CREATING THE PROVINCE OF TAWI-TAWI

WHEREAS, a fundamental aim of the Government is the
economic development of the entire country;

WHEREAS, the islands comprising the Tawi-Tawi group are so
distant from the seat of the provincial government of Sulu and
communication facilities so inadequate that it is extremely difficult to
administer the government affairs in the area;

WHEREAS, the effective implementation of the programs of the
Government on rehabilitation, reconstruction and development depends
primarily on administrative efficiency on the local government level;
and

WHEREAS, it is the avowed policy of the Government to uplift
the socioeconomic well-being of the inhabitants in the area that is
generally known as the Tawi-Tawi group;

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 21 September 1972, and General
Order No. 1, dated 22 September 1972, as amended, do hereby order and
decree:

SECTION 1. The following municipalities in the Tawi-Tawi
group:

	(a) South Ubian	(e) Balimbing
	(b) Tandubas	(f) Bungao
	(c) Simunul	(g) Cagayan de Sulu
	(d) Sitangkai	(h) Turtle Island

are hereby removed from the territorial jurisdiction of the
Province of Sulu and constituted into a separate province to be known as
the Province of Tawi-Tawi.

SEC. 2. The Provincial Capital of the Province of Tawi-Tawi
shall be Bato-Bato, Balimbing.

SEC. 3. Except as hereinafter provided, all provisions
of law now or hereafter applicable to regular provinces shall be
applicable to the Province of Tawi-Tawi.

SEC. 4. The present elective provincial officials of the
Province of Sulu shall continue to perform their duties as such
officials in the province herein created until the provincial officials
of the said Province shall have been appointed by the President. Such
officials thus appointed shall hold office until their successors shall
have been elected in the election for provincial and municipal officials
following the issuance of this Decree and shall have qualified unless
sooner removed at the pleasure of the President. Such appointive
officers and employees as may be necessary to organize or to complete
the government personnel of the Province herein created shall be
appointed as provided by law.

SEC. 5. The Province herein created shall remain part of
the present representative district of Sulu until a law shall have been
passed re-apportioning the representative districts pursuant to Article
VIII, Section 2 of the Constitution.

SEC. 6. Upon the effectivity of this Decree, the
proportionate share of Tawi-Tawi in the obligations, funds, assets and
other properties of the Province of Sulu shall be transferred by the
President to the Province herein created upon the recommendation of the
Auditor General.

SEC. 7. This Decree shall take effect immediately.

Done in the City of Manila, this 27th day of September, in the
year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-three.