May 26, 1940

COMMONWEALTH ACT NO. 552

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

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 in conformity with the provisions 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):

 

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 preference 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 such department,
	corporation, agency, or instrumentality of
	the Government which the President of
	the Philippines may designate:
	Salaries and wages	P19,000.00
	Sundry expenses and equipment	51,000.00
	Construction of resthouses in
		Dansalan, Lanao, and Banaue,
		Mountain Province	30,000.00
				—————
		Total		100,000.00
				—————
		Total for the Office of the President	250,000.00
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE
3.	For 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:
	Salaries and wages	P91,300.00
	Sundry expenses	8,700.00
				—————
		Total		P100,000.00
		Less — amount to be covered
			by expected savings from the
			allotments of 1940	36,701.96
				—————
		Net total	P63,298.04
4.	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:
	Salaries and wages	P171,360.00
	Sundry expenses	41,233.00
	Furniture and equipment	6,290.00
	Special purpose	8,000.00
				——————
		Total		P226,883.00
		Less — amount to be covered
			by expected savings from the
			allotments of 1940	1,883.00
				—————
		Net total	P225,000.00
5.	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:
	Salaries and wages	P975,420.00
	Sundry expenses	283,045.00
	Furniture and equipment	29,075.00
				—————
		Total		P1,287,540.00
		Less — amount to be covered
			by expected savings from the
			allotments of 1940	P250,492.59
				—————
		Net total	P1,037,047.41
6.	For the agronomical survey of the
	Philippines, in accordance with the
	provisions of Commonwealth Act No. 418:
	Salaries and wages	P167,280.00
	Sundry expenses	71,100.00
	Furniture and equipment	23,180.00
				—————
		Total		P261,560.00
				—————
		To be covered by an additional
			appropriation	(100,000.00)
				—————
		Net Total	P161,560.00
7.	Additional appropriation to continue
	the agronomical survey of the Philippines
	in accordance with the provisions of
	Commonwealth Act No. 418
	(see detail under item No. 6)	100,000.00
8.	For the expenses of the
	agricultural experiment and
	demonstration stations under the
	provisions of section 1754 of the
	Administrative Code:
	Salaries and wages	317,150.00
	Sundry expenses	81,500.00
	Furniture and equipment	57,250.00
	Special purposes	44,100.00
				—————
	Total			500,000.00
				—————
	Total for the Department of
	Agriculture and Commerce	P2,086,905.45
				——————
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND COMMUNICATIONS
9.	For the construction of national roads
	as authorized in items 5, 11, 13, 36,
	38, and 42, under section 1-C (q) of
	Commonwealth Act No. 330	P2,500,913.40
10.	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	4,000,000.00
11.	For the construction of irrigation
	systems as authorized by Commonwealth
	Act No. 369		1,000,000.00
				—————
	Total for the Department of Public Works
	and Communications	P7,500,913.40
				——————
GOVERNMENT CORPORATIONS
12.	For additional outlay for the
	special fund created in Commonwealth
	Act, entitled "An Act appropriating
	amounts from the Coconut Oil Excise
	Tax Fund collected on and after
	January first, nineteen hundred and
	thirty-nine, for the period from January
	first, nineteen hundred and thirty-nine,
	to June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and
	forty", to be used for the establishment,
	equipment, maintenance, and operation
	of textile mills by any government-owned
	corporation or any agency or
	instrumentality of the Government
	which the President of the Philippines may
	designate		P1,500,000.00
13.	For additional outlay for the
	special fund created in Commonwealth
	Act, entitled "An Act appropriating amounts
	from the Coconut Oil Excise Tax Fund
	collected on and after January first, nineteen
	hundred and thirty-nine, for the period
	from January first, nineteen hundred and
	thirty-nine, to June thirtieth, nineteen hundred
	and forty", to be used for the promotion of
	the abaca industry by the National Abaca
	and Other Fiber Corporation, created under
	Commonwealth Act No. 332, 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 the 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 so 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	P1,000,000.00
14.	For additional outlay for the special
	fund created in Commonwealth Act,
	entitled "An Act appropriating amounts
	from the Coconut oil Excise Tax Fund
	collected on and after January first, nineteen
	hundred and thirty-nine, for the period
	from January first, nineteen hundred and
	thirty-nine, to June thirtieth, nineteen hundred
	and forty", to be used 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
	prepare the latter for the assumption of
	the responsibilities of an independent state,
	such activities to be undertaken by the
	National Land Settlement Administration,
	created under Commonwealth Act No. 441,
	or any agency or instrumentality of the
