THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, The practice of taking so-called "voluntary contributions” for public or semipublic purposes by public officers and employees, which exists in many localities, is seldom justifiable and frequently productive of abuses. A feeling of injury or resentment is often thereby engendered among people who are unable to distinguish between collections made in this manner and those made for taxation. It is therefore ordered that the practice be stopped and that all persons holding office or employment under the Government refrain from soliciting or receiving subscriptions. The attention of all provincial and municipal officials is called to the following circular recently issued to all provincial fiscals: "SIR: The attention of the Commission has been called to certain abuses that have been committed in many of the municipalities of these Islands in the collection of contributions for public or semipublic purposes, the said abuses consisting in such contributions being made under duress and threats on the part of municipal officers and their representatives. This is frequently done by assessing each person a fixed amount, and he is given to understand that said amount is his proportion of the contribution, and that it is in the nature of a legal contribution or tax; persons have been arrested for no other reason than the failure to pay these contributions; and in not a few instances a large portion of the sums so collected are not devoted to the object for which they are collected, but used for the personal benefit of those entrusted with their collection. Such acts fall within the provisions of the Penal Code, and may be classed, as the case may be, either as the crime of amenaza, of detención arbitraria, or estafa, as defined and punished in case 1 or case 5 of section 535 of the said code. "These abuses naturally create discontent among the people and resentment against the Government in cases where they have been made to believe that the contribution is imposed by its authority. With the object of correcting such abuses, I urgently request that as soon as it comes to your knowledge that in the collection or disposition of any contribution an act has been committed subject to the action of the Penal Code you immediately take steps to make an investigation and file the proper criminal complaint if it appear from your investigation that there are sufficient grounds therefor. "Very respectfully, GREGORIO ARANETA, Every infraction falling within the purview of the above circular which comes under the notice of any Insular, provincial, or municipal officer or employee should be at once reported to the fiscal having jurisdiction. It is directed that a copy of this order be kept posted in a conspicuous place in every provincial and municipal building. JAMES F. SMITH, Governor-General. GOBIERNO DE LAS ISLAS FILIPINAS, ORDEN EJECUTIVA } BAGUIO, BENGUET, 16 de Mayo de 1907. La práctica que existe en muchas localidades de que los funcionarios 6 empleados públicos recauden las llamadas "contribuciones voluntarias" para fines públicos ó semipúblicos, rara vez es justificable y con frecuencia produce abusos. Engendra á menudo sentimientos de disgusto 6 resentimientos en el pueblo que es incapaz de distinguir entre las exacciones hechas en esta forma y las que se hacen para la contribución. Se ordena, por lo tanto, que cese esta práctica y que todas las personas que desempeñen cargo ó empleo público dependientes del Gobierno se abstengan de solicitar ó de recibir suscripciones. Se llama la atención de todos los funcionarios provinciales y municipales sobre la siguiente circular dirigida hace poco á todos los fiscales provinciales: "SEÑOR: "Se ha llamado la atención de la Comisión de Filipinas acerca de : ciertos abusos que se han cometido en muchos municipios de estas Islas en la recaudación de contribuciones para un objeto de carácter público ó cuasi público, consistiendo dichos abusos en que tales contribuciones se hacen mediante presión y amenaza por parte de les funcionarios municipales y sus representantes; en que con frecuencia se asigna á cada persona una cuota fija, y se le da á comprender que dicha suma es la parte que le corresponde de la contribución y que ésta tiene el carácter de una contribución ó impuesto legal; en que se han detenido á personas sin más motivo que el de no haber pagado dichas contribuciones; y en que no pocas veces gran parte de las cantidades así recaudadas no se destinan al objeto para el cual se han recaudado, sino para beneficio propio de los que se encargaron de recaudar las contribuciones. Tales hechos caen bajo la disposición del Código Penal, y según sea el caso, puede existir el delito de amenaza, el de detención arbitraria, ó