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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENSE
GENERAL HEADQUARTERS, ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES
Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo
Quezon City

AGA1 15 July 1991

CIRCULAR
NUMBER 13

SELECTIVE ENLISTMENT AND REENLISTMENT

I. GENERAL

1. AUTHORITIES:

a. Commonwealth Act, as amended

b. Presidential Decree 1044 as amended by PD

2. PURPOSE: This Circular prescribes the policies, regulations and

procedures governing enlistment and reenlistment in the Regular Force, Armed Forces of the
Philippines.

3. ENLISTED GRADES:

a. Enlisted grade designations corresponding to pay grades/symbols

indicated in the Major Services/Units shall be as follows:

PAY GRADE ARMY AIR FORCE

SYMBOL
E1 Private Airman
E2 Private 1st Class Airman 2nd Class
E3 Corporal Airman 1st Class
E4 Sergeant Sergeant
E5 Staff Sergeant Staff Sergeant
E6 Technical Sergeant Technical Sergeant
E7 Master Sergeant Master Sergeant

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NAVY (Except MARINES) MARINES

E1 Apprentice Seaman/Fireman Marine

E2 Seaman/Fireman 2nd Class Marine 2nd Class
E3 Seaman/Fireman 1st Class Marine 1st Class
E4 Petty Office 3rd Class Sergeant
E5 Petty Officer 2nd Class Staff Sergeant
E6 Petty Officer 1st Class Technical Sergeant
E7 Chief Petty Officer Master Sergeant

(Airwoman, Seawoman or Firewoman in case of an enlisted woman)

b. Technical Ratings from Navy and Air Force personnel may be used as
equivalent to the various grades as prescribed in appropriate PN and PAF regulations.

4. TERM OF ENLISTMENT:

a. Enlistment and reenlistment in the Regular Force shall be for a

term of three (3) years provided that;

(1) All enlistments/reenlistments in force at the outbreak of war or

other grave national emergency, or entered into during its continuation, shall continue in
force until after six (6) months of its termination as declared by competent authority or until
the expiration of the term of enlistment/reenlistment, whichever is later, unless sooner
terminated by the President.

(2) Enlistment/reenlistment of personnel service overseas with a

Philippine contingent shall continue in force until the end of two (2) months after arrival of
such personnel in the Philippines or until the expiration of the term of
enlistment/reenlistment, whichever is later, unless sooner terminated by competent
authority; provided, however, that nothing herein shall operate to prevent the reenlistment of
an enlisted person of the AFP on the date immediately following the expiration of three (3)
years from the date of his previous enlistment/reenlistment.

(3) The term of enlistment/reenlistment of a person facing a

criminal case before a civil court involving an offense committed in the performance of
military or official duty or directly attributable to such, without misconduct on the part of
the enlisted person as determined by appropriate enlistment/reenlistment authority, shall be
extended until final resolution of the case. The service connection of the offense shall be
determined in accordance with regulations governing restoration t0, or relief from, duty
status.
(4) The term of enlistment/reenlistment of a person due to expire

while awaiting trial by court-martial or the final result thereof shall be extended to the day
the decision becomes final or when the discharge can be effected.

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(5) The term of enlistment/reenlistment of a person due to expire

while enjoying his/her accumulated furlough prior to separation shall be extended until the
expiration of such furlough.

(6) The term of enlistment of a person, who cannot be discharged

under existing laws or regulations on the date of its expiration due to sickness or injury
contracted in line of duty, fortuitous event, force majeure, or any other justifiably
unavoidable cause, shall be extended to the day when the discharge can be effected;
provided, however, that when hospitalization is necessary, it shall not exceed one (1) year.
Nothing, however, in this paragraph shall operate to prevent the discharge prior to the
expiration of the term of enlistment/reenlistment (ETE) in accordance of qualified personnel
on ETE.

b. Enlisted personnel shall automatically be discharged and cease to be

in the active service upon ETE, unless sooner discharged or reenlisted by competent
authority or unless the military service is extended as provided for under subparagraph a
above. Orders of enlistment/reenlistment should be so worded as to be self-terminating.

c. An enlisted woman who contracts marriage shall automatically be

separated from the active service on the date of such marriage, unless she has, at the time of
said marriage, already completed at least three (3) years of continuous active military
service.

5. QUALIFIED STATUS: Only persons in qualified status shall be

enlisted or reenlisted in the Regular Force.

a. A person shall be considered in qualified status for enlistment if

he/she;

(1) is a citizen of the Philippines;

(2) is unmarried and without dependent;

(3) has completed the second year of a collegiate course from an

educational institution recognized by the government; or, in the case of a male applicant, is a
high school graduate who possesses technical or special skills needed by the AFP; or, in the
case of a female applicant, is a high school graduate who possesses technical or special
skills necessary in the performance of non-combatant/administrative duties.

