Adopting the Recommendations of COMELEC to Amend Sections 1 and 4 of P.D. No. 637 (s. 1975)

January 17, 1975

PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 637-A

ADOPTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS TO AMEND SECTION ONE OF PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 637, DATED JANUARY 7, 1975, REVISING THE QUESTIONS TO BE SUBMITTED IN THE NATIONAL REFERENDUM OF FEBRUARY 27, 1975 AND AMENDING SECTION FOUR OF THE SAME DECREE RELATING TO PRINTED MATERIALS

WHEREAS, I have authorized the Commission on Elections to study the advisability of revising the referendum questions as embodied in Presidential Decree No. 637, for the purpose of simplifying the questions to enable the barangay members to understand them fully;

WHEREAS, the Commission on Elections has submitted its recommendations which I find to fulfill the purposes which necessitated the restudy of the questions;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, by virtue of the powers in me vested by the Constitution, do hereby order and decree as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 1 of Presidential Decree No. 637, dated January 7, 1975, is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 1. Questions for February 27, 1975 Referendum. — The questions to be submitted in the February 27, 1975 National Referendum shall be as follows:

"For the Greater Manila Area comprising the cities of Manila, Quezon, Pasay, and Caloocan; and the municipalities of Valenzuela in the province of Bulacan; and Las Piñas, Makati, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Parañaque, San Juan del Monte, Taguig, Pateros, Pasig and Marikina in the province of Rizal:

On Local Governments and Officials

1. Do you want the present Mayor-Council form of government now existing in the cities and municipalities of Greater Manila to continue?

2. If you do not want the Mayor-Council type to continue, do you favor of the President exercising his powers to restructure the local governments in Greater Manila (four cities and 13 municipalities) into an integrated system like a Manager or Commission form under such terms and conditions as he may decide?

On Martial Law

1. Do you approve of the manner President Marcos has been exercising his powers under Martial Law and the Constitution, including the power to issue proclamations, orders, decrees, and instructions with the force of law?

2. Do you want the President to continue exercising same powers?

II

For Areas outside of the Greater Manila Area

On Local Officials

At the expiration of the terms of office of your local elective officials on December 31, 1975, how do you want their successors chosen: to be appointed by the President or elected in accordance with the Election Code? aisa dc

On Martial Law

1. Do you approve of the manner President Marcos has been exercising his powers under Martial Law and the Constitution, including the power to issue proclamations, orders, decrees, and instructions with the force of laws?

2. Do you want the President to continue exercising the same power?"

SECTION 2. Section 4 of the same Presidential Decree is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 4. Translation into Major Dialects. — The questions shall be translated into AS MANY MAJOR DIALECTS AS POSSIBLE [all the dialects spoken by at least 50,000 persons] and such translation shall be printed in LEAFLET or poster form in sufficient number using cheap but appropriate material.

AT LEAST THIRTY DAYS BEFORE REFERENDUM DAY, THE TRANSLATED QUESTIONS IN LEAFLET FORM SHALL BE DISSEMINATED AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE TO ALL BARANGAYS WHERE THE DIALECT USED IN THE TRANSLATION IS SPOKEN."

DONE in the City of Manila, this 17th day of January, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Seventy-Five.