Question & AnswerQ&A (Republic Act No. 613)
The primary purpose of Republic Act No. 613 is to regulate, control, and/or prohibit certain exports from the Philippines to promote economic rehabilitation and development and to safeguard national security.
Machineries and their spare parts, scrap metals, medicines, foodstuffs, abaca seedlings, gasoline, oil, lubricants, and military equipment or supplies suitable for military use require a permit from the President before export or re-export.
The committee is composed of the Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources as chairman, the Secretary of National Defense, and the Administrator of Economic Coordination as members.
Applications are submitted to the committee and numbered chronologically. The committee considers applications in order and if unanimously found that exporting will not harm national security or development programs, it recommends issuance of a permit to the President. The recommendation is then published for two consecutive weeks. If no objections are received within two weeks, the President issues the permit within ten days. If objections are received, a hearing is conducted within five days and the President then decides to issue or reject the permit within ten days after the hearing.
The committee must schedule a hearing within five days after notice to both the applicant and the objector. After the hearing, the committee submits findings and recommendations to the President who then issues or rejects the permit within ten days based on those recommendations.
The President is authorized to control, curtail, regulate, and/or prohibit the exportation or re-exportation of regulated materials, goods, and things, and to issue necessary rules and regulations to enforce this Act.
Violators are subject upon conviction to a fine of not less than five thousand pesos nor more than ten thousand pesos, or imprisonment of not less than two years and not more than five years, or both, at the court's discretion.
If the violation is committed by a manager, representative, director, agent, or employee in the interest of a natural or juridical person, the said person or corporation is also liable to the penalties. For violations committed in the interest of a foreign corporation legally doing business in the Philippines, it may also lead to revocation of the corporation's license to do business.
Materials intended for export in violation of this Act and its regulations shall be confiscated by and forfeited to the Government.
The authority granted under this Act terminates at the end of the next regular session of Congress unless sooner terminated by a concurrent resolution of Congress. However, the provisions remain in effect for offenses, rights, and liabilities prior to repeal for sustaining suits, actions, or prosecutions.