Act No. 85

By authority of the President of the United States, be it enacted by the United States Philippine Commission, that:

SECTION 1.
All the provisions of an Act entitled "A general Act for the organization of provincial governments in the Philippine Islands," enacted February sixth, nineteen hundred and one, shall apply to and govern the establishment of a provincial government in that territory in the Island of Luzon known as the Province of Pampanga, with such exceptions, modifications, and supplementary provisions as are hereinafter contained.

SEC. 2.
The compensation to be paid provincial officers of the Province of Pampanga shall be at the following rate per year, money of the United States: For the provincial governor, one thousand six hundred dollars;  For the provincial secretary, one thousand dollars;  For the provincial treasurer, two thousand four hundred dollars;  For the provincial supervisor, one thousand eight hundred dollars;  For the provincial fiscal, one thousand three hundred and fifty dollars. The salary of provincial officers shall be payable monthly, so that one-twelfth of the annual salary shall be paid on the last day of each calendar month. Each provincial officer shall be allowed his necessary and actual traveling expenses, not exceeding two dollars per day, while absent from the capital of the province on official business. The allowance shall be made by the provincial board upon the certificate of the officer that the travel was necessary for the public business, and shall not be paid until the account accompanied by the resolution of the board approving the same shall be forwarded to the Insular Treasurer and by him approved.

SEC. 3.
The bond of the provincial treasurer shall be ten thousand dollars, until the first day of March, nineteen hundred and two, when, in view of the collection of the land tax, the Commission may require a new bond or an additional bond to cover the probable increase of the funds of which the provincial treasurer shall have custody at any one time. The bond to be given shall be conditioned to secure on the part of the provincial treasurer that he shall account for the internal-revenue collections coming into his hands as internal-revenue collector, the taxes collected by him for each municipality, for the province, and for the Central Government. The form of the bond shall be prescribed by the Insular Treasurer. If upon the request of the Commission, the Military Governor shall detail any military officer to fill a provincial office, no bond shall be required of him and no salary shall be paid him until after July first, nineteen hundred and one.

SEC. 4.
The provincial board of Pampanga shall have authority to unite with the provincial board of the Province of Tarlac, when constituted, and with the manager of the Manila and Dagupan Railroad, in the employment of a competent engineer or engineers, to devise as economical a plan as possible for protecting the roads and agricultural lands and towns of the two provinces and the roadway and bridges of the Manila and Dagupan Railroad, from the destructive effect of floods in the Tarlac river, the Bamban or Paruan river, and the Rio Grande de la Pampanga by levees or other recognized means of protection against such floods. Neither province shall expend in this preliminary work a sum exceeding one thousand dollars. The engineer or engineers selected shall consult with the provincial supervisors of the two provinces and shall make a report to the provincial board of each province, which shall transmit the same with its recommendation, through the Military Governor, to the Commission for further enabling legislation.

SEC. 5.
The presidents or alcaldes of the municipalities of the province shall meet on the third Monday of January, April, July, and October to consider improvements needed in the province, and for the provincial government, and to make recommendations to the provincial board. The convention shall be called together by the provincial secretary and shall elect a chairman for each quarter's session. The provincial secretary shall act as secretary of the convention and shall certify its recommendations to the provincial board.

SEC. 6.
The capital of the province shall be, as formerly, at the town of Bacolor.

SEC. 7.
This Act shall take effect on its passage. Enacted, February 13, 1901.