[ REPUBLIC ACT NO. 554, June 17, 1950 ]

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS TWENTY-ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY, TWENTY-ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FOUR, TWENTY-TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-THREE, AND TWENTY-TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY-NINE OF THE REVISED ADMINISTRATIVE CODE, AS AMENDED, RECLASSIFYING MUNICIPALITIES, INCREASING THE MAXIMUM LIMIT OF THE SALARIES OF MUNICIPAL OFFICIALS AND MEMBERS OF THE POLICE FORCE THEREOF, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.



Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Section twenty-one hundred and seventy of the Revised Administrative Code, as amended, is further amended to read as follows:
"SEC. 2170. Classification of municipalities-Number of councilors.-Municipalities are divided into seven classes, according to their income, as follows:

"(a) First Class-A: The municipalities that have obtained an average total revenue of two hundred thousand Pesos or more per annum during the last four fiscal years, and shall have eight councilors;
"(b) First Class-B: The municipalities that have obtained an average total revenue of one hundred thousand pesos or more per annum, but less than two hundred thou- pesos, during the last four fiscal years, and shall have councilors;
"(c) First Class: The municipalities that have obtained an average total revenue of fifty thousand pesos or more per annum, but less than one hundred thousand pesos during the last four fiscal years, and shall have eight councilors;
"(d) Second Class: The municipalities that have obtained an average total revenue of thirty thousand pesos or more per annum, but less than fifty thousand pesos during the last four fiscal years, and shall have eight councilors;
"(e) Third Class: The municipalities that have obtained an average total revenue of fifteen thousand pesos or more per annum, but less than thirty thousand pesos, during the last four fiscal years, and shall have six councilors;
"(f) Fourth Class: The municipalities that have obtained an average total revenue of five thousand pesos or more per annum, but less than fifteen thousand pesos, during the last four fiscal years, and shall have six councilors;
"(g) Fifth Class: The municipalities that have obtained an average total revenue of less than five thousand pesos per annum during the last four fiscal years, and shall have four councilors;

"Provided, That the councilors elected at the last general election in each municipality shall continue to hold office during the term for which they were elected, and the reduction or increase of the number of councilors in accordance with the classification of municipalities prescribed in this Act shall take effect beginning with the general election of nineteen hundred and fifty-one."
SEC. 2. Section twenty-one hundred and eighty-four of the Revised Administrative Code, as amended by Republic Act Numbered One hundred and three, is further amended to read as follows:
"SEC. 2184. Maximum limit of salaries.-Except as otherwise specially provided, the annual salaries of municipal officers shall not exceed the amounts hereinbelow fixed:

"In municipalities of the First Class-A: For the mayor, thirty-seven hundred and twenty pesos; for the municipal, secretary, twenty-two hundred and eighty pesos and for the municipal treasurer, thirty-four hundred and twenty pesos of which two-thirds shall be payable out of municipal funds, in his capacity as municipal treasurer, and one-third thereof out of provincial funds, in his capacity as deputy of the provincial treasurer.

"In municipalities of the First Class-B: For the mayor, thirty-three hundred and sixty pesos; for the municipal secretary, two thousand and forty pesos and for the municipal treasurer, three thousand and sixty pesos, of which two-thirds shall be payable out of municipal funds, in his capacity as municipal treasurer, and one-third thereof out of provincial funds, in his capacity as deputy of the provincial treasurer.

"In municipalities of the first class: For the mayor, three thousand pesos; for the municipal secretary, eighteen hundred pesos; and for the municipal treasurer, twenty-seven hundred pesos, of which two-thirds shall be payable out of municipal funds, in his capacity as municipal treasurer, and one-third thereof out of provincial funds, in his capacity as deputy of the provincial treasurer.

"In municipalities of the second class: For the mayor, twenty-live hundred and twenty pesos; for the municipal secretary, sixteen hundred and twenty-pesos; and for the municipal treasurer, twenty-one hundred and sixty pesos, of which two-thirds shall be payable out of municipal funds, in his capacity as municipal treasurer, and one-third thereof out of provincial funds, in his capacity as deputy of the provincial treasurer.

"In municipalities of the third class: For the mayor, twenty-one hundred and sixty pesos; for the municipal secretary, thirteen hundred and eighty pesos; and for the municipal treasurer, nineteen hundred and twenty pesos, of which two-thirds shall be payable out of municipal funds, in his capacity as municipal treasurer, and one-third thereof out of provincial funds, in his capacity as deputy of the provincial treasurer.

"In municipalities of the fourth class: For the mayor, nineteen hundred and twenty pesos; for the municipal secretary, twelve hundred pesos; and for the municipal treasurer,sixteen hundred and eighty pesos, of which two- shall be payable out of municipal funds, in his capacity as municipal treasurer, and one-third thereof out of provincial funds, in his capacity as deputy of the provincial treasurer.

"In municipalities of the fifth class: For the mayor sixteen hundred and eighty pesos; for the municipal secretary, eleven hundred and forty pesos; and for the municipal treasurer, fourteen hundred and forty pesos, of which two-thirds shall be payable out of municipal funds in his capacity as municipal treasurer, and one-third thereof out of provincial funds, in his capacity as deputy of the provincial treasurer.

