WHEREAS, Section 6, Article II of the Constitution provides that "the State shall promote social justice to ensure the dignity, welfare, and security of all the people. Towards this end, the State shall regulate the acquisition, ownership, use, enjoyment, and disposition of private property, and equitably diffuse property ownership and profits";

WHEREAS, pursuant to the above constitutional mandate, Batas Blg. 25 was enacted whereby the government regulated the rentals of dwelling units or of land on which another's dwelling is located, not exceeding three hundred pesos (P300) a month, for the purpose of preventing the unreasonable rise of rentals so as to alleviate the plight of many people who have no dwelling units or land of their own;

WHEREAS, as an added implementing measure, Proclamation No. 1893 was issued declaring Metropolitan Manila as an urban land reform zone to prevent the unreasonable rise in the prices of lands in the area; and

WHEREAS, in order to more effectively promote social justice, it is further necessary to freeze the present rates of rentals of residential and commercial buildings, apartments, houses and dwelling units in Metropolitan Manila, above three hundred pesos (P300) a month, until appropriate guidelines, rules and regulations shall have been adopted pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 1517 which proclaimed urban land reform in this country;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby order and decree:

SECTION 1. The rates of rental of residential and commercial buildings, houses, apartments and dwelling units in Metropolitan Manila, exceeding three hundred pesos (P300) a month, are hereby frozen at their current levels until further orders.

SEC. 2. Any person violating any provision of this Decree shall be punished by imprisonment of not less than three (3) months nor more than two (2) years and a fine of not less than one thousand pesos (P1,000) nor more than two thousand pesos (P2,000). Where the offender is a corporation or a juridical entity, the President or General Manager thereof shall suffer the penalty, without prejudice to the imposition of the fine on such corporation or juridical entity.

SEC. 3. All laws, decrees, rules and regulations inconsistent with this Decree are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 4. This Decree shall take effect immediately.

Done in the City of Manila, this 21st day of September, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-nine.

			(Sgd.) FERDINAND E. MARCOS President of the Philippines
	By the President:
	(Sgd.) JACOBO C. CLAVE
		Presidential Executive Assistant