[ Memorandum Order No. 131, May 21, 1993 ]
PRESCRIBING THE PROCEDURE AND GUIDELINES ON APPLICATIONS FOR PERMITS TO LOCATE, DIG AND EXCAVATE HIDDEN TREASURE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 1726-A
1. All applications for permits to locate, dig or excavate hidden treasure shall be filed with the Legal Office of the Office of the President. A non-refundable processing fee of P5,000.00 shall be collected for each application.
2. An application must be under oath and shall state, inter alia, the exact site where the digging and excavation is to be undertaken, the applicant’s reasons for concluding that hidden treasure can be recovered from the site, the nature of the treasure expected to be recovered and its estimated value, the extent of work (location, digging and excavation) to be done and the estimated cost thereof, the damage which may be suffered at the site, and the applicant’s proposed restoration program therefor as well as the estimated cost thereof. The Legal Office shall devise the application form for the purpose, which may be revised, from time to time, when required.
3. The application must be accompanied by a vicinity/location plan duly certified by a licensed Geodetic Engineer or Surveyor specifically pinpointing and delineating the (a) exact site where the work is to be undertaken, which shall not be more than One (1) hectare for land or Two Hundred Thousand (200,000) square meters for bodies of water, the boundaries of which shall be superimposed in the plan, and (b) the actual boundaries of the affected parcel(s) of land as well as existing improvements and significant landmarks thereon, if any, or bodies of water, as the case may be.
4. The Legal Office shall evaluate the application and submit its recommendation to the President. If favorable, the recommendation shall state the amount of the bond (to guarantee the restoration of the excavation site) to be required from the applicant.
5. Upon approval of the application, the applicant shall be required to execute and sign a Contract to Locate and Excavate, which shall basically be in the form of Annex “1” hereof. For this purpose, the Head, Legal Office (presently, the Assistant Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs) is hereby designated the government’s authorized signatory for the contract. Upon execution of said contract and the submission of the bond required in the preceding paragraph, the Legal Office shall issue the permit applied for in favor of the applicant.
6. The validity period of the permit shall not exceed three (3) months but may be extended for another three (3) months for valid reasons.1aшphi1
7. The bond referred to in par. 4 hereof shall be obtained by the applicant from the Government Service Insurance System or, in case of latter’s failure to provide the same, from any other reputable bondsman.
8. The information required to be disclosed by the applicant under par. 2 hereof, shall be kept confidential for security purposes.
9. The Legal Office shall be responsible in monitoring all authorized excavations or diggings and shall submit monthly reports on the progress or result of such excavations or diggings to the President.
10. The National Intelligence Coordinating Agency shall continue to conduct surveillance of all unauthorized treasure hunting activities and shall submit monthly reports thereon to the President.
DONE in the City of Manila, this 21st day of May in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Three.
