An Act to Amend Certain Sections of Commonwealth Act Numbered One Hundred and Fifty-Eight, as Amended, Otherwise Known as the Charter of the City of Iloilo

REPUBLIC ACT No. 276

An Act to Amend Certain Sections of Commonwealth Act Numbered One Hundred and Fifty-Eight, as Amended, Otherwise Known as the Charter of the City of Iloilo

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippine Congress Assembled:

Section 1. Sections eight and twelve of Commonwealth Act Numbered One hundred and fifty-eight are hereby amended to read as follows:

Section 2. Section fourteen of the same Act, as amended by Republic Act Numbered One hundred sixty-eight, is further amended to read as follows:

Section 3. Section sixteen of the same Act, as amended by Commonwealth Act Numbered Six hundred and four, is further amended to read as follows:

Section 4. Paragraph (bb) of section twenty-one of the same Act is amended to read as follows:

Section 5. Section twenty-three of the same Act, as amended by Commonwealth Act Numbered Five hundred and sixty-eight, and further amended by Republic Act Numbered One hundred sixty-eight, is further amended to read as follows:

Section 6. The first paragraph of section fifty-six of the same Act, as amended by Republic Act Numbered One hundred sixty-eight, is further amended to read as follows:

Section 7. Section seventy-eight of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

Section 8. Section eighty of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

Section 9. Section eighty-one of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

Section 10. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved: June 15, 1948.

"Sec. 8. Appointment and compensation.— The Mayor shall be the chief executive of the city.

"He shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines with the consent of the Commission on Appointments. He shall be appointed solely on the basis of his executive and administrative qualifications. The selection shall not be limited to inhabitants of Iloilo. He shall hold office for six years unless removed, and shall receive a salary of seven thousand two hundred pesos per annum. A discretionary fund of three thousand pesos a year shall be appropriated out of the funds of the city to be placed at the disposal of the Mayor.

"Sec. 12. Secretary of the City. -The Mayor shall appoint a secretary of the city, who shall receive an annual compensation of three thousand six hundred pesos and shall be considered as chief of a department of the city. Said Secretary shall be the local civil registrar of the city of Iloilo and shall have charge and custody of all records and documents of the city and of any office or department thereof for which provision is not otherwise made; shall keep the corporate seal of the City and affix the same with his signature to all ordinances and resolutions signed by the Mayor and to all other official documents and papers of the government of the city as may be required by custom, in the discretion of the Mayor; shall attest all executive orders, proclamations, ordinances and resolutions signed by the Mayor, and shall perform such other duties as the Mayor may require of him or as may be required of him by law or ordinance; shall, on demand, furnish certified copies of all records and documents in his charge which are not of a confidential character and shall collect twenty centavos for each one hundred words including the certificate, and all receipts shall be paid into the city treasury. He shall likewise perform all the duties imposed on chiefs of departments of the city government by section twenty-four hereof."

"Sec. 14. Constitution and organization of the Municipal Board. -The Municipal Board shall be the legislative body of the city and shall consist of the City Mayor and ten councilors, five of them to be appointed by the President of the Philippines, with the consent of the Commission on Appointments, and the other five to be elected by popular vote. The City Mayor shall act as Chairman of the Board. The Chairman of the Board shall preside over all sessions thereof at which he is present and shall have the right to vote on all matters submitted to the Board. In his absence, the members present shall elect one to preside at the session of the Board as temporary chairman. The Chairman of the Board shall sign all ordinances and resolutions and motions directing the payment of money or creating liability. In case of sickness or absence of any member of the Board, or if it becomes necessary to maintain a quorum, the President of the Philippines shall appoint a temporary substitute who shall hold office, possess all the rights, receive the emoluments and discharge all the duties in connection therewith until the return to duty of the sick or absent member.

"The President of the Philippines, with the consent of the Commission on Appointments, shall fill for the rest of the term of the permanent vacancies taking place in the Municipal Board.

"The City Mayor shall discharge his duties in the Board without additional compensation. The other members shall each receive a per diem of twenty pesos for each day of attendance at the session of the Board."

"Sec. 16. Appointment and duties of the secretary of the Board. -The Board shall have a secretary, who shall be appointed by its Chairman to serve during the term of office of said Chairman. The vacancy in the office of secretary shall be filled temporarily or for the unexpired portion of the term in like manner. The secretary shall be in charge of the records of the Municipal Board. He shall keep a full record of the proceedings of the Board and file all documents relating thereto; and shall record in a book kept for the purpose, all ordinances and all resolutions and motions directing the payment of money or creating liability with the dates of approval of the same, and of the publications of the ordinances; shall keep a seal, circular in form, with the inscriptions "Municipal Board—City of Iloilo" and affix the same, with his signature, to all ordinances and all official acts of the Board, which he shall present for signature to the Chairman. He shall cause each ordinance passed to be published. He shall furnish on demand, certified copies of all records of public character in his charge, and collect and receive therefor such fees as may be prescribed by ordinance or resolution of the Board; and shall keep his office and all records therein which are not of a confidential character open to public inspection during the usual business hours. His compensation as secretary shall be fixed by the Board at not exceeding three thousand six hundred pesos a year."

"Sec. 21. General powers and duties of the Board.— Except as otherwise provided by law, and subject to the conditions and limitations thereof, the Municipal Board shall have the following powers:

"(bb) To tax and regulate the sale, distribution, trading in, or disposal of alcoholic or malt beverages, wines, mixed or fermented liquors, cigars and cigarettes for sale or distribution and fix the license fees therefor."

"Sec. 23. City Departments. -There shall be the following city departments over which the Mayor shall have general supervisory control:

"The Board may from time to time make such readjustments of the duties of the several departments as the public interest may demand.

"The chiefs of departments shall receive the following annual salaries: five thousand one hundred pesos for the city treasurer and assessor, and an amount not in excess of the salary paid to ex-officio assessor of a province in the same category, as ex-officio city assessor; four thousand eight hundred pesos for the city engineer; five thousand pesos for each of the municipal judges; four thousand eight hundred pesos for the city fiscal; and four thousand eight hundred pesos for the chief of police and fire department.

"The City fiscal shall have two assistants who shall receive compensation in accordance with the following scale: (a) The first assistant city fiscal shall receive three thousand six hundred pesos per annum; (b) the second assistant city fiscal shall receive three thousand peso per annum. The city fiscal and his assistants shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines with the consent of the Commission on Appointments."

"Sec. 56. Municipal Court— Its jurisdiction. -There shall be a Municipal Court for the City of Iloilo for which there shall be appointed two municipal judges who shall receive a salary of five thousand pesos each. The municipal judges shall have as a general rule of the same powers and duties as justices of the peace, including authority to solemnize marriages. They shall be entitled to thirty days’ vacation with pay each year."

"Sec. 78. Bureau of Audits. -Exercising general supervision over the auditing of the accounts of the City, the Auditor-General shall appoint an auditor for the City of Iloilo who shall rank as chief of a department of the City and shall receive a salary of four thousand eight hundred pesos per annum, payable from the funds of the City. The city auditor so appointed shall receive and audit all accounts of the City, in accordance with the provisions of law relating to government accounts and accounting."

"Sec. 80. Bureau of Education.— The Director of Education shall exercise the same jurisdiction and powers in the City as elsewhere in the Philippines.

"The city superintendent of schools shall receive a compensation of four thousand pesos per annum."

"Sec. 81. The City Health Officer. -There shall be a city health officer who shall have the following general powers and duties:

"The health officer shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines, with the consent of the Commission on Appointments, and shall receive a salary of four thousand eight hundred pesos per annum."