1:00 PM Feb. 24
On board the 777
Official Gazette for February 23, 1973: THE PRESIDENT directed all heads of departments, bureaus and agencies of the government, including the local governments, to extend the tallest support to the scouting movement and its projects, and to all other groups with similar objectives. The President, in a memorandum circular, pointed out that the Boy Scouts of the Philippines is now engaged in promoting the various government programs, notably the food production and Green Revolution drives; the conservation and reforestation program; the beautification, health and sanitation program, and the campaign against drug addiction. The President issued the memorandum following the call at Malacañang of some 250 delegates to the BSP Special Key-Three Conference held in Manila. The delegates which represented all the 77 local BSP councils from the different provinces and cities, presented the President with a resolution informing him that the BSP, “now more than ever, commits its unequivocal support and active involvement of its manpower and resources to help improve the lot of the people and to help achieve the aims of the New Society, so that the Filipino may live in a new atmosphere of peace, justice, dignity and prosperity.”
BUREAU OF INTERNAL REVENUE announced that taxpayers who file their 1972 income tax returns on or before April 16, 1973, may still claim exemptions for dependents not over 23 years old as of last Dec. 31, 1972. The announcement was made in view of Presidential Decree No. 69 which reduces the age limit of dependents from 23 to 21 and imposes a limit of only four dependents who will be entitled to exemption. The BIR explained that the limitation took effect only last Jan. 1, 1973 and does not affect the taxpayer’s 1972 income tax returns.
THERE IS NO FEE OR CHARGE required in the filing of the sworn statement of the true value of real property when this is subscribed under oath before the provincial or city assessor, the municipal treasurer or before any public officer authorized to administer oath. The clarification was issued by the Department of Finance in view complaints from the public regarding fees charged in connection with filing of sworn statements on real property as required by Presidential Decree No. 76. The uniform and simplified sworn statement forms will be given free for the use of property owners in the local government offices where the properties are located. Presidential Decree No. 76 requires all persons, natural or juridical, owning or administering real property including the improvements thereon, to file sworn statements on the value of their real property as a basis for tax assessments. These sworn statements shall be filed with the provincial or city or the municipal treasurer not later than June 30, 1973.
SECRETARY OF INFORMATION Francisco S. Tatad announced the appointment of the acting director and acting assistant director of the Bureau of National and Foreign Information (BNFI) and the Bureau of Standards for Mass Media (BSMM) under the Department of Public Information Named acting BNFI director was Lorenzo J. Cruz, with Florentino Macabenta as acting assistant director. Appointed acting BSMM director was Andres Cristobal Cruz, with Amante Bigornia as acting assistant director. Secretary Tatad said these new appointments will considerably improve the services of the DPI and afford better consultation between the DPI and the mass media for the purpose of improving the performance of the media.
THE PRESIDENT DIRECTED the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Board of Investments and Central Bank to take immediate steps to limit the area planted to banana only to what the current export market can absorb. The directive was contained m Letter of Instruction No. 53 which states that the area to be planted for export bananas shall be the optimum hectarage which can be absorbed by the Japanese market and other markets as may be developed in the future without creating a surplus situation that could depress the export price of bananas. Under present conditions and until new markets can be developed or an unexpected increase in the Japanese market occurs, the hectarage planted to bananas for export shall be limited to not more than 21,000 hectares, to be distributed among present banana producers in accordance with certain guidelines.
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INFORMATION clarified that individual clearances for the publication of school yearbooks or annuals should be secured from the, office of the DPI secretary. All such requests for clearances should be addressed to the office of the. DPI secretary in Malacañang, and not to the Mass Media Council in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. The clarification was made in answer to queries from interested parties who wanted to know whether their communications should be forwarded to the Mass Media Council or to the office of the DPI secretary in Malacañang, hi view of the fact that Secretary Francisco S. Tatad is also the chairman of the Mass Media Council.
We leave for Talaga Tomorrow
Loyd Hand is with us.—
I will have to prepare an answer to the fabrications in the statements of Ninoy [Benigno] Aquino [Jr.] which have found their way to the Hongkong Standard and the Bangkok Post.
“He has certainly turned into an imaginative fiction writer.”
I attach the editorial and a news story of the Hongkong Standard as well as the news stories of the Bangkok Post.
We should disregard his antics but try him.
The stock exchange here has become wild. Atlas has moved from P72 to P120 a share. Phil. Iron which had stated it was phasing out its operations jumped from P.06 to P.l7.
Today the biggest volume of sales in the history of the stock exchange was registered—about P60 million. In the past two years average volume has been P1 to P2 million.
Looks like an economic boom is in the making.