MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 50 GUIDELINES ON THE ISSUANCE OF TRAVEL AUTHORITIES AND TRAVEL ENTITLEMENTS TO PARTICIPATING OFFICIALS AND PERSONNEL OF AGENCIES TRAVELING ABROAD IN CONNECTION WITH PRESIDENTIAL TRIPS May 27, 2024

WHEREAS,Executive Order (EO) No. 77 (s. 2019) provides that all government expenses for official travels must be fairly reasonable, cost effective, and within the financial capability of the government;

WHEREAS,Section 3 of EO No. 77 provides that official foreign travels shall only cover trips that: (i) are essential to the effective performance of an official or employee's mandates or functions; (ii) are required to meet the needs of the agency or office involved or there is substantial benefit to be derived by the State; (iii) the presence of the official or employee is critical to the outcome of the meeting or activity; and (iv) projected expenses are not excessive or involve minimum experience;

WHEREAS,it is the policy of the Administration to ensure prudent and judicious of government resources, especially in the issuance of travel authorities and entitlements for officials and personnel joining Presidential trips abroad; and

WHEREAS,Section 17, Article VII of the Constitution vests in the President the power of control over all executive departments, bureaus, and offices:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND R. MARCOS, JR.,President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and exiting laws, do hereby order:

Section 1. Coverage.This Circular shall cover officials and personnel of national government agencies (NGAs), including state universities and colleges (SUCs), government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs), and government financial institutions (GFIs), travelling in connection with Presidential trips abroad.

Section 2. Role of the Office of the Presidential Protocol.The Office of the Presidential Protocol (OPP), with initial inputs from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and in coordination with concerned offices within the Office of the President, shall assess the necessity of the participation of an agency and its representatives in the Presidential trip and thereafter submit a recommended list of participants for the President's approval. Only officials and personnel included in the final approved list from the OPP shall be issued travel authorities, with corresponding entitlements, whenever applicable. If the head of agency, acting as the approving authority, issues a travel authority to a subordinate personnel who has not been in the final approved list from the OPP, the resulting travel will be deemed authorized.

Section 3. Participation of Agencies in Presidential Trips.In accordance with Section 9 of EO No. 77, which requires trips involving delegations to be limited to the barest minimum number of participants, any concerned office or agency sending officials or personnel in connection with a Presidential trip abroad, shall only be allowed a minimum number of two (2) representatives, including its Principal. The names of such participants shall be submitted by the head of agency to the OPP for approval.

In circumstances where an agency finds the participation of more than two (2) representatives to be necessary and indispensable during the Presidential trip, the head of agency shall submit the proposed composition of the agency delegation to the OPP, with sufficient justification, (i.e.,specific roles and functions of each person i the proposed agency delegation, and the events or activities which require the attendance of the agency and its officials and personnel).

The DFA and/or concerned agencies shall ensure that all proposals for Presidential trips shall be submitted, as far as practicable, at least three (3) months prior to the proposed date of travel for approval, scheduling, and other preliminary preparations.

In line with the foregoing, all heads of concerned agencies shall similarly submit the proposed composition of their delegation, including the names of the agency representatives and other support documents to the OPP at least three (3) months before the schedule departure for regular regional and multilateral meetings, or at least seven (7) working days before the departure date in the case of bilateral visits, non-regular international engagements, or other extremely justifiable cases.

Section 4. Claim for Actual Accommodation Expenses.The provisions governing entitlement to accommodation expense under EO No. 77 shall continue to be in effect. However, consistent with EO no. 77, actual accommodation may only be authorized for officials at the level of Assistant Secretary and higher, or those of equivalent rank. For all other personnel, accommodation expenses shall be strictly limited to the prescribed component of the Daily Subsistence Allowance.

Section 5. Room sharing agreements.In all cases, room sharing shall, as far as practicable, be implemented.

Section 6. Transportation Expenses.In accordance with Section 12 of EO No. 77, in case officials and employees authorized to travel abroad shall not be provided with transportation by the host country or sponsoring organization, they shall be allowed transportation expenses for economy class, which does not include premium economy class. For long-haul trips, described as flights exceeding four (4) hours without counting lay-overs, of officials holding the positions of Assistant Secretary and above, or those of equivalent ranks, business class airfares may be authorized, subject to approval of the OP.

Section 7. Non-compliance.Any travel authority and/or travel entitlement granted in violation of the provisions of this Circular shall be considered without effect.

In addition, failure to comply with this Circular may result in the filing of administrative actions for misconduct, insubordination and other related offenses under the Civil Service Commission Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service and/or relevant laws, rules and regulations against the erring official/personnel.

All heads of agencies, SUCs, GOCCs and GFIs shall ensure that all their personnel are informed of the foregoing.

Section 8. Repeal.All Circulars, rules and regulations, or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Circular are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Section 9. Separability.If any provision of this Circular is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the other provisions unaffected thereby shall remain valid and subsisting.

Section 10. Effectivity.This Circular shall take effect immediately.

DONE,in the City of Manila, this 13th day of May, in the year of our Lord, Two Thousand and Twenty-Four.