Amendments to Revised Administrative Code Re: Offices of Registers of Deeds

June 22, 1963

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 3674

AN ACT TO AMEND CERTAIN SECTIONS OF THE REVISED ADMINISTRATIVE CODE, AS AMENDED BY REPUBLIC ACTS NUMBERED ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-FOUR AND ELEVEN HUNDRED THIRTY-EIGHT, RELATIVE TO OFFICES OF REGISTERS OF DEEDS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

SECTION 1. Sections one hundred ninety-two, one hundred ninety-two (b), and two hundred one of the Administrative Code, as amended by Republic Acts Numbered One hundred sixty-four and Eleven hundred thirty-eight, are hereby amended further to read as follows:

"SEC. 192. Office of register of deeds. — There shall be one register of deeds for each city and one for each province, except in the Mountain Province, where there shall be two; one for the Subprovince of Benguet and another for the rest of the province: Provided, however, That the register of deeds of the City of Baguio or whoever performs his duties shall be ex officio register of said city.

"There shall be one deputy register of deeds in each of the registries of the City of Manila, Quezon City, the provinces of Cebu, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Pangasinan and Rizal, and also in each registry with a yearly average collection of more than thirty thousand pesos, whenever in the judgment of the Secretary of Justice the needs of the service so demand. In every registry with a yearly average collection of more than one hundred fifty thousand pesos a second deputy register of deeds may also be appointed whenever in the judgment of the Secretary of Justice the needs of the service so demand. The deputy register of deeds and second deputy register of deeds shall be in the classified service and shall be appointed by the Secretary of Justice, upon recommendation of the Commissioner of Land Registration.

"SEC. 192. (b). Salaries of registers of deeds. — The salary of the register of deeds of the City of Manila shall be ten thousand eight hundred pesos per annum: (1) That of the registers of deeds of the provinces of Negros Occidental and Rizal, and Quezon City, nine thousand six hundred pesos per annum; (2) That of the registers of deeds of the provinces of Batangas, Bulacan, Cebu, Iloilo, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Quezon, and Tarlac, eight thousand four hundred pesos per annum; (3) That of the registers of deeds of the provinces of Camarines Sur, Cavite, Cotabato, Davao, Isabela, Laguna, La Union, and Pasay City, seven thousand two hundred pesos per annum; (4) That of the registers of deeds of the provinces of Albay, Bohol, Cagayan, Camarines Norte, Capiz, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Leyte, Mindoro Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Negros Oriental, Nueva Vizcaya, Zambales, Zamboanga del Norte, and Zamboanga del Sur and the cities of Baguio and Lipa, six thousand pesos per annum; (5) That of the registers of deeds of the provinces of Agusan, Antique, Bataan, Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, Mindoro Occidental, Samar, Sorsogon, and Surigao, the cities of Cavite, Dagupan, Ormoc, San Pablo, and Zamboanga, four thousand eight hundred pesos per annum; and (6) That of the registers of deeds of other cities and provinces three thousand six hundred pesos per annum. acd

"The salary of the deputy register of deeds in the City of Manila shall be nine thousand pesos per annum, and those of the deputy registers of deeds in other cities or provinces under items (1), (2), (3) and (4) above shall be (1) seven thousand eight hundred pesos per annum, (2) six thousand six hundred pesos per annum; (3) five thousand four hundred pesos per annum; and (4) four thousand two hundred pesos per annum, respectively, and the rest, one hundred fifty pesos per month lower than those of their respective principals in the scale of salaries herein provided. The salary of the second deputy registers of deeds shall be two hundred fifty pesos per month lower than those of their respective principals. cd

"From time to time but not oftener than once every three years the rates of salary of the registers of deeds, except in the City of Manila, shall be revised and fixed by the Secretary of Justice in accordance with the following schedule: (a) nine thousand six hundred pesos per annum for the registers of deeds whose yearly average collections during the last three years immediately preceding the year in which the revision is made have been one hundred fifty thousand pesos or more; (b) eight thousand four hundred pesos per annum for those whose yearly average collections during the same period have been ninety thousand pesos or more but less than one hundred fifty thousand pesos; (c) seven thousand two hundred pesos per annum for those whose yearly average collections during the same period have been forty thousand pesos or more but less than ninety thousand pesos; (d) six thousand pesos per annum for those whose yearly average collections during the same period have been twenty thousand pesos or more but less than forty thousand pesos; (e) four thousand eight hundred pesos per annum for those whose yearly average collections during the same period have been ten thousand pesos or more but less than twenty thousand pesos; and (f) three thousand six hundred pesos per annum for those whose yearly average collections during the same period have been less than ten thousand pesos. The rates of salary so revised and fixed shall be included in the General Appropriation Acts for the fiscal year next following the year in which the revision is made: Provided, however, That the salary of the register of deeds of the City of Baguio shall be fixed on the basis of the consolidated yearly average collections of the registries of the City of Baguio and the Subprovince of Benguet, and the salary of the register of a province who is ex officio register of deeds for the city which is the capital of said province, shall likewise be fixed on the basis of the consolidated yearly average collections of the registries of said province and city: Provided, further, That in any case the salary of a register of deeds and that of his deputy shall not be lower than those of the lowest department head and assistant department head of the corresponding province or city by more than one thousand two hundred pesos per annum: Provided, finally, That the register of deeds of a city or province who is ex officio mining recorder shall receive an additional compensation payable from the funds of the city or province concerned in the sum of three hundred pesos per annum where the mining collections of his office during the preceding years have been two thousand pesos or more but less than five thousand pesos, and in the sum of six hundred pesos per annum where such mining collections have been five thousand pesos or more.

"SEC. 201. Discharge of duties of register of deeds in case of vacancy, etc. — Until a regular register of deeds shall have been appointed for a city or province, or in case of vacancy in the office, or upon the occasion of the absence, illness, suspension, or inability of the register of deeds to discharge his duties, said duties shall be performed by the following officials, in the order in which they are mentioned below, unless the Secretary of Justice designate another official to act temporarily in the place:

"(a) For the city or province where there has been appointed a deputy register of deeds, by the said deputy register of deeds; the second deputy register of deeds, if there be one, shall also act as register of deeds when both the register of deeds and deputy register of deeds are not in a position to do so under the same circumstances above stated; cd i

"(b) For the City of Baguio, by the city attorney, assistant city attorney, city treasurer or assistant city treasurer of Baguio;

"(c) For cities which are not provincial capitals, by the city attorney, assistant city attorney, city treasurer or assistant city treasurer;

"(d) For provinces in general, by the provincial fiscal assistant provincial fiscal, provincial treasurer, or assistant provincial treasurer.

"In case of absence, disability or suspension of the register of deeds, without pay, or in case of vacancy in the position, the Secretary of Justice may, in his discretion, authorize the payment of an additional compensation to the official acting as register of deeds, such compensation with his actual salary shall not exceed the salary authorized for the position thus filled by him."

SECTION 2. The sum of one hundred fifty thousand pesos, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated, out of any funds existing in the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to be made available for carrying into effect the salary increases provided for in this Act. aisa dc

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved: June 22, 1963

Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 59, No. 41, p. 7041 on October 14, 1963