Question & AnswerQ&A (Republic Act No. 2700)
The purpose of Republic Act No. 2700 is to appropriate funds for the operation of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines from July 1, 1960 to June 30, 1961, and for other purposes related to government expenditure and appropriations.
Personnel in the classified Civil Service shall not be laid off except for cause as provided by law, nor shall their actual salaries be reduced, nor be demoted in rank or have their status changed due to the adoption of the Performance Budget.
Savings in regular appropriations for personal services, maintenance and other operating expenses, and equipment within the same Executive Department may, with the President's approval, be used to cover deficits in other items of appropriations within that Department, except personal services. However, no item may be augmented by more than 30% of the original appropriation.
The Auditor General and the Commissioner of the Budget must submit separate quarterly reports to Congress on any appropriation transfers made to cover deficits, specifying the items and amounts involved, and furnish copies to Congress members. Heads of bureaus or offices must also submit separate quarterly reports on their accomplishments to each Congress member.
Savings can be used for obligations such as claims for death or injury compensation of government employees, commutation of additional leave for certain officers, replacement of equipment lost or damaged, payment of salaries to exonerated suspended employees, contributions to government insurance, salary adjustments, rural health programs, and other specific government-related expenditures listed in the law.
The President may suspend or stop expenditure of any appropriated amount for Executive Departments, except sums for salaries of positions with incumbents, and reallocate these funds to other authorized expenditures, not exceeding 30% augmentation for any item. Reports of such actions must be provided to Congress quarterly.
Failure to submit the required reports within the specified period results in the automatic suspension of their salaries until the reports are submitted.
Entitled officials include the President, Vice-President, Senate and House leaders, Supreme Court Chief Justice, certain Ambassadors, the Chief and Vice-Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, among other high-ranking government officials and certain committee chairpersons.
No government official or employee may use more than one government motor vehicle, except the Vice-President, President of the Senate, and Speaker of the House who may use two each. Officials receiving motor transportation allowances from other government corporations may not use government-operated vehicles funded by this Act.
Use of government motor vehicles must be authorized through issuance of serially numbered tickets signed by authorized personnel. Vehicles are to be used strictly for official business, bear government plates, and be kept in garages after office hours unless used for official business.