Establishment of the National Historical Commission

June 19, 1965

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 4368

AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A NATIONAL HISTORICAL COMMISSION, TO DEFINE ITS POWERS AND FUNCTIONS, AUTHORIZING THE APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

SECTION 1. There is hereby created a National Historical Commission which shall be composed of a Chairman and four regular members and two ex-officio members, namely, the Director of Public Libraries and the Director of the National Museum: Provided, That the ex-officio members shall not receive any compensation and shall not have the right to vote. cdt

SECTION 2. The Chairman and four members shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines with the consent of the Commission on Appointments. No one shall be appointed to any of these positions unless he be a citizen of the Philippines, at least thirty years old, at least a holder of a four-year college degree, and has distinguished himself in historical research and writing. The Chairman shall receive a compensation of twelve thousand pesos per annum, and the four members shall each receive eight thousand four hundred pesos per annum.

SECTION 3. The National Historical Commission shall be under the direct control and supervision of the Department of Education. The Chairman and the four members shall hold office during good behavior until they reach retirement age or until they shall have been incapacitated to discharge their duties effectively.

SECTION 4. It shall be the duty of the National Historical Commission:

(a) To publish or cause to have written or published the works of our national heroes and other great and good Filipinos;

(b) To compile from various sources here and abroad data on Philippine history and prepare and publish therefrom source books on Philippine history;

(c) For the purposes stated in subparagraphs (a) and (b), to enter into negotiations or agreements, subject to the approval of the Secretary of Education, with institutions of learning, learned societies and individuals for the purpose of securing original documents or copies, photostat and microfilms thereof, dealing with the Philippines: Provided, That any acquisition involved in excess of fifty thousand pesos shall be with the approval of the President of the Philippines;

(d) To gather and publish source books, reports, records and other valuable information relating to historic places, markets and events;

(e) To identify, designate and appropriately mark historic places in the Philippines and to cause the construction or reconstruction and to maintain and care for national monuments, shrines and historic markets that have been or may hereafter be erected in pursuance of this Act: Provided, however, That the Commission shall enlist the assistance of the public;

(f) To take charge of all historical activities or projects not otherwise undertaken by any entity of the government;

(g) To gather data on historical dates, personages, events, and documents presented for evaluation, and to acquire through purchase, donation, exchange or otherwise, important historical documents and materials;

(h) To encourage researches in Philippine history and the writing and publication of textbooks on the subject, the research and writing of biographies of heroes, accounts of historical events, translation of important scholarly works of Filipino and foreigners by providing appropriate or adequate incentives, setting aside, for this purpose, such portions of its appropriation as the Commission may deem necessary; and

(i) To work in coordination with the Institute of National Language for the translation of its works and materials to the National Language. acd

SECTION 5. The publications and other reading materials distributed by the National Historical Commission shall be accepted by the Bureau of Post free of charge.

SECTION 6. The Philippine Historical Committee and the existing National Heroes Commission are hereby abolished and their functions shall be performed by the National Historical Commission. All personnel, documents, materials, equipment, and unexpected balances belonging to those agencies are hereby transferred to the National Historical Commission.

SECTION 7. To carry out the objectives of this Act the Department of Education is hereby empowered to designate existing agencies to implement the policies adopted and activities programmed by the National Historical Commission as stated in Section two hereof.

SECTION 8. The Commission, upon the recommendation of the Chairman, shall appoint such personnel as may be deemed necessary; shall fix their compensation; prescribe their duties; and establish such methods and procedures as may ensure the efficient, honest and economical administration of the provisions and purposes of this Act. cdt

SECTION 9. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated out of any funds in the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the sum of five hundred thousand pesos for the operation of the National Historical Commission. This amount shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act of the Philippine Government next fiscal year. Any unexpected balance of the appropriation of the Commission shall be reverted to the National Treasury.

SECTION 10. All laws, Acts, parts of acts, executive orders and administrative regulations which are inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed.

SECTION 11. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved: June 19, 1965

Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 62, No. 30, p. 5379 on July 25, 1966