Republic Act No. 1150

-The following sums, or so much thereof as may be necessary, are appropriated out of any funds in the Philippine Treasury not otherwise appropriated for the operation of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines during the period from July first, nineteen hundred and fifty-four to June thirtieth nineteen hundred and fifty-five, except where otherwise specifically provided:

[For the sake of brevity, the itemization under this Section of the funds appropriated for the operation of the Government had been deleted. Please refer to the unabridged version of the pertinent General Appropriations Act for the details.]

General Provisions

Authority to pay salaries not in conformity with the prescribed grades or rates of compensation.* -Payment to incumbent employees of salaries the rates of which are not in conformity with the schedule of grades or rates of compensation provided in section three of Commonwealth Act Numbered Four hundred and two, as amended, is hereby authorized: Provided, That new appointments, whether original or promotional, to positions not carrying the salary rates prescribed in Commonwealth Act Numbered Four hundred and two, as amended, shall be made only at the rates authorized in the said Act.

Authority to use savings in appropriations for "salaries and wages," for "sundry expenses," and for "furniture and equipment" to cover deficits. -Except as otherwise provided in this Act, any savings in the regular appropriations authorized in this Act for the Executive Departments for salaries and wages, for sundry expenses, and for furniture and equipment of the bureaus and offices under any Department, may, with the approval of the President, be used to cover a deficit in any other item of the regular appropriations, except for salaries and wages, under the same Department. Likewise, any savings in the appropriations for salaries and wages, for sundry expenses, and for furniture and equipment of any item under "special purposes," may, with the approval of the President, be used to cover a deficit in any other item of appropriation, except for salaries and wages, under the same or other special purpose under the same Department. In no case, however, shall any item in the regular appropriations and appropriations for "special purposes" be augmented, pursuant to the authority granted in this section, by more than fifty per centum of the original appropriation provided in this Act for such item.

-The Auditor General and the Commissioner of the Budget shall report separately to the Congress quarterly any transfers of appropriation made to cover a deficit, the report to specify the items and the amounts involved and in as many copies as there are members thereof.

-The President of the Philippines is authorized to use any savings in the appropriations authorized in this Act for the Executive Departments (1) for the payment of claims under section 699 of the Revised Administrative Code and the Workmens Compensation Act, whichever is applicable, to officers, employees and laborers who died or were injured in line of duty;

-Except as otherwise provided in this Act and whenever in his judgment the public interest so requires, the President is authorized to suspend or otherwise stop the expenditure of any amount herein appropriated in any item or items for the Executive Departments for any purpose, except those for salaries of positions with incumbents, and thereupon the funds affected by such action shall become available for any other expenditures authorized in this Act for the Executive Departments as the President may determine, except for salaries and wages. In no case, however, shall any item of appropriation be augmented, pursuant to the authority granted in this section, by more than fifty per centum of the original appropriation provided in this Act for such item. The Auditor General and the Commissioner of the Budget shall report separately to the Congress within a period of thirty days any suspension or transfer of funds made by the President during the previous quarter.

The item of appropriation for "excess of actual salary" provided in this Act under "salaries and wages" shall be paid to the incumbent of the position to which said "excess" pertains who is actually receiving the same "excess" as part of the salary granted to him upon his appointment to the said position before the reduction of the basic pay thereof to the amount provided herein: Provided, However, That if the position be vacated and the successor to its previous incumbent shall have previously received an equal salary plus the "excess of actual salary" in the same or any other branch of the government service, such excess shall be allowable to him.

