NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
SENATE
S. No. 1849
iBttitP of llje :rp(nri,
FEB -7 P2 ;16
received by.
Prepared and Submitted Jointly by the Committees on National Defense 
and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation a/icfGovernment 
Corporations and Public Enterprises with Senators Ejercito Estrada, Zubiri
and Cayetano, A.P. as authors thereof
AN ACT
AMENDING SECTIONS 2, 6, 10, 11 AND 15 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 11709 
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS "AN ACT STRENGTHENING PROFESSIONALISM 
AND PROMOTING THE CONTINUITY OF POLICIES AND MODERNIZATION 
INITIATIVES IN THE ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES, BY 
PRESCRIBING FIXED TERMS FOR KEY OFFICERS THEREOF INCREASING 
THE MANDATORY RETIREMENT AGE OF GENERALS/FLAG OFFICERS, 
PROVIDING FOR A MORE EFFECTIVE ATTRITION SYSTEM, AND 
PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR"
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
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Section 1. Section 2 of Republic Act No. 11709 is hereby amended to read as
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follows:
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"SEC. 2. Tour of Duty AND APPOINTMENT of Key Officers.
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- [The following officers holding key positions in the AFP,


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opon-appointmcnt, shall have a fixed tour-of -duty of three
(3) years:
(a) Chief of Staff;
(-b-)-Vicc Chief of Staff;
(e) -The-Dcputy Chief of Staff;
(d) Commanding General, Philippine-Armyj
(c) Commanding-GcncralrPhilippinc Air Force;
(f) Flag Officer in Command, Philippine Navy;
(^) Unified Command Commanders;-and
(h) Inspector Gcnerafr]
(A) THE CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE ARMED FORCES 
OF THE PHILIPPINES SHALL HAVE A 
MAXIMUM TOUR OF DUTY OF THREE (3) 
CONSECUTIVE YEARS, WHICH SHALL 
COMMENCE ON THE DATE THE APPOINTMENT 
IS SIGNED, UNLESS SOONER TERMINATED BY 
THE PRESIDENT;
(B) THE FOLLOWING OFFICERS HOLDING KEY 
POSITIONS IN THE AFP SHALL HAVE A 
MAXIMUM TOUR OF DUTY OF TWO (2) 
CONSECUTIVE YEARS, WHICH SHALL 
COMMENCE ON THE DATE THE APPOINTMENT 
IS SIGNED, UNLESS SOONER TERMINATED BY 
THE PRESIDENT:
(1) COMMANDING GENERAL, PHILIPPINE 
ARMY;
(2) COMMANDING GENERAL, PHILIPPINE 
AIR FORCE; AND
(3) FLAG OFFICER IN COMMAND, 
PHILIPPINE NAVY.
[The tour of duty of the aforementioned officers shott 
commence on the date the appointment iG signed and shall be-fef


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three (3)—consecutive—years unless sooner tcrminDtcd by the
President: Provided, That those] THE TENURED KEY OFFICERS 
mentioned in Section 2(b) [to 2(h)] shall not be eligible for any 
[other] position in the AFP unless promoted to the position of Chief 
of Staff.
(C) THE OFFICERS HOLDING THE FOLLOWING KEY 
POSITIONS MAY BE APPOINTED TO ANY OF 
THE TENURED KEY POSITIONS MENTIONED 
IN SECTION 2(B) AND SECTION 3, PROVIDED, 
THAT THEY SHALL HAVE AT LEAST ONE (1) 
YEAR REMAINING OF ACTIVE SERVICE 
BEFORE COMPULSORY RETIREMENT UNLESS 
PROMOTED AS CHIEF OF STAFF:
(1) VICE CHIEF OF STAFF;
(2) THE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF;
(3) UNIFIED COMMAND COMMANDERS; AND
(4) THE INSPECTOR GENERAL.
(D) TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR APPOINTMENT TO 
TENURED KEY POSITIONS MENTIONED IN 
SECTION 2(B) AND SECTION 3, OR TO KEY 
POSITIONS MENTIONED IN SECTION 2(C), 
THE OFFICER SHALL HAVE AT LEAST ONE (1) 
YEAR REMAINING OF ACTIVE SERVICE 
BEFORE COMPULSORY RETIREMENT.
Sec. 2. Section 6 of Republic Act No. 11709 is hereby amended to read as
follows:
"SEC. 6. Compulsory Retirement for Military Personnel.
"(a) The following officers of the AFP shall be compulsorily 
retired:
"(1) XXX.


