QuestionsQuestions (Republic Act No. 1)
RA No. 1 is an appropriation law for the operation of the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines beginning July 1, 1946 until the General Appropriation Act for fiscal year 1947 is approved.
Pending the approval of the 1947 General Appropriation Act, the sums equal to the various yearly-basis items of appropriations authorized in Commonwealth Act No. 723 (as amended) are appropriated from any funds in the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the operation of the Commonwealth Government starting July 1, 1946.
Section 2 amends specific items in Commonwealth Act No. 723 to new stated amounts for certain purposes, including Senate committee travel studies, Senate inauguration-related expenses, and a particular Department of Health and Public Welfare salary item.
Example answers: (1) Senate Item A (1)-IV-1 (page 8) is amended to P200,000.00. (2) Office of the President Item B-IV(13) (page 36) for inauguration of the Republic on July 4, 1946 is amended to P200,000.00. (Alternatively, the Department of Health and Public Welfare Item L-I(4)-2 on page 440 is amended with an excess of actual salary amount shown as 240.00).
It means the amounts enumerated in Section 3 are appropriated as additional funding on top of what Commonwealth Act No. 723 already authorized for the concerned offices, but only for the purposes specified in Section 3.
It provides that the amounts authorized in DOJ items (a) and (b) for the People’s Court and Office of Special Prosecutors shall not be available for creating new positions nor for increasing the compensations of existing positions.
The appropriation authorized under Section 3 shall be available for the payment of expenses incurred prior to July 1, 1946.
It prohibits any expenditure from specified items under Commonwealth Act No. 723, listing particular item numbers and amounts by page and value, effectively withholding their use.
Only so much thereof as corresponds to a period of one month shall be available for further expenditure beyond June 30, 1946.
They are considered retired and may be paid a retirement gratuity chargeable against the Office of the President appropriation in Section 3(d). The gratuity is at the rate of half a month’s pay for every year of continuous service prior to separation, not exceeding six months. It also provides return transportation to the Philippines in kind if availed by Dec. 31, 1946.
The recipient must refund the gratuity corresponding to the unexpired portion of the period from the date of recall, regardless of whether the recall is accepted.
RA No. 1 takes effect on July 1, 1946 (unless otherwise stated) and continues in force until the General Appropriation Act for fiscal year 1947 is approved.
Upon approval of the General Appropriation Act, expenses that were actually incurred by authority of RA No. 1 and chargeable to appropriations for which corresponding items are provided in the General Appropriation Act for 1947 shall be charged against those corresponding appropriation items in the 1947 General Appropriation Act.
Section 6 reenacts and makes part of RA No. 1 the provisions of Commonwealth Act No. 723 (except Section 5(1) thereof on page 477) that are not inconsistent with RA No. 1.
It funds bonuses to employees in certain salary grades, with conditions on minimum comparative bonuses across rates. The President may order reduction of authorized bonus rates, or suspend or stop payment whenever public interest requires it; any reduction must be general and uniform for similar bonus rates.