4/11/2019 Executive Order No. 878, s.

1983 | Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines

GOVPH (/)

Executive Order No. 878, s. 1983

Signed on March 4, 1983 (https://www.o cialgazette.gov.ph/1983/03/04/executive-order-no-878-s-
1983/)

MALACAÑANG
MANILA

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 878

REORGANIZING THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNMENT CORPORATE COUNSEL

WHEREAS, under Presidential Decree No. 1415, the Government Corporate Counsel
is given the rank, emoluments and privileges of an Associate Justice of the Court of
Appeals, and the Assistant Government Corporate Counsels are each given the
rank, emoluments and privileges of a Judge of the Court of First Instance;

WHEREAS, Batas Pambansa Blg. 129 abolished the Court of Appeals and the
Courts of First Instance, among others, and created in substitution thereof the
Intermediate Appellate Court and the Regional Trial Courts;

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1983/03/04/executive-order-no-878-s-1983/ 1/6
4/11/2019 Executive Order No. 878, s. 1983 | Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines

WHEREAS, it becomes necessary to adjust the status and rank of the Government
Corporate Counsel and the Assistant Government Corporate Counsels, conformably
with the pertinent provisions of Batas Pambansa Blg. 129;

WHEREAS, the Government Corporate Counsel is in a better position to select and

supervise the members of the legal and administrative staffs of his o ce, such that
there is a need to authorize him to directly appoint the subordinate o cers and
employees of his o ce;

WHEREAS, considering the important role of the O ce of the Government

Corporate Counsel in safeguarding the legal interests of government-owned or
controlled corporations, including their subsidiaries, there is a need to maintain the
effectiveness of the O ce of the Government Corporate Counsel as the principal
legal counsel of all government-owned or controlled corporations;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue

of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, and pursuant to the provisions of
Presidential Decree No. 1416, as amended by Presidential Decree No. 1772,
granting the President of the Philippines continuing authority to reorganize the
administrative structure of the National Government, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. The O ce of the Government Corporate Counsel shall be headed by the

Government Corporate Counsel whose rank, quali cations for appointment,
emoluments and privileges, without prejudice to special orders of the President
relative thereto, shall be the same as those of the Presiding Appellate Justice of the
Intermediate Appellate Court. He shall be assisted by a Deputy Government
Corporate Counsel whose rank, quali cations for appointment, emoluments and
privileges shall be the same as those of an Associate Appellate Justice of the
Intermediate Appellate Court, and Ten (10) Assistant Government Corporate
Counsels whose rank, quali cations for appointment, emoluments and privileges
shall be the same as those of a Regional Trial Judge of the Regional Trial Courts.

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1983/03/04/executive-order-no-878-s-1983/ 2/6
4/11/2019 Executive Order No. 878, s. 1983 | Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines

The incumbent Government Corporate Counsel and the two incumbent Assistant
Government Corporate Counsels shall be entitled to the rights, emoluments and
privileges herein vested upon them effective as of January 17, 1983, without need
of new appointments.

SEC. 2. The other incumbent members of the Legal Staff of the Government
Corporate Counsel shall receive in full the rates of compensation provided for by
Presidential Decree No. 1726, effective January 1, 1981.

SEC. 3. Except the Government Corporate Counsel, the Deputy Government

Corporate Counsel, and the Assistant Government Corporate Counsels who shall be
appointed by the President of the Philippines, all other members of the legal and
administrative staffs of the O ce of the Government Corporate Counsel shall be
appointed by the Government Corporate Counsel.

SEC. 4. The number, rank, quali cations for appointment, emoluments and
privileges of the other members of the legal staff of the OGCC shall be as follows:

(a) A rst bracket of ten (10) State Corporate Attorneys who shall have the rank,
quali cations for appointment, emoluments and privileges of Metropolitan Trial
Judges;

(b) A second bracket of seven (7) State Corporate Attorneys whose annual
compensation shall be as provided in Presidential Decree No. 1726 and who must
be members of the Philippine Bar and have at least three (3) years experience in the
practice of law;

(c) A third and a fourth bracket of seven (7) State Corporate Attorneys each whose
annual compensation shall be as provided in Presidential Decree No. 1726 and who
must be members of the Philippine Bar and have at least two (2) years experience
in the practice of law;

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1983/03/04/executive-order-no-878-s-1983/ 3/6
4/11/2019 Executive Order No. 878, s. 1983 | Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines

(d) Ten (10) Trial Attorneys whose annual compensation each shall be as provided
in Presidential Decree No. 1726 and who must be members of the Philippine Bar
and have at least one (1) year experience in the practice of law;

(e) A Senior Research Attorney and ve (5) Research Attorneys whose annual
compensation shall be as provided in Presidential Decree No. 1726 and who must
be members of the Philippine Bar.

