HEADQUARTERS OG6, PA

AC of S for C4S, G6
Deputy G6
Ex-O
Chief, AB
Acting Chief, PBB
Chief, SEIB
Chief, CMB
Chief, RSB
Chief, C3SOB
Chief, PRB
Asst Chief, C3SOB
Asst Chief, RSB
Asst Chief, PBB
Chief Clerk, OG6
Branch NCO, RSB
Branch NCO, C3SOB
Branch NCO, Admin Br
Branch NCO, SEIB
Branch NCO, PBB
Branch NCO, PRB
Acquisition NCO, RSB
CE Specialist NCO, RSB
Finance NCO, AB
Ms Imelda B Hizon
 By 2028, a F>'Or/d-class Army that js a source of national p.1ide.

HEADQUARTERS
PHILIPPINE ARMY
Fort Andres Bonifacio, Metro Manila

AA MAY 1 D 2018
SUBJECT: Revised Policy on the Use of Social Media

TO: See Distribution

1. REFERENCES:

a. Office of the President Memorandum Circular No. 78. s 1964

Promulgating Rules Governing Security of Classified Matter in Government Offices.
b. RA 10175, Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
c. AFP Guidelines on Releasing of Information to the Media, 07 July
2005.
d. AFP Guidelines on the Creation of Facebook and Twitter
Accounts of Major SeNices and Unified Command PAOs, 07 June 2011.
e. PA Command Messages Templates, 20 March 2012.
f. AFP Guidelines on Online Presence and Use of Social Media, 13
March 2013.

2. PURPOSE:

This directive sets forth the guidelines for the Army personnel, units and
offices on the use of Social Media. This shall supersede the Philippine Army Policy on
the Use of Social Media dated 05 Sept 2013.

3. BACKGROUND:

In the Philippines, the most widely used Social Media platform is

Facebook while others utilize Twitter, lnstagram and other popular platforms. This so-
called "new media" where information is released can be accessed anytime, anywhere
on any digital device; deviating from the use of "traditional media" such as radio, '
television, and print.

Its indisputable capability to create an interactive platform that facilitates

participation and connectivity among its users made it so popular in the public
communication arena that organizations cannot or may not suNive without Social
Media. Organizations fortify the power of technology in communication as it provides
the users with real-time data, information, and messages any time of the day.

Honor. Patriotism. Duty.

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In the Philippine context, a deep understanding on its influence is

manifested with the passing of the "Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012" or R.A. 10175
which intends to regulate the use of social networking sites and protect its users or
netizens so that these platforms shall be used responsibly.

The Philippine government recently created the Department of

Information and Communication Technology (DITC) and has recently published a draft
Administrative Order on Social Media use for Government.

Social Media shall be an important conduit to continuously inform current

and future stakeholders of the Army on the organization's mission and functions to
better maximize channeling of resources and expand partnerships. A strategy of
deterrence against enemies of the State through the use of Social Media provides the
Army the economy of force advantage.

It is a balance between personnel security and popular support. While

postings of photos of soJdiers in ccmbat operations have undeniably contributed to the
increased positive perception for Army personnel, it may or have also unintentionally
violated some of the provisions of OPSEC . In the recently concluded battle of Marawi,
hundreds if not thousands of images and videos flooded the walls of Facebook so to
speak and forever changed people's perception in favor of the Army as to how it
conducts itself in a battle. The Army saw an unprecedented outpour of support from
the pubiic on the conduct of combat operations in Marawi . On the other hand, it also
exposed some of our vulnerabilities, techniques, and tactics and endangered the lives
our soldiers when exact locations of force can easily be discerned through the images.

As a general rule, what you post on Social Media is similar to showing

yourself in the eyes of the Public only this time, technology will give you more
audience that is without boundaries meaning your posts may and will reach the whole
world even those Astronauts in space in their access to this platform.

Combat operations undeniably involve the use of critical resources of the

Army to achieve a military objective. Use of human resource, the most valuable asset
of the organization, will always be present thus it is important that protection from
adversaries through over exposure to the public by means of Social Media will put the
lives of personnel in danger.

