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a. Section 16 (c) (Expenditures) of the 2008 General Appropriations Act;

b. Executive Order No. 298 dated March 23, 2004, entitled: “Amending Further Executive Order No. 248 dated May 28, 1995 as amended by Executive Order No. 248-A dated August 14, 1995, which prescribes rules and regulations and New Rates of Allowances for Official Local and Foreign Travels of Government Personnel”;

c. Executive Order No. 459 dated September 1, 2005, entitled: “Streamlining the Procedure in the Disposition of Request of Government Officials and Employees for Authority to Travel”;

d. Administrative Order No. 103 dated August 31, 2004 entitled: “Directing the Continued Adoption of Austerity Measures in the Government”;

e. Chapter 5, COA Handbook on Government Expenditures;

f. NAPOLCOM Memorandum Circular No. 96-012 dated October 17, 1996, entitled: “Prescribing Additional Guidelines on Official Foreign Travels of Uniformed Personnel of the PNP”;

g. NAPOLCOM Memorandum Circular No. 95-025 dated December 8, 1995, entitled “Prescribing the Policies and Procedures Governing the Official Foreign Travels of Uniformed Personnel of the PNP”;

h. PNP Memorandum Circular No. 2002-17 dated November 16, 2002, entitled: “Foreign Travel”;

i. Para 2A, VIII, PNP Circular No. 2002-009 dated May 21, 2002, entitled: Revised Guidelines in the Filing of Leave of Absence for All PNP Personnel”, and

j. Chief, PNP Memorandum dated January 24, 2006, entitled: “Addendum to the Specific Authority Delegated to the Directorial Staff” :

2. PURPOSE:

This Circular prescribes the policies, guidelines and procedures governing foreign travel of all Philippine National Police personnel.

3. OBJECTIVES:

a. To institutionalize a system in the processing of foreign travels;

b. To promote fair, equitable and judicious selection of candidates for foreign training, conference or meeting, thereby ensuring that opportunities for attendance thereof would serve as incentive for better performance;

c. To extend to as many qualified personnel the opportunity to attend or to participate in foreign training, conferences and meetings in order to develop a pool of highly qualified and competent police personnel; and

d. To provide PNP personnel travelling abroad with the necessary information to guide them on what to do before, during and after their travel.

4. DEFINITION OF TERMS:

a. Foreign Travel - travel of PNP personnel abroad on official mission or personal business.

b. Foreign Travel Authority - the authority granted to PNP personnel to travel on official time or personal business duly approved by the President or SILG/Chairman, NAPOLCOM indicating therein the specific purpose of travel, number of days required, prepared and detailed itinerary of travel and the contact details of the personnel while in his destination.

c. Hotel/Lodging Rate - the daily hotel/lodging cost including the prescribed taxes and service charges.

d. Leave of Absence - refers to the right granted to personnel not to report for work with or without pay as may be provided by law and as the rules prescribe in Rule XVI of the Omnibus Rules Implementing Book V of the Administrative Code of 1987 (Executive Order 292).

e. Official Time - is the span of time given to the PNP personnel to complete his official mission.

f. Official Mission - an engagement using official time.

g. Personal Business - refers to all activities outside of the official mission.

h. Personal Travel - all travels outside of official time.

i. Pre-departure Briefing - refers to the mandatory briefing given to personnel scheduled to go on foreign travel.

j. PNP Personnel - uniformed and non-uniformed members of PNP in active service.

k. Special cash advances - refers to those granted on the explicit authority of the Head of Agency only to duly designated disbursing officers or employees for other legally authorized purposes, such as foreign travel expenditures, including transportation, per diems, allowances and other expenses incurred by officials and employees in connection with official travel abroad.

l. Travel Advisory - refers to all relevant information of the country to be given to PNP personnel on personal travel.

m. Travel Documents - refer to the documents needed for travel which include among others: travel authority, travel order, passport and visa.

n. Travel Expenses - the amount authorized to cover hotel/lodging rate, meals and incidental expenses excluding transportation expense going to and from the country of destination.