(4) is not less than eighteen (18) years but not more than twenty-
six (26) years of age;

(5) has a height, barefoot, which is –

(a) Not less than one (1) meter and fifty

three (53) centimeters or sixty-four (64) inches, in the case of a male applicant; or

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(b) Not less than one (1) meter and fifty-seven and one-
half (57.5) centimeters or sixty-two (62) inches, in the case of a female applicant.

(6) is physically and mentally fit for military service, in

accordance with the provisions of paragraph 11 (see p. 200) and other applicable
regulations; and
(7) is of good moral character and habits.

b. An enlisted person shall be considered in qualified status for reenlistment if;

(1) he/she satisfies subparagraphs a (1), a (6) and a (7), above;

(2) she has remained unmarried and without dependents for three (3)
years.

(3) the difference between the age and the active service rendered by
him/her does not exceed twenty-six (260 years; and

(4) his/her previous term of enlistment/reenlistment was terminated under

honorable conditions.

c. Notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraphs a and b above, a person is

not in qualified status for enlistment or reenlistment if he/she:

(1) has definite psychoneurotic tendencies or is a chronic alcoholic;

(2) has been imprisoned under final judgment of a court for commission
of an offense involving moral turpitude or for conviction of any of the crimes against
national security and the law of nations; crimes against the fundamental laws of the state;
crimes against public order; or crimes against public morals;

(3) has been discharged from the service under conditions other than
honorable;
(4) has been punished 3 or more times, under Article of War 105;

(5) has been found to be an intemperate, or illegal user of drugs or is

addicted to them;
(6) has a pending case in a court of law;

(7) is a deserter or a felon; or

(8) has failing or marginal efficiency ratings;

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Unmarried minors below twenty-one (21) years of age, may, if qualified, be

enlisted only on the written and duly attested consent of the father, if living
and not legally incapacitated to give such consent; or by the month if the
father is not living or cannot

legally give the consent; or by the publicity known guardian, if both

parents are not living or are legally incapacitated to give the consent.

6. ENLISTMENT AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY:

a. The Chief of Staff, AFP shall see to it that, enlistedmen/enlistedwomen of the

Regular Force are recruited proportionately from all provinces and cities as practicable.

b. Major Service Commanders shall have the authority and responsibility to

enlist personnel in qualified status to fill-up the authorized enlisted strength of their
respective services, subject to the provisions of this Circular.

c. Enlistment at the Major Services, however, may only commence after the
General Headquarters, AFP has, among others, issued the necessary guidelines and granted
the enlistment quota and the block of serial numbers which will be issued to the recruits
individually.

7. ENLISTMENT AUTHORITY:

a. Commanders of Major Services, Area Commands, Infantry Divisions,

Brigades, Army Separate Units, Air Divisions, Wings, Air Force Separate Units, Naval
Shore Establishment, Naval Operating Forces, Coast Guard, Philippine Fleet,
Philippine Marine Brigades, Naval Districts, AFP Wide Support and Separate Units
shall have the authority to reenlist personnel in qualified status to fill up the authorized
reenlistment strengths of their respective organizations and shall hereinafter be
referred to as reenlistment authorities, subject to the provisions of this Circular.

b. The reenlistment authority may designate subordinate officer(s) in his unit

who will have the function of reenlisting; provided, however, that the power of approval or
disapproval of applications for reenlistment shall remain with the reenlistment authority who
shall ensure that reenlistment procedures conform with this Circular.

8. REINSTATEMENT/RE-ENTRY AUTHORITIES: Major Service Commanders

and TDCS, AFP for GHQ and AFPWSSUs shall have the authority to reinstate or to re-
enlist former enlisted personnel, subject to the provisions of this Circular

and other applicable regulations.

9. AUTHORIZED STRENGTH FOR ENLISTMENT/REENLISTMENT: The

authorized enlisted strength which shall be the basis for enlistment/reenlistment is that

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embodied in the approval TOE/TD, Troop Base, Troop Ceiling for any particular unit,
whichever, is the lowest.

10. ACTIVE DATE OF ENLISTMENT AND REENLISTMENT:

a. Enlistment shall be made effective on the date of the issuance of Orders

unless otherwise specified, but in no case shall it be made retroactive.

b. Reenlistment shall be made effective on the date of expiration of the previous

term of enlistment/reenlistment, or on the date of discharge if the previous term of
enlistment/reenlistment is sooner terminated, provided the “reenlistee” on such date is in
qualified status and actually assumes his/her position, otherwise reenlistment shall take
effect on the date of issuance of orders.