4. D~F INITION OF TERMS:

a. Social r~~edia - refers to computer-mediated technologies that.

facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas and other forms of expressions,
and content via social media platforms and virtual netv11orks. (DICT Definition)

b. Social Media Account - is a Unit/Office (at all levels of

Command), or individual's Army Personnel's account or page on any given social
media platform. (DICT Definition)
c. Social r\~ edia Platform - refers to internet-based applications or
sites such as, but not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, and lnstagram, that allow users to
share information and interact with each other. (DICT Definition)

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 By 2028, a wc;.r!d-c1ass Army that is E source of nc:tiona! price

d. f\.'loderation - is the practice of facilitating online interaction to

ensure that everyone can take part in the discussion and get their views across, and
that the consultation meets its objectives. It is also about maintaining the flow of the
discussion by checking all posts in relation to the terms and conditions of the site.
(DICT Definition)

e. OPSEC or Operational Security - refers to all measures taken

to maintain security and tactical surprise. It includes counter surveillance, physical
security, signal security, and information security. It also involves the identification and
elimination or control of indicators which can be exploited by hostile intelligence
organizations. (PAM 3-04) 2. It also involves the process of denying hostile forces
capabilities and identities by identifying, controlling and protecting indications
associated with planning and conducting military operations and other activities. (PAM
3-05)

f. Army Personnel - includes officers and enlisted personnel in the

active service and reserve status, Civil ian Employees, CAFGU personnel and other
persons subject to military law.

g. User - responsible individual who interacts on social media and

publicize information, comments, opinions e.nd suggestions to the concern agency or
person.

5. ADfif.!t~!STRA TIVE UABILITY

Despite the reminders and dissemination on social media guidelines, some

Army personnel are still committing violations which affect the operational security,
overall image and public perception towards the organization. Violations are left
unaccounted as the number of violators increase in spite of the existing policy on the
use of social media.

vVith the formulation and identification of specific violations with

corresponding punishment under SOP (Addressing Social Media Violations of Army
Personnel), this shall serve as a guide for all personnel in the organization in the
proper handling of social media and mitigate the number of violations.

Those found guilty will be held administratively liable.

6. INDIV:DUAL SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUh!T:

Army Personnel are encouraged to use their individual Social Media

Accounts to connect and tell their stories while at the same time observing safety and
security.

Just lik.e email address and telephone numbers, individual/personal

social media accounts shall form part of every Army Personnel Military Profile as a
venue to communicate among members of the Army and the organization.
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 Do not accept friend request from persons you do not personally
know/recognize .

7. UWT/OFFtCE SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUt\!T:

Social Media administrators in the creation of social media accounts

shall be guided by the following:

a. All units/offices whenever practicable shall use social media lo

improve access to government information, to listen to the public's concerns, and to
engage in a deeper consultation with appropriate target audiences.

b. Official E-mail addresses of offices/units shall be used when

crec;ting/managing ail social media accounts.

c. Units/Offices must include the following information either in a

prominent page of their social media account or as a link to their official website :

1) Description of the agency v1ith its Mission, Vision, and

Goals.

2) Contact details, including address, telephone numbers,

email and official website URL.

3) Participation 2nd Moderation .

d. Ensure consistency of posts with unit/office policies and

pronouncements.

e. Plan and manage the content of the account, such as posting of

original content or sharing of content from other \'Jebsites, to keep it active and
updated .

f. Limit wall posts about unit/offices 2ctivit!es to friends only. Refrain

from posting classified informe.tion on social media.

g. Review and delete posts b2sed on participation 2nd moderation

rules of the social media account.

11. Interact with users of the social media platform with good faith and
in accordance with the code of conduct prescribed under RA 6713 . Social media
account administrators shall be responsive, prompt, and courteous.

i. Acknowledge concerns within 24 hours of receipt.

j. Be as accurate as possible.

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k. Create and post participation and moderation policies that will

provide the set of rules governing behaviour expected of the on-line discussion or
community.

I. Limit personal infonnation about yourself on your social media

accounts. Only friends should see your profile information.

m. Watch out for apps connected to your social media account.

Check the restrictions if it is too intrusive to your personal information.

n. Create a good password for your social media accounts (i.e. not
less than 8 characters, with a combination of upper case, lower case, numbers and
special characters).

o. Implement two-factor authentication (i.e receive log in code from

social media platform to log in via SMS etc) .

p. Designate moderator on the FB Fan Page of every unit.

8. WHAT CAN BE POSTED:

a. Social Media Accounts shall be guided by the provisions of RA

6713 on Code of Conduct an Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees; RA
10173 on Data P1ivacy; National Budget Circular 542 s. 2012 on the Transparency
Seal; Executive Order (EO) No. 2 s. 2016 on Freedom of Information; and other
relevant lc..ws and issuances when publishing info~mation. (See Annexes)

b. In addition, the following guidelines shall govern the content that

may be posted, uploaded, or shared in social media:

1) Official statements, press releases, including official photos

and videos.

2) UNCLASSIFIED 2nd releasable information.