el de estafa bajo el caso 1.o ó el 5.o del artículo 535 del Código Penal. "Estos abusos crean naturalmente descontentos entre el pueblo y resentimientos contra el Gobierno en los casos en que se ha hecho creer que la contribución ha sido impuesta por éste. Al objeto de corregir tales abusos, yo le encarezco que tan pronto tenga usted conocimiento de que en la recaudación ó disposición de alguna contribución se ha cometido algún acto que caiga bajo la acción del Código Penal, proceda usted inmediatamente á su investigación y presente la correspondiente querella criminal si del resultado de su investigación hubiera méritos para ello. "De usted atento servidor, “GREGORIO ARANETA, Fiscal General, Toda infracción que caiga dentro del alcance de la anterior eircular que llegue a noticia de cualquier funcionario ó empleado insular, provincial 6 municipal debe ser inmediatamente puesta en conocimiento del fiscal competente. Se manda que se fije un ejemplar de esta orden en lugar visible en todos los edificios provinciales y municipales. JAMES F. SMITH, Gobernador General. THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, BAGUIO, BENGUET, May 16, 1907. EXECUTIVE ORDER No. 14. Executive Order Numbered Thirty-five, series of nineteen hundred and six, is hereby amended to read as follows: "Loomis F. Goodale, Henry B. McCoy, and John T. Macleod are hereby designated as the members of the tribunal (of which the first above named shall be chairman) provided for in paragraph eight of the specifications for the proposal for bids for the interisland shipping contracts of this Government, with authority to determine questions arising concerning the interpretation and fulfillment of said contracts, in the manner and to the extent specified in said paragraph of said specifications.” JAMES F. SMITH, Governor-General. GOBIERNO DE LAS ISLAS FILIPINAS, BAGUIO, BENGUET, 16 de Mayo de 1907. ORDEN EJECUTIVA No. 14. Por la presente se reforma la Orden Ejecutiva Número Treinta y cinco, de la serie de mil novecientos seis, de modo que se lea como sigue: Loomis F. Goodale, Henry B. McCoy y John T. Macleod quedan John T. Macleod quedan por la presente nombrados miembros del tribunal (cuyo presidente será el nombrado en primer lugar) dispuesto en el inciso octavo del pliego de condiciones de las ofertas para los contratos con el Gobierno sobre navegación interinsular, con facultades para resolver las cuestiones que se susciten respecto á la interpretación y cumplimiento de dichos contratos, en la forma y en la extensión especificadas en el citado inciso del referido pliego de condiciones. JAMES F. SMITH, Gobernador General. THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, BAGUIO, BENGUET, May 18, 1907. EXECUTIVE Order No. 15. Pursuant to the provisions of Act Numbered Six hundred and forty-eight, Philippine Commission, entitled "An Act authorizing the Governor-General to reserve for civil public purposes, and from sale or settlement, any part of the public domain not appropriated by law for special public purposes, until otherwise directed by law, and extending the provisions of Act Numbered Six hundred and twenty-seven so that public lands desired to be reserved by the Insular Government for public uses, or private lands desired to be purchased by the Insular Government for such uses, may be brought under the operation of the Land Registration Act," I hereby reserve for public quarry purposes and withdraw from sale or settlement the following-described parcel of the public domain in the municipality of Arayat, Province of Pampanga, to wit: Beginning at a point "A," the said point being the northwest corner of a stone camarin, the property of Clemente Santos, on the south side of the Magalang road near its junction with the Santa Ana-Arayat road; thence along said Magalang road South eighty-four degrees sixteen minutes West one hundred and seventy and eight-tenths meters to a point "B;" thence leaving said road North thirty-one degrees forty-five minutes West three hundred and seventy-four meters to a point "C," east of the Inuman Baca Creek; and thence North fifty degrees fourteen minutes West thirty and eight-tenths meters to the point "1" on the west bank of said creek. Thence from the point "1" along the west bank North five degrees West one hundred and nineteen and two-tenths meters to point "2;" thence North sixteen degrees fifty-eight minutes West forty-eight and two-tenths meters to point "3;" thence North seventeen degrees twenty-six minutes West forty-four and five-tenths meters to point "4;" thence North twenty-eight degrees seventeen minutes West sixty-nine and five-tenths meters to point "5;" thence North thirty-eight degrees twenty-one minutes East thirty-four and four-tenths meters to point "6;" thence |