[ Act No. 3204, December 03, 1924 ]

AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE ISSUE OF BONDS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS IN THE SUM OF THREE MILLION DOLLARS THE PROCEEDS OF THE SALE OF WHICH ARE TO BE USED FOR THE PURCHASE OF AN EQUIVALENT AMOUNT OF BONDS OF THE METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT

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. The  Secretary of  War is hereby  authorized to issue in the name and behalf of the 'Government of the Philippine  Islands bonds  in the amount  of three  million dollars the  proceeds of the sale  of which  shall be used by said Government for the purchase  of an  equivalent par amount of first mortgage bonds  of the Metropolitan Water District  to  be issued for  the  purpose of obtaining funds for the extension of the water supply and sewerage systems of  said district.

The bonds  so authorized to  be  issued  shall  bear such date and be in such form as the  Secretary  of War may determine and shall bear such rate of interest and run for such length of time as may be determined by said official.  Both principal and interest shall be payable in gold coin of the United States at the Treasury of the United States and the interest shall be payable at such  periods as the Secretary of War may determine.   Said bonds  shall be issued at times and in amounts to be determined by the Governor-General upon the recommendation  of the Secretary of Finance, and they may be coupon bonds or registered bonds, convertible, in the discretion of the Secretary of War, into either form, and in the  case of the issue or  transfer of any registered bonds the same shall be registered in  the Treasury of the United  States.

Said bonds  shall be exempt from taxation  by the Government of the Philippine Islands  or by any political or municipal subdivisions thereof, or  by the Government of the United States, 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 State's, 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. 2. The Secretary of War is further authorized to sell said bonds upon such terms as  in  his judgment are most favorable to the Government of the Philippine Islands, and he shall deposit the proceeds  of the  sales  thereof with the 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. 3. The  proceeds of the  sale  of  the  bonds  issued by virtue of this Act are hereby appropriated  for the purpose of  purchasing first  mortgage bonds issued by the Metropolitan Water District under the  provisions  of Act Numbered  Twenty-eight hundred  and thirty-two,  which bonds of the  Metropolitan Water District shall bear the same  date, the same rate of interest, and shall run for the same  period of time as the bonds issued by virtue  of this Act.  The Treasurer of the  Philippine  Islands is  hereby authorized to  purchase said  bonds  of  the   Metropolitan Water District in such amounts and at such times as may be  determined by  the Secretary  of Finance  with the approval of the  Governor-General,  and at  the  same rate at which the Secretary of War sold the bonds issued by virtue of this Act.

SEC. 4. A sinking fund  is hereby  created  for the payment  of the bonds issued under the provisions of this Act, in such a 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  such a  sum, for each million pesos of bonds outstanding, as with interest  at  the rate of three and one-half per centum per  annum  shall be sufficient to retire said bonds at maturity.  Such  sinking 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  law  governing the  investment of sinking funds.

SEC. 5. A standing annual appropriation is  hereby made out of the general funds in the Insular Treasury, not otherwise appropriated, of such sums as  may be  necessary to provide for the sinking fund created in the next  preceding section hereof and for the interest  on the bonds  issued by virtue of this Act.   A further appropriation is  hereby made out of any funds  in the  Insular Treasury, not  otherwise appropriated,  of a  sufficient sum to cover the expenses of the issue and sale of the bonds issued by virtue of this Act: Provided, That the Metropolitan Water District shall reimburse the Government for such expenses within thirty days after the receipt of a statement of the same from the Insular Treasurer.

SEC. 6. The  Metropolitan  Water  District, in lieu of the establishment of a sinking fund for the redemption of the bonds  sold  to  the Government of  the  Philippine Islands under the provisions of this Act, shall obligate itself to pay into the Treasury of the Philippine  Islands annually a sufficient sum  of  money to meet the net requirements of the sinking fund set forth in section four of this Act, anything in the provisions  of Act Numbered  Twenty-eight hundred and thirty-two to the  contrary notwithstanding; and the Insular Treasurer is hereby  authorized  to apply  payments so made,  without further appropriation,  to  meet the requirements  of the sinking fund established in section four hereof: Provided, That if the Metropolitan Water District shall fail, for any reason, to meet promptly the net requirements of the sinking fund set forth in section four hereof or to pay the interest on its bonds purchased by the Government of the  Philippine  Islands  in accordance  with the provisions of section  three  hereof, the treasurer  of the City of Manila, so far  as the City of Manila is concerned, and the provincial treasurer of Rizal, with respect to the municipalities comprising the rest of the  district, are hereby authorized  and directed thirty  days after said  default to proceed to retain out of the revenues of  the City  of Manila and of the municipalities included in the district, that may come into their possession  as belonging to said city and municipalities, the sum necessary,  as may be  determined by  the Insular Auditor, to  meet any delinquencies in the sinking fund  and interest  requirements in this proviso above-mentioned and said officials shall deposit the sums so retained with the Insular Treasurer.

SEC. 7. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved, December 3, 1924.