REPUBLIC ACT NO. 5699 - AN ACT CREATING ONE POSITION OF ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY IN THE CITY OF LIPA, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE THE CHARTER OF SAID CITY.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Section twenty-four, of Republic Act Numbered One hundred sixty-two, is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 24. The city attorney. — His powers and duties. — The city attorney shall be the chief legal adviser of the city. He shall be assisted by one assistant city attorney. They shall receive the salaries fixed by Republic Act Numbered Forty-one hundred forty-two. The city attorney shall have the following powers and duties:

"(a) He shall represent the city in all civil cases wherein the city or any officer thereof, in his official capacity, is a party.

"(b) He shall, when directed by the Mayor, institute and prosecute in the city's interest a suit on any bond, lease, or other contract and upon any breach or violation thereof.

"(c) He shall, when requested, attend meetings of the Board, draw ordinances, contracts, bonds, leases, and other instruments involving any interest of the city, and inspect and pass upon any such instruments already drawn.

"(d) He shall give his opinion in writing, when requested by the Mayor or the Board or any of the heads of the city departments, upon any question relating to the city or the rights or duties of any city officer thereof.

"(e) He shall, whenever it is brought to his knowledge that any person, firm, or corporation holding or exercising any franchise or public privilege from the city, has failed to comply with any condition, or to pay any consideration mentioned in the grant of such franchise or privilege, investigate or cause to be investigated the same and report to the Mayor.

"(f) He shall investigate all charges of crimes, misdemeanors, and violations of law and city ordinances and prepare the necessary informations or make the necessary complaints against the persons accused. He may conduct such investigations by taking oral evidence of reputed witnesses and for this purpose may, by subpoena, summon witnesses to appear and testify under oath before him, and the attendance or evidence of an absent or recalcitrant witness may be enforced by application to the municipal court or the Court of First Instance.

"(g) He shall have charge of the prosecution of all crimes, misdemeanors and violations of laws and city ordinances triable in the Court of First Instance of Batangas and the municipal court of the city, and shall discharge all. the duties in respect to criminal prosecutions enjoined by law upon provincial fiscals.

"(h) He shall cause to be investigated the causes of sudden deaths which have not been satisfactorily explained and when there is suspicion that the same arose from unlawful acts or omissions of other persons or from foul play. For the purpose he may cause autopsies to be made in case it is deemed necessary and shall be entitled to demand and receive for the purposes of such investigations or autopsies the aid of the city health officer.

"(i) He shall at all times render such professional services as the Mayor or Board may require, and shall have such powers and perform such duties as may be prescribed by law or ordinance.

"(j) He shall perform the duties prescribed by law for register of deeds."

SEC. 2. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved, June 21, 1969.