Act No. 4200

H. No. 1601

[NO. 4200]

The Constitution of the Philippines with the Ordinance appended thereto, approved by the Philippine Constitutional Convention on February eight, nineteen hundred and thirty-five, and certified by the President of the United States on March twenty-three, nineteen hundred and thirty-five, to conform substantially with the provisions of the Act of Congress of March twenty-four, nineteen hundred and thirty-four (being Act Numbered One hundred twenty-seven of the Seventy-third Congress of the United States) is hereby submitted to the people of the Philippine Islands, for ratification or rejection, and for this purpose registered qualified voters shall vote either for the ratification or the rejection of said Constitution, with the Ordinance appended thereto, in an election to be held on Tuesday, May fourteen, nineteen hundred and thirty-five, in accordance with the provisions of this Act.

Said Constitution, with the Ordinance appended thereto, shall be published in the Official Gazette, in English and in Spanish, for three consecutive issues at least fifteen days prior to said election, and a printed copy of said Constitution, with the Ordinance appended thereto, shall be posted in a conspicuous place in each municipal and provincial government office building and in each polling place not later than the twenty-second day of April, nineteen hundred and thirty-five, and shall remain posted therein continually until after the termination of the election. At least ten copies of the Constitution with the Ordinance appended thereto, in English and in Spanish, shall be kept at each polling place available for examination by the qualified electors during election day. Whenever practicable, copies in the principal local dialects as may be determined by the Secretary of the Interior shall also be kept in each polling place.

The provisions of the Election Law regarding the holding of special elections, insofar as they are not inconsistent herewith, are hereby declared applicable to the election provided for in this Act. The watchers shall be appointed by the political parties, branches or fractions thereof, or political groups which have polled votes in the preceding general election in each municipality at the rate of two watchers for each such party, branch or fraction thereof or political group. Acts and omissions penalized by the Election Law shall, if committed during the holding of this election or in connection therewith, be punished with the penalties prescribed by said law.

In specially organized provinces, whenever necessary, the provincial boards shall, under the supervision of the Secretary of the Interior, provide for the formation of election precincts in every municipality or municipal district, shall designate the proper polling places, and shall appoint election inspectors and poll clerks with their respective substitute.

The existing boards of election inspectors shall meet, for the registration of new voters and revision of the list of voters, for the purposes of this Act, on the twenty-second and twenty-third days of April, nineteen hundred and thirty-five, between the hours of eight in the morning and five in the afternoon.

All judicial proceedings for the inclusion or exclusion of electors shall be filed not later than the thirtieth day of April, nineteen hundred and thirty-five, and shall be finally decided on or before the ninth day of May, nineteen hundred and thirty-five. The board of election inspectors shall hold its last meeting on May eleven, nineteen hundred and thirty-five, for the purpose specified in section four hundred and thirty-nine of the Election Law.

The ballots to be used in the election shall be printed in English and in Spanish and shall conform to the following form:



OFFICIAL BALLOT BALOTA OFICIAL

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE PHILIPPINES

with the Ordinance appended thereto, approved by the Constitutional Convention on February 8, 1935, and certified by the President of the United States on March 23, 1935, to conform substantially with the provisions of the Act of Congress of March 24, 1934, known as the Tydings-McDuffie Act (being Act No. 127 of the 73rd Congress of the United States), is submitted in this election to the People of the Philippine Islands, for ratification or rejection, by virtue of the provisions of section 4 of said Act, the pertinent portions of which read as follows:


 * "After the President of the United States has certified that the Constitution conforms with the provisions of this Act, it shall be submitted to the People of the Philippine Islands for their ratification or rejection at an election to be held within four months after the date of such certification, on a date to be fixed by the Philippine Legislature, at which election the qualified voters of the Philippine Islands shall have an opportunity to vote directly for or against the proposed Constitution and Ordinances appended thereto, * * *. If a majority of the votes cast shall be for the Constitution, such vote shall be deemed an expression of the will of the People of the Philippine Islands in favor of the Philippine independence, * * *. If a majority of the votes cast are against the Constitution, the existing Government of the Philippine Islands shall continue without regard to the provisions of this Act."

To vote for the ratification of the Constitution, with the Ordinance appended thereto, write the word "YES" in the blank space after the question; to vote for the rejection thereof write the word "NO."

LA CONSTITUCIÓN DE FILIPINAS

con la Ordenanza adscrita a la misma aprobada por la Asemblea Constituyente el 8 de febrero de 1935, y certificada por el Presidente de los Estados Unidos en 23 de marzo de 1935 de hallarse sustancialmente conforme con la Ley del Congreso de 24 de marzo de 1934, conocida por Ley Tydings-McDuffie (que es la Ley No. 127 del 73.° Congreso de los Estados Unidos), se somete en este plebiscito al Pueblo de las Islas Filipinas para su ratificación o rechazamiento, por virtud de las disposiciones del artículo 4 de la citada Ley, cuyas partes pertinentes son del tenor siguiente:


 * "Después de haber certificado el Presidente de los Estados Unidos que la Constitucion estáde acuerdo con las disposiciones de esta Ley, dicha constitución será sometida al Pueblo de las Islas Filipinas para su ratificación o rechazamiento en un plebiscito que se efectuará dentro de los cuatro meses siguientes a la fecha de dicha certificación. En dicho plebiscito, cuya fecha se señalará por la Legislatura Filipina, los electores habilitados de las Islas Filipinas tendrán oportunidad de votar directamente en pro o en contra de la propuesta Constitución y de las Ordenanzas adscritas a la misma, * * *. Si la mayoría de los votos emitidos fuese en pro de la Constitución, dichos votos serán considerados como expresión de la voluntad del Pueblo de las Islas Filipinas en favor de la independencia filipina, * * *. Si una mayoría de los votos emitidos fuese contraria a la Constitución, el actual Gobierno de las Islas Filipinas continuará no obstante las disposiciones de esta Ley."

Para votar por la ratificación de la Constitución, con la Ordenanza adscrita a la misma, escriba la palabra "Si" en el encasillado en blanco después de la pregunta; para votar por el rechazamiento, escriba la palabra "NO."

The boards of inspectors shall prepare only four copies of the returns of the election in their respective polling places on a form to be prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior. One copy shall be deposited in the ballot box for the valid ballots and the three copies shall be delivered to the proper municipal treasurer, who shall immediately forward, by registered mail, one copy to the Secretary of the Senate, one copy to the Secretary of the House of Representatives and the other copy to the Secretary of the Interior. The Bureau of Posts shall accept and transmit without delay and free of charge all returns of the election and any official report or telegram connected therewith.

Within thirty days after the election, the presiding officers of both Houses of the Philippine Legislature shall request the Governor-General to call the Legislature in special session for the purpose of canvassing the returns and certifying the result thereof to the Governor-General. Such certification shall include a statement of the votes cast, and a copy of said Constitution with the Ordinance appended thereto.

The sum of three hundred and fifty thousand pesos or so much thereof as may be necessary is hereby appropriated out of any funds in the Insular Treasury not otherwise appropriated for the payment, subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, of the expenses incurred in connection with the holding of the election provided for in this Act, and for the expenses necessary for the printing, publication, posting and free distribution of five hundred thousand copies of the Constitution with the Ordinance appended thereto in English and in Spanish and, whenever practicable, in the principal local dialects. Each election inspector and poll clerk shall receive two pesos for each day of actual service rendered by him.

This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved, April 8, 1935.