WHEREAS, Section 3 of Republic Act No. 4569 provides that no newspaper shall, charge more than three pesos per column inch nor less than two pesos and fifty centavos per column inch for the publication of judicial notices, advertisements or public bidding, notices of auction sales and other similar notices;

WHEREAS, said rate which was fixed ten years ago no longer holds true today, considering the prohibitive cost of paper, ink and other printing materials, labor and other operational expenses;

WHEREAS, the increase of this existing rate is necessary to enable newspapers and other periodicals to continue in their task of disseminating news to the people;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers in me vested by the Constitution, do hereby decree and order the amendment of Republic Act No. 4569 as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 3 of Republic Act No. 4569 is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SECTION 3. No newspaper or periodical shall charge for the publication of said notices and announcements less than ten pesos per column inch, nor more than eighty percent of their regular commercial display advertising rates."

SEC. 2. All laws, decrees, acts, rules and regulations inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Done in the City of Manila, this 4th day of September, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-five.