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Republic Act No. 710

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REPUBLIC ACTS




REPUBLIC ACT NO. 710
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 710 - AN ACT GRANTING A CHARTER TO THE PHILIPPINE TOURIST AND TRAVEL ASSOCIATION, INC., FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND PROMOTION OF THE PHILIPPINE TOURIST INDUSTRY

WHEREAS, it is most desirable that the Philippine tourist industry should be developed and promoted as a means of bringing in dollar revenues so essential to the economic stability and prosperity of the country and of enhancing the prestige and foreign relations of the Republic;

WHEREAS, at a time when the Government, with its limited resources, is not in a position to fully undertake by itself alone the necessary development and promotion work, it is equally desirable that the public as a whole, particularly the business community and the civic organizations, should be encouraged to extensively participate in this important national undertaking;

WHEREAS, it is essential that there be unity of action and an integration of activities and services of both Government and private entities,ming at the same objectives, for purposes of economy, concentration of effort and avoidance of unnecessary duplications in facilities and expenditures; and

WHEREAS, the Philippine Tourist and Travel Association, a voluntary civic organization of local business and civic leaders and Government representatives, has proved itself desirous and adequately prepared to fully undertake tourist development and promotion work, having maintained with its own funds for at least a year now an office exclusively engaged in such work and a service for the assistance and benefit of visiting tourists and travelers; Now therefore,

Section 1. There is hereby created in the Republic of the Philippines a body corporate and politic, to be the voluntary organization officially designated to assist the Republic of the Philippines in the development and promotion of the tourist industry; to develop and publicize Philippine tourist attractions and opportunities for the world at large; to organize, maintain and operate such services as may be necessary to attract and bring in tourists and travelers and to facilitate their travel, reception, and accommodation within the country; to encourage increased travel and greater intercourse as a means of promoting unity and love of country among the various groups of inhabitants of the Philippines; and to discharge any such obligations as may be set forth in any treaties or agreements to which the Government is a signatory regarding tourism and travel. The headquarters of this Corporation shall be located in the national capital of the Philippines.

Sec. 2. The name of this Corporation shall be "The Philippine Tourist and Travel Association, Inc., and by that name shall have the power to sue and be sued; to own and hold such real and personal property as shall be deemed advisable, and to accept bequests, donations and contributions of property of all classes for the purposes of the said Corporation hereinafter set forth; to adopt a seal and to alter and destroy the same at pleasure; and to have the right to adopt and to use, in carrying out its purposes hereinafter designated, such emblem or badge as it may see fit; to ordain and establish by-laws and regulations not inconsistent with the laws of the Philippines; and generally to do all such acts and things as may be necessary to carry into effect the provisions of this Act and promote its purposes.

Sec. 3. The purposes of the Philippine Tourist and Travel Association, Inc., hereinafter called as the Corporation, shall be as follows:

(1) To develop the tourist industry through the promotion of tourism and travel to and within the Philippines;

(2) To formulate an integrated program of tourist promotion and development with the active participation of Government agencies, private entities and individual members of the community;

(3) To carry out an extensive publicity and promotion program abroad and within the country, using all available methods and media, to attract, inform and assist tourists and travelers to come to visit in the Philippines as well as travel bureaus, tourist agencies and international carriers handling tourist and travel business, and to acquaint the public with the benefits of increased tourism and travel in the country;

(4) To maintain such services as may be necessary to facilitate travel, reception and accommodation of tourists as well as to help organize programs and schedules for group or guided tours, entertainment, enlightenment or amusement;

(5) To promote educational tours and increased travel within the country as a means of bringing about more extensive intercourse and national unity among the people and of developing pride and love of country through increased familiarity with its historic and beauty spots and with its wealth of natural resources;

(6) To locate, develop and place appropriate markers and guides to tourist attractions, resorts and other places of interest and to encourage and assist in the establishment of adequate facilities for the transportation and accommodation of tourists visiting them;

(7) To encourage, promote and assist all businesses and trades that wouldd in adequately servicing the requirements of tourists and travelers as well as those that would develop and thrive with increased tourist traffic;

(8) To promote a spirit of service, mutual cooperation, efficiency, courtesy and hospitality both among those that have anything to do with tourists and among the public at large, with a view to giving the tourists the best goods and services at uniformly attractive and reasonable rates and thus insure utmost satisfaction and goodwill among them as they leave the country;