3) Commenting, posting and linking of information or any

materials that conforms with basic rules of "AFP Code of Conduct".

4) Posts and content that conform to copyright, privacy, and

other applicable laws and give due credit to other's work and making sure to have the
right to use something with attribution.

5) To contribute to law enforcement operations, names of

fugitive personnel who have standing warrant of arrest may be posted.

6) Successful tie-ups or partnerships with other organizations.

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 By 2028, a v,rorid-c,'ass Army that is a source of national pride

7) Upcoming unit programs or projects that are of public

interest.
8) Updates on reform initiatives (i.e. DSSP "Kapayapaan" or
A TR) that will not affect national security.

9) Speeches or remarks of unit commanders during

conferences, seminars and summits.

10) Photos or videos of the following:

i. Personnel in military uniform provided it is in

accordance with the Philippine Army Uniform Code.
ii. Image of the Army that is consistent with the core
values.
iii. Heroic deeds of personnel particularly during
awarding ceremonies-or visiting of unit commanders or VIPs to WIA soldiers.
iv. Soldiers or unit conducting CMO activities (brigada
eskwela, tree planting, cleanliness drive, etc.) with CSOs, NGOs, LGU, and etc.
v. Updates or promotion of any unit programs and
projects.
vi. Unit's successful disaster and rescue operations.

11) Publication of advisories, memorandums, circulars and

orders that are for public consumption.

12) Original materials produced by the agency, related to

dispensing its function/mandate.

13) Names of battle casualties when the nearest next of kin

was already wel!-informed.

14) Public posts are meant for public consumption, only share
posts that promote the Anny in positive light.

9. WHAT SHALL !\!OT BE POSTED/SHARED:

a. Unverified information such as fake news and articles shall be

discouraged as it may lead to confusion not only to the internal audience but also to •
the public as well.

b. Blackmail/insulting content - content which threatens an agency

with possible problems in exchange for money, other things of value, or personal
advantage.

c. Contents classified as "Top Secret," "Secret," "Confidential," or

"Restricted," in accordance with Memorandum Circular No. 78, series of 1964 shall not

Honor. Patr,ot:sm. Duiy.

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 By 2028, a wor!d-c:e:ss Army th a t is a source of national pride

be posted and the disclosure and/or misuse of such information as stated in RA 6713
is prohibited .

d. Pornographic content - content which contains lewd, indecent, or

sexually connotative words, photographs, advertisements, and the like.

e. Malicious content - content which shows an intention to discredit

an entity/office or a government representative without basis or substantial proof or
evidence.

f. Unrelated information, jokes, or promotions - content containing

unrelated or irrelevant advertisements, links, personal jokes, social media pages, and
other information not of value to the agency.

g. Suspicious links and viruses - content with links to files or

websites which may post security threats to the agency.

h. Opinion - content made by individuals, which do not represent the

department's or agency's view.

i. Overly giving details on activities as a member of the military

organization that may lead to a security breach that puts to risk one's life and that of
his immediate family and friends shall always be in looked into.

j. Family quarrels.

k. Classified personal and organizational information or docurnent

such as special, general, and letter orders; and memoranda.

I. Operational information that violates or will compromise

operational security such as:

1) Specific Operational plans to include tactics, techniques,

and procedures involved in any operation.
2) Exact Troop strength, detailed movement plans, exact
location and jump-off times.
3) Exact number of vehicles, firearms, and other equipment;
4) Details of communication facilities, specifications of
equipment, passwords, operation and admin radio frequencies .
5) Camp lay-out and defense system, armory locations, '
restricted facilities and equipment.

m. Rants or gripes, discussion tl1at questions organizational

directives and policies as well as controversial and discriminatory reports against any
individual or groups.

n. Gossips or rumors regarding the organization.

Honor. F alnotisrn_Duty
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 By 2028, a 'kOr/d-c!ass Army rhat is a source of national pride.

o. Personal comments or opinions on critical matters that have

political underlining, and are criticizing the AFP leadership and the military
organization as a whole. Instigating fight or debate on perceived critical and political
matters that affect the military organization.

p. Any information or materials that may put the Philippine

Army/AFP in a compromising situation as a result of different views and interpretation
on photos and videos of the following:

1) Activities during training that may be perceived by the

public as a form of maltreatment or hazing (i.e. students during escape and evasion
exercise).
2) Military personnel in uniform during parties and gatherings
holding alcoholic beverages and cigarettes.