The number and salaries/compensation of the members of the Administrative and

support staff of the OGCC shall be those indicated in the Sta ng Pattern and salary
schedule attached hereto as Annex “A”.

SEC. 5. The Government Corporate Counsel is hereby authorized to reorganize his

legal and administrative/support staff within three months in such manner as he
may deem proper to promote the e ciency of the service. Any member of the staff
not otherwise selected/appointed by the Government Corporate Counsel as a result
of the reorganization herein authorized, or who refuses such appointment, shall be
paid the money value of his accumulated vacation and sick leave, and such
retirement gratuity as may be due him under existing retirement laws. Anyone not
appointed who does not qualify under any existing retirement law may be paid one
month salary for every year of service, payable in lump sum, from out of the salary
lapses in the O ce of the Government Corporate Counsel.

SEC. 6. When the exigency of the service so require, any member of the legal staff
of the OGCC may be assigned or designated in a concurrent capacity to act as
corporate o cer of the government-owned or controlled corporations being
serviced by the OGCC, provided that the GCC approves the assignment or
designation. Whenever any member of the legal staff of the OGCC is
assigned/designated to perform additional or special task in any of the client
corporations, he is allowed to receive such additional compensation and privileges
as may be granted them by the government corporations concerned.

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1983/03/04/executive-order-no-878-s-1983/ 4/6
4/11/2019 Executive Order No. 878, s. 1983 | Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines

Likewise, any member of the legal staff of the OGCC may be assigned temporarily
to act as summer Judge of the Metropolitan Trial Court of Manila when any
incumbent thereof is on vacation.

SEC. 7. In addition to the appropriation for the O ce of the Government Corporate

Counsel, the savings of the said o ce, if any, may be used to carry out this
Executive Order.

SEC. 8. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 4th day of March in the year of Our Lord, nineteen
hundred and eighty-three.

(Sgd.) FERDINAND E. MARCOS

President of the Philippines

By the President:

(Sgd.) JOAQUIN T. VENUS, JR.

Deputy Presidential Executive Assistant

Reference: Annex A

Source: Malacañang Records O ce

O ce of the President of the Philippines. (1983). [Executive Order Nos. : 858 – 927].
Manila : Malacañang Records O ce.

RESOURCES

[PDF] Executive Order No. 878, March 4, 1983

(http://www.o cialgazette.gov.ph/downloads/1983/03mar/19830304-EO-
0878-FM.pdf)

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1983/03/04/executive-order-no-878-s-1983/ 5/6
4/11/2019 Executive Order No. 878, s. 1983 | Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines

This entry was posted under Executive Issuances

(https://www.o cialgazette.gov.ph/section/laws/executive-issuances/), Executive Orders
(https://www.o cialgazette.gov.ph/section/laws/executive-issuances/executive-orders/), Laws and
Issuances (https://www.o cialgazette.gov.ph/section/laws/) and tagged Executive Issuances
(https://www.o cialgazette.gov.ph/tag/executiveissuances/), Executive Orders
(https://www.o cialgazette.gov.ph/tag/executive-orders/), Ferdinand E. Marcos
(https://www.o cialgazette.gov.ph/tag/ferdinand-e-marcos/). Bookmark the permalink
(https://www.o cialgazette.gov.ph/1983/03/04/executive-order-no-878-s-1983/).

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

All content is in the public domain unless otherwise stated.

ABOUT GOVPH

Learn more about the Philippine government, its structure, how government works and the people behind it.

O cial Gazette (http://www.gov.ph)

Open Data Portal (http://data.gov.ph)
GOVERNMENT LINKS

The President (http://president.gov.ph/)

O ce of the President (http://op-proper.gov.ph/)
O ce of the Vice President (https://ovp.gov.ph/)
Senate of the Philippines (http://senate.gov.ph/)
House of Representatives (http://www.congress.gov.ph/)
Supreme Court (http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/)
Court of Appeals (http://ca.judiciary.gov.ph/)
Sandiganbayan (http://sb.judiciary.gov.ph/)

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1983/03/04/executive-order-no-878-s-1983/ 6/6