTION 31. Foreign Service Officers . — There shall be

a career service composed of foreign service officers. The

Service shall consist of six classes of Foreign Service

Officers including Chiefs of Missions and Counsellors.

(1) A Chief of Mission may be assigned as Ambassador

Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Head of an Office in

the Department, or Deputy Chief of Mission.

(2) A Counsellor may be assigned as Executive Officer

of an Office in the Department, Counsellor in an Embassy,

or Head of a Consular Post.

(3) The assignments of the other classes of Foreign

Service Officers shall be as follows:

Home Office

Diplomatic

Service

Consular

Service

Class I - Chief of

Division

First Secretary

Consul

Class II - Chief of

Division

Secondary

Secretary

Consul

Class III - Chief of

Division

Third Secretary

Consul

Class IV - Asst. Chief

of Division

Third Secretary

Vice-Consul

(4) In the home office, assignment to a position

requiring a rank higher than the actual rank of the

Foreign Service Officer shall be in an acting capacity.

(5) A Foreign Service Officer in any class may be

designated as a special assistant to the Secretary or to an

Undersecretary. A Foreign Service Officer below the rank

of Class I may be designated as Principal Assistant to a

Head of Office.

SECTION 32. Foreign Service Staff Officers . — There

shall be three classes of Foreign Service Staff Officers to

provide the administrative and technical services.

SECTION 33. Foreign Service Staff Employees . —

There shall be three classes of Foreign Service Staff

Employees to provide the clerical, custodial, messengerial

and similar services.

SECTION 34. Honorary Consuls . — Honorary consuls

shall be appointed from among qualified private persons

to perform certain consular functions on a non-career

basis.

CHAPTER 10 Appointments, Compensation and Benefits

SECTION 35. Foreign Service Officers . — (1) Foreign

Service Officers shall be appointed by the President.

(2) No person shall be eligible for appointment as

Foreign

Service

Officer

unless

he

has

passed

the

competitive examinations given by the Board of Foreign

Service

Examiners

and

successfully

completed

his

probationary service.

(3) The Secretary shall, upon the recommendation of

the Board of Foreign Service, submit to the President

names of eligibles for appointment as Foreign Service

Officers.

The

initial

appointment

of

Foreign

Service

Officers shall only be to Foreign Service Officer Class IV

minimum.

SECTION 36. Staff Officers and Employees . — The

Secretary shall appoint, in accordance with the Civil

Service Law, all Foreign Service Officers and Foreign

Service Staff Employees who must be in the Philippines

at the time of their original or initial appointment.

SECTION 37. Alien Employees . — The Secretary shall,

upon the recommendation of the head of diplomatic or

consular establishment and as much as possible in

accordance with the Civil Service Law, appoint alien

employees

who

shall

be

recruited

at

the

post

to

supplement

the

regular

staff

of

a

foreign

service

establishment.

SECTION 38. Compensation and Benefits . — The

salaries, allowances, travel expenses, insurance and other

benefits of Foreign Service Officers, and Employees shall

be as provided by law and regulations.

CHAPTER 11 Promotions

SECTION 39. Merit Promotion System . — The Board of

the Foreign Service shall establish a merit promotion

system for all officers and employees of the Department.

SECTION 40. Requirements for Promotion in the

Career Service . — (1) For promotion to Chief of Mission

Class I, the candidate must have served as a Chief of

Mission Class II and rendered continuous service as

Foreign Service Officer for at least twelve (12) years;

(2) For promotion to Chief of Mission Class II, the

candidate must have served as a Foreign Service Officer

Class

I and rendered continuous service as Foreign

Service Officer for at least ten years;

(3) For promotion to Foreign Service Officer Class I, the

candidate must have served as a Foreign Service Officer

Class II, and rendered continuous service as Foreign

Service Officer for at least eight years;

(4) For promotion to Foreign Service Officer Class II,

the candidate must have served as a Foreign Service

Officer Class III, and rendered continuous service as

Foreign Service Officer for at least six years;

(5) For promotion to Foreign Service Officer Class III,

the candidate must have rendered continuous service as

a Foreign Service Officer Class IV for at least two years.

SECTION 41. Promotion of Foreign Service Officers . —

(1) Promotions of Foreign Service Officers from one class

to the next higher class shall be made by the President

upon

the

recommendation

of

the

Secretary.

All

promotions shall be to the lowest grade of the class.

(2) Promotion in grade within the class shall be made

by the Secretary upon the recommendation of the Board

of Foreign Service Administration.

SECTION 42. Promotion of Foreign Service Staff

Officers, Foreign Service Staff Employees and Alien

Employees . — Promotions of foreign service staff officers

and employees and alien employees shall be made by the

Secretary, upon recommendation of the Board of the

Foreign Service Administration in accordance with the

promotion system.

CHAPTER 12 Assignments and Transfers

SECTION 43. Rotation Plan . — The Secretary shall

establish a system of assignments and transfers to ensure

that all qualified officers and employees, except the

employees

in

the

non-career

service,

shall serve in

diplomatic

and

consular

establishments

in

different

regions of the world. The assignment and transfer of

personnel

shall

follow

a

regular

rotation

plan.

For

purposes

of

assignments,

the

home office shall be

considered a post. All personnel shall be available for

assignment to any post.

SECTION 44. Initial Home Office Requirement . — No

Foreign Service Officer, Staff Officer or Employee shall be

assigned to any foreign service establishment unless he

has rendered continuous and satisfactory service in the

home office for at least three (3) years.

© Compiled by RGL

24 of 162