5. POLICIES:

a. The Philippine National Police shall honor international commitments by sending personnel to participate in various fora on law enforcement and similar activities;

b. The Philippine National Police shall promote bilateral and multi-lateral coordination and cooperation between and among law enforcement organizations; and

c. The Philippine National Police shall strictly adhere to existing laws, rules and regulations governing foreign travel of government officials and employees.

6. GENERAL GUIDELINES:

a. Except for the Chief, PNP, only one (1) member of the Command Group and a maximum of four (4) members of the Directorial Staff shall be allowed to go on travel at any one time;

b. When government fund is involved, no PNP personnel who is due to retire within one (1) year will be sent to foreign training/study grant, conference or attend international commitments; except when the said personnel is representing his office and was directed by the President thru SILG to participate in conference and other international commitments as representative of the Philippine government. Travel abroad of similar nature of PNP personnel who is due to retire within one (1) year may be allowed provided the host organization or country shall shoulder the travel expenses;

c. Travel expenses of PNP personnel shall strictly adhere to the provisions of Executive Order No. 298 dated March 23, 2004, entitled: Amending Order No. 248-A dated August 14, 1995, which prescribes rules and Regulations and New Rates of Allowances for Official Local and Foreign Travels of Government Personnel;

d. The PNP shall observe austerity measures on foreign travels as provided by Administrative Order No. 103 dated August 31, 2004. Official transportation shall be of the economy class unless otherwise specified in the travel authority and approved by the President;

e. No PNP personnel shall be allowed to travel abroad, either on official mission or personal business without an approved Foreign Travel Authority (FTA) or similar authority;

f. Following appropriate coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Immigration authorities, PNP personnel violating established foreign travel procedures shall be barred from leaving the country;

g. The Secretary of the Interior and Local Government/Chairman, NAPOLCOM solely takes action (approved/disapproved/defer) on all FTA applications of PNP personnel.

h. All travels abroad for purposes of training, education, study grant, observation, tour, seminar, and the like, arising from personal invitation from foreign agencies or sponsored by host organizations, companies, universities, and other private agencies or individuals shall be treated as a personal leave/undertaking of the personnel concerned and shall not involve any government or PNP funds, whatsoever. However, any travel relative to the invitation shall still be on government expense by way of his leave with pay;

i. Travel abroad on official mission shall be limited to the actual number of personnel needed/required for the trip.

j. Leave to be spent abroad shall be upon the recommendation of the C, PNP duly approved by Chairman, NAPOLCOM. The same shall be supported with certificates such as: no money and property accountability, non-pending administrative and/or criminal case and an undertaking that the personnel is not a witness in a drug related case; otherwise, the personnel has to secure a permission from the court;

k. The Foreign Travel Evaluation Board (FTEB) and Directorate for Personnel and Records Management (DPRM) shall submit to the Directorate for Intelligence (DI) the travel details of PNP Personnel one (1) week before the pre-departure briefing for coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs and in formation of our police attaches;

l. The Directorate for Intelligence (DI) shall conduct a pre-departure briefing at least three (3) days before departure to all concerned PNP personnel to apprise them of the pertinent customs and immigration laws, detailed security information, and other travel warnings, if applicable, to ensure their safety and to avoid any problem upon their entry, during their stay in and exit from the country of destination; and

m. The Directorate for Intelligence (DI) shall likewise provide a foreign travel advisory to all personnel traveling abroad on personal business or on leave to guide them on what to do before, during and after their travel.

