AUTHORIZING THE CREATION OF A PHILIPPINE VETERANS ASSISTANCE COMMISSION, PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

WHEREAS, government services for the benefit of Philippine
veterans and their dependents are inadequate;

WHEREAS, veterans and their dependents deserve the renewed
interest of the Government in terms of broader avenues for assistance; and

WHEREAS, such renewed attention can best be directed through
an appropriate government agency capable of drawing, absorbing, investing and
managing private financial contributions sufficient to provide assistance for
employment, medical care, education and other related services;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, 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, do hereby order and decree, that:

SECTION 1. Philippine Veterans Assistance
Commission. —

1. To carry out the purposes of this Decree, a Philippine Veterans Assistance
   Commission, hereinafter referred to as the Commission is hereby created. The
   Commission shall be a body corporate and politic and shall be composed of the
   Secretary of National Defense, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the
   Philippines, the Administrator of the Philippine Veterans Administration, the
   President of the Philippine Veterans Bank and three appointive members, who
   shall represent the veterans group, to be appointed by the President. The
   President shall designate the Chairman of the Commission. The term of the
   appointive members shall be for three years: Provided, That the terms
   of the first three appointive members shall be one, two and three years,
   respectively. All vacancies, except through the expiration of the term, shall be
   filled for the unexpired term only. The appointive members of the Commission
   shall receive seventy five pesos per diem for each meeting actually attended by
   them: Provided, That no compensation shall be paid for more than one
   meeting a week.
2. The Commission shall have under its general supervision an Administrator who
   shall serve as the chief executive officer immediately responsible for carrying
   out the program and the policies of the Commission. The Administrator shall be a
   veteran who has had previous experience in technical and administrative fields
   related to the purposes of this Decree. He shall be appointed by the President
   and shall receive a salary to be fixed by the Commission with the approval of
   the President.
3. The Commission, upon the recommendation of the Administrator, shall appoint
   all such other officers and personnel as may be deemed necessary, fix their
   compensation; prescribe their duties and establish such methods and procedures
   as may insure the efficient, honest and economical administration of the
   provisions and purposes of this Decree: Provided, however, That the
   officers and personnel of the Commission shall, as far as possible, be qualified
   veterans and/or their dependents.

SEC. 2. Purposes, Powers and Duties of the
Commission. —

1. To establish, maintain and make available for veterans and their dependents
   all such services necessary to provide them assistance for employment, medical
   care,
   education and other related services.

   The term “veteran” refers to veterans of the Philippine Revolution, World War
   II, Korean War as used by the Philippine Veterans Administration and all such
   other veterans as may be determined by the Commission.

   The term “dependents” refers to the spouse, children, legitimate,
   acknowledged natural or adopted children wholly dependent upon and living with
   the veterans, who are not more than twenty-three years of age or over twenty
   three years of age if they are incapable of self-support because mentally or
   physically defective. The term “dependents” also covers parents of the veterans
   who are wholly dependent upon and living with them.

2. To manage, invest and otherwise deal with the funds and financial
   contributions transferred or made to the Commission by the Government and
   private persons such that the services to be provided under this Decree
   shall be financed out of the income of such investments and cause the Commission
   to operate on a self-sustaining basis.
3. To adopt, amend and rescind, such rules and regulations as may be necessary
   to carry out the provisions and purposes of this Decree.
4. To submit annually in January a public report to the President covering its
   activities in the administration and enforcement of this Decree during the
   preceding year and including information and recommendations on Commission
   policies.
5. To enter into agreements or contracts for such service and aid as may be
   needed for the proper, efficient and stable administration of the Commission or
   in furtherance of its expressed purposes.
6. To adopt an annual budget of expenditures including salaries of personnel
   against all funds available to the Commission under this Decree.
7. To require reports, compilations and analysis of statistical and economic
   data and to make investigations as may be needed for the proper administration
   of the Commission.
8. To acquire property, real or personal, which may be necessary or expedient
   for the attainment of the purposes of this Decree.
9. To perform such other acts as it may deem appropriate for the proper
   enforcement of this Decree.