a. No appropriation to any bureau, office or agency shall become available for expenditure until such bureau, office or agency shall have submitted to the Commissioner of the Budget a request for allotment of funds, such request for allotment to consist of an estimate of the amount required for each activity and each purpose for which money is to be expended during the applicable allotment period, and until such estimate contained in the said request for allotment shall have been approved, increased or decreased by the Commissioner of the Budget and funds allotted therefor as hereinafter provided. The form of the said request for allotment shall be prescribed by the Commissioner of the Budget and shall be submitted to him at least 25 days prior to the beginning of the first allotment period. b. For purposes of the administration of the allotment system herein provided, each fiscal year shall be divided into four quarterly allotment periods beginning, respectively, on the first day of July, October, January and April: Provided, That in any case where the quarterly allotment period is impracticable, the Commissioner of the Budget may prescribe a different period suited to the circumstances but not extending beyond the end of the fiscal year. c. Each request for allotment shall be reviewed by the Commissioner of the Budget and the respective amounts therein shall be allotted for expenditures, provided the estimate therein is within the terms of the appropriations as to amount and purpose, having due regard for the probable future needs of the bureau, office or agency for the remainder of the fiscal year or other term for which the appropriation was made, and provided the bureau, office or agency contemplates expenditure of the allotment during the period. Otherwise, the said Commissioner of the Budget shall act promptly upon all requests for allotment and terms of the appropriation and the prospective needs of the bureau, office or agency, and shall reduce the amount to be allotted accordingly. The Commissioner of the Budget shall act promptly upon all requests for allotment and shall notify every bureau, office or agency of its allotments at least 5 days before the beginning of each allotment period. The total amount allotted to any bureau, office or agency for the fiscal year or other term for which the appropriation was made shall not exceed the amount appropriated for said year or term. d. The Commissioner of the Budget shall also have authority at any time to modify or amend any allotment previously made by him. e. In case the Commissioner of the Budget shall discover at any time that the probable receipts from taxes or other sources for any fund will be less than were anticipated and that as a consequence the amount available for the remainder of the term of the appropriation, or for any allotment period will be less than the amount estimated or allotted therefor, he shall, with the approval of the President, and after notice to the bureau, office or agency concerned, reduce the amount or amounts allotted, or to be allotted, so as to prevent a deficit. f. The Commissioner of the Budget shall promptly transmit records of all allotments and modifications thereof to the Auditor General, the Chairman of the Committee on Finance of the Senate and the Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives. g. The Commissioner of the Budget shall maintain records showing at all times by funds, accounts, and other pertinent classifications for the amounts appropriated, the estimated revenues, the actual revenues or receipts, the amounts allotted and available for expenditures, the unliquidated obligations, actual balances on hand, and the unencumbered balances of the allotments for each bureau, office or agency. h. No payment shall be made and no obligation shall be incurred against any fund, allotment or appropriation unless the accounting officers of the Budget Commission shall first certify that there is a sufficient unencumbered balance in such fund, allotment or appropriation, after taking into consideration all previous expenditures and outstanding obligations, to meet the same. i. Every expenditure or obligation authorized or incurred in violation of the provisions of this Act shall be void. Every payment made in violation of the provisions of this Act shall be illegal, and every official authorizing or making such payment, or taking part therein, and every person receiving such payment, or any part thereof, shall be jointly and severally liable to the Government for the full amount so paid or received. If any officer or employee of the Government shall knowingly incur any obligation or shall authorize or make any expenditure in violation of the provisions of this Act, or take part therein, it shall be ground for his removal by the officer appointing him, and if the appointing officer be other than the President and shall fail to remove such officer or employee, the President shall exercise such power of removal after giving notice of the charges and opportunity for hearing thereon to the accused officer or employee and to the officer appointing him. j. Since the effective operation of the allotment system with respect to the appropriations authorized in this Act is affected by the appropriations authorized in other acts, the provisions of this section relating to the allotments system are hereby made expressly applicable to other appropriations and funds of all kinds, including standing or continuing appropriations, and special trust and other funds; but the provisions hereof relating to the allotment system shall not apply to appropriations for the Congress of the Philippines, Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Courts of First Instance and Justice of the Peace Courts nor to appropriations or any other monies made available for the General Auditing Office and the Commission on Elections.

-The chiefs of bureaus and offices shall establish reserves of not less than five per centum of the total appropriation of their respective bureaus and offices to provide for contingencies and emergencies which would otherwise require a deficiency appropriation. All or a portion of an appropriation may be reserved when it is determined that the amounts involved may not be needed. Should conditions change during the fiscal year which would justify the use of the reserve, the necessary adjustment may be made by the Commissioner of the Budget when requested by the bureau or office affected.

Purchase of locally manufactured furniture, equipment, parts, accessories, supplies and materials. -All appropriations for the purchase of furniture, equipment, supplies and materials authorized in this Act shall be available only for locally manufactured furniture, equipment, parts, accessories, supplies and materials, except when none is available in the market, or when the prices of the locally manufactured article exceed those determined by the Flag Law by ten per cent.

Renting of automobiles, jitneys or trucks for a continuous period exceeding fifteen days prohibited. -No appropriation provided in this Act for the Executive Departments shall be used for renting automobiles, jitneys or trucks on the monthly basis nor on the daily basis for a continuous period exceeding fifteen days.

-No appropriation authorized in this Act shall be used for the purchase of automobiles, jitneys, jeeps, station wagons, motorcycles and other motor vehicles unless otherwise specifically provided in this Act.

-The following officials are entitled to use government motor transportation chargeable against the appropriations authorized in this Act:

-The Department Heads, including the Administrator of Economic Coordination, the Commissioner of the Budget, the Chairman of the Commission on Elections, and the Social Welfare Administrator are hereby granted a commutable transportation allowance of two hundred fifty pesos each per month; the Undersecretaries of Departments and officials with the same rank, the Public Service Commissioner, the Legislative Secretary, the Legislative Liaison Officer, and the Presiding Judge of the Court of Industrial Relations, two hundred pesos each per month; and the following Directors or chiefs of bureaus and offices, and the Sergeant At Arms of the House of Representatives, one hundred pesos each per month, chargeable against the appropriations authorized in this Act for their respective offices:

Bureaus and offices entitled to use, operate and maintain government motor vehicles and launches. -No bureau or office shall use, operate or maintain from the appropriations authorized in this Act government service cars, jeeps, station wagons, vans, service trucks, pick-up trucks, launches, speedboats, motorcycles, etc., except the following:

-The use of government motor vehicles by bureaus and offices for the purposes enumerated in section fifteen hereof shall be authorized only through the issuance for each trip of a serially numbered ticket, duly signed by the chief or the administrative officer of the bureau or office concerned. These motor vehicles shall be used strictly for official business, bear government plates only and after office hours kept in the garage provided therefor by the bureau or office to which they belong, except when in use for strictly official business outside office hours.