7. SPECIFIC GUIDELINES:

a. Participation/attendance of personnel shall be limited to one (1) foreign training or conference every two years, except those who are designated as PNP official representatives in specific international bodies such as INTERPOL and ASEANAPOL;

b. Should there be several qualified candidates for training; the age bracket shall be considered. Priority shall be given to those who are forty five (45) years old and below;

c. Invitation that nominates a specific personnel to attend a seminar, symposium, forum or any other similar activity is highly discouraged;

d. The Directorate for Intelligence (DI) shall assist PNP personnel authorized for foreign travel in the acquisition of the necessary travel documents;

e. The Directorate for Human Resource and Doctrine Development (DHRDD) shall require the submission of proposals and recommendations on the applications of newly acquired knowledge, skills and expertise from personnel returning from at least three (3) months of study or training abroad;

f. All PNP personnel returning from study or training abroad shall abide by the provision of Section 2, NAPOLCOM Memorandum Circular 96-012;

g. PNP personnel returning from study/training abroad relative to police skills such as anti-terrorism, bomb disposal, criminalistics and other specialized field shall be assigned to unit(s) where the acquired skill/specialty is needed;

h. At the end of the year, the PNP thru the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management (DPRM) shall submit to NAPOLCOM a complete report on all foreign travels of PNP personnel indicating therein the following:

1) Name, rank and current assignment of PNP personnel;
2) Nature and purpose of travel;
3) Place and duration of travel; and
4) Expenses incurred by the PNP, if any, for each travel.

8. PROCEDURES:

a. Creation of Foreign Travel Evaluation Board (FTEB)

There shall be created a FTEB to select and recommend to the approving authority the best qualified PNP personnel to be sent to participate in official mission abroad. The FTEB shall be chaired by the Chief Directorial Staff, The Director for Personnel and Records Management as Vice-Chairman and the Directors of the D-Staff, Legal Service and Health Service as members.

The FTEB shall ensure that only the essential personnel shall be allowed to participate in any official mission involving foreign travel taking into consideration the qualifications, expertise, position and future utilization of said personnel.

b. Creation of Foreign Travel Screening Committees (FTSC)

There shall be created a FTSC to evaluate, screen, process and assess candidates to participate in official missions abroad according to the following classifications:

 

Official Mission Classification	FTSC Chair
• Attendance to international conferences, symposia, and fora such as: ASEANAPOL, INTERPOL, ASEANSOMTC, RP-US MDB and Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation
• International commitments, deployment to UN peacekeeping missions and secondment to foreign agencies	TDPL
• Foreign donor invitations not training related such as: UNDP, JICA, USAID, KOICA, Aus-Aid and other foreign funding agencies
• Exchange visits between the PNP and foreign police agencies
• Posting of Police Attache (PA) and subsequent inspection of the PA posts (Inspection of Police Attache posts)
• Participation in intelligence exchange with foreign counterparts	TDI
• Participation in foreign training, seminar, study grant, research, observation tour, and other related missions
• Participation in international sports, cultural and religious activities	TDHRDD
• Attendance to international expositions and exhibitions	TDRD
• Attendance of PNP personnel as witness to court cases and inquiries	TDIDM
• Plant/Factory visit abroad
• Conduct of post qualification test abroad to include pre-inspection of procured items prior to delivery	TDL

c. Procedures before travel

1) Filing of Application for FTA on Official Mission

For Traveling Personnel

a.) For conferences and conventions, submit the following requirements to the Directorate for Plans at least thirty (30) days or earlier before the date of departure for approval of Chief, PNP:

• Invitation from host/foreign country;
• Endorsement from Chief of Office/Unit; and
• Personal Data Sheet

b) For trainings, seminars, or study grants, submit the following requirements to the Directorate for Human Resource and Doctrine Development (DHRDD) at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of departure for deliberation and final deliberation of the FTEB and subsequent approval of Chief, PNP:

• Endorsement from Chief of Office/Unit;
• Personal Data Sheet;
• Commission on Human Rights Clearance; and
• Medical Certificate.

c) Except for training invitation which has less than thirty (30) days to process the nominee reckoning from the date of receipt to the date of departure. In such cases, the selection of nominee/s and subsequent recommendation for C, PNP approval shall be at the wise discretion of TDHRDD selected from the pool of PNP personnel for foreign training to ensure PNP participation in such trainings.

d) The FTSC concerned in coordination with the Directorate for Intelligence shall furnish a copy to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and at the Off ice of the Philippine Embassy of the country of destination the details of the travel including the itinerary of the traveling personnel at least five (5) days before the scheduled departure.

