Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST REGULAR SESSION

House Bill No._| 7?

INTRODUCED BY HONORABLE AURORA ENERIO-CERILLES

EXPLANATORY NOTE

‘The Philippines should continue to keep up with the demands of modem technology and to
protect the country from external threats, implement environmental laws, promote safety of life,
safeguard our resources, and protect the national territory. In line with this, the Philippines must
endeavor to have a strong and exceptional Navy, with its officers and members coming from a
specialized Naval Academy.

In advanced countries like the United States of America, their Navy is very effective and
efficient because they have an institution that focuses in educating their future naval officers. In
our country, we have a Military Institution (PMA) that is too generalized.

In 1963, the Philippine Government established a Merchant Marine Academy which is receiving
an annual budget from the Republic of the Philippines. However, the graduates are not obliged to
serve the Armed Forces of the Philippines specifically the Philippine Navy. In reality, they serve
the interest of private employers and in most cases these vessels are foreign vessels flying the
flags of other countries.

At present, the private sector has established 79 maritime schools scattered all over the country
with more than 10 State Colleges and Universities serving the purpose of the Philippine
Merchant Marine Academy. The existing record of the Commission on Higher Education
(CHED) shows that there were 91,886 enrollees for the school year 2001-2002 in these Private
schools. The numbers have considerably increased through the years with more than 100,000
enrolled students to date.

Considering that the private sector has invested so much for the establishment of maritime
schools, our country should support free-enterprise. The government with its scarce resources
should now withdraw its financial support to an institution which does not serve the interest of
the Filipino people. It should focus its resources instead on the preparation of future naval
officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Thus, the need to establish a Naval Academy to be known as Philippine Naval Academy (PNA).
It is now high time that the Philippine Naval Academy be established to keep abreast with the
modernized navy of other countries and to effectively build a credible naval force

Approval of this bill is earnestly sought.

AURO! NERIO-CERILLES


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST REGULAR SESSION

House Bill No.

INTRODUCED BY HONORABLE AURORA ENERIO-CERILLES

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING THE PHILIPPINE NAVAL ACADEMY (PNA) AND
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Applicability. - The provision of this Act shall apply to the establishment
of the Philippine Naval Academy which is concerned with the admission of cadets; organization
and administration of the Academy; compulsory appointment to the regular force as officers in
the Philippine Navy from those who successfully pass the training and the academic requirement
of the Philippine Naval Academy and the composition of the Academy Board.

SECTION 2. Definition of terms - For purposes of this Act, the following are hereby
defined:

a. AFP— Armed Forces of the Philippines.

b. PNA- Philippine Naval Academy.

¢. Midshipman — a cadet in the Philippine Naval Academy who is pursuing a baccalaureate
degree and being trained as an officer of the Philippine Navy.

d. CM (Corps of Midshipmen) - Student body of the Phil. Naval Academy.

¢. PCM — President of the Corps of Midshipmen.

f. NEDA — National Economic Development Authority.

g. CHED— Commission on Higher Education.

h. DBM — Department of Budget and Management.

i, Commission — A status conferred to an individual by the President of the Philippines.

J. Regular Officer - a commissioned officer in the regular forces of the AFP appointed as

such by the President of the Republic of the Philippines.

k. Academy Board — The governing body of the Phil. Naval Academy.

1, Hazing ~ an initiation rite or practice as a prerequisite for admission into membership in
a fraternity, sorority or organization by placing the recruit neophyte, or applicant in
some embarrassing or humiliating situations such as forcing him to do menial, silly,
foolish and similar activities or otherwise subjecting him to physical or psychological
suffering or injury (RA 8049).

SECTION 3. Declaration of State Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State
to keep up with the demands of global competitiveness and to protect the country from the
danger posed by terrorism and external threats, to promote the safety of life and property and to
safeguard its resources and defend the national territory. The State hereby guarantees to provide
an adequate and efficient educational institution and facility to modernize the Philippine Navy.

SECTION 4. Philippine Naval Academy - There shall be established an educational
institution to be known as the Philippine Naval Academy, herein referred to as the Academy, for
the instruction and preparation of cadets to become naval officers of the Philippine Navy.


