Question & AnswerQ&A (Acts No. 1851)
The short title of the Act is "The Telegraph Message Act."
They cannot publish, print, or transmit the message or any extract therefrom without written consent of the original receiver until after forty years from the first publication by the receiver or within sixty hours from receipt in the Philippines, whichever comes first.
The penalty is a fine not exceeding one hundred pesos upon conviction.
The publication must have the heading "By telegraph," the name of the person, association, or corporation claiming protection, the hour and date of receipt, the address, place from which received, number of words in the telegram, and the hour of its publication.
A telegram is defined as a written or printed message or communication sent to or delivered at a post-office or telegraph company for transmission by telegraph or delivery by the post-office or telegraph company as a message transmitted by telegraph.
All persons, associations, or corporations engaged in the business of receiving and sending telegrams for hire on behalf of the public, including those owned or operated by the Government of the Philippine Islands or U.S. military authorities.
The penalty is imprisonment not exceeding six months, or a fine not exceeding two hundred pesos, or both, at the court's discretion.
They shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five hundred pesos for each offense.
They shall be punished by a fine not exceeding two hundred pesos, or imprisonment not exceeding six months, or both, at the court's discretion.
Yes, the Act applies to all private messages intended for newspaper publication sent over telegraph lines owned or operated by the Government of the Philippine Islands or the United States military authorities.