REPUBLIC ACT NO. 553 - AN ACT GRANTING THE MANILA TIMES PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC., A TEMPORARY PERMIT TO CONSTRUCT, MAINTAIN AND OPERATE PRIVATE FIXED POINT-TO-POINT AND LAND MOBILE RADIO STATIONS FOR THE RECEPTION AND TRANSMISSION OF RADIO COMMUNICATIONS WITHIN THE PHILIPPINES.

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

SECTION 1. There is hereby granted to the Manila Times Publishing Company, Inc., its successors or assigns, a temporary permit to construct, maintain and operate in the Philippines, at such places as the said company may select, subject to the approval of the Secretary of Commerce and Industry, private fixed point-to-point and land mobile radio stations for the reception and transmission of wireless messages on radiotelegraphy or radiotelephony, each station to be provided with a radio transmitting apparatus and a radio receiving apparatus.

SEC. 2. This temporary permit shall continue to be in force during the time that the government has not established similar service at the places selected by the grantee, and is granted upon the express condition that the same shall be void unless the construction or installation of said stations be begun within one year from the date of approval of this Act and be completed within one year from said date.

SEC. 3. The grantee, its successors or assigns, shall not engage in domestic business of telecommunications in the Philippines without further special assent of the Congress of the Philippines, it being understood that the purpose of this temporary permit is to secure to the grantee the right to construct, install, maintain and operate private fixed point-to-point and land mobile radio stations in such places within the Philippines as the interest of the grantee may justify, and to enable it to better serve the public in the dissemination of news and events of national interest.

SEC. 4. No fees shall be charged by the grantee as the radio stations that may be established by virtue of this Act shall engage in communications regarding the grantee's business only.

SEC. 5. The grantee, its successors or assigns, shall so construct and operate its radio stations as not to interfere with the operation of other radio stations maintained and operated in the Philippines.

SEC. 6. The grantee, its successors or assigns, shall hold the National, provincial, city, and municipal governments of the Philippines harmless from all claims, accounts, demands, or actions arising out of accidents or injuries, whether to property or to persons, caused by the construction or operation of its radio stations.

SEC. 7. The grantee, its successors or assigns, shall be subject to the corporation laws of the Philippines now existing or hereafter enacted.

SEC. 8. The grantee, its successors or assigns, is authorized to operate its private fixed point-to-point and land mobile radio stations in the medium frequency, high frequency and very high frequency that may be assigned to it by the Secretary of Commerce and Industry.

SEC. 9. A special right is hereby reserved to the President of the Philippines in time of war, insurrection, public peril, calamity or disaster to cause the closing of the grantee's radio stations or to authorize the temporary use or possession thereof by any department of the Government, upon just compensation.

SEC. 10. This temporary permit shall be subject to amendment. Alteration, or repeal by the Congress of the Philippines when the public interest so requires, and shall not be interpreted as an exclusive grant of the privilege herein provided for.

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

Approved, June 17, 1950.