CREATING THE LUNGSOD NG KABATAAN

WHEREAS, the International Declaration of the Rights of the Child states that mankind owes to the child the best it has to give”;

WHEREAS, one of the priority thrusts of the New
Society is to plan and carry out a comprehensive program for the
development of children and youth of our nation;

WHEREAS, the Children and Youth Welfare Code (PD 603) recognizes the child as one of the most important assets of the nation; and

WHEREAS, it is the concern of Government to assist
and provide material and financial support in the establishment and
maintenance of a Lungsod ng Kabataan, primarily to benefit the children
of the Philippines, and to further enhance the research in pediatric
diseases, training of medical and technical personnel, and specialized
medical services for the prevention and treatment of children’s
diseases;

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. Creation of the Lungsod ng Kabataan.—
There is hereby created a trust, for the benefit primarily of the
Filipino people, under the name and style of Lungsod ng Kabataan.

The Lungsod ng Kabataan shall be administered by a Board of Trustees,
composed of seven (7) members, to be appointed by the President of the
Philippines. The Director of the Center shall be appointed by the Board
of Trustees.

The six appointive members of the Board of Trustees shall serve
without compensation for a period of four (4) years and until their
successors shall have been appointed, and qualified. Any vacancy in the
Board shall be filled by appointment by the President of the
Philippines, and the appointee shall serve for the unexpired term. The
Board of Trustees of the Lungsod ng Kabataan shall elect a Chairman from
among themselves, who shall be presiding officer of the Board of
Trustees.

The Director of the Lungsod ng Kabataan shall serve as Vice-Chairman
of the Board. The Director shall act as the chief executive officer of
the Lungsod ng Kabataan, with authority, among others, to appoint,
remove, and fix the compensation of the personnel thereof, subject to
the approval of the Board of Trustees.

Four (4) members of the Board of Trustees shall constitute a quorum
to transact business and any decision of such four members on any matter
duly presented to the Board of Trustees shall constitute a valid and
binding act of the Lungsod ng Kabataan.

SEC. 2. Property of the Center.?
The Property of the Lungsod ng Kabataan shall consist of such real,
personal, mixed, and other type of property, now owned or reserved for,
or may hereafter be given, donated, acquired, transferred or conveyed
to, the Lungsod ng Kabataan by the Philippine Government, its branches
and instrumentalities, by any foreign government, as well as by trust,
foundations, corporations, or persons, alien or domestic, in order to
carry out its purposes and objectives as set forth herein.

SEC. 3. Purposes and objectives.—The purposes and objectives of the Lungsod ng Kabataan are:

1. To construct, establish, operate and maintain
   facilities for the children’s welfare, including a specialized hospital
   for children;
2. To promote, encourage and engage in scientific research on the
   prevention of pediatric diseases and the care and/or treatment of
   pediatric patients and related activities, including sponsorship and
   conduct of relevant congresses, conventions, seminars, and conferences;
3. To stimulate and/or underwrite scientific researches on
   biological, demographic, social, economic, eugenic, physiological
   aspects of pediatric disorders and abnormalities and their control; and
   gather, compile, and publish the findings of such researches for public
   dissemination;
4. To facilitate and encourage the dissemination and exchange of
   ideas and information on the prevention, treatment and control of
   pediatric diseases; to arouse, enhance and develop public interest in
   children, general health and physical fitness, especially on the
   promotion of health and rehabilitation, and other relevant or related
   fields;
5. o encourage and/or undertake the training of physicians,
   nurses, medical technicians, health officers and social workers on the
   practical and scientific conduct and implementation of pediatric
   services;
6. To assist universities, hospitals and research institutions in
   their studies of congenital and acquired anomalies, to encourage
   advanced training on matters of, or affecting the child, and related
   fields and to support educational programs of value to general health;
7. To encourage the formation of other organizations on the
   national, provincial, city, municipal or barangay level and to
   coordinate their various efforts and activities for the purpose of
   achieving a more effective approach to the common problem relative to
   the objectives herein enumerated; and
8. To extend pediatric services to the general public, to help
   prevent, relieve or alleviate the afflictions and maladies of children
   and youth specially the poor and less fortunate in life, without regard
   to race, creed, color or political belief.

