Registration Office Structure
- Central registration office under the Secretary of the Interior, managed by the Bureau of Patents, Copyrights, and Trade-Marks.
- Provincial registration office supervised by the provincial board and managed by the provincial treasurer.
- Local municipal registration office under the municipal treasurer’s charge.
Brand Registration Requirements
- Brands must be registered locally with owner details: name, occupation, age, and civil status.
- Municipalities have a unique brand for counter branding.
- Provincial offices register municipal brand designs to avoid duplication.
Private Brand Design and Regulation
- Owners may have private brands requiring triplicate submission of design copies.
- Registered brands cannot be altered without legal re-recording.
Branding Practices
- Municipal brand on the left hip (vertical for males, horizontal for females).
- Private owner’s brand on the right hip (vertical only).
- Branding ages: between two and three years, and second branding within ten days for cattle from other districts.
Branding Procedures and Certification
- Branding conducted by municipal treasurer with officers’ presence.
- Certificates of branding issued on standardized forms bearing signatures and revenue stamps.
- Delegation for branding allowed under specific circumstances.
Proof of Ownership for Branding
- Proof requires testimony of two competent cattle-owning witnesses.
- Officials conduct oral examination and record proceedings.
- Registration refused if ownership is not established.
Documentation and Record Keeping
- Designs and ownership lists filed in municipal, provincial, and central offices in alphabetical order.
- Transit cattle must be reported to municipal president within two days.
Fees for Registration and Branding
- Ten cents paid per branding certificate to municipal treasury.
Conveyance Procedures
- Conveyance must occur either before municipal officials with issuing of a certificate or by public instrument for estate cattle.
- Certificate of conveyance must be registered separately and properly archived.
- Substitute officials may act when necessary.
Conveyance Documentation
- Certificates issued where contract consummated.
- Authorized representatives may convey cattle with proper documentation.
- Certified copies forwarded to original registration municipality.
- Same fees as branding apply.
Slaughter Regulations
- Certificates or deeds required before slaughter.
- Registers of slaughter maintained monthly.
- Prohibition on slaughtering working carabaos and breeding cows except upon authorization.
- Authorization requires municipal officials’ and health board president’s approval.
- Wild carabaos require compliance or notification for slaughter.
Supervision and Delegation in Slaughter
- Municipal treasurer supervises slaughter activities with possible delegation.
Penalties
- Violations punishable by fines up to $1,000, imprisonment up to one year, or both.
- Civil damages remedy for cattle owners harmed by official negligence or fraud.
- Responsibility extends to delegates.
- Fines of five dollars or twenty-day imprisonment for unbranded cattle over age limit and for transit violations.
General Provisions
- Existing regulations in Manila remain in force.
- Municipal tax laws on slaughter remain valid.
- Document alterations presume fraud unless properly explained.
- One certificate per animal; indorsements may be on attached sheets.
- Conflicting laws repealed.
- Act effective May 1, 1903.
This structured summary focuses on essential provisions, procedures, and penalties to guide compliance with Act No. 637 on large cattle regulation in the Philippines.