AN ACT AMENDING CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NUMBERED FIFTY-NINE HUNDRED AND SIX, KNOWN AS THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF PUERTO PRINCESA, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

• Number: Republic Act No. 6608
• Sections: 15

Section 1

SECTION 1. Section seven of Republic Act Numbered Fifty-nine hundred and six is hereby amended to read as follows;

"SEC. 7 The City Mayor.—The City Mayor shall be the chief executive of the city. He shall be elected by the qualified voters of the city and shall hold office for a term of four years. He shall receive a compensation of not less than twelve thousand six hundred pesos per annum and shall be entitled in addition to his salary, to a commutable allowance of not exceeding six thousand pesos per annum. No person shall be eligible for election as City Mayor, unless he is not less than thirty years of age, a resident of the city for the last two years prior to his election and a qualified voter therein."

Section 2 Section eight of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows: "SEC. 8. The City Vice-Mayor.

SEC. 2. Section eight of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 8. The City Vice-Mayor.—There shall be a City Vice Mayor who shall be chosen in the same manner as the City Mayor, and shall possess the same qualifications as that of the City Mayor. He shall perform the duties, and exercise the powers of the City Mayor in the event of the death, sickness, absence or other temporary incapacity of the incumbent or in the event of permanent vacancy in the position of the City Mayor. If, for any reason the City Vice Mayor is temporarily incapacitated in the performance of the duties of the City Mayor, or said office of the City Vice Mayor is vacant, the duties and powers of the City Mayor shall be performed and exercised by the councilor who obtained the highest number of votes during the election for members of the City Council. The City Vice-Mayor shall be the presiding officer of the City Council, with no right to vote except in case of tie and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned to him by the City Mayor or prescribed by law or ordinance. He shall receive a compensation of not less than seven thousand eight hundred pesos per annum.

"The Vice Mayor whenever he is designated as Acting Mayor or any other elective official designed by the Mayor as Acting Mayor shall receive compensation equivalent to the salary of the Mayor during the inclusive period thereof."

Section 3

SEC. 3. The first paragraph of Section ten of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 10. Secretary of the City Mayor.—The City Mayor shall appoint a Secretary who shall hold office at the pleasure of the City Mayor. He shall have the rank of a department head and shall perform such duties as are required of heads of departments of the city government as provided for in Section eighteen thereof. He shall receive a salary, allowances and privileges equivalent of a department head of the city government."

Section 4

SEC. 4. The first paragraph of Section thirteen of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 13. The Secretary of the City Council.—The City Council shall have a secretary who shall be appointed by the City Mayor to serve during the term of office of the appointing officer. The compensation of the secretary shall be fixed by the City Council and shall be not less than six thousand pesos per annum. A vacancy in the office of the secretary shall be filled temporarily for the unexpired term by the City Mayor."

Section 5

SEC. 5. The first paragraph of Section nineteen of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 19. Appointment and Removal of Employees.—The President of the Philippines, with the consent of the Commission on Appointments, shall appoint the city judge and auxiliary judge of the city court, the city fiscal and his two assistants, the city treasurer, the city health officer, the city engineer and the city register of deeds. Said officers shall not be suspended nor removed except in the manner and for caused provided by law."

Section 6

SEC. 6. Sections twenty-one, twenty-two and twenty three of the same Act are hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 21. The General Auditing Office.—The Auditor General shall receive and audit all accounts of the city, in accordance with the provisions of law relating to government accounts and accounting. The city auditor shall be appointed by the Auditor General and shall receive the salary of not less than eleven thousand four hundred pesos per annum, one half to be paid by the national government and the other half by the city.

"He shall likewise perform the duties of auditing disbursement of national funds by the city engineer's office.

"SEC. 22. The Bureau of Public Schools.—The Director of Public Schools shall exercise the same jurisdiction and powers in the city as elsewhere in the Philippines. There shall be a city superintendent of schools who shall be appointed in the same manner as provided for in the appointment of division superintendent of schools. He shall have all the powers and duties in respect to the schools of the city as are vested in division superintendents in respect to schools of their division: Provided, That the salaries of the city superintendent of schools supervisors, principals, head teachers, teachers, and other operational expenses of the primary, intermediate, high schools, and other public schools in the city, except city barrio high schools, shall be borne by the National Government.

"The city superintendent of schools shall make quarterly report of conditions of schools and schools buildings in the city to the City Mayor and the Director of Public Schools, and such recommendations as seem to him wise relating to improving the schools or school buildings in the city.

"SEC. 23. The City Register of Deeds.—There shall be a register of deeds for the City of Puerto Princesa who shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines with the consent of the Commission on Appointments and who shall receive a salary as prescribed by law which shall be paid by the National Government.

