PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 1444, June 11, 1978
FURTHER AMENDING PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 15, AS AMENDED BY PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 179, ENTITLED “CREATING THE CULTURAL CENTER OF THE PHILIPPINES, DEFINING ITS OBJECTIVES, POWER…
carry out the objectives for which it was created by Presidential Decree No. 15
dated October 5, 1972, as amended by Presidential Decree No. 179 dated April 26,
1973, it has been vested with appropriate powers and prerogatives; and
WHEREAS, for a more effective exercise of such powers and
prerogatives, it is imperative that such be expanded and clearly defined;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the
Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby
order and decree:
SECTION 1. Paragraph (a), Section 2 of Presidential Decree
No. 15, as amended by Presidential Decree No. 179, is hereby amended to read as
follows:
“(a) To construct, establish and maintain a national theater, a national
music hall, an art gallery and such other buildings and facilities as are
necessary or desirable for the holding of conferences, seminars, concerts and
the like;”
and a new paragraph is hereby added to said Section 2 of the same Decree, to
be known as paragraph (f), which shall read as follows:
“(f) To bring into the country foreign artists whenever in the opinion of the
Center, performance by such artists would enhance the country’s cultural
developments.”
SEC. 2. Section 3 of the same Decree is hereby amended to
read as follows:
“SEC. 3. Nature.—The corporation hereby created
shall be a non-municipal public corporation. Its property, real and personal,
shall belong to and be managed exclusively by the corporation for the benefit of
the Filipino people. Any income that may be derived from its projects and
operations and any contributions it may receive shall be invested in a Cultural
Development Fund set up to attain the objectives of this Act, or utilized for
such purposes as its governing board may decide upon, consistent with the
purposes herein provided. It shall enjoy autonomy of policy and operation but
may seek the assistance and operation of various government offices in the
pursuit of its objectives including the detail to the Center of officials and
employees of other offices on full-time or part-time basis. Said officials and
employees may receive honoraria, allowances and other emoluments which the
Center may grant, provided that they are in accordance with the provisions of
Presidential Decree No. 985 and other laws, rules and regulations applicable to
honoraria and allowances to government employees.”
SEC. 3. A new paragraph is hereby added to Section 4 of the
same Decree as last paragraph thereof, which shall read as follows:
“SEC. 4. General Corporate Powers.
* * *
“Furthermore, the Center may construct, establish, operate and maintain a
trade center, hotel and such other buildings and facilities; Provided,
That whatever income that may be derived therefrom shall be invested in the
Cultural Development Fund, or utilized for such purposes as its governing board
may decide upon, consistent with the purposes and objectives of the Center as
provided in Section 2 of this Decree.”
SEC. 4. A new paragraph is hereby added to Section 7 of the
same Decree, to be designated as paragraph (e) thereof, which shall read as
follows:
“(e) Books of Account.—The books of accounts and financial
transactions of the Cultural Center shall be subject only to post audit by the
Chairman of the Commission on Audit or his duly authorized
representative.”
SEC. 5. A new sentence is hereby added to Section 11 of the
same Decree, as last sentence thereof, which shall read as follows:
“SEC. 11. Finances. * * * Government revenues
accruing to the Cultural Center of the Philippines shall be subject to the
approval of Special Budgets as provided by P.D. No. 1177.”
SEC. 6. Section 13 of the same Decree is hereby amended to
read as follows:
“SEC. 13. Tax-Exemption.—The provisions of Section
1205 of the Tariff and Customs Code, as amended by Presidential Decree No. 34
dated October 28, 1972, Section 190 of the Tax Code, as amended by Presidential
Decree No. 69 dated November 24, 1972, and other existing laws notwithstanding,
the Center shall be exempt from all forms of taxation whatever including
withholding taxes on fees paid to foreign artists passed on to the Center by
contract, and from duties and all other imposts on any equipment, articles,
goods, or services that it may import from abroad, which may be reasonably
necessary for use in or part of its operations. This exemption shall not include
income tax exemption for operating profit-making business ventures such as the
hotel.”
SEC. 7. If any clause, paragraph, or part of this Decree
shall be adjudged to be invalid, the same shall not affect, impair or invalidate
the other provisions thereof.
SEC. 8. All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations
inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
SEC. 9. This Decree shall take effect immediately.
Done in the City of Manila, this 11th day of June, in the year of Our Lord,
nineteen hundred and seventy-eight.
(Sgd.) FERDINAND E. MARCOS
President of the
Philippines
By the President: (Sgd.) JUAN C. TUVERA Presidential
Assistant