REPUBLIC ACT No. 139
An Act to Amend Certain Sections of Act Numbered Twenty-Nine Hundred and Fifty-Seven, Entitled “An Act Creating a Board to Have Charge of the Selection and Approval of the Textbooks to be Used by the Colleges and Schools of the Government, and for Other Purposes,” as Amended by Act Numbered Thirty-One Hundred and Eighty-Five, Thirty-Four Hundred and Two, and Thirty-Seven Hundred and Seventy-Two
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippine Congress Assembled:
Section 1. Section one of Act Numbered Twenty-nine hundred and fifty-seven, as amended by Acts Numbered Thirty-one hundred and eighty-five, Thirty-four hundred and two, and Thirty-seven hundred and seventy-two, is further amended to read as follows:
“Sec. 1. A board is hereby created which shall be known as the Board on Textbooks and shall have charge of the selection and approval of textbooks to be used in the public schools. The textbooks selected and approved shall be used for a period of at least six years from the date of their adoption.
“The textbooks to be used in the private schools recognized or authorized by the Government shall be submitted to the Board which shall have the power to prohibit the use of any of said textbooks which it may find to be against the law or to offend the dignity and honor of the Government and people of the Philippines, or which it may find to be against the general policies of the Government, or which it may deem pedagogically unsuitable.
“Decisions of the Board on Textbooks shall be subject to the approval of the Secretary of Instruction upon the recommendation of the National Council of Education.”
Section 2. Section two of Act Numbered Twenty-nine hundred and fifty-seven, as amended by Act Numbered Thirty-seven hundred and seventy-two, is hereby further amended to read as follows:
“Sec. 2. The Board of Textbooks shall be composed of five members to be appointed by the President of the Philippines with the consent of the Commissioner of Appointments. The members of the Board shall hold office for a period of six years, and shall serve without compensation. In making the appointment of the first Board, one member shall be appointed for a period of two years, two members for a period of four years, and two members for a period of six years. Every two years the Board shall select a Chairman from among its members.
All members of said Board shall be citizens of the Philippines.
It shall be unlawful for the Board to consider for adoption or to adopt any treatise, textbook, or manuscript in whose authorship, editorship, or preparation a member of the Board may have direct or indirect interest: Provided, That this prohibition shall not apply to the deliberation of the Board to consider for adoption or to adopt any treatise, textbook, or manuscript written by any member thereof during the period of his incumbency, who shall not participate in said deliberation: Provided, Further, That said treatise, textbook, or manuscript shall be turned over to the Government which may undertake the printing and distribution thereof. It shall likewise be unlawful for any member of the Board, during the period of his incumbency, to own, directly or indirectly, any interest whatsoever in any firm, partnership, or corporation publishing or dealing in school textbooks.”
Section 3. Section four of Act Numbered Twenty-nine hundred and fifty-seven is hereby amended to read as follows:
“Sec. 4. For administrative purposes, the Board on Textbooks created by this Act shall be directly under the Secretary of Instruction. The Chairman of the Board shall have authority, with the approval of the Department Head, to obtain the technical assistance of officers and employees of any department, bureau or office of the Government which may be considered necessary for the proper performance of its duties. The Board shall, likewise, have a permanent secretary with compensation at the rate of four thousand eight hundred pesos per annum, and such additional employees as may be necessary.”
Section 4. For the purposes of carrying out the provisions of this Act, including the purchase of the necessary equipment and supplies, there is hereby appropriated out of any funds in the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the sum of ten thousand pesos for the current fiscal year. Thereafter, a like amount shall be included in the annual General Appropriation Act to meet the expenses herein authorized for the succeeding years.
Section 5. All acts or parts of acts inconsistent with the provisions hereof are hereby repealed.1aшphi1
Section 6. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
Approved: June 14, 1947.
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