Charter Creating Angeles City, Pampanga

Corporate powers and liability

The City may take, purchase, receive, hold, lease, convey, and dispose of real and personal property for the general interest of the city (Section 4).
The City may condemn private property for public use (Section 4).
The City may contract and be contracted with, and may sue and be sued, and prosecute as well as defend to final judgment and execution actions where its interests are involved (Section 4).
The City’s liability rule bars damages for certain enforcement failures: the City is not liable for damages or injuries arising from the failure of the Mayor, Municipal Board, or other city officers or employees to enforce the Charter or other law or ordinance, or arising from their negligence while enforcing or attempting to enforce those provisions (Section 5).
The liability bar preserves suits by private parties: an aggrieved party may still file a personal action in the proper court against the official or employee for an act or omission in performing duties (Section 5).

Police jurisdiction and municipal courts

The City’s police jurisdiction for police purposes only is coextensive with its territorial jurisdiction (Section 6).
For water-supply protection, police jurisdiction extends over the drainage area of the city water supply and over territory within one hundred meters of any reservoir, conduit, canal, aqueduct, or pumping station used in connection with the city water service (Section 6).
The City municipal court has concurrent jurisdiction with the justice of the peace courts of the respective municipalities to try crimes and misdemeanors committed within the drainage area or within one hundred meters of covered water facilities (Section 6).
The court that first takes jurisdiction of an offense retains exclusive jurisdiction thereafter (Section 6).
The police force of the concerned municipalities has concurrent jurisdiction with the City police force for maintaining good order and enforcing ordinances throughout the covered zone/area/spaces (Section 6).
Licenses issued within the covered zone/area/spaces are granted by the proper authorities of the municipality concerned, and the fees accrue to that municipality’s treasury, not to the City (Section 6).

Mayor and Vice-Mayor officials

The Mayor is the chief executive of the city and is elected at large by qualified city voters (Section 7).
A Mayor must be at least twenty-five years of age, a resident of the city for at least two years prior to election, and a qualified voter (Section 7).
The Mayor holds office for four years, unless sooner removed, and receives a salary of seven thousand two hundred pesos per annum (Section 7).
The Municipal Board may appropriate for a house allowance for the Mayor not to exceed two hundred pesos monthly, or commute it in addition to salary (Section 7).
A Vice-Mayor is elected and exercises the Mayor’s duties and powers in the event of the death, sickness, absence, or other temporary incapacity of the Mayor, or in a definite vacancy, until the office is filled according to law (Section 8).
The Vice-Mayor must have the same qualifications as the Mayor (Section 8).
If the Vice-Mayor is temporarily incapacitated or if the Vice-Mayor office is vacant, the duties and powers of the Mayor are performed by a member of the Municipal Board chosen by a majority of all members (Section 8).
When the Vice-Mayor performs the Mayor’s functions, the Vice-Mayor automatically ceases to be the presiding officer of the Municipal Board (Section 8).
When a Municipal Board member exercises the Vice-Mayor functions, the member ceases temporarily to take part in Board deliberations except to preside (Section 8).
If both Mayor and Vice-Mayor offices are left vacant by death or permanent disability, the vacancies are filled by appointments by the President of the Philippines with the consent of the Commission on Appointments (Section 8).
The Vice-Mayor receives a salary of four thousand two hundred pesos per annum (Section 8).

