June 7, 1941

COMMONWEALTH ACT NO. 627

AN ACT APPROPRIATING AMOUNTS FROM THE COCONUT OIL EXCISE TAX FUND COLLECTED ON AND AFTER JANUARY FIRST, NINE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-NINE, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE THIRTIETH, NINETEEN HUNDRED AND FORTY-TWO

SECTION 1. Appropriation of Funds. — The following sums, or so much thereof as may be necessary, are appropriated out of the collections that accrued and shall accrue to the Coconut Oil Excise Tax Fund in the Philippine Treasury on and after January first, nineteen hundred and thirty-nine, for the purposes hereunder specified, for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and forty-two, unless otherwise stated:

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
1.	For scholarships in the United
	States, or in foreign countries,
	along scientific and technical lines
	related to the development of
	agriculture, commerce, and industries,
	and other activities, and for expenses
	of an economic commission to go
	abroad to survey economic projects
	and practices, that may help in the
	adjustment of Philippine economy to
	a position independent of trade
	preferences in the United States
	and otherwise prepare the Philippines
	for the assumption of the responsibilities
	of an independent state.	P150,000.00
2.	For the promotion and development
	of the tourist trade in the Philippines
	to be undertaken by any department,
	corporation, agency, or instrumentality
	of the Government which the President
	of the Philippines may designate.	100,000.00
		——————
	Total for the office of the President	P250,000.00
		===========
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE
3.	Additional appropriation to continue
	the agronomical survey of the
	Philippines in accordance with the
	provisions of Commonwealth Act
	No. 418	P168,000.00
4.	Additional appropriation for the
	establishment, improvement, development,
	maintenance, and operation of
	agricultural experiment and demonstration
	stations under the provisions of
	section 1754 of the Administrative Code	400,000.00
5.	Additional appropriation to
	continue the reforestation and
	afforestation of watersheds, denuded areas,
	and cogon or open lands within
	forest reserves, communal forests,
	national parks and timberlands, sand
	dunes, and such other areas already
	certified as public forest lands, in
	accordance with the provisions of
	Commonwealth Act No. 304	540,000.00
6.	Additional appropriation for the
	classification, survey, and subdivision
	of agricultural lands of the public
	domain, especially those lying along
	national highways, in accordance
	with the provisions of Commonwealth
	Act No. 347	1,350,000.00
7.	For the organization, maintenance
	and operation of a School of
	Fisheries under the Division (Bureau)
	of Fisheries	333,000.00
8.	For the creation of a special fund
	to be known as the "Cinchona
	Plantation Revolving Fund" for the
	establishment, cultivation, development,
	maintenance, and operation of cinchona
	plantations in public forest lands to be
	administered by the Bureau of Forestry	150,000.00
		——————
	Total for the Department of Agriculture
	and Commerce	P2,941,000.00
		============
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND COMMUNICATIONS
9.	For the construction of flood
	control works on the Agno River
	System and the Pampanga River
	System as authorized in items
	D (w) and D (x) under section 1 of
	Commonwealth Act No. 330	P250,000.00
10.	For the construction of irrigation
	systems as authorized by Commonwealth
	Act No. 369	2,520,000.00
11.	Additional appropriation for the
	construction, maintenance, and
	operation of irrigation systems in
	accordance with the provisions of
	Act No. 2940	2,000,000.00
12.	For the construction of a Central
	Airport for Manila	1,000,000.00
		——————
	Total for the Department of Public
	Work and Communications	P5,770,000.00
		=============
DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENSE
13.	Additional appropriation for
	expenses of the Philippine Army,
	including those for augmenting and
	strengthening the Philippine Constabulary,
	as recommended by the Civilian
	Emergency Planning Board, subject
	to authorization by the President
	of the Philippines, this appropriation
	to be available upon approval of this Act	P3,000,000.00
		——————
	Total for the Department of National Defense	P3,000,000.00
		============
GOVERNMENT CORPORATIONS
14.	Additional appropriation for the
	special fund created in Commonwealth
	Act No. 521 for the establishment,
	equipment, maintenance, and operation
	of textile mills by any government-owned
	corporation, agency, or instrumentality
	of the Government which the President
	of the Philippines may designate	P1,500,000.00
15.	For a geological and geophysical
	survey of mineral oil deposits to
	be undertaken by any government-owned
	corporation, agency, or instrumentality
	of the Government which the President
	of the Philippines may designate	P500,000.00
16.	Additional appropriation for the
	special fund created in Commonwealth
	Act No. 521 for the promotion of
	the abaca industry by the National
	Abaca and other Fibers Corporation,
	or any agency or instrumentality of
	the Government which the President
	of the Philippines may designate, whose
	aims shall be to improve the quality of
	abaca and to lower its cost of production
	and marketing so as to adequately meet
	the requirements of local industry and
	foreign markets, with a view to placing
	this product in a position independent
	of trade preferences in the United States
	and otherwise to develop and adjust
	the abaca industry as to contribute
	effectively in strengthening the
	national economy of the Philippines
	preparatory to the assumption of
	the responsibilities of an independent
	state	500,000.00
17.	Additional appropriation for the
	special fund created in Commonwealth
	Act No. 521 for the acquisition,
	settlement, and cultivation of undeveloped
	agricultural lands, for providing
	opportunity to own farms to tenant
	farmers and small farmers from
	congested areas, and for encouraging
	migration to sparsely populated
	regions and facilitating the amalgamation
	of the people in different sections of
	the Philippines, for the purpose of
	developing new crops that could take
	the place of the present export crops
	which may suffer from the loss of
	preferences which they enjoy in the
	American markets and otherwise help
	in the adjustment of the national economy
	of the Philippines so as to prepare the
	latter for the assumption of the responsibilities
	of an independent state, such activities
	to be undertaken by the National Land
	Settlement Administration, or any agency
	or instrumentality of the Government
	which the President of the Philippines may
	designate	P2,500,000.00
18.	Additional appropriation for the
	special fund created in Commonwealth
	Act No. 521 under the administration
	of the Agricultural and Industrial
	Bank of the Philippines, for carrying
	out the following objectives: (1) to
	grant agricultural loans; (2) to
	grant industrial loans; (3) to
	establish and operate bonded warehouses;
	(4) to subscribe for, underwrite,
	purchase, or guarantee bonds
	issued by non-governmental agricultural
	or industrial concerns; and (5) to
	grant loans for the purchase or charter
	of vessels to be operated in the foreign
	trade: Provided, That in accomplishing
	the above enumerated objectives the
	purpose shall be to adjust Philippine
	economy to a position independent of
	trade preferences in the United States
	and otherwise prepare the Philippines
	for the assumption of the responsibilities
	of an independent state	10,000,000.00
19.	Additional appropriation for the special fund
	known as the "Coconut Industry
	Promotion Fund" created by Commonwealth
	Act No. 518, entitled "An Act to establish
	the National Coconut Corporation"	2,000,000.00
20.	Additional appropriation for the special
	fund known as the "Tobacco Industry
	Promotion Fund" created by Commonwealth
	Act No. 519, entitled "An Act to establish
	the National Tobacco Corporation"	500,000.00
21.	Additional appropriation for the Sinking
	Fund Reserve for the amortization of the
	outstanding bonded debt of the Manila
	Railroad Company created in item
	18, section one of Commonwealth Act
	No. 552	3,000,000.00
22.	Additional appropriation for the Alabang
	Laboratories Revolving Fund to defray
	the expenses for the construction, repair,
	and improvement of the buildings, and
	the acquisition of fixtures and equipment,
	and other facilities that may be necessary
	to convert the Alabang Laboratories of
	the Institute of Hygiene, University of
	the Philippines, into a modern State
	Public Health Laboratory: Provided, That
	this appropriation or any part thereof
	may be used for the establishment,
	acquisition, or leasing of similar laboratories
	if in the judgment of the President of the
	Philippines such action is necessary to
	insure an adequate supply of vaccine,
	sera, and other biological products needed
	for the protection of the public health
	in times of emergency: Provided, further,
	That this appropriation shall be available
	for expenditure upon approval of this Act	200,000.00
		——————
	Total for Government Corporations	P20,700,000.00
		——————
	GRAND TOTAL	P32,661,000.00
		=============