"From the decisions of the Provincial Board with regard to salaries and per diems of municipal officers and/or abolition of any municipal position, the municipal officer or council concerned or any member of the provincial board having expressed his disconformity when the resolution objected to was passed, may appeal, and such appeal shall, within ten days after its receipt by the Provincial Board, be forwarded to the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Finance, as the case may be, whose decision shall be final.

"Provided, That the Provincial Board of any province may, in respect to salaries of municipal treasurers in their capacity as deputy of provincial treasurers, authorize as share of the province an amount greater than one-half of the share actually contributed by any municipality, provided the maximum salary rates fixed in this Act are not exceeded."
SEC. 3. Section twenty-two hundred and seventy-three of the Revised Administrative Code, as amended by Republic Act Numbered One hundred and sixty, is further amended to read as follows:
"SEC. 2273. Salaries of members of police force.-The salaries of the chief of police and other members of the police force shall be fixed by the municipal council.

"Except as otherwise specially provided, the annual salaries of members of the municipal police shall not exceed the amounts hereinbelow fixed:

"In municipalities of the first class-A: For the chief of police, twenty-four hundred pesos; for the lieutenant of police, twenty-one hundred and sixty pesos; for the sergeant, sixteen hundred and twenty pesos; for the corporal, thirteen hundred and eighty pesos; and for other members of the police force, thirteen hundred and twenty pesos.

"In municipalities of the first class-B: For the chief of police, twenty-two hundred and eighty pesos; for the lieutenant of police, two thousand and forty pesos; for the sergeant, sixteen hundred and twenty pesos; for the corporal, thirteen hundred and eighty pesos; and for other members of the police force, thirteen hundred and twenty pesos.

"In municipalities of the first class: For the chief of police, twenty-one hundred and sixty pesos; for the lieutenant of police, nineteen hundred and twenty pesos; for the sergeant, sixteen hundred and twenty pesos; for the corporal, thirteen hundred and eighty pesos; and for other members of the police force, thirteen hundred and twenty pesos.

"In municipalities of the second class: For the chief of police, nineteen hundred and twenty pesos; for the sergeant, sixteen hundred and twenty pesos; for the corporal, thirteen hundred and eighty pesos; and for other members of the police force, thirteen hundred and twenty pesos.

"In municipalities of the third class: For the chief of police sixteen hundred and eighty pesos; for the corporal, thirteen hundred and eighty pesos; and for other members of the police force, thirteen hundred and twenty pesos.

"In municipalities of the fourth class: For the chief of Police thirteen hundred and eighty pesos; and for other Members of the police force, eleven hundred and forty pesos.

"In municipalities of the fifth class: For the chief of Police, eleven hundred and forty pesos; and for other members of the police force, one thousand and twenty pesos.

"Any member of the municipal police force who by virtue of Executive Order No. 183, series of 1948, is now receiving a salary higher than the maximum rate fixed for his rank or position in this Act shall not suffer any decrease of salary by virtue of this Act."
SEC. 4. Section twenty-two hundred and ninety-nine of the Revised Administrative Code is hereby amended to read as follows:
"SEC. 2299. General limitation upon amount expendable for salaries and wages.-Except as hereinbelow provided there shall not be expended during any fiscal year for salaries and wages of municipal officials and employees of every description, excluding those employed on public works, in municipalities of the first class-A more than fifty per centum, in municipalities of the first class-B more than fifty-five per centum, in municipalities of the first class more than sixty per centum, in municipalities of the second class more than sixty-five per centum, in municipalities of the third class more than seventy per centum, in municipalities of the fourth class more than eighty per centum, of the annual revenues accruing to the municipal general funds during said fiscal year, exclusive of all balances carried forward from preceding years, and any and all appropriations, loans, or gifts made from national, provincial, or private funds.

"With the approval of the Secretary of Finance the provincial board may authorize any municipality of the province, for justifiable cause, to exceed the foregoing percentages under such limitations as may be prescribed by resolution of said board."
SEC. 5. Upon the approval of this Act and for each period of four consecutive fiscal years thereafter, the Secretary of the Interior shall reclassify all municipalities on the basis of the average annual income of such municipalities during the four consecutive fiscal years immediately preceding such reclassification according to the provisions of this Act. Hereafter there shall be no special or partial reclassification of the municipalities and the provisions of Republic Act Numbered One hundred and thirty relative this matter are hereby repealed.

SEC. 6. Provincial Boards and/or municipal councils the case may be, for the purposes of this Act shall provide in their budgets for the current fiscal year the necessary amounts as may be needed to adjust the salaries mayors, municipal secretaries, municipal treasure members of the municipal police in conformity with the scale of salaries provided for in this Act.

SEC. 7. Executive Order No. 183, series of 1948, and other provisions of law inconsistent with this Act, are hereby repealed.

SEC. 8. The provisions of this Act shall also be applicable to the municipalities in specially-organized provinces.

SEC. 9. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved, June 17, 1950.