SECTION 5. Corps of Midshipmen of the Philippine Navy. - The student body of the
Academy shall be known as the Corps of Midshipmen to be organized along the lines of the navy
organizations. The processing of applicants for midshipmen begins from the filling-up and
submission of application forms to the Office of Midshipmen Admission. Physical and Mental
examination will follow. Successful examinees will be notified by telegram and their names
published in a national daily. They will then undergo a thorough medical, dental and neuro-
psychiatric examination. The medical examination as well as the transportation fare will be free.

The Corps of Midshipmen (cadets) shall have an Honor Code of Conduct to govern the behavior
of each and every Midshipman in addition to the establishment of rules and regulations of the
Armed Forces of the Philippines.

SECTION 6. Eligibility for Admission. - To be eligible for admission, a candidate must
be:

1) anatural born Filipino citizen;

2) of good moral character,

3) single;

4) at least 5 feet 6 inches tall if’ male, 5 feet 4 inches tall if female;

5) at least seventeen but not a day older than 22 years old on the 1% day of May of the year
following the date of examination taken;

6) at least High School graduate with a general average of 85%;

7) Physically and psychological fit for PNA cadet training

SECTION 7. Academic Courses. - All academic courses offered by the Academy shall
begin with a core curriculum that includes engineering, science, mathematics, humanities, and
social science, It shall provide a broad-based education that will qualify the midshipman to
become an officer of the Philippine Navy. The Academy shall be manned and equipped with
the necessary faculty, expertise, equipment and facilities to conform with the Commission on
Higher Education’s requirements to be able to award baccalaureate degrees within four (4) years
of continuing academic instruction and officer training. Nothing prevents the Academy from
inviting professors and other experts in navigation and other technical fields from existing
national agencies, or having agreements with schools, colleges and universities to augment its
capabilities

They can hire civilian professors and instructors and personnel, However, these civilian
professors, instructors, personnel shall be subject to the AFP and Academy rules and regulations
and other applicable laws. Provided; That the Policy Standards and Guidelines for Maritime
Education as prescribed by the Commission on Higher Education shall also be considered in the
formulation of said academic curricula. Entry into the academy shall be during the first week of
May every year. Graduation will be during the second week of June every year. There will be
no academic breaks except on legal and national holidays.

SECTION 8. Baccalaureate Degree. - Bachelors Degree of Naval Science shall be
conferred to those who have successfully passed the four (4) year course of the Philippine Naval
Academy.

SECTION 9. Pay and Allowances. - The Pay and Allowances of the Midshipmen shall
be equivalent to the Ensign of the Philippine Navy.

SECTION 10. Undertaking. - Each midshipman, immediately upon admission, shall sign
an agreement that, unless sooner separated by duly authorized authorities, he shall:

1) Complete the course of instruction at the academy;

2) Obey the Laws and Regulations of the Philippine Naval Academy and other Regulations
imposed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines.


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SECTION 11. Naval Cadet Retirement. - Any Midshipmen who shall, after entrance to
the Academy and before completion of the prescribed course of training, be found physically or
mentally unfit for continuous academic and military training by reason of injury or disease
incident to the training, shall be retired with the rank of Ensign of the Philippine Navy.

SECTION 12. Commission. - Upon satisfactory completion at the Academy, the
Midshipmen shall be commissioned as Ensign in the Philippine Navy of the Armed Forces of the
Philippines.

SECTION 13. Administration. - The academy as herein established shall be organized
and administered by the Superintendent of the Philippine Naval Academy. The Superintendent
of the Academy shall be the Administrator of the PNA.

However, it is his obligation to inform the Academy Board of the status of the School,
financial needs, discipline of the cadets, the needed equipments and instructors and or professors
and other matters in relation to the establishment and achieving the purpose of the Philippine
Naval Academy.

SECTION 14. Academy Board. - The Academy Board of the Philippine Naval Academy
shall be composed of:

. Secretary of National Defense — Chairman

Chief of Staff of the AFP — Vice-Chairman

Admiral of the Philippine Navy - member

Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management — member
Director — General of NEDA-member

Chairman of the CHED or his representative - member

President of the Alumni Association - member

|. Superintendent of the PNA — Ex-Officio Member

Tommoaw>

From time to time the Academy Board shall determine the needed strength of the Naval
Academy every year, but they should fix the number of the cadets a year before the final
admission so that the Naval Academy will know how many cadets will be needed every year.
The Academy Board shall also propose academic subjects and trainings as the present needs or
situation arises.

