[ Act NO. 2981, February 22, 1921 ]
AN ACT GRANTING TO THE MUNICIPALITY OF JAPAN, PROVINCE OF BOHOL, A FRANCHISE TO INSTALL, OPERATE, AND MAINTAIN AN ELECTRIC LIGHT, HEAT, AND POWER SYSTEM IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF JAGNA, PROVINCE OF BOHOL, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Legislature assembled and by the authority of the same:
Section 1. Subject to the conditions established in this Act and the provisions of Act Numbered Twenty-three hundred and seven and amendments thereof, applicable thereto, there is hereby granted to the municipality of Jagna, Province of Bohol, for a period of fifty years from the approval of this Act, the right, privelege, and authority to construct, maintain, and operate an electric light, heat, and power system, for the purpose of generating and distributing light, heat, and power for sale within the limits of the municipality of Jagna, in the Province of Bohol. The grantee shall further have the right and privilege to install, lay, and maintain on all the streets, public thorough-fares, bridges, and public places with said limits, poles, conductors, interrupters, transformers, cables, wires and other overhead appliances, and all other necessary apparatus and appurtenances for the furnishing and distribution of electric current, and to supply, sell, and furnish such current to any person, corporation or public or private concern within said limits for municipal, domestic or manufacturing uses and for any other use to which electricity may be put, and to charge and collect a schedule of prices for the use of the same: Provided, That this franchise shall not take effect until the grantee shall have obtained from the Public Utility Commission a certificate showing the public necessity and convinience of the same, in accordance with the purpose of section twenty-three of Act Numbered Twenty-three hundred and seven, as amended, and shall have filed such certificate with the Secretary of Commerce and Communications upon accepting this franchise: And provided, further,That if the grantee does not file the proper application for said certificate with the Public. Utility Commission within three months from the date of the approval of this Act, this franchise shall become null and void.ℒαwρhi৷
Section 2. The concession of the right, privilege, and authority mentioned in the preceding section shall not take effect unless the grantee shall accept in writing and make part of this concession the following condition, to wit:
"That the grantee state in writing that it is informed of the message of the President of the United States addressed to the Filipino people and communicated to said people by the Governor-General of the Philippine Islands of the sixth day of October, nineteen hundred and thirteen, and of the reply message of the Philippine Assembly made in the name of the Filipino people and approved and sent on October sixteenth, nineteen hundred and thirteen; that said grantee binds itself not to engage in or aid, by means of contributions in cash or otherwise, any propaganda directed against the policy of the Government of the United States outlined in such message of the President and the aspirations of the Filipino people set forth in said reply message of the Philippine Assembly, whether under the pretext of vested interests or under any other pretext, and that said grantee shall further bind itself to exact a similar engagement from its administrators, agents, successors, and assign."
Section 3. The poles erected by the grantee shall be of such a height as to maintain the wires stretched on the same at a distance of at least twenty feet above the level of the ground, and shall be of such appearance as not to disfigure the streets, and shall be placed with due regard for the public safety so as not to be a danger to the same, in accordance with a plan approved by the proper provincial or municipal authorities, represented respectively, by the provincial governor or the municipal president, as the case may be, and said grantee shall supply electric power, light and heat to any applicant for the same, within fifteen days after the date of his application, and as between such applicant and other like applicants, in the order of the date of his application, up to the limit of the capacity of the plant of said grantee, to be determined by the electrical engineer of the Public Utility Commission on the application of said grantee, and should the demand for electric power, heat, and light at any time increase beyond the capacity of the plant of said grantee to supply the same, the capacity of said plant shall be increased to meet such demand, as the Public Utility Commission or its legal successor may determine: Provided, however, That if the point at which the electric ligt, heat or power is to be supplied, is more than thirty meters from the lines or wires operated by said grantee, the latter shall not be obliged to furnish such service.
Section 4. All apparatus and appurtenances used by the grantee shall be modern and first class in every respect, and said wires shall be insulated and carefully connected and fastened so as not to come in direct contact with any object through which a "ground" could be formed, and shall be stretched so as not to interface with the free use of said public streets and thoroughfares nor cause any injury to the public , danger of fire, or damage, and inconvinience to the owners of property: Provided, That in the maintenance and operation of his plant and system for the transmission and distribution of electric current, the grantee shall always be subject to such reasonable regulations as the Municipal Council of Jagna and the Provincial Board of Bohol may promulgate in the premises, and also to the regulations prescribed by the National Electrical Code of Fire Underwriters Rules of America: Provided, further, That the grantee shall, whenever the Philippine Legislature, upon recommendation of the Public Utility Commission or its legal successor so direct, place said wires in underground pipes or conduits at its own expense and without any cost or damage to the municipality of Jagna.
