An Act to Annex the Province of Romblon to the Province of Cap

July 2, 1907

ACT NO. 1665

AN ACT TO ANNEX THE PROVINCE OF ROMBLON TO THE PROVINCE OF CAPIZ

SECTION 1. The territory heretofore comprised in the Province of Romblon as organized under Act Numbered One hundred and four, with the exception of the Island of Maestro de Campo, is hereby annexed to and included in the Province of Capiz and shall be governed in accordance with the provisions of Act Numbered One hundred and fifteen, entitled "An Act extending the provisions of the Provincial Government Act to the Province of Capiz." The Island of Maestro de Campo is hereby made a part of the Province of Mindoro. HSAcaE

SECTION 2. All property and assets of the Province of Romblon including uncollected taxes, except as hereinafter provided, and all contracts and obligations, except such as are hereinafter specially referred to as canceled, are hereby transferred to the Province of Capiz.

SECTION 3. All provincial funds in the provincial treasury of Romblon of whatever nature, on the date of the passage of this Act, and any other provincial funds which may be paid into the treasury of the province prior to the date this Act takes effect, shall be expedited in the liquidation of the outstanding indebtedness of the Province of Romblon and for the running expenses of the provincial government up to July fifteenth, nineteen hundred and seven. The net balance, if any, remaining in the provincial treasury on July fifteenth, nineteen hundred and seven, after all outstanding indebtedness has been paid, shall remain in the subtreasury of Romblon for the sole use and benefit of the subprovince.

There shall accrue to the treasury of the subprovince of Romblon, as constituted by this Act, for the sole use and benefit of the inhabitants thereof, seventy per centum of such proportion of internal revenue which by law accrues to the Province of Capiz as the number of inhabitants of such subprovince, as shown by the last official census, bears to the total population of the province of which it forms a part, as shown by the last official census.

SECTION 4. The obligations of the former Province of Romblon under Act Numbered Sixteen hundred and twenty-two shall be assumed by and are hereby imposed upon, the subprovince of Romblon.

SECTION 5. The territory hereby annexed to the Province of Capiz shall be known hereafter as the subprovince of Romblon. There shall be a lieutenant-governor for the subprovince of Romblon who shall be appointed by the Governor-General by and with the consent of the Philippine Commission. He shall have his office in the municipality of Romblon and shall receive an annual salary not to exceed one thousand four hundred and forty pesos, payable monthly from funds of the subprovince; he shall represent the provincial governor in the subprovince and shall carry out the lawful directions of that officer as transmitted to him from time to time; he shall inspect the municipalities in the subprovince at least once every six months and shall make report between July first and July fifteenth of each year of the commercial, economic, financial, industrial, and political conditions therein to the provincial board, through the provincial governor; he shall from time to time make such recommendation to the provincial board, through the provincial governor; as he shall deem necessary for the best interests of the subprovince; he shall employ and discharge, with the approval of the provincial board, all subordinate employees of the subprovince that may be authorized by the board; he shall be the custodian of the public records and documents of the subprovince; and, in general, he shall exercise, subject to the supervision of the provincial governor, the powers and duties conferred upon a provincial governor by the Provincial Government Act.

SECTION 6. The provincial government of Capiz is hereby authorized to establish permanently a suboffice of the provincial treasury of Capiz at Romblon, in the subprovince of Romblon and to provide suitable quarters for such office.

SECTION 7. Except as provided in section three of this Act, seventy per centum of all taxes, imposts, or fines collected for the Province of Capiz in the subprovince of Romblon shall remain in the provincial subtreasury of Romblon for the sole use and benefit of the said subprovince; and the remaining thirty per centum of such collections shall be transmitted to the provincial treasury of Capiz and shall inure to the general funds of the province. The funds provided for the subprovince of Romblon shall be expended by resolution of the provincial board of Capiz, and the deputy of the provincial treasurer in charge of the subtreasury of Romblon shall make payments from funds of the subprovince only by direction of the lieutenant-governor of the subprovince, accompanied by a certified copy of the resolution of the provincial board authorizing the expenditure. The salary of the deputy of the provincial treasurer in charge of the provincial subtreasury of Romblon and the deputies of the provincial treasurer in the municipalities of the subprovince shall be paid from the funds of the subprovince of Romblon.

SECTION 8. The judge of the Court of First Instance for the Fifteenth Judicial District shall continue to hold court in Romblon in and for the subprovince of Romblon, commencing on the second Tuesday of February and August of each year. The duties of the clerk of the court for the subprovince of Romblon shall be performed by the present clerk of the court for the Province of Romblon, and he shall receive the compensation now authorized by law for the position: PROVIDED, That whenever the Secretary of Finance and Justice may deem such action advisable, he may direct that said duties be performed by a clerk in the office of the lieutenant-governor of said subprovince, in which case the office of clerk of the court shall cease and determine, and the clerk designated as above provided shall be ex officio clerk of the court. In case of the designation of a clerk in the office of the lieutenant-governor as ex officio clerk of the court as above provided, the salary of said clerk while performing his duties as clerk in the office of the lieutenant-governor and as clerk of the court shall be fixed by the provincial board and shall be equitably distributed by said board, with the approval of the Secretary of Finance and Justice, between the Insular Government and the Provincial Government. HESIcT

SECTION 9. The office of fiscal for the Provinces of Romblon and Capiz as heretofore authorized by law is hereby abolished and the office of fiscal of the Province of Capiz is hereby recreated with the salary hereinafter fixed to be paid from the treasury of the Province of Capiz.

SECTION 10. From and after the taking effect of this Act the compensation to be paid provincial officers of the Province of Capiz shall be at the following rate per annum:

For the provincial governor, four thousand five hundred pesos.

For the provincial treasurer, four thousand five hundred pesos.

For the provincial fiscal, two thousand seven hundred pesos.

SECTION 11. All Acts or parts of Acts in conflict with this Act are hereby repealed.

SECTION 12. The public good requiring the speedy enactment of this bill, the passage of the same is hereby expedited in accordance with section two of "An Act prescribing the order of procedure by the Commission in the enactment of laws," passed September twenty-sixth, nineteen hundred.

SECTION 13. This Act shall take effect on July fifteenth, nineteen hundred and seven, except section three hereof, which shall take effect immediately.

ENACTED, July 2, 1907.