11. MENTAL AND PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS:

a. A minimum score of ninety (90) in the AFP Qualification Test

(AFPQT) shall be required for all original enlistment; and

b. Only mentally and physically fit applicants shall qualify for

enlistment or reenlistment, as determined in the physical examination required by existing
regulations, including, among others, a chest radiology, a serological test for venereal
diseases and a careful neuropsychiatric study.

12. FORMS: The following forms shall be prepared and accomplished for
enlistment and reenlistment:

a. Enlistment Record

b. Service Record

c. Soldier’s Qualification Card, and

d. Soldier’s Individual Pay Record.

13. REPORT: Report on status of enlistment shall be submitted to The

Adjutant General of the Major Service concerned and to The Adjutant General, AFP for
AFP-Wide Support and Separate Units every quarter of the fiscal year. Report on status of
reenlistment shall be submitted by reenlistment authorities at the end of every month to The
Adjutant General of the Major Service concerned, and to The Adjutant General of

AFP-Wide Support and Separate Units indicating the number of individuals reenlisted by
grade.

II. ENLISTMENT

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14. ENLISTMENT PRIORITY: In recruiting for enlistment, priority shall be

given to the following applicants, provided they are in qualified status for enlistment:

a. Graduates of the Candidate Soldiers Course

b. Ex-PMA or PAFFS Cadets

c. Those possessing special skills and/or technical qualifications

critically needed in the AFP.

d. Outstanding trainee graduates; and

e. Outstanding WATC graduates for enlistment in the Women’s

Auxillary Corps.

15. GRADE ON ENLISTMENT:

a. Original enlistment shall be made in grade E1, except as provided

hereunder:
(1) An inactive reserve officer may be enlisted in any grade up to
and including E6, provided that the difference between the individual’s age and active
service does not exceed twenty-six (26) years and that he/she is otherwise in qualified status
for enlistment.

(2) A cadet of the Philippine Military Academy, PAF Flying

School or other military, Air and Naval School, who has been honorably discharged from
such school, may be enlisted in any grade up to and including E4, provided that he is in
qualified status for enlistment.

(3) An individual detailed by the AFP to undergo officer

candidate training in an Officer Cadet School of a foreign country or in other similar
schools may be enlisted in any grade up to and including E4, provided that he/she is in
qualified status for enlistment.

(4) A technician whose technical qualification is highly desirable

in the AFP may be enlisted in any grade up to and including E6, provided, that the
difference between the individual’s age and active government service, if any, does not
exceed twenty-six (26) years and that he/she is otherwise in qualified status for enlistment;

and provided, further that the individual passes the applicable technician’s
examinations prescribed by the Major Service for the grade in which he or she is to be
enlisted.

b. Enlistments in grades above E3 in subparagraph a (1), a (2), a (3), and

a (4) above shall be subject to the priority approval by The Deputy Chief of Staff, AFP for

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AFP-Wide Support and Separate Units and by the Commanders of the Major Services for
their respective Commands.

c. Any former enlisted person of the AFP who

has, had at least two (2) consecutive terms of enlistment may be enlisted in two (2) grades
lower than the permanent grade last held provided that the difference between the
individual’s age and active service does not exceed twenty six (26) years and that he/she is
otherwise in qualified status for enlistment.

d. Enlistment in grades E1 and E2 may exceed the authorized strength of

these grades in a unit as prescribed in accordance with paragraph 6 (see p. 199), by the
number of cumulative vacancies that exist in higher grade (s).

16. RECRUIT TRAINING FOR CANDIDATES FOR ENLISTMENT:

a. Candidates for enlistment shall be recruited under the three (3)

months Candidate Soldier’s Course as 2nd Class Trainees at the AFP Training Command or
in such training centers as may be designated by The Deputy Chief of Staff for Education
and Training, J-8, AFP. Candidates/trainees who fail to satisfactorily complete the
Candidate Soldier’s Course shall immediately be discharged.

b. Enlistment authorities, may , however, waive the required recruit

training (Candidate Soldier’s Course) for those who have had previous military training.

III. REENLISTMENT

17. REENLISTMENT PRIORITY:

a. Reenlistment, being a renewal of the contract

of enlistment, shall be by application and subject to the approval by the reenlistment
authority concerned, in accordance with policies prescribed in this Circular. Reenlistment is
not a matter of right for the enlisted individual; neither is it a matter of personal
consideration. The interest of the military service shall be given primary consideration.

b. In effecting reenlistment, with the end in view of

revitalizing the AFP, reenlistment authorities shall consider attriting a number equivalent to
at least ten percent (10%) of the reenlistment applicants for any given period. For the
purpose of establishing reenlistment priority, they shall require applicants for reenlistment
who are in

qualified status to take the AFPT or its equivalent and to

undergo physical fitness test , marksmanship firing, and/or any performance test, and shall
examine their qualifications irrespective of length of service. Other things being equal,
however, priority for reenlistment shall be given to younger applicants.

