WHEREAS, I have authorized the Commission on Elections to
study the advisability of revising the referendum questions as embodied
in Presidential Decree No. 637, for the purpose of simplifying the
questions to enable the barangay members to understand them fully;
WHEREAS, the Commission on Elections has submitted its
recommendations which I find to fulfill the purposes which necessitated
the restudy of the questions;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, by virtue of the
powers in me vested by the Constitution, do hereby order and decree as
follows:
SECTION 1. Section 1 of Presidential Decree No. 637, dated
January 7, 1975, is hereby amended to read as follows:
“SECTION 1. Questions for February 27, 1975 Referendum.
— The questions to be submitted in the February 27, 1975 National
Referendum shall be as follows:
“For the Greater Manila Area comprising the cities of Manila,
Quezon, Pasay, and Caloocam; and the municipalities of Valenzuela in
the province of Bulacan; and Las Piñas, Makati, Malabon, Mandaluyong,
Muntinlupa, Navotas, Parañaque, San Juan, Taguig, Pateros, Pasig and
Marikina in the province of Rizal:
On Local Governments and Officials
Do you want the present Mayor-Council form of government now
existing in the cities and municipalities of Greater Manila to continue?
If you do not want the Mayor-Council type to continue do you
favor the President exercising his powers to restructure the local
governments in Greater Manila (four cities and 13 municipalities) into
an integrated system like a Manager or Commission form under such terms
and conditions as he may decide?
On Martial Law
Do you approve of the manner President Marcos has been
exercising his powers under Martial Law and the Constitution, including
the power to issue proclamations, orders, decrees, and instructions with
the force of law?
Do you want the President to continue exercising the same
powers?
For Areas outside of the Greater Manila Area.
On Local Officials
At the expiration of the terms of office of your local elective
officials on December 31, 1975, how do you want their successors chosen:
to be appointed by the President or elected in accordance with the
Election Code?
On Martial Law
Do you approve of the manner President Marcos has been
exercising his powers under Martial Law and the Constitution, including
the power to issue proclamations, orders, decrees, and instructions with
the force of laws?
Do you want the President to continue exercising the same
powers?
SEC. 2. — Section 4 of the same Presidential Decree is hereby
amended to read as follows:
“SEC. 4. Translation into Major Dialects. — The
questions shall be translated into AS MANY MAJOR DIALECTS AS POSSIBLE
[all the dialects spoken by at least 50,000 persons] and such
translation shall be printed in LEAFLET or poster form in sufficient
number using cheap but appropriate material.
AT LEAST THIRTY DAYS BEFORE REFERENDUM DAY THE TRANSLATED
QUESTIONS IN LEAFLET FORM SHALL BE DISSEMINATED AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE TO
ALL BARANGAYS WHERE THE DIALECT USED IN THE TRANSLATION IS SPOKEN.
Done in the City of Manila, this 17th day of January, in the year of
Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-five.
(Sgd.)
FERDINAND E. MARCOS
President of the Philippines
By the President:
(Sgd.)
ROBERTO V. REYES
Acting Executive Secretary