2) Filing Of Application for FTA On Personal Business

For Leave Applicants:

Submit the following requirements to the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management (DPRM), Attn: Personnel Service Section (PSS) of Morale and Welfare Division (MWD) thirty (30) days before the start of the intended leave:

• Endorsement from Chief of Office/Unit;
• Basic letter request, including the number of days, reason for leave and address while on leave;
• Duly accomplished CSC form No. 6;
• Breakdown of leave credits from RMD, DPRM;
• NHQ IAS and Legal Service clearances;
• Unit clearances:

  - Certificate of non-pending case.
  - Certificate of non-money/property accountability
  - Undertaking that the personnel is not a witness in a drug related case; otherwise, the personnel has to secure a permission from the court.

3) Request for foreign travel authority must be submitted to NHQ, at least thirty (30) days before the scheduled departure for approval of the Secretary of the Interior and Local Government/Chairman, NAPOLCOM as recommended by the C, PNP;

4) Itinerary of travel must be included in the application for travel authority together with the other supporting documents required for the purpose; and

5) Upon issuance of the FTA, the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management (DPRM) shall issue orders stating therein the duration and address of said personnel while on leave abroad.

d. Procedures during travel

Upon arrival to the country of destination, concerned personnel on official mission shall inform the Philippine Embassy or Consulate Office or Police Attache of the purpose, itinerary and duration of the travel. A copy of the FTA shall likewise be submitted for their reference.

e. Procedures after travel

1) Within thirty (30) days after arrival from foreign mission, concerned personnel shall submit an after official mission report to the C, PNP copy furnished the secretariat of the FTEB;

2) Within thirty (30) days after travel from international conferences, conventions, or symposia, in which the Philippines is represented by a delegation, the head of mission shall submit an after mission report to the President thru the Secretary, DILG/Chairman, NAPOLCOM as endorsed by the Chief of the Philippine National Police, copy furnished the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA);

3) The cash advance for travel shall be liquidated by the concerned personnel strictly within sixty (60) days after his/her return to the country as required under Executive Order No. 298, otherwise, payment of his/her salary shall be suspended until he complies therewith; and

4) PNP personnel who are in need of immediate medical attention and other similar circumstances after their travel shall be exempted from the thirty (30) day period within which an after mission report should be submitted to concerned authority.

5) After availing of said leave, subject PNP personnel must inform DPRM (MWD) of his return to the country within fifteen (15) days after the expiration of the leave. Failure to do so will be a ground for declaring him on AWOL.

9. PENAL CLAUSE:

a) Any PNP personnel who violates the general guidelines laid down in paragraph 6b and 6c of this circular shall be held administratively liable for “Grave Misconduct” and penalized accordingly. This is without prejudice to the criminal prosecution for violation of RA 3019 otherwise known as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and other applicable special criminal laws; and

b) Any other violations of the general and specific guidelines as set forth in this circular shall be classified as less grave offense.

10. REPEALING CLAUSE:

All rules, regulations and other issuances, or portions thereof, inconsistent with these guidelines are repealed or modified accordingly.

11. EFFECTIVITY:

This Circular shall take effect after fifteen (15) days from the filing of a copy hereof at the University of the Philippines Law Center in consonance with Sections 3 and 4 of Chapter 2, Book VII of Executive Order No. 292, otherwise known as “The Revised Administrative Code of 1987”, as amended.

Adopted: 26 Dec. 2008

(SGD.) JESUS A VERZOSA
Police Director General Chief, PNP