18. GRADE OF REENLISTMENT:

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a. An enlisted individual may be reenlisted in the permanent grade last

held if such reenlistment is made on the day following his discharge.

b. An individual, who has served at least two (2) consecutive terms of

enlistment and has not reenlisted on the day following his discharge, but reenlists thereafter
within sixty (60) days from the date of discharge, may be reenlisted one (1) grade lower than
the permanent grade held at the time of his/her discharge.

c. An enlisted individual, who has not been reenlisted by virtue of a

pending criminal case before the civil court, but who, subsequently, is acquitted or whose
case is provisionally dismissed, may be reenlisted in the permanent grade last held if such
reenlistment is accomplished within sixty (60) days following the date that he or his legal
counsel obtains notice of judgment of acquittal or the provisional dismissal of the case.

d. An enlisted person who has served a tour of active duty as a reserve

officer may , within sixty (60) days after reversion to inactive status, be reenlisted in the
permanent enlisted grade held, provided that if he/she has completed at least two (2) years of
continuous active commissioned service, he/she may be reenlisted in the grade next higher
than the permanent enlisted grade previously held, and provided, further, that he/she has not
been reverted to inactive status for cause or, in the case of an enlisted woman she has not
been reverted for the reason that she contracted marriage before completing five (5) years of
continuous service.

e. An enlisted person who has been admitted as a cadet of the Philippine

Military Academy, PAF Flying School or other military, air or naval schools and
subsequently honorably discharged from any such school, may be reenlisted in the
permanent grade last held prior to such admission, provided such reenlistment is done within
sixty (60) days after the date of his honorable discharge.

f. Reenlistment in any grade may exceed the authorized strength of that

grade in a unit by the number of cumulative vacancies that exist in a higher grade (s).

19. APPLICATION FOR REENLISTMENT:

a. Applications for reenlistment shall be filed at least six (6) months

before ETE and shall be endorsed by Unit Commanders to the reenlistment authority
concerned who shall approved or disapproved such request upon the recommendation of his
selective Reenlistment Board.

b. An individual, who has served at least two (2) consecutive terms of

enlistment and has not reenlisted on the day following his discharge but reenlists thereafter
within sixty (60) from the date of discharge, may be reenlisted one (1) grade lower than the
permanent grade held at the time of his/her discharge.

20. SELECTIVE REENLISTMENT BOARD:

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a. Each reenlistment authority shall within thirty (30) days from the
effectivity of this Circular, create a Selective Reenlistment Board, which shall be composed
of at least three (3) commissioned officers, one (1) of whom shall be a Medical Officer, to
receive and process applications for reenlistment from personnel assigned to his unit and to
recommend him, not later than thirty (30) days prior to ETE of applicants concerned,
approval or disapproval of such application in accordance with provisions of this circular,
particularly paragraphs 5, 17 and 18 thereof.

b. The Selective Reenlistment Boards shall sit en banc to deliberate on

each applicant in person.

c. In order not to disrupt the proceedings of any Selective Reenlistment

Board, no enlisted person shall be transferred or reassigned within six (6) months prior to
his/her ETE from one unit to another not under the same reenlistment authority.
Reenlistment authorities shall have reenlistment jurisdiction only over personnel assigned to
their respective units for at least six (6) months immediately prior to ETE,. and this is
covered under subparagraphs 18 d and e, whose last enlisted assignments were in their
respective units.

IV. MISCELLANEOUS

21. Airman Performance Rating or its equivalent in the PA or PN shall hereafter

be submitted to the Selective Reenlistment Boards by applicants for reenlistment.

22. IMPLEMENTING GUIDELINES: Implementing and/or supplementing

guidelines shall be issued by Commanders of Major Services and The Deputy Chief of Staff,
AFP for AFP-Wide Support and Separate Units, provided that they are not inconsistent with
the provisions of this Circular.

23. RESCISSION: Circular Nr 17, this Headquarters dated 6 February 1968,

Circular Nr 7, this Headquarters dated 21 July 1978 and other Regulations or parts thereof
inconsistent with the provisions of this Circular are hereby rescinded.

24. EFFECTIVITY: This Circular shall take effect upon publication.

BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF

NATIONAL DEFENSE:

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(Sgd)
OFFICIAL:
LISANDRO C ABADIA
GENERAL, AFP
Chief of Staff

JORGE P AGCAOILI
Colonel, PAF (GSC)
The Adjutant General

DISTRIBUTION:
“A”

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