Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Legislature assembled and by the authority of the same:

SECTION 1. Any person, corporation, organization, or association desiring to solicit or receive contributions for charitable or public welfare purposes shall first secure a permit to do so from the Director of Public Welfare. Upon the filing of a written application for the permit, in a form duly approved by the Director of Public Welfare, by any person, corporation, organization, or association, the Director of Public Welfare or his authorized representative may or may not, in his discretion, issue a permanent or temporary permit. He may also, in his discretion, renew or revoke, in the interest of the public, any permit issued under this Act. In case of emergency, when the immediate granting of such a permit is necessary in order to carry out the purpose for which the voluntary contributions are being solicited, the justice of the peace of the municipality, wherein the contributions shall be solicited or accepted, in the absence of an authorized representative of the Director of Public Welfare, in such municipality, shall be empowered to issue a temporary permit not exceeding one month or to refuse the issuance thereof. Any action taken by the justice of the peace shall be immediately reported by him to the Director of Public Welfare. The applicant for the permit may, however, appeal to the Director of Public Welfare upon the refusal by said justice of the peace, or by any of his authorized representatives to issue the permit applied for: Provided, That the provisions of this section shall be applied to any person, corporation, organization, or association who from and after the date of the passage of this Act is actually engaged in directly or indirectly soliciting or receiving contributions for charitable or public welfare purposes: And provided, further, That none of the provisions of this Act shall prevent any person or entity from receiving or granting spontaneous alms or donations.

SEC. 2. The Director of Public Welfare may require the person, corporation, organization, or association duly authorized to solicit contributions for the above-mentioned purposes, to submit to him from time to time a verified report or information regarding their activities, showing for the period covered by the report the collections and expenditures made and the names and addresses of both the contributors and the persons to whom assistance was rendered from the funds obtained. This report or information shall be open for inspection of the general public. The Director of Public Welfare or his authorized representative may also, for the protection of the public, investigate the books, papers, affairs and activities related to the aforestated purposes of any such person, corporation, organization, or association: Provided, however, That the provisions of section one of this Act shall not be applied to any organization or institution established for charitable or public welfare purposes in its campaign for raising funds or soliciting public subscription or any means for collecting funds which has been authorized by executive proclamation.

SEC. 3. Any violation of the provisions of this Act shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than six months or by a fine not more than two hundred pesos, in the discretion of the court. If the offender be a corporation, organization, or association, the personal penalty shall be imposed upon its officers.

SEC. 4. This Act shall take effect on its approval.

Approved, October 27, 1933.