TO:
WHEREAS, Letter of Instruction No. 263 dated March 31, 1975 authorizes the Philippine Coast Guard to issue permits to salvage derelicts and sunken vessels or wrecks, and the Bureau of Customs to issue permits to salvage cargoes carried by sunken vessels;

WHEREAS, under paragraph 4 of said Letter of Instruction No. 263, all permits shall not be valid unless approved by the President;

WHEREAS, in consonance with the policy of decentralization and work simplification on some routine and administrative matters, there is need to delegate the authority to approve all permits as aforestated;

WHEREFORE, it is hereby directed that:

The authority to approve all salvage permits under paragraph 4 of Letter of Instruction No. 263 dated March 31, 1975 shall be delegated to and exercised by the Secretary of National Defense.

This Letter of Instruction shall take effect immediately.

Done in the City of Manila, this 9th day of February, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-six.

Addendum: Until a national policy is established, no permit for salvage shall be granted except in furtherance of the security of the state.