3) Photos, videos, articles of: dozing personnel during

classroom instruction, ·taking a bath, nudity, uncensored cadavers, and enemy
wounded or those who died in an encounter.

q. Solicitations or advertisements that include promotion or

endorsement of any financial, commercial or non-government agencies.

r. Army seal or any Army subordinate unit/office seal or logo on

personal profile on any social media sites to avoid misinterpretation.

s. Comments or opinions on anything related to legal matters,

iitigation, or anything that the Philippine Army may be in litigation with.

t. Comments, opinions and photos that suggest or encourage illegal

activity.

10. SAFETY AND SECURITY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

As a safety precaution and security of the organization, its Army

personnel and family members, the following shall be observed:
a. Not everyone on Social Media reflects their true name and
identity. It is common that one would encounter a friend request but makes it difficult to
identify as to who is making the request. Unverified friend requests from someone that
we do not know should not be entertained . •
b. Due diligence shall be observed when posting information related
particularly on combat operations and discussing them publicly on social media
accounts especially where at times discourses get too personal and gets into specifics
with love ones and friends of Army personnel. This also applies to soldiers posting
pictures and messages to Twitter, lnstagram, Facebook, etc., about a particular
activity.
c. Specific and detailed location of a unit shall not be posted.
Geotagging or GPS features of smart phones shall be turned off wllen taking pictures
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(e.g. "conducting operation in Basilan" as opposed to "conducting operation in the

village of Amai Poro, barangay of Darusalam, south of Al Barka _municipality, Basilan") .

d. Personal security is paramount. Avoid accepting friend request or

inviting unknown people. They may access personal profile and may endanger the
members of the family, friends and relatives linked in the account. Though the
account may be set in private mode, it is not a guarantee that it will not be hacked and
accessed by the experts.

e. Army personnel are also responsible to brief or remind their

respective family members to adhere to the provisions set in this policy. Everyone l1as
a significant part and role to play in the Army organization. Any wrong actions may
affect the Philippine Army in particular and AFP in general.

f. The "Think before you click" attitude shall be imposed and

impressed upon every soldier until it becomes their norm and way of life.

11. RESPONSIBILITIES:

a. Individual responsibiHty with immediate family members.

b. The Assistant Chief of Staff for Personnel, G1 shall ensure that

this directive is disseminated to all members of the Philippine Army including civilian
employees and dependents.

c. The Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence, G2 shall monitor the

cyberspace and identify personnel that discloses or posts classified information that
destroys the image of the Army.

d. The Assistant Chief of Staff for Command and Control

Communication and Cyber System, G6 in coordination with G1 and G2 shall ensure
that all personnel are abreast on how to make their social media accounts safe and
secured.

e. The Assistant Chief of Staff for Civil-Military Operations, G? shall:

1) Monitor the full implementation of this directive.

2) Ensure that information disclosed by CMO practitioners
and DPAOs for media mileage or public information conforms to this directive.

f. The Assistant Chief of Staff for Education and Training, G8 shall·

direct all Training Schools of the Army to incorporate this directive in the Program of
Instructions of all Pre-Entry, Career Courses and applicable Specialization courses.

g. Tl1e Assistant Chief of Staff for Retirees and Reservists Affairs,

G9 shall ensure that all retired personnel, active reservists; ROTC cadets/cadets are
to be educated with the provisions of this directive.

Honor. Patnotism. Duty.

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 By 2028, a \,.i/orld-cJess .Anny tr--iat is a source cf national price.

12. COORDINATING INSTRUCTIONS:

a. Commanders are directly responsible for the proper decorum of

the personnel manning or maintaining the unit or personal social media accounts.
Likewise, they must ensure that personnel are informed on their responsibilities in
manning or maintaining said accounts.

b. Commanders or their respective PAOs shall ensure that all

information posted or linked in social media sites are consistent with this policy.

c. Innovative security and safety procedures that were not included

during the preparation of this directive are highly encouraged.
d. Clarification may be directed to Pub!ic Affairs Branch, OG7, PA at
cell phone# 0917-847-4555 and (Bontex) 845-9555 local 5715.

13. RESCISS!QN: Policies, directives and other issuances inconsistent with

this directive are hereby rescinded.

14. EFFECTl\/ITY: This directive takes effect upon publication.

BY COMMAND OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL BAUTISTA:

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ALBERT\; ~~YB~YAN
1

Colonel, GS"C=(AtiS) PA
Army Adjutant

Annexes:

A - RA 6713 on Code of Conduct an Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees
B - RA 1O173 on Data Privacy
C - National Budget Circular 542 s. 2012 on the Transparency Seal
O - Executive Order (EO) No. 2 s. 2016 on Freedom of Information; and other relevant
Jaws and issuances when publishing infonnation.

DISTRIBUTION
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