An Act to Authorize The Segregation of The Subprovince of Abra from The Province of Ilocos Sur and The Reestablishment of The Former Province of Abra, and for Other Purposes

March 9, 1917

ACT NO. 2683

AN ACT TO AUTHORIZE THE SEGREGATION OF THE SUBPROVINCE OF ABRA FROM THE PROVINCE OF ILOCOS SUR AND THE REESTABLISHMENT OF THE FORMER PROVINCE OF ABRA, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

SECTION 1. Whenever the public interest shall require it, the Governor-General may, by executive order, reestablish as a province the former Province of Abra, which was consolidated with Ilocos Sur in accordance with Act Numbered Thirteen hundred and six. The provisions hereof shall take effect upon the promulgation of said executive order or on the date designated in said order.

SECTION 2. The Province of Abra so reestablished shall have the same territory as it had before its consolidation with Ilocos Sur, above referred to, and the provisions of the Provincial Law of the Administrative Code shall, in so far as the same are applicable, govern as to the administration and operation of said province. The capital of the province shall be the municipality of Bangued.

SECTION 3. The offices of provincial governor and members of the provincial board of the Province of Abra shall be filled by popular election, in accordance with the provisions of the existing Election Law: Provided, however, That the present lieutenant-governor of Abra, elected at the general election on June sixth, nineteen hundred and sixteen, shall hold office as provincial governor of the new province until his successor shall have been elected at the next general election and have qualified: Provided, further, That the members of the new provincial board of Abra shall be appointed by the Governor-General, by and with the consent of the Senate, and shall hold office until their successors shall have been elected at the next general election and have duly qualified.

SECTION 4. The provincial officers of Abra shall receive annual compensation at a rate to be fixed by the provincial board of said province, which shall in no case exceed two thousand pesos for the provincial governor, nineteen hundred pesos for the provincial treasurer, and eighteen hundred pesos for the provincial fiscal.

SECTION 5. The members of the provincial board of Abra shall receive a per diem which shall be fixed by the provincial board and shall not exceed five pesos for each session of the board actually attended.

SECTION 6. The Province of Abra shall also be organized into a representative district. The present Representative for the Third Electoral District of Ilocos Sur shall be known during his term of office as Representative from the Province of Abra. At the next election for the office of Representative, the municipality of Santa, Province of Ilocos Sur, which has heretofore, together with the subprovince of Abra, composed the Third Electoral District of Ilocos Sur, shall, upon the promulgation of the executive order or on the date fixed in said order, form part of the Second Electoral District of Ilocos Sur. The Province of Abra shall continue to form part of the First Senatorial District as heretofore. As soon as this Act is put into effect by executive order, the distribution of the members of the House of Representatives provided for in section one hundred and thirty-six of the Administrative Code shall be corrected in accordance with the provisions of this Act.

SECTION 7. The funds and liabilities as well as the property of all classes which shall belong to the Province of Ilocos Sur and the new Province of Abra, upon the reestablishment of the latter, shall be equitably distributed among both in the manner directed by the Insular Auditor, with the approval of the Governor-General first had.

SECTION 8. All Acts or parts of Acts inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed.

Approved, March 9, 1917.