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"(2) Those in the grades of Brigadier General/Commodore
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(0-7) [to Lieutenant Gcnerai/Vice Admiral (0-9)], upon
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reaching the age of [fifty-nine (59)] FIFTY-SEVEN (57) or
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the maximum tenure-in-grade as defined 
in this Act,
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whichever comes earlier;
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"(3) THOSE IN THE GRADES OF MAJOR
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GENERAL/REAR ADMIRAL (0-8), UPON REACHING
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THE AGE OF FIFTY-EIGHT (58) OR THE MAXIMUM
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TENURE-IN-GRADE AS DEFINED IN 
THIS ACT,
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WHICHEVER COMES EARLIER;
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"(4) THOSE IN THE GRADES OF LIEUTENANT
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GENERAL/VICE ADMIRAL (0-9), UPON REACHING
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THE AGE OF FIFTY-NINE (59) OR THE MAXIMUM
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TENURE-IN-GRADE AS DEFINED IN 
THIS ACT,
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WHICHEVER COMES EARLIER, OR UPON RELIEF BY
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THE PRESIDENT; AND
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"[(3)] (5) Those occupying 
a TENURED key position, as
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defined in Sections 2(A), 2(B) and 3 of this Act, upon
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completion of the [fixed] MAXIMUM tour of duty regardless
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of age[,unlc5G promoted to Chief of Staff] or [who is
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relieved from post and is not designated to or occupying any
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position in the AFP Table of organization; and] UPON
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RELIEF BY THE PRESIDENT; AND"
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"[(4)] (6) X X X."
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(b) An enlisted personnel OF THE AFP shall be compulsorily
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retired upon accumulation of at least thirty (30) years of
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satisfactory active duty or upon reaching the age of fifty-six
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(56) years old, whichever comes later.
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Sec. 3. Section 10, subsection (b), paragraph (1) and (2) of Republic Act No.
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11709 is hereby amended to read as follows:
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"SEC. 10. Forced Attrition of Officers, x x x.


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"(a) XXX.
"(b) Maximum Tenure-In-Grade for Officers. - 
"(1) Generals/Flag Officers.- The maximum tenure of 
officers in the grades of General/ Flag Officer in the AFP are 
hereby prescribed as follows:
Grade
Maximum Tenure-in Grade
General/Admiral
(0-10)
Three (3) years
Lieutenant General/
Vice Admiral
(0-9)
Three (3) years
Major General/
Rear Admiral
(0-8)
Three (3) years
Brigadier General/
Commodore
(0-7)
[Three (3)] FIVE (5) years
"NO OFFICER SHALL BE APPOINTED NOR PROMOTED 
TO THE 
RANK OF 
BRIGADIER
GENERAL/COMMODORE (0-7) OR MAJOR 
GENERAL/REAR ADMIRAL (0-8) IF THEY HAVE LESS 
THAN ONE (1) YEAR OF ACTIVE SERVICE REMAINING 
BEFORE COMPULSORY RETIREMENT.
"(2) Officers. - The maximum tenure of officers in the grades of 
Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, Major, and Captain, or their equivalent in 
the other services in the AFP are hereby prescribed as follows:
Grade
Maximum


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Tenure-in-Grade
Colonel/Captain (PN)
(0-6)
[Eight-(8)] TEN (10)
years
Lieutenant Colonel/Commander (PN)
(0-5)
Seven (7) years
Major/Lieutenant Commander (PN)
(0-4)
Six (6) years
Captain/Lieutenant (PN)
(0-3)
Six (6) years
'PROVIDED, THAT THE PRESIDENT MAY LENGTHEN 
THE ACTIVE SERVICE-IN-GRADE OF OFFICERS IN THE 
PERMANENT GRADES OF CAPTAIN, MAJOR, AND 
LIEUTENANT COLONEL, OR THEIR EQUIVALENT, UP TO 
TWO (2) CYCLES WHEN NECESSARY, TO MAINTAIN 
THE DESIRABLE OFFICER RANK STRUCTURE AND 
UPHOLD THE PROGRESSIVE PROFESSIONAL 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE OFFICER CORPS.
"x X X."
Sec. 4. Section 11 of Republic Act No. 11709 is hereby repealed. Succeeding 
sections are hereby renumbered accordingly.
Sec. 5. Section 15 of Republic Act No. 11709 is hereby amended to read as: 
"SEC. 15. Officer Grade Distribution. - The Secretary of 
National Defense, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE 
ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES, shall prescribe 
the authorized number of officers in the active force in each 
grade and in each major, technical or administrative service 
and shall implement the gradual INCREASE OR decrease in 
the number of officers in each officer rank as part of, and in 
line with, the Modernization Program of the AFP: Provided,


