Memorandum Circular No. 121




MALACAÑAN PALACE MANILA BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES [ Memorandum Circular No. 121, June 30, 1967 ] DIRECTING STRICT COMPLIANCE WITH ORDERS AND PRONOUNCEMENTS ON TRAVEL. Memorandum Circular No. 1 dated December 31, 1965, directs all government offices to “limit all travels, whether abroad or local, to those that are urgent or necessary and, in such cases, only the minimum in number and in expense shall be allowed.” Executive Order No. 72, series of 1964, provides that “travel of officials and employees outside their duty stations requiring the payment of per diems or reimbursement of actual traveling expenses, or travel to foreign countries for which the Philippine Government shall bear all expenses or the major portion of expenses connected with such travel, shall not be allowed, except in meritorious cases to be determined by the Department Secretary concerned in case of local travel and the Office of the President in case of travel abroad. And Memorandum Circular No. 56 dated June 28, 1966, prohibits official travel abroad of government personnel except where the trip (1) will not involve the expenditure of government funds; (2) is for the purpose of complying with an international commitment of the Philippine Government; (3) would directly redound to the financial benefit of the country; and (4) is in connection with a scholarship, fellowship or training grant, including those for military personnel under the Military Assistance Pact (MAP) with the United States Government. The Circular also defines the cases that may fail under the said exceptions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Office has noted an alarming increase in the number of requests and recommendations it receives for travel of government personnel, especially abroad, so much so that the President, in a recent Cabinet meeting, had occasion to “direct all members of the Cabinet that henceforth travels abroad of officials and employees must be restricted to the barest minimum, in order to conserve foreign exchange.” In order not only to inculcate in us the virtue of thrift, but also, as an immediate purpose, to conserve public funds for the much needed construction and other projects now being undertaken towards a healthy national economy, all concerned are hereby reminded of, and directed to strictly observe and comply with, the orders and policies on travels mentioned above.1âшphi1 Faithful compliance with the provisions thereof and this Circular is hereby enjoined, otherwise officials and employees making, or found responsible for authorizing, trips in violation of existing rules and regulations governing the same, without the prior approval of this Office or the Special Committee on Scholarships in proper cases, shall be made to answer personally for the expenses incurred thereby. By authority of the President: (SGD.) RAFAEL M. SALAS Executive Secretary Manila, June 30, 1967 The Lawphil Project - Arellano Law Foundation