DECLARING THE PERIOD FROM SEPTEMBER 1 TO 30, 1955, AND EVERY SEPTEMBER THEREAFTER AS ANTI-RAT CAMPAIGN MONTH

WHEREAS, rats are now considered the most
destructive agricultural pest in the Philippines, causing millions of pesos
worth of damage to almost all kinds of agricultural crops every year;

WHEREAS, rat control should be a responsibility
of every citizen of this country; and

WHEREAS, a joint and concerted effort of the
Government and private citizens: is necessary to bring rat infestation under
control;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Ramon Magsaysay, President of
the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby declare
the period from September 1 to 30, 1955, and every September thereafter, as
Anti-Rat Campaign Month, and authorize and direct barrio, municipal, city, and
provincial government officials to sponsor and undertake a thorough anti-rat
campaign in their respective communities and to make available their facilities
and personnel in the successful prosecution of the objectives of the Anti-Rat
Campaign Month. A committee consisting of the Secretary of Agriculture and
Natural Resources as Chairman and the following as members: Social Welfare
Administrator, Undersecretary of Education, Undersecretary of Public Works and
Communications, Undersecretary of Health, Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the
Philippines, the Technical Assistant on Civil Affairs, Office of the President
of the Philippines, and such representatives of civic organizations as the
Chairman may designate, shall take charge of and coordinate all activities in
connection with the said Anti-Rat Campaign Month. I also urge all civic
organizations and civic-spirited citizens to take the initiative and leadership
in sponsoring such activities in their respective communities that will insure
the success of the campaign.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand
and caused the seal of the Republic of the Philippines to be affixed.

Done in the City of Manila, this 11th day of
August, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and fifty-five, and of the
Independence of the Philippines, the tenth.

RAMON MAGSAYSAY
President of the Philippines

By the President:

FRED RUIZ CASTRO
Executive Secretary