Section 5. Whenever it shall be necessary in the erection of said poles to take up any portion of the sidewalks or dig up the ground of the public streets or thoroughfares, then the said grantee shall, after said poles are erected, without delay or replace said sidewalks in the proper manner or arrange said public streets and thoroughfares, removing from the same all rubbish, dirt, refuse or other material which may have been placed there, taken up, or dug up in the erection of said poles, leaving them in as good condition as they were before the work was done; and whenever it shall became necessary, by reason of any extension of roads determined upon by the Provincial Board of Bohol or the extension of streets or plazas determined upon by the municipal council of Jagna, to change the location of said poles, such change shall be made by the grantee, its successors or assigns, at their expense, without delay, and said poles shall be placed where directed by the said provincial board or municipal council.
Section 6. Whenever any person has obtained permission to use any of the public streets or thoroughfares of the municipality of Jagna for the purpose of removing any building or in the prosecution of any municipal work or for any other justified purpose, making it necessary to raise or remove any of said poles or electric wires which mayobstruct the removal of said building or hinder the prosecution of such work or obstruct the removal of said building so as to allow the free and unobstructed passage of said building of the free and unobstructed prosecution of said work, and the person or entity at whose request the building was removed or the construction work done, shall be required to pay one-half of the actual cost of raising or removing the poles and wires and other overhead or underground conductors and of replacing the same. Such notice shall be served in the usual form; and in case of the refusal or failure of said grantee to omply with such notice, the municipal president, with the proper approval of the municipal council first had, shall order such poles or wires to be raised or removed at the expense of said grantee, for the purposes aforesaid: Provided, however, That the grantee may appeal from any such decision to the Provincial Board of Bohol, whose decision shall be final.
Section 7. The grantee shall be liable to the municipality of Jagna for any injury arising from any claims caused by accidents to person or property by reason of the construction under this franchise or of any neglect or ommission to keep the said poles and wires in a safe condition.
Section 8. Said grantee shall file its acceptance of this franchise with the Secretary of Commerce and Communications within one hundred and twenty days from the date when it obtained the certificate required by section one of this Act, and shall commence work, which shall be carried on under the supervision and subject to the approval of the electical engineer of the Public Utility Commission, in accordance with the plans, specifications and estimates previously approved by the Public Utility Commission, within six months' time from and after the date of filing such acceptance, unless prevented by act of God or force majeure, usurped or military power, martial law, riot or civil comotion or other inevitable cause, and shall complete the system and have the same in operation within eighteen months from the date of such acceptance, and shall thereafter maintain a first-class electric light, heat, and power service: Provided, That in consideration of the franchise hereby granted, the grantee shall pay quarterly into the municipal treasury of Jagna, one per centum of the gross earnings of its electrical business during the first twenty years, and two per centum during the remaining thirty years of the life of this franchise.
Section 9. At the time of filing the acceptance mentioned in the last preceding section, the grantee shall deposit in the Insular Treasury or with any of its agenbts in the Province of Bohol, one thousand pesos, or negotiable bonds of the United States or other securities approved by the Secretary of Commerce and Communications, of the face value of one thousand pesos, as an earnest of good faith and a guarantee that it will begin the electric light, heat and power business and may be completely provided with the necessary equipment therefor and ready to begin operation under this franchise: Provided, however,That if such deposit is in cash, it may be deposited in some official depository of the Government in the name of the grantee and subject to the order of the Insular Treasurer, who shall retain the evidence of the deposit so made. In this case, as well as in the case of the deposit being made in negotiable bonds or other securities, as provided in this section, the interest of the deposit or of the bonds or securities, if any, shall belong to the grantee.
In case such grantee shall fail, refuse, or neglect, unless prevented by fortuitous cause or force majeure. the public enemy, usurped or military power, martial law, riot, civil commotion or other inevitable cause, to commence the work for the electric light, heat and power service within six months from the date of the acceptance of this franchise, or shall fail to provide the necessary equipment and be ready to operate within eighteen months from the date of such acceptance in accordance with the terms of this franchise, then the deposit prescribed in this section and in the possession of the Insular Treasurer, whether in cash, bonds or other securities, shall be forfeited to the provincial government of Bohol, as damages for the breach of the implied contract involved in the acceptance of this franchise. In case the grantee begins to operate the electric light, heat and power service, or is ready for operation under this franchise, within the terms fixed, the deposit provided for in this section shall, upon recommendation by the Public Utility Commission or its legal successor, be returned by the Insular Treasury to said grantee: Provided, That the time during which such grantee has been prevented by any of the cause above referred to from carrying out the terms and conditions of this franchise, shall be added to the time granted by this franchise for the fullfillment of its conditions.
