An Act to Amend Sections One, Two, Three, Four and Six of Commonwealth Act Numbered Two Hundred and Eighty-Eight, Entitled "An Act to Provide Pension For Veterans of the Philippine Revolutions or Wars"

August 22, 1938

COMMONWEALTH ACT NO. 359

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR AND SIX OF COMMONWEALTH ACT NUMBERED TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-EIGHT, ENTITLED "AN ACT TO PROVIDE PENSION FOR VETERANS OF THE PHILIPPINE REVOLUTIONS OR WARS"

SECTION 1. Sections one, two, three, four, and six of Commonwealth Act Numbered Two hundred and eighty-eight entitled "An Act to provide pension for veterans of the Philippine revolutions or wars" are amended so as to read as follows: ADCIca

"SECTION 1. The payment of pensions to veterans of the Philippine revolutions or wars who are old and have no apparent means to support or who have become physically or mentally unable to pursue normally their ordinary occupation, work, or employment, or to the destitute widows of veterans while they have not contracted a second marriage, is authorized.

"SEC. 2. There is created a board to be known as the Board on Pensions for Veterans composed of five members, at least three of whom shall be former officers of the Philippine revolutions or wars, all to be appointed by the President of the Philippines with the consent of the Commission on Appointments of the National Assembly. The President of the Philippines shall designate the chairman of the Board and assign its office in the City of Manila or at any other place which he may deem convenient. It shall be the duty of the Board to make its own rules of procedure, to determine the persons entitled to the pension under this Act, classifying them by their ranks in the last revolutions and wars and fix, with the approval of the President of the Philippines, the corresponding pension assigned to each rank. The monthly pension which may be granted by the Board shall not be less than twenty pesos nor more than one hundred pesos.

"The secretary of said Board is authorized to receive the oaths of the applicants. The affidavits of the applicants shall be exempt from the internal revenue stamp tax.

"SEC. 3. Any applicant entitled to a pension under this Act shall be paid monthly at the end of each month, but may, should he so prefer, waive his pension and enter any of the homes for invalids that may hereafter be established by the Government. Whenever in its judgment the reasons entitling a person to a pension under this Act cease to exist, the Board may, with the approval of the President of the Philippines, suspend or withdraw such pension or any part thereof.

"SEC. 4. There is appropriated out of any funds in the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated the sum of three hundred thousand pesos, or so much thereof as may be necessary, to carry out the purposes of this Act. Hereafter such sum as may be necessary for the purpose shall be included annually in the General Appropriation Act. The Board of Pensions for veterans is authorized, with the approval of the President of the Philippines, to set aside any of the funds herein or that may hereafter be appropriated for the purpose of paying the salaries or per diems, as the case may be, and transportation expenses of the members of the Board, office personnel, and investigators, as well as office furniture, supplies, and equipment."

"SEC. 6. This Act shall take effect upon its approval, with the exception of section five hereof, which shall take effect on January first, nineteen hundred and thirty-nine."

SECTION 2. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved, August 22, 1938. IDcTEA