An Act Appropriating Two and One-Half Million Pesos for the Classification, Survey, and Subdivision of Public Agricultural Lands

August 19, 1938

COMMONWEALTH ACT NO. 347

AN ACT APPROPRIATING TWO AND ONE-HALF MILLION PESOS FOR THE CLASSIFICATION, SURVEY, AND SUBDIVISION OF PUBLIC AGRICULTURAL LANDS

SECTION 1. There is appropriated, out of any unappropriated funds in the Philippine Treasury, the sum of two and one-half million pesos to be expended by the Director of Lands, subject to the approval of the Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce, for the classification, survey, and subdivision of agricultural lands of the public domain, especially those lying along national highways. STHAaD

SECTION 2. For the purposes of this Act, the Director of Forestry shall immediately cause the classification as alienable and disposable of such lands as may be released for disposition under the Public Land Act as herein provided. The expenses in making this classification shall be charged against the funds appropriated in this Act.

SECTION 3. The lands so classified, shall be surveyed and subdivided and shall thereafter be open for disposition in accordance with the terms, limitations, and conditions imposed by the Public Land Act to persons qualified to acquire public lands, but at least one-half of such lands shall be disposed of only by means of homestead entry. The costs of the survey and subdivision and other incidental expenses, including rental or construction of buildings for offices and for housing of the personnel, shall be apportioned, assessed, and collected from all applicants, except those for homestead, in addition to the installments, rentals, or other payments collectible under the provisions of said Act, and shall be paid by the respective applicants in ten equal annual installments without interest from the date of approval of their respective applications.

SECTION 4. In order to expedite the survey and subdivision work, the services of duly qualified private land surveyors may be employed, in which case the Director of Lands should impose the conditions that no surveyor should be given an area of more than five thousand hectares, or an association or group of surveyors, ten thousand hectares.

The assignment shall be given to the lowest bidder and no assignment shall be made until the surveyor or association or group of surveyors have filed a bond satisfactory to the Director of Lands in an amount equivalent to at least thirty per centum of the total agreed consideration or price for the survey, to guarantee the faithful execution of the work.

The Government may retain such part of any payment due the surveyor or surveyors undertaking the work, as may be sufficient to defray the cost of any correction work that may have to be done by the Bureau of Lands.

SECTION 5. The President is authorized to suspend or otherwise stop the expenditure of the amount herein appropriated, or of any portion thereof, whenever in his judgment the public interest so requires, and thereupon the amount affected by such action shall revert to the general funds of the National Government.

SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved, August 19, 1938.