[ Commonwealth Act No. 555, June 06, 1940 ]

AN ACT APPROPRIATING FUNDS FOR THE OPERATION OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES DURING THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE THIRTIETH, NINETEEN HUNDRED AND FORTY-ONE.

Be it enacted by the National Assembly of the Philippines:SECTION 1. Title of Act. - This Act shall be known as the "General Appropriation Act for the fiscal year nineteen hundred and forty-one."SEC. 2. Appropriation of funds. - 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 Commonwealth of the Philippines for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and forty-one, unless otherwise stated:(See Table of COMMONWEALTH ACT No. 555 in COMMONWEALTH ACTS 513-653, 1940-1941 Page 2 to Page 393)SEC. 3 Allotment of appropriation. - The appropriations for sundry expenses, furniture and equipment, and special purposes for the Office of the President shall be allotted by the President  among the bureaus and offices under his direct control; those for the Executive Departments, by the Heads of Departments among the bureaus and offices under their respective control. The Allottments shall be made as the needs of the service may require.SEC. 4. Reduction of required forced savings and transfer of any part of the increase in the appropriations resulting therefrom to cover deficits. - Whenever the public interest so demands, the President may reduce the forced savings herein required of any executive or judicial department by a corresponding allottment from the Contingent Fund provided in this Act, and he may authorize the transfer of any part of the resulting increase in the next appropriations of the executive or judicial department concerned to cover a deficit in any appropriation for sundry expenses, furniture and equipment, or special purposes of the same or any other executive or judicial department.SEC. 5. Authority to use savings and excess of actual collections over estimated income for adjustment of compensations. - The President of the Philippines is authorized to use any part of the savings from the appropriations authorized in this Act, as well as any excess of actual collections over the estimated ordinary income of the National Government during the fiscal year nineteen hundred and forty-one, for the adjustment of the compensations of employees pursuant to the provisons of section twelve of Commonwealth Act Numbered Four hundred and two.SEC. 6. Authority to fill new positions. - No new positions authorized in this Act shall be filled without the previous approval of the President of the Philippines. The provision of this section shall not apply to the National Assembly.SEC. 7. Authority for renting automobiles, jitneys, or trucks for a continuous period exceeding one month. - No appropriation authorized in this Act may be used for renting automobiles, jitneys, or trucks on the monthly basis nor on the daily basis for a continuous period exceeding one month unless previously authorized by the President of the Philippines.SEC. 8. Suspension of Expenditure of appropriations. - Any provision of existing law to the contrary notwithstanding, the President of the Philippines is authorized to suspend or otherwise stop the expenditure of any amount herein appropriated for any purpose, or any portion thereof, whenever in his judgment the public interest so requires, and thereupon the funds affected by such action shall become available for any other expenditures authorized in this Act as the President may determine. This provisions shall not apply to the appropriations for the National Assembly nor to those of the Judicial Department.SEC. 9. Effective date. - This Act shall take effect on July first, nineteen hundred and forty, except where otherwise stated.Approved, June 6, 1940.

Source: Supreme Court E-Library