[ EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 275, July 15, 1987 ]

PROVIDING FOR THE GRADUAL AND ORDERLY DISSOLUTION OF ALL PARAMILITARY UNITS, INCLUDING THE CIVILIAN HOME DEFENSE FORCES, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES



WHEREAS, Article XVIII, Section 24, of the 1987 Constitution mandates that: "All paramilitary forces including Civilian Home Defense Forces not consistent with the citizen armed force established in this Constitution, shall be dissolved or, where appropriate, converted into the regular force"; and

WHEREAS, to address the aforesaid Constitutional mandate within the framework of our national security policies, a gradual and orderly dissolution of the Civilian Home Defense Force must be provided;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, CORAZON C. AQUINO, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. All paramilitary units, including the Civilian Home Defense Forces, shall be dissolved within one hundred eighty (180) days from the effectivity of this Executive Order.

SECTION 2. The Secretary of National Defense shall supervise the dissolution of all paramilitary units and cause the orderly turn-over of all government properties in the possession of these paramilitary units to the appropriate units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

SECTION 3. All government offices including the Armed Forces of the Philippines are encouraged to give priority consideration to qualified personnel of the paramilitary units dissolved under this Executive Order in the hiring of new or additional employees.

SECTION 4. Bonafide members of formerly authorized paramilitary units shall be given the equivalent of two months allowance, subject to the availability of funds.

SECTION 5. The budgetary appropriations for the Civilian Home Defense Forces Program are hereby converted into the Citizen Armed Forces Program.

SECTION 6. The Secretary of National Defense shall promulgate the necessary rules and regulations to implement this Executive Order.

SECTION 7. Presidential Decree No. 1016, as amended, is hereby repealed.  All laws, orders, issuances, rules and regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with this Executive Order are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 8. This Executive Order shall take effect after thirty (30) days following the completion of its publication either in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines.

Done in the City of Manila, this 15th day of July, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and eighty-seven.

(Sgd.) CORAZON C. AQUINO

By the President:

(Sgd.) JOKER P. ARROYO
Executive Secretary