Pursuant to the authority vested in me by Commonwealth Act Numbered Three hundred and seventy-eight which empowers the President of the Philippines to designate any Department, Bureau, office, or instrumentality, or to create any office or agency to carry out the provisions of said Act, I, Manuel L. Quezon, President of the Philippines, do hereby create the Rural Progress Administration to be composed of five members who shall be appointed by the President from time to time.

The purpose of the Administration shall be to promote small land ownership and to improve the living conditions and the general welfare of the rural population. To attain these ends, the Administration shall have power, for and in behalf of the Government, to enter into negotiations with the owners of large estates for the purpose of acquiring such estates or parts thereof, through lease for a period not exceeding twenty-five years, with option to purchase the same within the same period, under such terms and conditions as may be advantageous to the public interest.

The Administration shall, upon the recommendation of the Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce and with the approval of the President, take over the management of the homesites acquired in accordance with the provisions of Commonwealth Act Numbered Twenty, as amended by Commonwealth Act Numbered Two hundred sixty.

The Administration shall have power to organize cooperative associations to manage the estates acquired under Commonwealth Act Numbered Three hundred seventy-eight; to grant said cooperative associations credit facilities; to engage in such activities as may be necessary to promote the welfare of the members of the said cooperative associations; and to promulgate rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of said Act.

Subject to approval as required by law or regulation, the Administration shall have authority to appoint such personnel as may be necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Administration and to fix their salaries and conditions of employment. All expenses that may be incurred by the Administration to carry out the provisions of this Executive Order shall be a proper charge against the funds under the control of the Administration.

The Administration shall disburse the funds appropriated under Commonwealth Act Numbered Three hundred seventy-eight and such other funds as may hereafter be appropriated for this purpose, in accordance with a budget approved by the President.

The Administration is hereby authorized to call upon any Department, Bureau, office, agency, or instrumentality of the Government for such information and assistance as it may deem necessary.

Done at the City of Manila, this second day of March, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and thirty-nine, and of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, the fourth.


By the President:

JORGE B. VARGAS
Secretary to the President