[ Commonwealth Act No. 653, June 21, 1941 ]
AN ACT TO REQUIRE THE REGISTRATION AND FINGERPRINTING OF ALIENS.
Be it enacted by the National Assembly of the Philippines:
Section 1. Aliens residing in the Philippines shall, within thirty days after the approval of this Act, apply for registration and fingerprinting, in the case of those residing in the City of Manila, at the Bureau of Immigration, and in the case of those residing in other localities, at the offices of the city or municipal treasurers, or at any other office designated by the President.
Aliens entering the Philippines shall, in the case of those entering at the port of Manila, be registered and fingerprinted at the Bureau of Immigration, and in the case of those entering at other ports, at the office of the immigration inspectors at the port at which the aliens have landed.ℒαwρhi৷
The parent or legal guardian of an alien who is less than fourteen years of age, shall have the duty of registering such alien: Provided, That whenever any such alien attains his fourteenth birthday in the Philippines he shall, within fifteen days thereafter, apply in person for registration and fingerprinting.
No accredited official of a foreign government recognized by the United States, or member of his official staff and family, or citizen of the United States, shall be required to be registered or fingerprinted.
Section 2. The Commissioner of Immigration, with the approval of the Department Head, is authorized to prescribe such rules and regulations as may be necessary for carrying out the provisions of this Act, including the registration and fingerprinting of alien seamen, aliens confined in institutions in the Philippines, aliens under orders of deportation, and aliens of any other class not lawfully admitted into the Philippines for permanent residence, and from time to time, always with the approval of the Department Head, to amend such rules and regulations.
All registration and fingerprinting records of every alien shall be forwarded for file and record to the Bureau of Immigration.
Section 3. The Commissioner of Immigration shall prepare forms for the registration and fingerprinting of aliens under this Act. Such forms shall contain the name, age, date and place of birth, citizenship, civil status, and if married, name of spouse, number, and age of children, if any, of the alien, his residence both permanent and temporary, occupation, particulars of the date and place of entry of such alien into the Philippines, activities in which he has been and intends to engage, the length of time he expects to remain in the Philippines, his criminal record, if any, and such additional matters as may be prescribed by the Commissioner of Immigration. The forms shall also call for presentation of passport size photographs of the alien to be registered, one of which shall be attached to his registration and fingerprint record, to be forwarded to the Bureau of Immigration, one to be retained for the records of the official before whom registration is effected, and one to his certificate of registration as hereinafter provided.
Every person required to apply for the registration of himself or another shall submit under oath the information required for such registration. Any person authorized to register aliens is empowered to administer oaths for such purpose.
Section 4. Every alien to be registered, except those less than fourteen years of age, shall pay ten pesos as registration fees. As evidence of such registration, a certificate shall be issued which shall contain the name, age, date and place of birth, civil status, local residence, occupation and photograph and fingerprint of the alien, and such other data with respect to him as may be prescribed by the Commissioner of Immigration.
Section 5. Any alien registered shall notify the corresponding official charged with his registration in writing of any change of residence and new address, twenty-four hours before such change. In the case of an alien for whom a parent or legal guardian is required to apply for registration, the notices required by this section shall be given by such parent or legal guardian.
Section 6. Any alien required to apply for registration and to be fingerprinted who fails or refuses to make such application or to be fingerprinted, and any parent or legal guardian required to apply for the registration of any alien who fails or refuses to file application for the registration of such alien shall be fined not to exceed five thousand pesos or be imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
Any alien, or any parent or legal guardian of any alien, who fails to give the written notice required by section five of this Act shall be fined not to exceed one thousand pesos or be imprisoned not more than six months, or both
Any alien, or any parent or legal guardian of any alien, who files an application for registration containing statements known by him to be false, or who procures or attempts to procure registration of himself or another person through fraud, or who utilizes a registration certificate other than his own, shall be fined not to exceed five thousand pesos, or be imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and any alien so convicted within five years after entry into the Philippines shall be deported upon order of the President.
Section 7. Every alien subject to the provisions of this Act shall, on demand of any immigration official, or a member of the Philippine Constabulary, police, or other peace officer, exhibit his certificate of registration. In the case of an alien for whom a parent or legal guardian has applied for the registration of such alien, the exhibition of the certificate herein required, shall be made by such parent or legal guardian. Every alien, or parent or legal guardian of such alien, violating this section shall be fined not to exceed two hundred pesos, or be imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both.
Section 8. Any alien registered under this Act about to depart from the Philippines shall surrender his certificate of registration to the official charged with his registration at least twenty-four hours before his departure. Upon surrendering said certificate said alien shall be issued a clearance certificate showing that he has ceased to be resident of the Philippines, unless the alien is duly provided with a reentry permit issued by the Commissioner of Immigration in accordance with the provisions of the Immigration Law.
Section 9. If an alien registered under this Act who is without alien clearance certificate prescribed in the next preceding section is accepted as passenger in any vessel departing from the Philippines, the master, agent, owner, or consignee of said vessel shall be subject to an administrative fine of not more than one thousand pesos. The Collector of Customs shall collect such fine and may enforce its payment against the vessel in the same manner as fines are collected and enforced against vessels under the Customs Law.
Section 10. Every alien subject to the provisions of this Act shall, within the first sixty days of every calendar year, report in person to the Bureau of Immigration, if residing in the City of Manila, or to the office of the respective city or municipal treasurer, if residing in another locality. The official in charge shall thereupon make a proper notation to that effect on the registration certificate, to which notation a fifty-centavo documentary stamp furnished by the alien shall be affixed. The parent or legal guardian of an alien who is less than fourteen years of age, shall have the duty of reporting for such alien: Provided, That whenever any such alien attains his fourteenth birthday in the Philippines, he shall thereafter report in person and furnish the required fifty-centavo documentary stamp once a year within the period and at the place above designated.
Failure to make the report herein required shall cause the cancellation of the corresponding registration certificate.
Section 11. In case of emergency, the President may assign all or any of the functions connected with the registration and fingerprinting of aliens required under this Act to any office or officer he may designate.
Section 12. There is appropriated, out of any funds in the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the sum of fifty thousand pesos, or so much thereof as may be necessary, which shall be disbursed by the Commissioner of Immigration, with the approval of the President, for the payment of salaries, and wages of such temporary employees as may be necessary, and for sundry and incidental expenses to be incurred for carrying out the provisions of this Act.
Section 13. This Act may be cited as the "Philippine Alien Registration Act of 1941."
Section 14. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
APPROVED, June 21, 1941.
Annotations: See also R.A. No. 562, as amended by R.A. Nos. 578, 751.
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