Act No. 708 Reducing Thirteen of the Municipalities of Batangas to Five, 1903
In the twilight years of the Spanish colonial era, the Province of Batangas was already subdivided into twenty-two pueblos or towns. When the Americans took over, they consolidated 13 of these into just five municipalities, likely because there was as yet a shortage of manpower who had crossed over from the mainland United States to enforce governance of the Philippine Islands.
This was done through Act numbered 7081, the contents of which are published below:
AN ACT Reducing Thirteen of the Municipalities in the Province of Batangas to Five.
By authority of the United States, be it enacted by the Philippine Commission, that:
SECTION 1. Thirteen of the municipalities in the Province of Batangas shall, in accordance with the provisions of this Act, be reduced to five, as follows:
1. The municipalities of Calatagan, Tuy, and Calaca shall be consolidated with that of Balayan, under the name of Balayan, and with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Balayan.
2. The municipality of Lian shall be consolidated with that of Nasugbu, under the name of Nasugbu, and with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Nasugbu.
3. The municipality of Talisay shall be consolidated with that of Tanauan, under the name of Tanauan. and with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Tanauan.
4. The municipality of Loboo shall be consolidated with that of Taysan, under the name of Taysan, and with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Taysan.
5. The municipalities of Lemery an San Luis shall be consolidated with that of Taal, under the name of Taal, and with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Taal.
SEC. 2. The provincial governor of Batangas shall direct the holding of a municipal election in each of the new municipalities under the provisions of sections ninety-one, ninety-two, ninety-three, and ninety-four of the Municipal Code on the fifth day of May, nineteen hundred and three. When the new municipal officials shall have been elected, and shall have qualified, the present organization of each of the municipalities mentioned in section one of this Act shall be thereby abolished, and all offices held by virtue of their present organization shall be vacant and abolished, so that all the present municipa1 officials shall cease to hold office so soon as the new officials shall have taken the oath of office. Until the officials elected for the new municipalities as described in section one shall have qualified, the present organizations of the thirteen municipalities therein named shall continue.
SEC. 3. The public good requiring the speedy enactment of this bill, the passage of the same is hereby expedited in accordance with section two of “An Act prescribing the order of procedure by the Commission in the enactment of laws,” passed September twenty-sixth, nineteen hundred.
SEC. 4. This act shall take effect on its passage.
Enacted, March 28, 1903.