	Government which the President of the
	Philippines may designate	4,000,000.00
15.	For additional outlay for the special
	fund created in Commonwealth Act,
	entitled "An Act appropriating amounts from
	the Coconut Oil Excise Tax Fund
	collected on and after January first,
	nineteen hundred and thirty-nine, for
	the period from January first, nineteen
	hundred and thirty-nine, to June thirtieth,
	nineteen hundred and forty", to be
	administered by the Agricultural and
	Industrial Bank of the Philippines, created
	under Commonwealth Act No. 459, for
	carrying out the following objectives:
	(1) to grant agricultural loans; (2) to
	grant industrial loans; (3) to establish
	and operate bonded warehouses; and
	(4) to subscribe for, underwrite,
	purchase, or guarantee bonds issued
	by non-governmental agricultural or
	industrial concerns: 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 to prepare the
	Philippines for the assumption of the
	responsibilities of an independent state	10,000,000.00
16.	For additional outlay for the special
	fund created in Commonwealth Act,
	entitled "An Act to establish the National
	Coconut Corporation," to be used for
	the promotion of the coconut industry
	to be undertaken by any department,
	office, government-owned corporation,
	agency, or instrumentality of the
	Government which may be created or
	which the President of the Philippines
	may designate, and whose aims shall
	be to afford facilities for bona fide
	production loans to Philippine copra
	producers and to establish, keep,
	maintain, and operate drying plants or
	copra dries or coconut centrals with
	a view to improving the production, and
	maintaining facilities for the better curing
	of copra, as well as coconut centrals for
	the utilization of coconut products and
	by-products in the Philippines for the
	purpose of placing the coconut industry
	in a position independent of trade
	preferences in the United States	500,000.00
17.	For additional outlay for the special
	fund created in Commonwealth Act,
	entitled "An Act to establish the National
	Tobacco Corporation", to be used for
	the promotion of the tobacco industry
	to be undertaken by any department,
	office, government-owned corporation,
	agency, or instrumentality of the
	Government which may be created or
	which the President of the Philippines may
	designate, and whose aims shall be to improve
	the quality and to lower the cost of
	production and marketing of tobacco and
	the products derived therefrom by providing
	proper and adequate agencies for improving
	the quality of the various types and
	varieties of leaf tobacco grown in
	commercial scale in the Philippines and for
	merchandising and advertising leaf tobacco
	and manufactured tobacco products, as
	well as credit facilities for such agencies,
	so as to adequately meet the requirements
	of the local industry and foreign markets
	with a view to placing the tobacco
	industry in a position independent of trade
	preferences in the United States and otherwise
	so develop and adjust the tobacco
	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
18.	For the creation of a Sinking Fund
	Reserve for the amortization of the
	outstanding bonded debt of the Manila
	Railroad Company for which no
	sinking fund reserve has heretofore been
	provided		7,000,000.00
				——————
		Total for Government Corporations	P24,500,000.00
				——————
		GRAND TOTAL	P34,337,818.85
				=============

 

 

SECTION 2. Reduction of Appropriations Previously Authorized for the Same Purposes. — The appropriations authorized in prior Acts herein specified for the same purposes 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 Sinking Fund Reserve created in item 18 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 Unexpired 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 any other expenditure authorized in this Act as the President may determine.

SECTION 7. Authority to Purchase Automobiles, Auto-jitneys, or Station Wagons. — When expressly authorized by the President of the Philippines, the appropriations authorized in items 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 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 used for the purpose of meeting new or additional expenditures necessary in adjusting Philippine economy to a position independent of trade preferences in the United States and in preparing the Philippines for the assumption of the responsibilities of an independent state, and shall be accounted for separately from other moneys of the Government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines: Provided, That no part of the appropriation herein authorized shall be paid directly or indirectly as a subsidy to the producers or processors of copra, coconut oil, or allied products, except that this provision shall not be construed as prohibiting the use of a portion of said appropriation for facilities for better curing of copra, or for bona fide production loans to Philippine copra producers.

SECTION 9. Effective Date. — This Act shall take effect on July first, nineteen hundred and forty.

Approved: May 26, 1940