Executive Order No. 108 (1913)

THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, EXECUTIVE BUREAU.

MANILA, December 8, 1918.

EXECUTIVE ORDER

No. 108. f

Executive Order Numbered Twenty, July twenty-second, nineteen hundred and seven, prohibits “taking so-called ‘voluntary contributions’ for public or semipublic purposes by public officers and employees.”

Officers and employees of the Government should also dis-courage and in no way participate in the practice of private citizens assessing and collecting contributions for the enter-tainment and reception of public officials on visits to provinces or other localities. While the spirit of hospitality intended on such occasions is commendable, still, burdens are some-times imposed upon the local community; and due to such friendly entertainments the public official on a tour of inspec-tion is largely prevented from accomplishing the object of his trip.

The Governor-General takes this opportunity of stating that he has just learned of very large contributions amount-ing to many thousand pesos being solicited for his entertain-ment in various provinces, and collected from all classes of people. Such an expenditure of money is obviously, though intended in the most courteous and hospitable spirit, a great hardship upon the people; and at a time when the Govern-ment itself is bending every effort toward drastic economy such expenditures are inadvisable. Therefore, in order to assist in the carrying out of this executive order the Governor- General has decided that he will deny himself the pleasure of any more prearranged official visits to the provinces, at least for the next year. During that year, however, the Governor-General expects to visit each one of the provinces, but will do so informally and upon very short notice so that no undue financial expense of entertaining may be incurred by the people.

FRANCIS BURTON HARRISON,

Governor-General,