SEC. 3. Funds of the Commission. —

As the initial contribution of the Government to the Commission, there shall
be appropriated out of the General Funds, not otherwise appropriated, the sum of
five hundred thousand pesos to meet initial expenses for the organization and
operation of the Commission and for the achievement of the purposes of this
Decree.

The Commission shall actively solicit, campaign for, and receive
contributions, donations, gifts and other valuable properties or money from
private persons and government agencies or institutions. Such contributions,
donations, gifts or transfers shall be deductible items for income tax purposes
of the donor, contributor, gift-giver, or transferor. For this purpose, the
pertinent provisions of the National Internal Revenue Code are accordingly
amended.

SEC. 4. Disbursement and Investment of Funds;
Collections and Income or Earnings from Such Collections. — Of the total
yearly collection of all funds of the Commission, not more than seven per centum
shall be disbursed for the payment of salaries and wages and purchases of office
equipment and materials and operational expenses of the Commission for any
year.

The remaining ninety three per centum shall be invested by the Commission in
any or all of the following ways only:

1. In interest-bearing bonds or securities of the Government of the
   Philippines, or bonds or securities for payment of the interest and principal to
   which the faith and credit of the Republic of the Philippines is pledged.
2. In interest-bearing deposits in any domestic bank doing business in the
   Philippines having an unimpaired paid-up capital and surplus equivalent to one
   million five hundred thousand pesos or over.
3. In investments which will provide credit facilities for small short-term
   loans to veterans and their dependents.
4. In other projects and investments which, in the determination, of the
   Commission, shall redound to the benefit of veterans and their dependents.

The total income or earnings from investments of such fund collections shall
finance services provided herein for veterans and their dependents.

SEC. 5. Auditor of the Commission. —

The Commissioner on Audit or his representatives shall check and audit all
the accounts, funds and properties of the Commission in the same manner and as
frequently as the accounts, funds and properties of the Government are checked
and audited under existing laws; and they shall as far as practicable, have the
same powers and duties as they have with respect to the checking and auditing of
public accounts, funds and properties in general.

SEC. 6. Miscellaneous Provisions. —

1. Penalty clause. Whoever shall obtain or receive any money or check under
   this Decree or an agreement thereunder, without being entitled thereto, with
   intent to defraud the Commission, shall be fined not less than five hundred
   pesos nor more than five thousand pesos, or imprisoned for not less than six
   months nor more than one year, or both at the discretion of the court.
2. Whoever fails or refuses to comply with the provisions of the Decree or with
   the rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission, shall be punished by a
   fine not less than five hundred pesos nor more than five thousand pesos, or
   imprisonment for not less than six months nor more than one year, or both at the
   discretion of the court.
3. If the act or omission penalized by this Decree be committed by an
   association, partnership, corporation or any other institutions, its managing
   head, directors or partners shall be liable to the penalties provided
   for in this Decree for the offense.
4. Any officer or employee of the Commission who receives or keeps funds or
   property belonging, payable or deliverable to the Commission and who shall
   appropriate the same, or shall take or misappropriate or shall consent, or
   through abandonment or negligence, shall permit any other person to take such
   property or funds, wholly or partially, or shall otherwise be guilty of
   misappropriations of such funds or property, shall suffer the penalties
   provided for in Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code.

SEC. 7. Repealing Clause. —

All such laws, decrees, orders, rules or regulations or any part thereof as
are inconsistent with any of the provisions of this Decree are hereby
repealed.

SEC. 8. This Decree shall take effect upon its approval.

Done in the City of Manila, this 12th day of July, in the year of Our Lord,
nineteen hundred and seventy-three.

			(Sgd.) FERDINAND E. MARCOS President Republic of the Philippines
	By the President:
	(Sgd.) ROBERTO V. REYES
		Assistant Executive Secretary