PRESCRIBING THE USE OF THE METRIC SYSTEM OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES AS THE STANDARD MEASUREMENT FOR ALL PRODUCTS, COMMODITIES, MATERIALS, UTILITIES AND SERVICES AND IN ALL BUSINESS…

WHEREAS, the concurrent usage of different standards of
weights and measures in the Philippines abets confusion, waste of time
in computations and diversity;

WHEREAS, although the Revised Administrative Code specifies
the metric system as the national standard, the use of other weights and
measures is allowed by law in certain cases, compounded by customary
weights and measures;

WHEREAS, the metric system, which employs decimals, is
officially adopted by many countries and even the United Kingdom and the
United States are planning to gradually adopt it in lieu of the English
system;

WHEREAS, the exclusive use of the metric system will
facilitate domestic and foreign trade, avoid unnecessary waste and
diversity in manufacturing goods, promote uniformity and simplification
of measurements and consistency in calculations, and afford other
advantages; and

WHEREAS, several bills to adopt the metric system
exclusively were filed in Congress but they failed to be enacted;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the
Philippines, by virtue of the powers in me vested by the Constitution as
Commander-in-Chief of all the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and
pursuant to Proclamation No. 1081, dated September 21, 1972, and General
Order No. 1, dated September 22, 1972, as amended, in order to effect
the desired changes and reforms in the social, economic and political
structure of our society, do hereby order and decree:

SECTION 1. Official use of metric system. — The
system of weights and measures to be used in the Philippines for all
products, commodities, materials, utilities, services and commercial
transactions in all contracts, deeds and other legal instruments
publicly and officially attested; and in all official documents shall be
the metric system, in accordance with the provisions of this Decree and
its implementing rules and regulations.

SEC. 2. Creation of Metric System Board. — In order
to effect the orderly change from the English and other systems of
weights and measures to the metric system, a Metric System Board,
hereinafter referred to as Board, is hereby created, which shall be
composed of the Secretary of Trade and Tourism as Chairman, and the
Secretary of Finance, the Secretary of Agriculture and Natural
Resources, the Secretary of Public Works, Transportation and
Communications, the Secretary of Education and Culture, the Secretary of
Justice and the Chairman of the National Science Development Hoard as
members. The Department undersecretaries and the board vice-chairman
concerned shall serve as alternates.

SEC. 3. Powers and functions. — The powers and
functions of the Board shall be as follows:

1. Cause the conversion of all weights and measures to their
   equivalents in the metric system subject to the approval of the
   President of the Philippines;
2. Draw up a program, after consultation with the private
   sector and subject to the approval of the President of the Philippines,
   for the nationwide use of the metric system, including the respective
   starting dates, in the different agricultural, commercial, industrial,
   utilities, scientific, services and other sectors: Provided, That the
   metric system shall be fully adopted in all sectors throughout the
   Philippines by January first, nineteen hundred and seventy-five. The
   Board shall consider the need to provide adequate time for the
   modification of existing devices or acquiring new devices in conformity
   with the standard weights and measures in the metric system and the need
   to disseminate widely the official equivalents in the metric system of
   other weights and measures, the starting dates of their use in the
   various sectors and the other implementing rules and regulations;
3. Promulgate rules and regulations for the
   implementation hereof, and, after approval thereof by the
   President of the Philippines, widely disseminate the same to all
   government offices and instrumentalities and the general public,
   including publication once for three consecutive weeks in at least three
   newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines;
4. Appoint such personnel as may be necessary, preference to
   be given to qualified persons who were laid-off from the government
   service as a result of the government reorganization; and
5. Create advisory and technical committees from the public
   and private sectors and call upon any government office, agency or
   instrumentality and upon any government official or employee for
   assistance in the effective performance of its functions.

SEC. 4. Secretariat. — The Director of the Bureau of
Standards shall serve as Executive Secretary of the Board. Initially
and until such time as Funds become available, the personnel of the
Board may be detailed from other government offices and
instrumentalities.

SEC. 5. Appropriation. — The sum of Fifty
thousand pesos (P50.000.00) is hereby appropriated out of any funds in
the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the expenses of
the Board for fiscal year nineteen hundred and seventy-four. The same
amount shall be included in the national budget for fiscal year nineteen
hundred and seventy-five.

SEC. 6. Penalties. — Any violation of the
provisions hereof, or the rules and regulations promulgated pursuant
hereto, shall, upon conviction, subject the offender to a fine of not
more than one thousand pesos or imprisonment for a term of not more than
one year, or both, upon the discretion of the Court. If the violation
was committed by a juridical person, the manager, representative,
director, agent or employee of said juridical person responsible for the
act shall also be liable to the penalties provided herein. If the
offender is an alien, he shall be deported after serving the sentence,
without need for further proceedings for deportation.

SEC. 7. Effectivity. — This Decree shall take
effect upon its approval but persons or entities allowed under existing
laws to use the English system or other standards of weights and
measures are given until the dates fixed for them to use the metric
system pursuant hereto. The Board shall cease to exist by June thirty,
nineteen hundred and seventy-five.

SEC. 8. Repealing clause. — The provisions of the
Revised Administrative Code and of all other laws and rules and
regulations inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed or amended
accordingly.

Done in the City of Manila, this 10th day of May, in the year
of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-three.