Title
1957 Philippine Government Appropriations Act
Law
Republic Act No. 1800
Decision Date
Jun 22, 1957
Republic Act No. 1800 allocates funds for the Philippine government's operations from July 1, 1957, to June 30, 1958, authorizing salary payments, budgetary transfers, and the use of savings for various government obligations while ensuring the protection of civil service personnel from layoffs and salary reductions.

Authorization to Pay Salaries Outside Prescribed Rates

  • Incumbent employees may receive salaries not conforming to Commonwealth Act No. 402 rates.
  • New appointments must conform to rates prescribed by the said Act.

Protection of Personnel Under Performance Budget

  • Adoption of performance budgeting shall not cause layoffs except for cause under the law.
  • No reduction of salaries, demotion, or change of status for classified civil service employees.

Inclusion of Plantillas of Personnel

  • Appendix of personnel plantilla for various bureaus and offices made part of the Act.

Use of Savings to Cover Deficits

  • Savings from personal services, maintenance, and equipment within executive departments may cover deficits in other items within the same department with Presidential approval.
  • Transfers must not increase total personal services outlay.
  • Augmentation limited to 40% of the original appropriation for any item.

Quarterly Reporting to Congress

  • Auditor General and Budget Commissioner to submit quarterly reports on appropriation transfers, specifying items and amounts.
  • Heads of bureaus/offices to report quarterly on performance accomplishments.

Use of Savings for Settling Obligations

  • President authorized to use savings to settle various government obligations including claims, leaves, furniture replacement, salaries for exonerated employees, insurance premiums, and others as enumerated.
  • Includes payments for maternity leave commutations, additional compensations, insurance purchases, and pre-war obligations.

Suspension of Appropriation Expenditures

  • President may suspend expenditure of funds for executive departments, except salaries of incumbents.
  • Suspended funds become available for other authorized expenditures.
  • Transfers must not increase total personal services costs and are capped at 40% augmentation.
  • Quarterly report required to Congress on such suspensions or transfers.

Penalty for Non-Compliance with Reporting

  • Auditor General and Budget Commissioner’s salary suspended automatically for failure to report appropriation suspensions or transfers within 30 days.

Payment of Excess Actual Salaries

  • Appropriations may cover excess salaries paid before basic pay reductions.
  • Successors inheriting such salaries are also entitled to the excess.

Preference for Locally Manufactured Goods

  • Purchases from appropriations must be for locally made furniture, equipment, and supplies unless unavailable or more expensive beyond 10% threshold.

Prohibitions on Vehicle Rentals and Purchases

  • Renting motor vehicles on a monthly basis or continuously beyond 15 days is prohibited.
  • Appropriations not to be used for the purchase of motor vehicles unless specifically provided.

Officials Entitled to Government Motor Transportation

  • Enumerates high-ranking officials entitled to government motor vehicles, including executive and legislative leaders, justices, military chiefs, and diplomats.

Transportation Allowance for Certain Officials

  • Specified Department Heads and other officials granted fixed monthly transportation allowances.
  • Allowances vary by rank and position and are chargeable to respective office appropriations.

Authorized Bureaus and Offices to Operate Government Vehicles

  • Lists bureaus and offices authorized to maintain and operate government motor vehicles for official purposes.
  • Specifies purposes such as national security, public health, inspections, and law enforcement.

Payment of Representation Allowance from Savings

  • Heads of Departments, Cabinet members, and Auditor General granted representation allowances payable out of departmental savings.

Strict Regulation of Government Vehicle Use

  • Government vehicles require trip tickets signed by bureau chiefs.
  • Vehicles used only for official business with government plates and kept in bureau garages after hours.

Limits on Use of Multiple Government Vehicles

  • No official (except President) may use more than one government vehicle; certain high officials allowed two.
  • Officials with government corporation vehicles cannot use vehicles funded by this Act.

Disposal of Unused Government Vehicles

  • Unneeded government vehicles to be auctioned publicly with preference to former users matching highest bid.

Prohibition Against Paying Salaries of Striking Employees

  • Funds may not pay officers or employees on strike against the Government or members of organizations asserting strike rights or advocating government overthrow.
  • Affidavit required as proof of compliance.

Per Diem Limit for Foreign Travel

  • Per diem for officials and employees traveling abroad capped at fifty pesos.

Prohibition on Transfer of Salary Savings to GSIS

  • Savings from personal services may not be transferred to the Government Service Insurance System.

Distribution of Government Building Reinsurance

  • Reinsurance of government buildings to be equitably distributed among private Philippine insurance companies majority-owned by Filipinos.

Restriction on Transfer of Department of National Defense Appropriations

  • Defense funds cannot be transferred to other Executive Departments despite general transfer authority.

Harmonization of Appropriation Structure

  • Budget Commissioner can harmonize appropriation classifications with new account terminology without altering total appropriations.

Congressional Oversight of Expenditures

  • Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees authorized to review all government expenditures, including government-owned corporations.
  • Individual Congress members may also request reviews.

Restrictions on Spending from Special Funds

  • Spending from special, revolving, trust and automatically appropriated funds limited to the funds available unless exigent service and expected income justify advances.

Appropriations Charged to Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Fund

  • Activities previously financed by Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Fund to continue charged thereto with allocation by its Board of Directors.

Immediate Payment Policy for Government Sales

  • No government goods/services to be sold or rendered on credit to private parties.
  • Violation results in personal liability and possible removal from office.
  • Does not apply to government-owned corporations or regular government employees.

Mandatory Remittance of GSIS Premiums

  • Life and retirement insurance premiums to be remitted monthly by government employees and instrumentalities to GSIS.

Authority to Change Position Designations and Assignments

  • Bureau/office heads may change position designations and assignments as necessary, provided no demotion or salary reduction results.
  • Changes subject to Civil Service Commissioner approval.

Limits on Number of Permanent Positions

  • Maximum permanent positions in a bureau/office not to exceed the numbers listed in the budget schedules.

Appropriation and Salary Adjustments for Reorganized Agencies

  • Appropriations follow agencies as reorganized per approved plans.
  • Commissioner of the Budget authorized to adjust appropriations and salaries to prevent salary reductions or injustice.
  • Does not repeal or modify approved reorganization plans.

Limitation on Special Details of Officials and Employees

  • Salaries only payable to employees performing assigned duties at designated places.
  • Special assignments limited to 180 days and cannot be renewed.
  • Officials permitting improper salary payments must refund amounts paid.

Effective Date

  • The Act takes effect July 1, 1957, except where otherwise provided.

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