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That [one (1) year after the approval of this-Act,] such 
number shall not exceed the number in each grade 
[authorized in the Table of Organization of units -of-the 
active—force—distributed—as—follows] PROVIDED 
HEREUNDER:
"(1) [One percent (1%)] ONE AND ONE HUNDRED 
TWENTY-FIVE THOUSANDTHS PER CENTUM 
(1.125%) in the General/Flag Officer grade based on the 
total officer strength [authorized for the AFP or zero -point 
one per centum (0.1%) of the total troop strength
authorized for the AFP,-whichever is lower;] UNDER THE 
AFP TABLE OF ORGANIZATION;
"(2) Six percent (6%) in the grade of Colonel/Captain 
(PN) based on the total officer strength [authorized for the 
AFP] UNDER THE AFP TABLE OF ORGANIZATION;
"(3) Twelve percent (12%) in the grade of Lieutenant 
Colonel/Commander (PN) based on the total officer strength 
[authorized for the-AFP] UNDER THE AFP TABLE OF 
ORGANIZATION;
"(4) 
Eighteen percent (18%) in the 
grade of
Major/Lieutenant Commander (PN) based on the total officer 
strength [authorized for the AFP] UNDER THE AFP TABLE 
OF ORGANIZATION;
"(5) 
Twenty percent (20%) in the 
grade of
Captain/Lieutenant (PN) based on the total officer strength 
[authorized for the AFP] UNDER THE AFP TABLE OF 
ORGANIZATION; and
"(6) [Forty three percent (43%)] FORTY-TWO AND 
EIGHT HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE THOUSANDTHS PER 
CENTUM 
(42.875%) in 
the 
grades 
of First
Lieutenant/Lieutenant Junior 
Grade (PN) and Second
Lieutenant/Ensign (PN) based on the total officer strength


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[outhorizcd for the AFP] UNDER THE AFP TABLE OF 
ORGANIZATION.
"Provided, further, That the AFP Table of 
Organization of units of the active force shall be adjusted in 
accordance with their respective missions and officer 
requirements, and [shall-be gradually decreased pursuanT-te 
this section and such] IN ACCORDANCE WITH rules and 
regulations as the Secretary of National Defense shall 
prescribe[, subject to the condition that the-schedule of 
percentage for each grade as herein prescribed shall not-be
exceeded]: Provided, furthermore. That in the determination 
of the officer to enlisted personnel ratio, the mission 
requirement, capabilities, scope of responsibility, technical 
nature of the position and task, and equipment inventory of 
units shall be taken into consideration: Provided, 
furthermore. That considering the highly technical nature of 
the Air Force and the Navy, they shall be allocated a higher 
officer to enlisted personnel ratio;[which shall not exceed 
fifteen percent (15%) of the officer to—enlisted personnel
fatte—allocated—m—the—Philippine—Armyi] Provided, 
furthermore. That as far as practicable, officers in the 
technical or administrative services such as surgeon general, 
chief dental service and chief nurse may be eligible for 
promotion to General/Flag Officer grade: Provided, 
furthermore. That the quota limitation provided herein shall 
not apply in the promotion to the rank of General/Flag 
Officer of reserve officers in the inactive service: Provided, 
finally. That if the actual number in a grade is less than the 
number prescribed, the difference may be applied as an 
increase to the number prescribed in a lower grade."


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Sec. 6. Application. - The maximum tour of duty, compulsory retirement and 
tenure-in-grade provided herein shall apply to those officers appointed and/or 
promoted on or after 1 July 2022 under Republic Act No. 11709.
Sec. 7. Congressional Oversight Committee. - There is hereby created a 
Congressional Oversight Committee to monitor and oversee the implementation of 
the provisions of this Act. The Committee shall be composed of six (6) members 
from the Senate and six (6) members from the House of Representatives with the 
Chairpersons of the Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification 
and Reconciliation of the Senate and the Committee on National Defense and 
Security of the House of Representatives as joint Chairpersons of this Committee. 
The five (5) other members from each Chamber are to be designated by the Senate 
President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, respectively. The 
minority shall be entitled to pro rata representation but shall have at least two (2) 
representatives from each Chamber.
Sec. 8. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The Department of National 
Defense shall formulate the rules and regulations necessary to implement the 
provisions of this Act within thirty (30) days from its effectivity.
Sec. 9. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part of this Act is declared 
unconstitutional or invalid, the remaining parts or provisions not affected shall 
remain in full force and effect.
Sec. 10. Repealing Clause. - All laws, executive orders, rules and regulations 
or parts thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby 
amended or repealed accordingly.
Sec. 11. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,