REPUBLIC ACT NO. 4608 - AN ACT GRANTING MANUEL B. SORIANO A FRANCHISE TO CONSTRUCT, MAINTAIN AND OPERATE AN ICE PLANT AND COLD STORAGE IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF BAROTAC NUEVO, PROVINCE OF ILOILO.

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

SECTION 1. Subject to the terms and conditions estab­lished in this Act and in Commonwealth Act Numbered One hundred forty-six, as amended, and to the provisions of the Constitution, there is granted to Manuel B. Soriano, for a period of twenty-five years from the approval of this Act, the right, privilege and authority to construct, maintain and operate an ice plant and cold storage in the Municipality of Barotac Nuevo, Province of Iloilo, for the purpose of manufacturing ice for distribution and sale, and for supplying cold storage therein and to charge and collect a schedule of prices and rates therefor which schedule shall at all times be subject to regulation by the Public Service Commission or its legal successor.

SEC. 2. The grantee shall manufacture and supply ice up to the limit of the capacity of his plant, said limit to be determined by the Public Service Commission, and sell the same at rates to be determined by the said Commis­sion.

SEC. 3. All the apparatus and appurtenances to be used by the grantee shall be modern, safe and first class in every respect, and the grantee shall, whenever the Public Service Commission shall determine that public interest reasonably requires it, change or alter any of the apparatus and appurtenances at grantee's expense.

SEC. 4. If the grantee shall not commence the construc­tion of the ice plant and cold storage within two years from the approval of this Act, unless prevented by an act of God or force majeure , martial law, riot, civil commotion, usurpation by a military power or any other cause beyond the grantee's control, this franchise shall become null and void.

SEC. 5. This franchise is granted with the understand­ing and upon the condition that it shall be subject to amendment, alteration, or repeal by the Congress of the Philippines when the public interest so requires.

SEC. 6. The books, records and accounts of the grantee shall always be open to the inspection of the Auditor General or his authorized representatives, and it shall be the duty of the grantee to submit to the Auditor General quarterly reports in duplicate showing the gross receipts for the quarter past.

SEC. 7. In consideration of the franchise and rights hereby granted, the grantee shall pay a franchise tax equal to five per centum of the gross earnings under this franchise, three per centum of which shall accrue to the National Government and two per centum to the munici­pality where the franchise is being operated.

SEC. 8. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved, June 19, 1965.