SEC. 4. Powers.—For the attainment and/or
furtherance of the above purposes and objectives, the Lungsod ng
Kabataan as a body corporate, acting through its Board of Trustees,
shall have all the powers pertaining to a juridical person, and is
therefore authorized, among other things:

1. To acquire and hold in any manner property of
   whatever nature or description, and to dispose of such property under
   any mode of encumbrance or conveyance;
2. To contract and be contracted with;
3. To mortgage, lease, sell, transfer, convey or otherwise dispose of its properties;
4. To solicit and receive donations, endowments and funds in the
   form of contributions, whether in cash or in kind, from both the public
   and private sectors;
5. To open such accounts in banks and other financial
   institutions, and to disburse such funds or invest the same as the Board
   may direct to accomplish or advance the purposes or interest of the
   Lungsod ng Kabataan;
6. To invite foreign pediatric specialists and similar experts in
   the various medical fields not available in the country; to train the
   personnel or trainees or residents of Lungsod ng Kabataan;
7. To send the personnel of the Lungsod ng Kabataan to research
   institutes, medical institutes or universities for advance training or
   observation and to attend international or regional conventions,
   conferences, congresses, seminars as the Board may deem necessary to
   accomplish the purposes and objectives of the Lungsod ng Kabataan;
8. To adopt a set of by-laws, rules and regulations not
   inconsistent with law and the provisions hereof to govern the
   administration and operation of the affairs of the Lungsod ng Kabataan;
   and
9. To do all such other acts and things as are or may be necessary
   or incidental for the accomplishment of the purposes and objectives of
   the Lungsod ng Kabataan.

SEC. 5. Tax exemptions, etc.—All donations,
contributions or endowments which may be made by entities or persons to
the Lungsod ng Kabataan shall be exempt from income and gift taxes, and
the same shall be further deductible in full for purposes of computing
the maximum amount deductible under Section 30, paragraph (h) of the
National Internal Revenue Code, as amended.

The Lungsod ng Kabataan shall be exempt from the payment of all
taxes, charges and lees imposed by the Government or any political
subdivision or instrumentality thereof.

All income earned by foreign doctors who shall use the facilities of the Center shall be tax exempt.

SEC. 6. Assistance from government offices. —The
Lungsod ng Kabataan may call upon any ministry, bureau, office, agency
or instrumentality of the Government, including government-owned or
controlled corporations, for such assistance as it may need in the
pursuit of its purposes and objectives.

All individuals, entities and institutions are hereby enjoined to
render full assistance and cooperation to the Lungsod ng Kabataan in the
accomplishment of its objectives and activities.

SEC. 7. Government contributions.— The
amount of ten million pesos (P10,000.00) is hereby appropriated as
contribution of the National Government for the initial operations and
maintenance of the Lungsod ng Kabataan. The Lungsod ng Kabataan shall be
under the Ministry of Human Settlements and the necessary amount to
support the continued operation and maintenance of the Children’s City
shall be appropriated and released, subject to the approval of the
President of the Philippines.

SEC. 8. Auditing.—The books and accounts of
the Children’s City shall be under the charge of a Resident Auditor,
subject to periodic auditing by the Chairman of the Commission on Audit,
or his duly authorized representative.

SEC. 9. Annual report.—The Lungsod ng
Kabataan shall render to the President of the Philippines an annual
report of its activities and recommendations.

SEC. 10. Effect of dissolution of the Center.—If,
for any reason the Lungsod ng Kabataan is dissolved, its property
remaining at the time of such dissolution shall revert to the Philippine
Government for disposition in accordance with law.

SEC. 11. Effectivity.? This Decree shall take effect immediately.

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

			(Sgd.) FERDINAND E. MARCOS President of the Philippines
	By the President:
	(Sgd.) JACOBO C. CLAVE
		Presidential Assistant