Question & AnswerQ&A (Commonwealth Act No. 330)
The primary purpose of Commonwealth Act No. 330 is to appropriate the sum of Ninety Six Million, Three Hundred Pesos for public works in the Philippines, including sanitation, public buildings, roads, flood control, telegraph, cable lines, and miscellaneous projects.
The sources of funds are (1) proceeds of the excise tax collected on coconut oil shipments to the United States, (2) general funds in the Philippine Treasury, and (3) the Port Works Fund under Act 3592 as amended by Commonwealth Act No. 130.
The Director of Public Works and Communications is given disposal authority of the appropriated funds under Section 1.
All unexpended balances revert to the portion of the consolidated General Fund in the Philippine Treasury derived from the coconut oil excise tax proceeds collected in the United States and are no longer available for expenditure except upon appropriation by the National Assembly.
The President is authorized to designate any national road, bridge, or ferry as a toll facility, fix toll rates upon the recommendation of the Secretary of Public Works and Communications, regulate collection, erect toll gates, employ necessary personnel, and discontinue toll collection when it no longer serves the public welfare.
Exemptions include officers or enlisted men of the US Army or Navy or employees of the US government in the Philippines, officers or enlisted men of the Philippine Army, members of police forces, national/provincial/municipal officers on official business, persons traveling on foot or mounted animals, bicycles, motorcycles, vehicles carrying mail, and animal-drawn vehicles.
Release of funds under Sections 2 and 3 is only upon certification by the Secretary of Finance and the Auditor General to the President that there are sufficient funds from current revenues in excess of authorized appropriations for the ordinary operating expenses of the national government.
Sums appropriated in specific paragraphs under Section 1 are to be distributed by the Secretary of Public Works and Communications with the approval of the President; other sums under Section 1 are available to the Director of Public Works. Some appropriations are to be distributed as directed by the President.
The President may suspend or stop expenditure of any portion of the appropriated funds whenever deemed necessary for the public interest, and the funds may then be reallocated to other authorized expenditures as determined by the President.
The Act took effect upon its approval on June 18, 1938.