They shall also propose the budget for the incoming year and other important matters that
would improve and enhance the standard of the institution and make it globally competitive.

SECTION 15. Quorum. - A quorum of the Board shall consist of a majority of all
members. The Superintendent of the Academy who is an ex-officio member of the Board shall
automatically become the Head of Secretariat who will provide agenda, notices, place of meeting
and other needs of the Board.

SECTION 16. Transfer of Assets and Liabilities. - The present sixty-three (63) hectare
campus of the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) which is located in San Narciso,
Zambales (Region III), its records, equipment, assets and liabilities are hereby transferred to and
integrated with the Philippine Naval Academy (PNA). Similar assets necessary for training
navy personnel now existing in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) shall also be
transferred to the Academy.

SECTION 17. Prohibition Against Hazing. - The Academy Board shall issue rules and
regulations to prevent hazing and prescribed measures of punishment either by dismissal and/or
suspension and/or any adequate punishment,


Ifa midshipman is charged in the violation of any rules or regulations issued in accordance
to this section, a military Court of Honor shall be established with the Superintendent as
Chairman heading the Board of the Court of Honor and the President of the Faculty and the
President of the Corps of Midshipman as members and upon instance of the chairman shall
automatically convene to hear the cases.

In the event that it is the President of the Corps of Midshipman who is accused of violating
any rules and regulations, the top ten most senior cadets shall elect among themselves who will
replace the President of the Corps of Midshipman as member.

Decision for dismissal should be unanimous and the same is appealable to the Secretary of
National Defense within seven (7) days after the notice is received and shall automatically act of
the decision. In the event the Sec. of National Defense affirms the decision of the Court of
Honor, the erring cadet shall be notified of his dishonorable discharge.

SECTION 18. Implementing Rules and Regulation. - Secretary of National Defense
together with the Academy Board shall immediately convene to prescribe the Implementing
Rules and Regulations (IRR) necessary for the implementation of the provisions of this Act.

SECTION 19. Budget. - The budget of the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy shall
be transferred to support the Philippine Naval Academy and the budget of the PNA shall be
drawn from the General Appropriations Act in the succeeding years.

SECTION 20. Philippine Naval Academy Modernization Budget. - An archipelago of
7,100 islands, the country is vulnerable to poachers who audaciously enter the nation’s territorial
waters, All types of contraband floods the country, from vegetables, motorcycles, to dirt-cheap
clothing and drugs which disrupt the normal trade process and cause huge losses to the
government.

Considering the danger posed by terrorism and international smuggling, it is therefore
imperative that an additional fund be appropriated for the sole purpose of modernization,

In view of the foregoing, all passenger vessels shall collect an additional ten (P10) pesos
per embarking passenger regardless of the distance of the travel. And the same shall be remitted
within thirty (30) days after the end of each year to the Philippine Naval Academy.

The PNA will inform the Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management as to
the amount collected for the modernization fund.

Any shipping company who will fail to remit to the PNA the amount collected shall be
fined for one hundred thousand pesos (P100,000.00) for the first offense: and on the second
violation, the owner and the officer of the shipping line shall be fined two hundred thousand
pesos (P200,000.00) and imprisonment of six (6) years and one (1) day.

The Shipping Company shall open their books for the officers of the Philippine Ports
Authority (PPA) who are designated as ex-officio inspectors in order to monitor how much fund
is being maintained by the shipping company. The shipping company has the obligation to open
their books to the designated inspector.

The Academy Board is authorized to make use of this money through a Board Resolution
to achieve the purpose of the Academy.

In the event that the money raised through this program is insufficient the Academy shall
Tequest Congress that the same shall be included in the regular budget


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SECTION 21. Repealing Clause. - All general and special laws, acts, decrees, executive
orders, proclamations, and administrative regulations or any part thereof which are inconsistent
with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 22. Effectivity. - This act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in two (2) national newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,