Mayor powers, duties, and discretion

The Mayor exercises immediate control over the city’s executive and administrative functions, subject to supervision of the President of the Philippines (Section 9).
The Mayor must comply with and enforce, and issue orders for the faithful enforcement and execution of the laws and ordinances in effect within the city (Section 9(a)).
The Mayor safeguards city lands, buildings, records, moneys, credits, and other properties and rights and administers city property consistent with the Charter (Section 9(b)).
The Mayor ensures that taxes and other city revenues are collected and applied in accordance with appropriations for municipal expenses (Section 9(c)).
The Mayor must cause judicial proceedings to recover city property and funds and defend suits where the city is involved, to protect city interests (Section 9(d)).
The Mayor ensures executive officers and employees properly discharge duties, and may transfer officers and employees not appointed by the President from one section/division/service within the same department without changing compensation, with approval of the Department Head of the National Government first had (Section 9(e)).
The Mayor must examine and inspect city books, records, and papers of officers/employees under the Mayor’s executive supervision/control whenever occasion arises and at least once a year, with clerical or other assistance from the Municipal Board (Section 9(f)).
The Mayor provides information and recommends measures deemed advantageous to the city (Section 9(g)).
The Mayor may attend Municipal Board sessions and participate in discussions, but not vote (Section 9(h)).
The Mayor represents the city in business matters and signs bonds, contracts, and obligations on the city’s behalf made in accordance with law and ordinances (Section 9(i)).
The Mayor must submit to the Municipal Board at least two and a half months before the beginning of the ensuing fiscal year a budget of receipts and expenditures (Section 9(j)).
The Mayor may receive, hear, and decide petitions, complaints, and claims concerning municipal matters of an administrative or executive character (Section 9(k)).
The Mayor grants or refuses municipal licenses and permits of all classes and may revoke them for violations of their conditions, for unlawful acts protected by such licenses or committed in the premises, or for other good reason of general interest (Section 9(l)).
The Mayor must exempt, alter consultation with the city superintendent of schools, and grant deserving poor pupils exemption from payment of school fees or parts thereof (Section 9(m)).
The Mayor must take emergency measures to avoid fires, floods, and to mitigate effects of storms and calamities (Section 9(n)).
The Mayor performs other duties and exercises other powers prescribed by law or ordinance (Section 9(o)).

City mayor’s secretary and records custody

The Mayor appoints a Secretary with the rank of a department head who has charge and custody of city records and documents, and of any office/department where other provision is not made (Section 10).
The Secretary keeps the corporate seal and affixes it with the Secretary’s signature to ordinances and resolutions signed by the Mayor and to all other required official documents and papers of the city government (Section 10).
The Secretary attests executive orders, proclamations, ordinances, and resolutions signed by the Mayor (Section 10).
The Secretary issues certified copies of records upon request when not confidential and collects fees prescribed by Municipal Board law/resolution (Section 10).
The Secretary is regarded within the unclassified civil service, but may be filled under classified-position filling; if filled as classified, the appointee receives benefits of classified employees while holding office only during the term of the appointing Mayor and until a successor is appointed and qualified, unless sooner separated (Section 10).
The Secretary’s salary is four thousand pesos per annum (Section 10).

Municipal Board composition, qualifications, and procedure

The Municipal Board is the city’s legislative body and consists of the Vice-Mayor (presiding officer) plus eight councilors elected at large by qualified voters (Section 11).
The Vice-Mayor has no right to vote except in case of a tie (Section 11).
A Vice-Mayor or Municipal Board member who is a candidate for office is disqualified to act with the body on duties relating to that election; if the number of members is unduly reduced, the President appoints a disinterested voter of the city belonging to the same political party as the disqualified member to act in his place for those matters (Section 11).
Municipal Board members must be qualified electors, residents for at least two years immediately prior to election, and at least twenty-three years of age (Section 12).
Suspension or removal of Board members follows the same circumstances, manner, and effect as the law governing suspension or removal of elective provincial officers (Section 12).
Elections for Board members are held on the date of the regular election for provincial and municipal officials; elected members assume office on the first day of January next following election after qualifying, hold office for four years, and remain until successors are duly elected and qualified (Section 12).
The eight candidates receiving the greatest number of votes are declared elected (Section 12).
A vacancy is filled in accordance with the Revised Election Code (Section 12).
The Board elects a Secretary to serve for the term of members; a vacancy is filled temporarily for the unexpired term in like manner (Section 13).
The Board Secretary keeps a full record of proceedings, files Board documents, records ordinances and money-liability motions with dates of passage and publication, maintains a seal inscribed “Municipal Board—City of Angeles” with the city arms, affixes it with signature to ordinances and acts, prese