Conservation and utilization of natural resources

Title

Language

English

Year

1949

Subject

Philippines. Constitutions.

Natural resources.

Conservation of natural resources.

Agriculture.

Farms.

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

CONSERVATION AND UTILIZATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES (Art. XIII, Constitution of the Philip· pines) SECTION 1. All agricultural, timber, and mineral lands of the public domain, waters, minerals, coal, petroleum, and other mineral oils, all forces of' potential energy, and other natural resources of the Philippines belong to the . State, and their disposition, ex· ploitation, development, or utilization shall ·be limited· to citizens of the Philippines, or to corporations or associa· tions at least sixty per centum of the capital of which is owned by such citizens, subject to any existing right, grant, lease, or concession at the time . 9f the i n a u g u r a t i o n of the Government established under this Constitution. Natural resources, with the exception of public agricultural land, shall not be alienated, and no license, concession, or lease for the exploitation, development, or utilization of any of the natural resources shall be granted for a rperiod exceeding twenty-five years, renewable for another twenty-five years, except as to water rights for irrigation, water supply, fisheries, or industrial uses other than the development of water power, in which cases beneficial use may be the measure and the limit of the grant. SEC. 2. No private corporation or association may acquire, lease, or hold public agricultural lands in excess of one thousand and twenty-four hectares, nor may any individual acquire euch lands by purchase in excess of one hundred and forty-four hectares, or by lease in excess of one thousand and twenty-four hectares, or by homestead in excess of twenty-four hectares. Lands adapted to grazing, not exceeding two thousand hectares, may be leased to an individual, private corporation, or association. SEC. 3. The Congl'ess may determine by law the size of private agricultural land which individuals, corporations, or associations may acquire Page 206 RIZAL ON WORK AND UNITY· FOR THE NATION Your letter has greatly astonished me as it tells me of resentments, differences, and reconciliations. I think it is useless to talk of things that do not exist, and, if they did exist, they must have vanished in the past. I am of the same opinion as you, that there having been nothing at all we should lose no time talking about it. If I stopped writing for Solidaridad, I did so for various reasons : 1st I need time to work on my boook ; 2nd I wish that other Filipinos should also work; 3rd I have thought that within the party what counts much is unity in the work; and inasmuch as you are now on top and I have also my own ideas, it is more important thait you be left to direct the policy as you understand it and that I should not meddle with it. This has two advantages: it leaves us both free and it increases your pres· tige, which is very necessary because in our country men of prestige are needed. I do not mean to say by this that I am not going to work and follow the cours·e of your activities. I am like an army corps that at the needed moment you see arrive and fall upon the flanks of the enemy who are before you. I only ask God that I be given the means to do so. More9ver, ·frankly I do not like to waste time attacking and fighting private enterprises as those of P. Font, Quioquiap, and others. I fight for the nation, the Philippines. -From Rizal's letter to M. H. del Pilar. 1891. (Reprint from Panorama of March, 1939). and hold, subject to rights existing prior to the- enactment of such law. SEC. 4. The Congress may authorize, upon payment of ju:st compensation, the expropriation of lands to be subdivided into small lots and conveyed at cost to individuals. SEC. 5. Save in cases of hereditary succession, no private agricultural land (Continued on page 220) THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT REVIEW APPROPRIATION FOR ADDITIONAL POLICEMEN "SIR :-.The following are the answers to the "special questions" brought up in the conference held in the City of Iloilo by the Secretary of the lnte· rior with the local officials of that province on December 6, 1948, with the request that said local officials be advised accordingly hereof: "Question No. 1. To employ more policemen, can a municipality set aside more than 65 % of its gross income fo!" ii.dministratjve expenses? "Section 2W9 of the Administrative Code limits the amount which may be expended from the municipal general fund of a municipality during any fisc!ll year for salaries and wages of municipal officials and employees, of ·every description, excluding those employed in public works, in the follow· ing percentages: 50 % for first class municipalities; 60 % for second class municipalities; 65 % for third class municipalities; and 75 % for fourth class municipalities. "From the foregoing and, as a direct answer to the question, any municipality from 3rd class down may spend 65% of its income from the geu· eraJ. fund for salaries and wages of its officials and employees, including po1icemen. Such municipalities may also set aside more than 65 % of their general funds in order to employ more po· !icemen, but the matter which is considered expenditure in excess of the Conservation . .. (Continued from page 206) shall be transferred or assigned ex· eept to individuals, corporations, or associations qualified to acquire or hold lands of the public domain in the Philippines. SEC. 6. The State may, in the interest of national welfare and defense, establish and operate industries and means of transportation and communication, and, upon payment of just compensation, transfer to public ownership utilities and other private enterprises to be operated by the Government. Page 220 rate allowable for salaries and wage,;; should have the previous authorization of the Provincial Board and the specific approval of the Secretary of. the Interior pursuant to the provisions of Section 2299 of the Administrative Code. First and second class munici· palities may also spend 65% or more of their general funds in order to employ more policemen if the need therefor is absolute, subject also t@ it.he approval of the higher authorities as indicated herein. In such cases, the local officials concerned should submit to the authorities concerned sufficient j ustificatioii for the excess expenditure hnd shouLd also give evidence that, based on the trend of revenue collec· tion, the municipality concerned Will not likely incur overdraft at the close of accounts of the fiscal year involved even if the excess is authorized. "Question No. 2. If a town can not afford to pay salaries for emergency policemen, and there is need for same, what should itS officials do? "Under the provisions of our Unnumbered Provincial Circular, dalted March 31, 1947, regarding the abolition of civilian guards, etc., and ithe organization, in lieu thereof, of a tern· Santo Tomas, La Union THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT REVIEW

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