"No person shall be appointed to the office of city register of deeds unless he has been a member of the Philippine Bar, and authorized to practice law in the Philippines for over five years. This qualification shall, however, not be required in the case of officers designated temporarily to perform the duties of register of deeds.

The register of deeds shall perform all the functions and duties prescribed by existing law for register of deeds of chartered cities and provinces."

Section 7

SEC.7. Section fifty-four of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 54. Allotment of Internal Revenue and other taxes.—On the allotment share of provinces and cities as provided for in the penultimate paragraph of Section eight, Commonwealth Act Numbered Five hundred eighty-six, as amended by Republic Act Numbered Seven hundred eighty-one and other taxes collected by the National Government and allotted to the various provinces and municipalities, as well as the National aid for schools, the city shall received the shares which it should receive if it were both a municipality and a regularly organized province, and for the purpose hereof shall be deemed to be both the one and the other, the provisions of Section thirteen of Republic Act Numbered Fifty-one hundred and eighty-five to the contrary notwithstanding: Provided, That beginning with the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and sixty-nine and every fiscal year thereafter the share of the city from the regular internal revenue allotment shall not be less than the amount credited to it actually received as of June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and seventy-one which is bigger: and Provided, further, that the share of the Province of Palawan from fees, fines or forfeitures collected in the City of Puerto Princesa in connection with the registration of aliens shall be credited to the city for its general purposes."

Section 8

SEC. 8. The same Act is hereby amended by inserting between Sections fifty-four and fifty-five thereof, a new section to be known as Section fifty-four-A to read as follows:

"SEC. 54-A. Income Tax Withheld from Wages.—The net proceeds in every fiscal year representing the gross collection in the City of Puerto Princesa of income tax withheld from the wages under Supplement (A) of Title Two of the National Internal Revenue Code, as amended by Republic Act Numbered Five hundred ninety, minus the refund thereof authorized in the same fiscal year, shall be credited and remitted to the City of Puerto Princesa."

Section 9

SEC. 9. Section seventy-two of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 72. Execution of authorized public works and improvements.—All repair or construction of any work or public improvements, except parks, boulevards, streets, or alleys, involving an estimated cost of twenty thousand pesos or more shall be awarded by the City Mayor upon the recommendation of the city engineer to the lowest responsible bidder after public advertisement by posting notices of the call for bids in conspicuous places in the City Hall and other public places, which shall not be less than ten days duration: Provided, however, That the city engineer may with the approval of the Secretary of Public Works and Communications upon recommendation of the City Mayor, execute by administration any such public works costing twenty thousand pesos or more.

"In case of public works involving an expenditure of less than twenty thousand pesos, it shall be discretionary with the city engineer upon approval of the City Mayor whether to proceed with the work himself or to let the contract to the lowest bidder after such publications and notice as shall be deemed appropriate or as may be, by regulations prescribed."

Section 10

SEC. 10. The first paragraph of Section seventy-four of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 74. The City Fiscal - His powers and duties.—There shall be a city fiscal and two assistant city fiscals, who shall be known as the first and second assistant city fiscals. The incumbent assistant city fiscal at the time of the approval of this Act shall be known as the first assistant city fiscal and only the position of second assistant city fiscal shall be considered a new vacancy which shall be filled in the manner provided for by existing law. The city fiscal shall be the chief of the prosecution department of the fiscal and the second assistant city fiscal shall discharge their duties under the general supervision of the Secretary of Justice. The city fiscal and his assistants shall have the following powers and duties."

Section 11

SEC. 11. Section seventy-five of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 75. Compensation of City Fiscal and Assistant City Fiscals.—The city fiscal, first assistant city fiscal and second assistant city fiscal shall receive each a salary in accordance with existing law which shall be paid by the National Government and shall be included in the annual appropriation of the Department of Justice: Provided, That after the approval, of this Act and pending the inclusion of the salaries of the city fiscal, first assistant city fiscal and second assistant city fiscal in the annual appropriation of the Department of Justice, the City of Puerto Princesa shall, in the meantime pay the salaries of the city fiscal and the first assistant city fiscal."

Section 12

SEC. 12. Subparagraph —(g), Section seventy-six of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

"(g) Have control and supervision over puericulture centers, rural health units and social services of the city;"

Section 13

SEC. 13. The last paragraph of Section eighty-one of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

"The city judge shall receive a salary of not less than eighteen thousand six hundred pesos per annum, the provisions of existing laws to the contrary notwithstanding: Provided, however, That the difference between the present salary for the city judge and that the amount herein fixed shall be paid out of the funds of the city treasury: Provided, further, That the payment of said salary difference shall be subject to implementation by the city government."

Section 14

SEC. 14. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated, out of any funds in the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated, such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.

Section 15

SEC. 15. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved, October 23, 1972.