[ Act No. 3282, November 30, 1926 ]

AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE PROVINCE OF PAMPANGA TO ISSUE BONDS FOR THE PURPOSE OF RAISING FUNDS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF PERMANENT IMPROVEMENTS, AND AUTHORIZING ALSO AN INSULAR GOVERNMENT BOND ISSUE SECURED BY SAID PROVINCIAL BONDS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

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. Pursuant to the provisions of section eleven of the Act of Congress approved August twenty-ninth, nineteen hundred and sixteen,  entitled "An Act to declare the purpose of the people of the United States  as to the future political status of  the people of the Philippine Islands, and to provide a more autonomous government for those Islands," as amended by the Act of Congress approved May thirty-first, nineteen hundred  and twenty-two,  the Province of Pampanga is hereby  authorized to negotiate a loan in the sum of nine hundred and fifty-five thousand pesos, which  shall be used for the construction of permanent improvements as follows: Province of Pampanga, for hospital, fifty thousand  pesos, for high-school  building and grounds,  one hundred thousand pesos, for concrete roads, eight hundred and five  thousand pesos, making a  total of nine hundred and fifty-five thousand pesos.  At the request of the provincial board  of Pampanga, the necessary bonds for said loan shall be issued by the  Governor-General of the Philippine Islands,  who  is hereby authorized to issue the same  in  the name and  behalf of the said province. The bonds so authorized shall be issued in convenient denominations,  in registered form, and. shall be registered and transferable and payable  in the  office of the Insular Treasurer in Manila. They shall have the same date,  bear interest at the same  rate,  and be payable at the same  time as the bonds  of  the  Government of the Philippine Islands authorized  to be issued  in  section  three of this   Act: Provided,  however,  That  the interest  rate on said bonds shall not be in  excess of five and one-half per centum per annum.

SEC. 2.  The Governor-General is further authorized to assign and transfer said bonds to the Government of the Philippine Islands for a consideration, charging the  same to the net proceeds of the sale  of the bonds of the Government  of  the Philippine Islands issued in an  equivalent amount, as provided in section three of this Act, and to deposit the proceeds of said assignment in an authorized depository  of  the Government of  the Philippine  Islands. The proceeds of the  assignment to the Insular Government of said  bonds shall  be  applied by  the Insular Treasurer to the payment  of  the outstanding  indebtedness of the Province of Pampanga  with the Insular Government, and the balance shall be credited  to the "Public Works Bond Issue Fund of the  Province of Pampanga"  and be withdrawn only for the purposes set forth in this Act, by order of the Secretary of Finance.

SEC. 3.  The Secretary of War is hereby authorized to issue in the name and behalf of the Government of the Philippine Islands,  bonds to the amount  of  four  hundred; and seventy-seven thousand live hundred dollars, United States currency, for a term of thirty years, secured by the bonds of the Province of Pampanga hereby authorized and assigned  and transferred  to  the  Insular Government as. provided  in  sections  one  and two  of  this Act.  The  Secretary of War shall determine the form of the Insular bonds, the date of issue thereof, and the rate and dates of payment of the interest thereon,  which rate shall not be in excess of five  and one-half per centum per annum.  The Insular bonds may be coupon bonds or registered bonds, convertible, in the discretion of the Secretary of War, into either form, and shall be registered in the Treasury of the United States, where the principal and interest shall be payable in gold coin  of the United  States.

The Secretary of War is further authorized to  sell such Insular bonds upon such terms and conditions as in his judgment  are most favorable to  the  Government of the Philippine Islands, and he  shall deposit the proceeds of the sale thereof in an authorized depository or depositories of the  Government of the Philippine Islands  in  the United States, to the credit of the Treasurer  of the Philippine Islands.

SEC. 4. The proceeds of the sale of the Insular bonds 'authorized to be issued by this Act are hereby appropriated for the payment of  the bonds issued by the  Province of Pampanga and assigned  and transferred as  security for the  Insular bonds  above  mentioned,  in  accordance  with sections one and two of this Act.

SEC. 5. The  Insular  and  provincial bonds  hereby authorized to be issued shall be exempt from taxation by the Government  of the United States, by the Government of the Philippine Islands or any political or municipal sub- division thereof, or by any State or territory of the United States, or by any county,  municipality, or other municipal subdivision  of any State or territory  of the United States, or by the District  of Columbia, which fact  shall  be  stated upon their  face by virtue  of section one  of  the Act of Congress  approved February sixth, nineteen hundred and five, according to which Act, as well as in accordance with the  Act  of Congress  approved on  August twenty-ninth, nineteen  hundred and  sixteen, as  amended,  and in  accordance  with this Act, the said bonds are issued.

SEC. 6. A sinking fund  is hereby created for the payment of the Insular bonds issued under the  provisions of this Act, in such manner that the total amount thereof at each annual due date of the bond issue  shall be  equal  to  the total of  an annuity of nineteen hundred and  thirty-seven ' pesos and thirteen centavos for each  one hundred thousand pesos of bonds outstanding, accrued at the  rate of interest of three  and one-half per centum per annum.   Said fund shall be  under the custody of the Treasurer of the Philippine Islands, who shall invest the same, in such manner as the Secretary of Finance may approve, in accordance with the provisions of Act Numbered Three thousand and fourteen governing the investment of sinking funds; shall charge all the expenses of such investment to said sinking fund, and shall credit to the same the  interest on investments and other income belonging to it.

SEC. 7. A standing annual appropriation is hereby made out of the general funds in the Insular  Treasury, of such sums as may be necessary to provide for the  sinking fund created in section six  and  for the interest on the Insular bonds issued by virtue of this Act.  A further appropriation  is hereby made  out of the general  funds in the  Insular Treasury, not otherwise appropriated, of a sufficient sum to  cover the expenses of the issue and sale  of  the Insular and  provincial bonds authorized  by this Act.  The Insular Government shall be reimbursed by  the Province of Pampanga for the sums so  disbursed for the sinking fund, interest, and expenses of the issue and sale  of  the bonds,  within thirty days after payment of  said expenses by the Insular Government.  In case the provincial board of Pampanga shall fail to make such reimbursement,  the Collector of  Internal Revenue  and the provincial treasurer of the Province of Pampanga are hereby authorized and directed,  any  provisions of existing  law to  the contrary notwithstanding,  to withhold from  the  revenues of said province  that may come into their possession an amount sufficient to  make said reimbursement or any other reimbursement above  provided and shall deposit said sum with the Treasurer of the Philippine Islands, to the credit of the general  funds of the Insular Government.

SEC. 8. The Director of Public Works  of the Philippine Islands shall have charge and  exclusive  control of all work to be done and improvements  to be made under the provisions of this Act, which work shall be  begun as soon as the Insular  Treasurer shall certify that  the  funds  herein provided  for are  available.

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

Approved, November 30, 1926.