SECTION 2. Reduction of Appropriations Previously Authorized for the Same Purposes. — The appropriations authorized in Commonwealth Acts Numbered Three hundred thirty, Three hundred sixty-nine, and Four hundred fifty-nine for the same purpose for which appropriations made in this Act are intended are reduced to the extent of the amounts of the latter.

SECTION 3. Investment of Sinking Fund Reserve. — The Treasurer of the Philippines is authorized to invest the whole or any part of the appropriation for the Sinking Fund Reserve authorized in item 21 of section one hereof in accordance with the provisions of Act Numbered Three thousand fourteen. All expenses in connection with such investment shall be charged against the said sinking fund reserve.

SECTION 4. Reversion of Unexpended Balances. — Any balance of the appropriations herein provided remaining unexpended at the end of the fiscal year for which authorized shall continue to be available for expenditure for the same purposes during the subsequent fiscal years until exhausted, or the work or purpose for which the appropriation was made has been completed or accomplished. In the latter case, such unexpended balance shall revert to the unappropriated surplus of the fund.

 

SECTION 5. Authority of the President to Transfer Amounts. — The President of the Philippines is authorized to transfer any amount appropriated for any item or portion thereof in any purpose to any other item or items under the same purpose.

SECTION 6. Suspension of expenditure of Appropriations. — The President of the Philippines is authorized to suspend or otherwise stop the expenditure of any amount herein appropriated for any purpose, or any portion thereof, whenever in his opinion the public interest so requires, and thereupon the funds affected by such action shall become available for expenditure in connection with the national defense of, and the protection of the civilian population in, the Philippines in case of any national emergency, including increases in the expenses of the Philippine Army and the Philippine Constabulary as well as expenses for the organization of volunteer or home guards, or for any other expenditure authorized in this Act, as the President may determine, the provisions of this Act or any other Act to the contrary notwithstanding.

SECTION 7. Authority to Purchase Automobile, Auto-jitneys, or Station Wagons. — When expressly authorized by the President of the Philippines, the appropriation authorized in items 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 22 of section one hereof may be used for the purchase of automobiles, auto-jitneys, or station wagons.

SECTION 8. Purpose for Which Appropriations May Be Used. — The amounts appropriated in this Act shall be disbursed in conformity with the provisions of this Act and of the Act of Congress of March twenty-fourth, nineteen hundred and thirty-four (Public Act No. 127, 73rd Congress), as amended by the Act of Congress of August seventh, nineteen hundred and thirty-nine (Public Act No. 300, 76th Congress).

SECTION 9. Effective Date. — This Act shall take effect on July first, nineteen hundred and forty-one, except where otherwise stated.

Approved: June 7, 1941