Official Gazette for February 28, 1973: THE PRESIDENT released P2.6 million to provide a counterpart fund for an aquaculture research and production project, primarily for shrimps and Center. Southeast Asian governments, including Japan, have allocated some P4 million for this project during the initial year. The Philippine government has designated the Mindanao State University in Marawi City as the implementing agency for the project. Q. F. Miravite, MSU vice president, who is in charge of the project, informed the President that nowhere in the world, except in the Philippines, has a break through been achieved in the production of shrimps and prawns under laboratory condition. This is the main reason, he said, why SEAFDEC agreed to establish the center in the Philippines. According to Miravite, shrimps and prawn are more profitable to raise. He pointed out that while bangus fishponds yield some P3,000 worth per hectare, prawn ponds are said to produce about P50,000 income per hectare.
PHILIPPINE NATIONAL Red Cross, on the occasion of “Fire Prevention Week”, has issued the following pointers: When there is a fire 1) Once you detect fire or smoke, act quickly. Ask for help as soon as possible. Contact the fire department immediately. 2) If you must leave through thick smoke, stay close to the floor. A wet cloth placed over your face may help breathing. 3) Close doors and windows behind you to prevent the rapid spread of the fire. 4) Know the nearest exits of any building you are in. In case your clothes catch fire—1) Don’t run. Running only fans the flame. 2) If possible, wrap yourself with blanket or mat. 3) If there is nothing to wrap yourself with, drop to the floor and roll over briskly. 4) Avoid the smoke; place yourself close to the floor. 5) If possible douse yourself with water. Some measures to prevent fire—1) Crush thoroughly cigarette butts or cigar stubs. 2) Oil, gas, or other types of lamps should be placed away from curtains and other objects that easily catch fire. 3) Don’t place open lights where the wind, children, cats and other moving objects may topple them. 4) Put out the flame or light before going to bed. 5) Never store flammable liquid near the stove. 6) Extinguish all live charcoals and embers before leaving them. Most fires occur at night. 7) Don’t heat wax, paint and other flammable substance over open flame. 8) Remove the accumulation of leaves, paper, and other trash around your home. 9) Be sure that your electrical wiring are inspected regularly and that circuits are not overloaded.
THE PRESIDENT directed the secretary of finance, the secretary of Trade and Tourism, the Board of Investments and the National Economic and Development Authority to submit their recommendations on the requests of investors to reduce the stock broker’s fee or commission. The President specifically asked these officials to determine how much the broker’s fee is and by how much can it be reduced in the same manner that the government reduced the stock transfer tax from two per cent to one fourth of one per cent. Stock brokers, under existing practice at local stock exchanges, collect two per cent from sales of stock. The Presidential directive was designed to-stir up the economy by encouraging more trading at local stock exchanges. Earlier, the President promulgated Presidential Decree No. 16 exempting capital-gains from taxes, except shares of stock of corporations covered in Sec. 2 of Republic Act No. 1641, provided that such gains are invested within six months from the date the gains are realized in the following: government bonds, government securities, treasury notes, government debentures, and any productive enterprises.
PHILIPPINE MEDICAL Care Commission (PMCC) has received reports that unscrupulous persons have been soliciting money from residences establishments in greater Manila purportedly for Medicare. The PMCC stressed that it has not authorized any fund solicitation and that the persons reportedly soliciting contributions for Medicare are imposters. The public is advised to report to the authorities any persons or group of persons doing fund solicitations in the name of the Medicare program.
SECRETARY OF FINANCE Cesar E. A. Virata sees great employment opportunities during the coming months because of increased activities in government infrastructure projects and private industries. Government infrastructure spending, which will be 70 to 100 per cent more than what was spent last year, will activate many industries and bring about employment opportunities. With continuous flow of development assistance, the Philippines faces a high level of sustained activity in construction programs.
THE PRESIDENT reemphasized the supremacy of civilian authority over, the military, and warned members of the Armed Forces against complacency and display of arrogance which might result in the leas of public support. Speaking at the graduation exercises of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Command and General Staff College at Fort Bonifacio, Rizal, the President said that a wise leader must be on the alert, especially when everything appears
Gen. [Carlos] Cajelo of Cotabato reports the Muslims are reuniting and the young ones are now engaged in secret training for an eventual more bloody confrontation under Ansarul Islam of Domocao Alonto. Madki Alonto is always in Cotabato. Mamintal Tamano has bought land in Cotabato. I attach notes I made.
to be going well. Today, the President said, everything is moving well: there is confidence, a new hope, and a new-found dignity. “But let us not rest on these laurels,” he said. “Let us warn ourselves against the display of arrogance and retain our humility because the bases of our power is the people.” Pointing to the success of the program of reforms, the President said that while the principal mission of the military is to ensure the integrity of the Republic and to protect the people, it has become a creative force for the attainment of more sophisticated aims, thereby acquiring a new kind of dignity. “But the armed forces is nothing but an instrument of popular will. Civilian authority shall continue to be dominant over the military and there shall be no deviation from this,” the President said.
