The Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Re-sources as executive officer.
ART. 94. The Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Re-sources as executive officer.—The Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources shall be the executive officer charged with carrying out the provisions of this Act, through the Director of Mines who shall act under his immediate supervision and control. As such executive officer, the Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources shall be vested with the authority to prescribe rules and regulations and issue orders which he may find necessary to effectuate the provisions and purposes of this Act.
Authority of Secretary of Agriculture and Nat-ural Resources to create necessary offices.
ART. 95. Authority of Secretary of Agriculture and Nat-ural Resources to create necessary offices.—The Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources is authorized to create an Administration Unit and a Technical Board, both under the Director of Mines.
The Administration Unit shall be under the supervision and control of the Director of Mines and shall be charged with the administration of petroleum lands, the preparation of forms and regulations, the settlement of disputes, and the enforcement of the provisions of this Act with the advice of the Technical Board.
The Technical Board shall consist of at least one petroleum engineer and one petroleum geologist, with the Director of Mines ex-officio chairman thereof. The said Board shall have, among others, the following functions:
(a) To act in an advisory or consultative capacity on different technological matters relative to the administra-tion and disposition of petroleum lands under this Act, and on petroleum operation and industry;
(b) To look into the qualifications of applicants for concessions under this Act;
(c To recommend whether or not lands within the National Reserve Areas shall be offered for concession and in case it is so offered, to study all applications for concessions within said areas with a view to determining the relative merits thereof and to submit to the Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources its findings and recommendations thereon;
(d) To determine the relative merits of the conflicting applications for concessions covering lands within Free Areas;
(e) To check on the performances of concessionaries and to determine whether the obligations imposed by this Act and the Regulations promulgated thereunder are being complied with;
(f) To determine the maximum efficient rate of with-drawal from each well or oil field;
(g) To supervise production operations to insure conser-vation of reservoir energy and the optimum recovery from the petroleum deposits in the different oil fields;
(h) In general, to study ways and means to insure the efficient administration of petroleum lands and the effective enforcement of the provisions of this Act and the Regulations;
(i) To keep and maintain a complete record as possible on all phases of exploration, development and production of petroleum in the Philippines, including but not limited to geological and geophysical data, well and production records, petroleum engineering studies, computable petroleum reserve and to prepare therefrom such reports, articles, and bulletins as may be deemed necessary for the proper information of the Government and/or the public.
Funds for salaries and expenses.
ART. 96. Funds for salaries and expenses.—-For the expenses, including salaries and wages of the personnel, of the Administration Unit and of the Technical Board authorized to be created in accordance with article ninety-five of this Act, a sum of two hundred thousand pesos is hereby appropriated from the funds of the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated. Hereafter the same shall be included in the General Appropriation Act.
