EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 264 July 25, 1987
PROVIDING FOR THE CITIZEN ARMED FORCE
WHEREAS, Section 4, Article XVI, of the 1987 Constitution provides that: "The Armed Forces of the Philippines shall be composed of a citizen armed force which shall undergo military training and serve, as may be provided by law. It shall keep a regular force necessary for the security of the State"; and
WHEREAS, Section 4, Article II, of the 1987 Constitution mandates that: "The prime duty of the Government is to serve and protect the people. The Government may call upon the people to defend the State and, in the fulfillment thereof, all citizens may be required, under conditions provided by law, to render personal military or civil service";
NOW, THEREFORE, I, CORAZON C. AQUINO, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby order:
Sec. 1. The Armed Forces of the Philippines shall include the Citizen Armed Force which is hereby constituted, to be composed of all reservists, and officers and enlisted men on inactive status. All able-bodied citizens shall become reservists with appropriate ranks. All reservists in a particular locality shall be organized into reserve geographical units subject to call and mobilization as the need arises, individually or as a unit. Reservists called to active duty shall serve with the regular troops as part of the standing force. The Secretary of National Defense shall prescribe and implement a continuing program of recruitment and training for the Citizen Armed Force to enable it to respond to all types of threats to national security.
Sec. 2. The Secretary of National Defense shall cause the organization of the Citizen Armed Force into Geographical Units (CAF GUs) throughout the country and the implementation of the reserve force development program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Sec. 3. The Citizen Armed Force Geographical Units shall consists of cadre of officers and men in the active force and qualified reservists residing in the locality. The cadre may, however, be assigned to another unit in the active force while the CAF GUs to which they are assigned are on inactive status.
Sec. 4. Whenever dictated by military necessity, and upon the recommendation of the Secretary of National Defense and approved by the President, the Citizens Armed Force may be called or mobilized to complement the operations of the regular force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines or to support the regular force formations or units. For this purpose, Active Auxiliary Units which shall be part of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Units, may be utilized, to be constituted out of volunteers to be screened in consultation with the local executives and civic/business leaders. These Active Auxiliary Units shall mean a degree of activation of military reservists short of full active duty status. They shall not be vested with law-enforcement or police functions.
Sec. 5. All member of the Citizen Armed Force on training or service shall be subject to military law and the Articles of War.
Sec. 6. Funds necessary to implement this Executive Order shall be taken from the applicable appropriation of the Department of National Defense.
Sec. 7. The Secretary of National Defense shall promulgate the necessary rules and regulations to implement this Executive Order, subject to approval by the President of the Philippines.
Sec. 8. All laws, orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Executive Order are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
Sec. 9. This Executive Order shall take effect after Ninety (90) days following the completion of its publication either in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general publication in the Philippines.
Done in the City of Manila, this 25th day of July in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and eighty-seven.
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