(9) To publish and circulate accurate and up-to-date information about the Philippines: books, pamphlets, brochures, leaflets, circulars and other suitable literature regarding tourist and travel opportunities and attractions as well as those bearing upon the history of the country, its progress, it natural resources, and the culture of the people;

(10) To employ public relations or advertising counselors and, if necessary, to engage the services of corporations, firms or individuals for hire, on commission basis or otherwise to undertake specific and specialized task;

(11) To represent the Government in all such conferences and meetings concerning tourism and travel and may arise from treaties, agreements and other commitments to discharge such responsibilities of the Government as on tourism and travel to which it is a signatory; and

(12) To undertake any and all transactions and businesses as may be necessary, proper and convenient in the accomplishment of the objectives of the Corporation or as set forth in this Act.

Sec. 4. Membership in the Corporation shall be open to residents of the Philippines. Contributions to it, in order to entitle the contributors to membership in the Corporation, shall be according to such classifications and in such amounts as are fixed by its by-laws.

Junior membership in the Corporation may be authorized under such rules, regulations and policies as shall be prescribed by the Board of Supervisors.

Sec. 5. The governing powers and authority of the Corporation shall be vested in the Board of Supervisors, a body composed of fifteen members, eight of whom shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines and removable at his pleasure. The remaining members shall be elected by the members of the Corporation. The term of office of all members of the Board of Supervisors shall be one year.

Vacancies in the Board of Supervisors caused by death or resignation shall be filed by election by the Board of Supervisors at its next meeting, except that vacancies among the Presidential appointees shall be filed by the President.

The power to ordain, adopt and amend by-laws and regulations shall be vested in the Board of Supervisors. The Board may also provide rules to govern the organization and functioning of local units of the Corporation, which shall be known as provincial or city bureaus.

Sec. 6. The President of the Philippines shall be the honorary President of the Corporation. Its principal officers shall be a Chairman of the Board, a President, who shall be the Vice-Chairman of the Board, three Vice-Presidents and a Treasurer, all of whom shall be elected by the Members of the Board from among themselves. The principal officers of the Corporation shall be elected for the same term as that of the Members of the Board. The Members of the Board of Supervisors of the Corporation and its principal officers, except the Treasurer, shall serve without compensation.

The President of the Corporation shall appoint a secretary and such other officers and employees as may be necessary, subject to the approval of the Board which shall also fix their salaries.

Sec. 7. As a national voluntary organization, the Corporation shall be financed primarily by such funds as it shall raise from the annual dues of its members, by contributions obtained through personal solicitation campaigns to be organized annually by the Board of Supervisors and by bequests, grants and donations.

Whenever the Government contributes any amount for tourist promotion and development work, the Corporation shall raise at least an equivalent sum and not more than fifty per cent of the said Government contribution shall be made available for expenditure to the Corporation until the Board of Supervisors certifies that the Corporation has in its treasury in cash or in valid pledges the full equivalent of the sum herein required as counterpart to such Government contribution.

Sec. 8. Upon the approval of this Act, the Philippine Tourist and Travel Association, Inc., as now organized, shall immediately advise the President of the Philippines that it is ready to enter upon its functions and request him to appoint eight members to its Board of Supervisors. When fully constituted, the new Board shall proceed to the election of the officers of the Corporation and take all necessary steps to conform to and carry out the provisions of this Act, taking over such agencies and activities of the Government as are intended for tourist promotion and development work or as may now be engaged in it and as provided for in existing laws.

Sec. 9. There is appropriated annually the sum of seventy-five thousand pesos, out of any funds in the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated, which shall be the Government's annual contribution to the work of the Association. In order that this sum may be fully available for expenditure by the Corporation, it shall raise an equal amount annually as counterpart contribution for the operation of the Corporation: Provided, That not less than seventy-five per cent of the annual contribution of the Government shall be spent for publicity, advertising and public relations work abroad.

Section 10. The Corporation shall, at the end of every calendar year, submit to the President of the Philippines and to the Congress an annual report containing its activities and showing clearly its exact financial condition, the sources of all its receipts and the purposes of all its disbursements.

Section 11. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved: June 6, 1952

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