"Extent of Franking Privilege" Granted to Local Assessors' Offices Under Section 282 of R.A. No. 7160

January 28, 2003 BLGF MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 003-03 TO : All Regional Directors for Local Government Finance; District Assessors of Metropolitan Manila; Provincial, City and Municipal Assessors; and Others concerned SUBJECT : Extent of Franking Privilege Granted to Local Assessors' Offices Under Section 282 of R.A. No. 7160, also known as the Local Government Code of 1991 For the information and guidance of all concerned, quoted hereunder are the pertinent portions of Circular Nos. 96-35 and 96-42 dated October 7, 1996 and November 13, 1996, respectively, Office of the Postmaster General, clarifying the Franking Privilege of the Land Registration Commission, to wit: Circular No. 96-35: "In view of the provisions of Section 35 of Republic Act No. 7354, which provides that " . . . . All franking privileges authorized by law are hereby repealed, except those provided for under Commonwealth Act No. 265, Republic Acts Numbered 69, 180, 1414 and 5059, the Corporation may continue the franking privilege under Circular No. 35 dated October 24, 1977 and that of the Vice President, under such arrangements and conditions as may obviate abuse or unauthorized use thereof, and as a result of the Supreme Court decision in Phil. Judges Association versus Hon. Pete Prado, et al. (G.R. No. 105371, 11 November 1993) which explicitly states that, "Circular No. 92-28 is SET ASIDE insofar as it withdraws the franking privilege from the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, the Regional Trial Courts, the Municipal Trial Courts, the Municipal Circuit Trial Courts and the National Land Registration Authority and its Register of Deeds, to all of which offices the said privilege shall be RESTORED", and in order to perk up our revenues, only the following offices, agencies or entities shall be, henceforth, granted franking privileges: "AGENCIES/ENTITIES AUTHORITY EXTENT OF PRIVILEGE " . . . . "10. Land Registration P.D. 1529; Circular Free of all domestic postal Commission and its No. 57 dtd. 25 Oct. charges only on any letter Register of deeds 1979; G.R. 105371 or packet containing (P. J. A. vs. Prado, official communication et al. of the LRC or any of its Registry of Deeds." Circular No. 96-42: "As Circular No. 96-35, dated 07 October 1996, failed to include the Office of the Provincial/City and Municipal Assessor/s, it is directed that the franking privilege granted to the Land Registration Commission shall include the Provincial, City and Municipal Assessors Office PROVIDED that the contents of their mail consists only of Tax Declarations and/or Notices of Assessment solely addressed to the Land Registration Commission which must likewise be indicated at the lower left side of the letter-envelope." In view hereof, and in as much as the Franking Privilege provided for under Section 282 of R.A. No. 7160 has already been repealed by Section 35 of R. A. No. 7354, the exemption from postal charges previously granted to local assessors' offices can no longer be enjoyed by them; the privilege having been limited to the copies of tax declarations and/or notices of assessment solely addressed or sent to the Land Registration Commission. The District Assessors of Metropolitan Manila and all Provincial Assessors are hereby instructed to disseminate the contents of this Circular, including the attachments, to the Municipal Assessors within their respective jurisdictions. (SGD.) PRESENTACION R. MONTESA Executive Director