[ PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 259, August 01, 1973 ]

AMENDING CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 189, DATED MAY 11, 1973.

I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution as Commander-in-Chief of all the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and pursuant to Proclamation No. 1081, dated September 21, 1972 and General Order No. 1, dated September 22, 1972, as amended, do hereby decree, declare and promulgate the following amendments to Presidential Decree No. 189, dated May 11, 1973, which are hereby approved, adopted and made part of the law of the land.

SECTION 1. To provide for the effectivity of the rules and regulations to be issued by the Department of Tourism, a new section to be known as Section 4-A is hereby added, which shall read as follows:

"SEC 4-A. The rules and regulations promulgated by the Department of Tourism pursuant to the authority granted in this Decree shall take effect thirty (30) days after their publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation."

SEC. 2. To provide penalties for the violation of any provision of the said Decree or of the rules and regulations or circulars of the Department of Tourism, a new section to be known as Section 4-B is hereby added, which shall read as follows:

"SEC. 4-B. Any person violating or causing another to violate any provision of this Decree or of the rules and regulations or circulars promulgated by the Department of Tourism pursuant to its power and authority to license, classify, regulate and/or supervise the operation of all persons, businesses, establishments, facilities and services that cater to, or have anything to do with travelers and tourists, both international and domestic shall, upon conviction by a court of competent jurisdiction, suffer the penalty of imprisonment of not less than two (2) years nor more than five (5) years or a fine of not less than two thousand pesos (P2,000) nor more than five thousand pesos (P5,000) or both, at the discretion of the Court. In addition thereto, such violation shall ipso facto, constitute a valid ground for the revocation of all privileges, permits and authorization granted to such person or entity under this Decree by the Department of Tourism: Provided, however, That if the offender is a corporation, firm, partnership or association, the penalty shall be imposed upon the guilty officer or officers, as the case may be, of the corporation, firm or association, and if such guilty officer or officers is an alien, in addition to the penalties herein prescribed, he or they shall be deported without further proceedings on the part of the Commission on Immigration and Deportation."

SEC. 3. This amendatory Decree shall take effect immediately.

Done in the City of Manila, this 1st day of August, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-three.

			(Sgd.) FERDINAND E. MARCOS President Republic of the Philippines
	By the President:
	(Sgd.) ALEJANDRO MELCHOR
		Assistant Executive Secretary