Article 25p. 25

ADMINISTRATIVE CODE AND LAW OF PUBLIC OFFICERS TEXT AND RULES

SECTION 45. Tour of Duty . — (1) The tour of duty of a

Foreign Service Officer at any post shall be four (4) years

commencing on the date of his arrival at the post, after

which he shall be transferred to another post;

(2) The tour of duty of a Foreign Service Staff Officer or

Employee at any post shall be for a period of six (6) years

commencing on the date of his arrival at the post, after

which he shall be transferred to another post;

(3)

No

Foreign

Service

Officer,

Staff

Officer

or

Employee shall serve more than two (2) consecutive tours

of duty abroad;

(4) No Foreign Service Officer may serve more than

four (4) consecutive years in the home office, except

when designated as Secretary or Undersecretary.

SECTION 46. Retirement . — (1) Any Foreign Service

Officer, Staff Officer or Employee who has reached the

age of sixty-five (65) shall be compulsorily retired from

the service unless his service is extended by the President

in the interest of the service. Alien employees shall be

allowed to retire from the service at the same age as that

provided for employees of the governments of their

respective countries, provided that retirement age shall

not be beyond sixty-five (65) years.

(2) Foreign Service Officers reinstated to the service

after

retirement

and

who

are

assigned

abroad

as

ambassadors or chiefs of mission, and persons who are

appointed as ambassadors without previously serving as

Career

Foreign

Service

Officers

shall

be

considered

automatically separated from the Foreign Service upon

termination of their assignment abroad as ambassadors

or chief of missions.

SECTION 47. Resignation . — The Secretary shall have

authority to accept the resignation of any Foreign Service

Officer,

Staff

Employee,

Honorary

Consul

and

Alien

Employee.

CHAPTER 13 Passport

SECTION 48. Definition . — A Philippine passport is an

official document of identity of Philippine citizenship of

the holder issued for travel purposes.

SECTION 49. Persons Entitled . — Only citizens of the

Philippines may be issued passports. A minor may, upon

his own application, be issued a passport, except when

his natural or legal guardian requests that the application

be denied.

SECTION 50. Authority to Issue, Restrict, Withdraw or

Cancel . — The Secretary shall have authority to withhold

the issuance or order the cancellation or restriction of

passports upon lawful order of the court or when he

deems it necessary in the interest of national security,

public safety or public health, or in cases when a passport

was secured through misrepresentation or fraud.

SECTION

51.

Period

of

Validity,

Extension

and

Renewal . — The original period of validity of a Philippine

passport is two (2) years. It may be extended for another

two (2) years provided that the application for extension is

made before the expiration of four (4) years from the date

of original issue of the passport. However, the validity of a

passport may be limited for a certain period or for a

definite purpose.

SECTION

52.

Supplementary

Regulation .

—

The

Secretary may prescribe supplementary regulations for

the issuance, extension or amendment of all kinds of

passports.

SECTION 53. Amendments . — Upon application, an

unexpired passport may be amended to reflect the new

civil status or new name or surname of the holder, or to

add more pages, or to modify a condition or restriction

therein.

SECTION 54. Fees . — The Secretary shall prescribe

uniform fees for the issuance, extension and amendment

of

passports,

and

such other services that may be

rendered

by

the

Department

relating

to

passports.

However, no fee shall be collected for the issuance of

passports to government officials proceeding abroad in

the discharge of their official duties attested by regular

travel orders or for those issued to immediate members

of their families on official travel.

CHAPTER 14 Miscellaneous Provisions

SECTION 55. Use of Savings . — The Secretary is

authorized to use any savings in the appropriations for

the Department for the payment of: (a) expenses for the

evacuation

or

repatriation

to

the

Philippines,

when

necessary due to an emergency, of members of the

household of the personnel of any diplomatic or consular

establishment as well as the transportation of their

personal effects; (b) actual return passage by the most

direct and economical means of transportation and the

cost of shipment of the household effects to Manila of any

officer or employee in the Foreign Service, including the

immediate

dependent

members

of

his

family,

who

resigns or is separated from the service for cause; (c) the

cost of preparing and transporting the remains of an

officer or employee who is a citizen of the Philippines and

the immediate members of his family who may die

abroad or while in travel status; or (d) contingent and

unforeseen expenses that may arise in connection with

the operation of the Foreign Service.

SECTION 56. Pool of Foreign Service Officers . — In all

appropriation acts providing funds for the operation and

maintenance of the Department, the positions of Foreign

Service Officers, including those who may serve in the

home office, shall be in a pool grouped according to their

classes with their salaries and allowances indicated in one

lump sum for each class, leaving to the head of office the

discretion

to

assign

or

commission

those

officers

whenever their services may be utilized to advantage,

subject to the limitations provided by law.

TITLE II Finance

CHAPTER 1 General Provisions

SECTION 1. Declaration of Policy . — It is the policy of

the State that the Department of Finance shall be

primarily

responsible

for

the

sound

and

efficient

management

of

the

financial

resources

of

the

Government,

its

subdivisions,

agencies

and

instrumentalities.

SECTION 2. Mandate . — The Department shall be

responsible for the formulation, institutionalization and

administration of fiscal policies in coordination with other

concerned subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities of

government.

Moreover, the Department shall be responsible for the

generation and management of the financial resources

of

government,

ensuring

that

said

resources

are

generated and managed judiciously and in a manner

supportive of development objectives.

The

Department

shall

be

responsible

for

the

supervision

of

the

revenue

operations

of

all

local

government units, with the objective of making these

entities less dependent on funding from the national

government.

Finally, the Department shall be responsible for the

review, approval and management of all public sector

debt, whether foreign or domestic, with the end in view

of ensuring that all borrowed funds are effectively utilized

and all such obligations are promptly serviced by the

government.

SECTION 3. Powers and Functions . — To accomplish

its goals, the Department shall:

(1) Formulate long-range, medium-term and annual

plans covering the government's resource mobilization

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