EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 284, February 18, 2004

[ EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 284, February 18, 2004 ]

PRESCRIBING RULES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CIVILIAN FACULTY OF THE PHILIPPINE MILITARY ACADEMY AND UPDATING ITS FACULTY MERIT SYSTEM

WHEREAS, the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) is an institution created by the National Defense Act;

WHEREAS, the PMA is both a military training institution and a college under the control and supervision of the Department of National Defense;

WHEREAS, as an educational institution, it has the authority to grant a baccalaureate degree on its graduates;

WHEREAS, over the years, the increase in the number of cadets has necessitated the hiring of civilian instructors to augment the military officers comprising the faculty;

WHEREAS, the civilian faculty are appointed, ranked and promoted according to the Faculty Merit System, approved by the Civil Service Commission in 1993, and are compensated according to Republic Act No. 6758, the Salary Standardization Law;

WHEREAS, the lowest academic rank (Instructor I) under the Faculty Merit System has been assigned Salary Grade (SG) 12 with a corresponding monthly salary of P11,167.00 as provided by the Salary Standardization Law;

WHEREAS, Republic Act No. 9166 (An Act Promoting the Welfare of the AFP by Increasing the Rate of Base Pay and Other Benefits of its Officers and Enlisted Personnel and for Other Purposes) signed on 07 June 2002 has increased the monthly base salary of a PMA cadet to P14,538.00 effective 01 January 2004 thereby making a cadet's monthly salary higher than that of an Instructor I, Instructor II, Instructor III, Assistant Professor I and Assistant Professor II whose monthly salaries are P11,167.00, P11,837.00, P12,546.00, P13,300.00 and P14,098.00, respectively.

WHEREAS, existing laws, rules and regulations constrain the PMA from resolving this unfavorable predicament of the PMA civilian faculty;

WHEREAS, such a situation violates the basic principles of fairness and equity in the determination of pay and results in demoralization and decreased productivity which may compromise the effective and efficient achievement of the PMA's mission;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. Recruitment, Selection and Appointment of Civilian Faculty - The Philippine Military Academy shall maintain and update its faculty Merit System in accordance with the policies and guidelines issued herein:

Recruitment - The applicant should have the appropriate training and experience in the subject of field of discipline he is applying for;

Selection - The applicant shall undergo a stringent selection process composed of two levels of interviews, teaching demonstration, physical and neuro-psychological examination, and background investigation prior to his appointment as a member of the civilian faculty; and

Appointment - The PMA Superintendent shall initially appoint the applicant as a faculty member on a contractual basis to a faculty rank determined according to the Criteria for Evaluation used by other state universities and colleges (SUCs), higher education institutions (HEIs) and technical education institutions (TEIs). After one year of satisfactory service, such faculty member may be recommended for regular/permanent appointment.

SECTION 2. Utilization of Civilian Faculty - Civilian faculty shall be employed primarily as instructors of the cadets. However, they may also be assigned other collateral duties such as researchers, speechwriters, academic advisers for the cadets, advisers of cadet organizations, administrative officers of the academic departments and the Department of Physical Education and other similar duties to meet the exigencies of the service.

SECTION 3. Performance Appraisal of Civilian Faculty - The performance of the faculty shall be evaluated every term. The performance rating shall be a composite of the ratings of the cadets, peers, and department heads. Civilian faculty members who get an outstanding performance evaluation for the semester shall be given appropriate recognition. Getting two consecutive unsatisfactory ratings shall be considered as a ground for the termination of employment of a faculty member or shall subject the concerned faculty member to sanction(s) imposed by the PMA after due process.

SECTION 4. Promotion of Civilian Faculty - Faculty rank shall be determined based on the Criteria for Evaluation. Civilian faculty who satisfy the points required by a next higher academic rank may be promoted and have their existing faculty ranks reclassified for the appropriate higher rank provided they meet all of the following conditions: (1) at least "Very Satisfactory" performance ratings for the last two rating periods; (2) earn a minimum of 8.0 points in the Department Head's Assessment Potential; and (3) earn a minimum of 60 points in the Interview Assessment of Personality Traits and Characteristics.

The point allocation for academic ranks shall be as follows:

Faculty rank

Sub-rank

Salary Grade Point Bracket

Instructor I

12 65 below

II

13 66-76

III

14 77-87

Assistant I

15 88-96

Professor II

16 97-105

III

17 106-114

IV

18 115-123

Associate I

19 124-130

Professor

II

20 131-137

III

21 138-144

IV

22 145-151

V

23 152-158

Professor I

24 159-164

II

25 165-170

III

26 171-176

IV

27 177-182

V

28 183-188

VI

29 189-194

College/University Professor

30 195-200

There shall be created for this purpose a Promotion/Selection Board to be chaired by the Head, Academic Group and to be composed of three (3) department heads from the Socio-humanistic disciplines and three (3) from the Techno-scientific disciplines which shall submit its recommendations to higher authorities.

SECTION 5. Faculty Development Programs - The PMA shall institutionalize progressive faculty development programs which will enhance the competence, excellence, and professionalism among faculty members. These programs shall consist of scholarships for higher studies, in-house training, attendance in seminars, workshops, conventions, and enrollment in short courses, among others.

SECTION 6. Salary and Benefits of Civilian Faculty -

A. Salary - Civilian faculty shall be paid salaries appropriate to their ranks/salary grades in accordance with the Salary Standardization Law;

B. Benefits and Incentives -

1. Instructor's Incentive Pay - An amount not to exceed twenty-five per centum (25%) of the monthly salary shall be given to civilian faculty members provided that they satisfy the aggregate minimum monthly instructional load of thirty (30) units per academic year. Civilian faculty shall only be entitled to the Instructor's Incentive Pay as long as they remain members of PMA's civilian faculty.

2. Civilian faculty shall be entitled to all other benefits accruing to their being government employees.

SECTION 7. Discipline of Civilian Faculty - No civilian faculty member shall be suspended or dismissed except for cause provided for by law and after due process. The provisions of the Faculty Manual, pertinent Rules and Regulations of the Command, and the Civil Service Law shall apply in proceedings against civilian faculty members.

SECTION 8. Transitory Provision - Civilian faculty members who do not possess the requisite master's degree at the time of the effectivity of this Executive Order shall be given five (5) years within which to comply with the requirement.

SECTION 9. Source of Funding - The amount involved to effect the adjusted salary grades of the civilian faculty shall be sourced from agency savings and thereafter shall be included in agency appropriations.

SECTION 10. Effectivity - These rules and regulations shall take effect upon approval.

Adopted: 18 Feb. 2004

By the President:

(SGD.) ALBERTO G. ROMULO Executive Secretary