-With the exception of the President, no government official or employee authorized to use any vehicle operated and maintained from the funds appropriated in this Act shall be allowed to use more than one such motor vehicle: Provided, However, That the Vice-President, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives may be allowed to use two motor vehicles each: And Provided, finally, That no official who has been furnished motor transportation by any government corporation shall be allowed to use motor vehicle transportation operated and maintained from funds appropriated in this Act.

The Auditor General is hereby empowered to issue rules and regulations for the proper implementation and enforcement of the provisions of this section and sections 14, 15 and 16.

-All motor vehicles owned by or assigned to the different departments, bureaus, offices and branches of the National Government not needed by the officials and for the purposes enumerated in sections thirteen and fifteen of this Act shall be disposed of to the highest bidder at public auction sales announced in newspapers of general circulation at least ten days before the sale: Provided, That the former user thereof shall be given preference if he offers and pays a price equal to that of the highest bid by others.

Prohibition against the use of appropriations for the payment of salaries and wages of officers or employees engaged in a strike against the Government. -Subject to existing civil service rules and regulations and the proper administrative proceedings, no part of the funds of, or available for expenditure by, any agency included in this Act shall be used to pay the salary or wages of any officer or employee who engages in a strike against the Government of the Republic of the Philippines or who is a member of an organization of government employees that in the opinion of the Secretary of Justice asserts the right to strike against the Government of the Republic of the Philippines, or who in the opinion of said Secretary of Justice advocates, or is a member of an organization that advocates, the overthrow of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines by force or violence: Provided, That for the purposes hereof an affidavit shall be considered sufficient evidence that the person making the affidavit has not, contrary to the provisions of this section, engaged in a strike against the Government of the Republic of the Philippines, is not a member of any organization of government employees that asserts the right to strike against the Government of the Republic of the Philippines, or that such person does not advocate, and is not a member of an organization that advocates, the overthrow of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines by force or violence.

-No per diems in excess of fifty pesos shall be paid to any official or employee traveling outside of the Philippines.

-The provisions of Republic Act No. 660 to the contrary notwithstanding, no savings from salaries and wages under the general fund and the special, revolving, trust, depository and other funds shall be transferred to the Government Service Insurance System.

Reinsurance of government buildings to be equitably distributed among private insurance companies in the Philippines. -In all cases where appropriations are provided in this Act for payment of premiums covering the insurance of government buildings with the Property Insurance Fund, reinsurance shall be equitably distributed among private insurance companies doing business in the Philippines on uniform terms, conditions and rates of premiums.

-The provisions of section 6 of this Act to the contrary notwithstanding, no amount appropriated for the Department of National Defense shall be transferred to any other Executive Department.

-Any vacant position in any bureau or office in any Executive Department may be abolished and the savings resulting therefrom shall be available for standardizing under the provisions of Commonwealth Act Numbered Four hundred two, as amended, the salaries of other positions in any bureau or office within the same Executive Department: PROVIDED, That the maximum salary may be fixed at seven thousand two hundred pesos per annum, the provisions of the said Commonwealth Act, as amended, to the contrary notwithstanding.

Authority to harmonize the appropriation structure with the new terminology of classification of accounts prescribed in Auditor General Circular No. 29. -The Commissioner of the Budget is hereby authorized to harmonize the appropriation structure with the new terminology of classification of accounts prescribed in Auditor General Circular No. 29: PROVIDED, That such reclassification shall not increase or decrease the aggregate sum appropriated in this Act for the various objects affected under each Department, bureau or office.

The Committee on Finance of the Senate and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives to look into all matters relating to public expenditures. -The Committee on Finance of the Senate and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives are hereby authorized to look at any time into all matters relating to funds for the expenditures of the National Government and for the payment of public indebtedness; auditing of accounts and expenditures of the National Government; claims against the Government; and in general all matters relating to public expenditures.

-No expenditure shall be incurred, nor any disbursement made, out of the appropriations authorized in this Act from special, revolving and trust funds and from receipts automatically appropriated which will exceed at any one time either the fund itself or the cash in the National Treasury pertaining to such fund.

-The appropriations provided in this Act for carrying out the activities heretofore financed from the receipts of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Fund shall continue to be charged against the said Fund, and the Board of Directors of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes shall allot the amounts thereof in the distribution of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Fund.

-This Act shall take effect on July first, nineteen hundred and fifty-four, except where otherwise stated.