Section 10. The municipality of Jagna shall have the privelege, without compensation, of using the poles of the grantee for the purpose of installing, maintaining, and operating a telephone or fire and police alarm system, but the wires of such telephone and alarm system shall be placed and stretched in such manner as to cause no interference with or damage to the wires of the electric service of the grantee.
Section 11. This franchise is granted with the understanding and upon the condition that it shall be subject to amendment, alteration, or repeal by the Congress of the United States as provided in section twenty-eight of the Act of Congress approved August twenty-ninth, nineteen hundred and sixteen, entitled "An Act to declare the purpose of the people of the United States as to the future political status of the people of the Philippine Islands, and to provide a more autonomous government for those Islands," or by the Philippine Legislature, and that it shall be subject, in all respects, to the limitations upon corporations and the granting of franchises contained in said Act of Congress, and that all lands or rights of use or occupation of lands secured by virtue of this franchise shall revert upon its termination to the Insular, provincial, or municipal governments who were the owners thereof upon the date on which this franchise was granted, and all property of the grantee used in connection with this franchise shall become the property of the Insular Government.
Section 12. The grantee of this franchise is forbidden to issue stock or bonds under this franchise except in exchange for actual cash or for property at a fair valuation equal to the par value of the stock or bonds issued and upon prior authority of the Public Utility Commission. Nor shall said grantee declare any stock or bond dividend.
Section 13. The books and accounts of the grantee shall always be open to the inspection of the provincial treasurer of Bohol or his authorized representative, and it shall be the duty of the grantee to submit to the provincial treasurer quarterly reports in duplicate showing the gross receipts and the net receipts for the quarter past and the general condition of the business, one of which shall be forwarded by the provincial treasurer to the Insular Auditor, who shall keep the same on file.
Section 14. The grantee shall pay on its real estate, buildings, plant, machinery, and other personal property the same taxes as are now or may hereafter be required by law from other persons.
Section 15. The grantee shall not, except with the prior approval of the Philippine Legislature, lease, grant, sell, convey or assign the usufruct of this franchise and all property and rights acquired thereunder to any person or corporation: Provided, That for the purposes of such lease, grant, sale, conveyance or assignment, it shall be necessary to file in the office of the Secretary of Commerce and Communications and agreement in writing by which the lessee, grantee, purchaser or asignee shall blind himself to comply with all the terms and conditions imposed on the grantee by the franchise and shall accept the franchise subject to all its existing terms and conditions.
Section 16. The Public Utitlity Commission or its legal successor, after hearing the interested parties, upon notice and order in writing, shall have the power to declare the forfeiture of this franchise and all rights inherent thereto for failure of the grantee to comply with any of the terms and conditions thereof, unless such failure has been directly or primarily caused by the act of God, the public enemy, or force majeure.. Against such declaration of forfeiture by the Public Utility Commission or its legal successor, the grantee may apply for any of the remedies prescribed in sections thirty and thirty-one of Act Numbered Twenty-three hundred and seven, as amended.
Section 17. At any time after twenty years from the date of this Act, the Government of the Philippine Islands or any political subdivision thereof to which the right may belong, may purchase, and the grantee shall sell all of its plant, poles, wires, buildings, real estate, and all other property used in the environment of this franchise, at a valuation based upon the net earnings of the grantee, the valuation to be determined, after hearing evidence, by the Supreme Court of the Islands, sitting as a board of arbitrators, whose decision, by a majority of the members thereof, shall be final.
Section 18. The rates for the light service, flat rate as well as meter rate, fixed by the grantee shall always be subject to regulation by act of the Philippine Legislature or by the authorities authorized by law, and shall in no case be in excess of thirty centavos per kilowat hour: Provided, That only subscribers with no more than eight outlets installed in one building shall be entitled to be furnished with a meter.
Section 19. Whenever in this franchise the term "grantee" is used, it shall be held and understood to mean and represent the municipality of Jagna or its representatives, successors or assigns.
Section 20. This Act shall take effect on its approval.
Approved, February 22, 1921.
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