ACCORDING TO THE figures released by the Department of Local Government and Community Development, the country’s local government structure has a pyramidlike profile, with 33,832 barrios serving as the broad base, 1,429 municipalities, 21 municipal districts, 61 cities, 68 provinces and three subprovinces. The country has a total of 317,907 local officials, broken down as follows: 68 provincial governors, 68 vice governors, 167 board members, 60 city mayors, 60 vice mayors, 485 city councilors, 1,450 municipal mayors, 1,450 municipal vice mayors, 11,237 municipal councilors, 33,832 barrio captains, 202,926 barrio councilmen, 33,832 barrio secretaries and 33,832 barrio treasurers. It was noted that the town of Miagao in Iloilo is the municipality with the most number of barrios 119 while the province of Cebu has the most number of towns 48. Batanes province has the least number of towns six and the least number of barrios, 27. The DLGCD also reported that there is an apparent moratorium among the local governments in the creation of more barrios since the ratification of the new charter. The provincial boards, it was pointed, are waiting for the drafting of a local government code before creating more barrios.
HOLDERS OF EXCESS or unauthorized firearms who failed to beat the Feb. 28 deadline may still surrender them to the Philippine Constabulary without incurring penalties by depositing them in “garbage boxes” placed by the PC in front of all camps and other prominent places. Brig. Gen. Fidel V. Ramos, PC chief, announced that it was decided to give holders of excess or unauthorized firearms a last chance to surrender them. He warned, however, that those who continue to disregard this last chance must face the consequences sooner or later. Holders of these excess firearms are instructed to wrap their firearms, including their corresponding licenses, and drop them inside the “garbage box”.
BUREAU OF INTERNAL Revenue urged Filipinos to send copies of the new BIR tax forms to their relatives abroad to facilitate the latter’s payment of just taxes to the Philippine government. The BIR said the salient features of the amendments to the National Internal Revenue Code, as contained in Presidential Decree No. 69, offer liberal tax concessions to Filipinos residing and earning income abroad, Dec. 21 of the amended code imposes a tax upon non-resident citizens on their gross income received from sources without or outside the Philippines at the following rates one per cent for income not over S6,000, two per cent for income over $6,000 but not over $20,000, and three per cent for over $20,000. The income tax return of a non-resident citizen may be filed with the Philippine Embassy or an officer of the Philippine Consulate General nearest to his place of residence. Non-resident citizens deriving income from sources within and without the Philippines should file two income tax returns: a) BIR Form No. 1901 or BIR Form No. 17.01-A, for income derived from sources within the Philippines.
REALTY TAXES on tenanted rice and corn lands should be paid by the tenant-farmers beginning this year if the lands are 100 hectares or more in area but the real estate taxes should be paid by the present landowners if the lands are less than 100 hectares. Justice Secretary Vicente Abad Santos issued the legal opinion in reply to a request from the secretary of agrarian reform who stated that in view of Presidential Decree No. 27 declaring that tenant-farmers “shall be deemed owners” of the lands they till, there is now a serious problem arising from the refusal of landowners to pay real estate taxes due on their tenanted rice and corn lands. He said, however, that as regards lands containing less than 100 hectares, it is believed that, all things considered, it would be more logical and reasonable to conclude that pending implementation of the decree as to those lands, the ownership of the lands remains with or is still retained by the present landowners, hence the real estate taxes should, accordingly, be paid by the said landowners.
But I have ordered a suspension of all military operations of the Armed Forces in Jolo pending over operations in Basilan and Zamboanga del Sur and Norte where our men have attacked successfully concentrations of the rebels.
The Mindanao State University Vice President Mirante and Pres. Tamano report that they have just attained a breakthrough in the culture and production of prawn fry under laboratory conditions. They identify pregnant prawns. If we can have all these prawn fry we could increase the profits from fishponds from P3,000 per hectare (now from bangus) to P40,000-P50,000.
I attach a prepared source-material on the Bangkok Post article.