should not be afraid that he is going to lose his property, but should go before the judge taking all papers regarding his property, and if necessary, witnesses, to prove that it is his land. Again, one can personally, and without waiting for a cadastral survey, have his land surveyed and file a petition for its registration in a Court of First Instance. The judge will then decide if a title should be issued. Such a title is called a Torrens title after the name of a man in Australia who originated this system of registration. 188. Notaries Public.-There is at least one notary public for each municipality. In the provinces, the notaries are appointed by the Judge of First Instance of the province for a term of two years. In Manila, they are appointed for the same period by the Supreme Court. Many officers act as notaries public in addition to their regular duties. To be appointed a notary public, a person must be a citizen of the Philippine Islands, or of the United States, and over twenty-one years of age. He must also either be admitted to practice law or be a graduate of a recognized law school, or have passed the examination for the office of justice of the peace or clerk of court, or be a person who was qualified to be a notary under the Spanish administration. A notary public has power to administer oaths for legal documents. Important documents should be acknowledged or sworn to before him. The fees which a notary public receives for his services are from forty centavos to one peso and fifty centavos. 189. Oaths. Besides notaries public, the following officers have authority to administer oaths: judges of courts; clerks of Courts of First Instance and the clerk of the Supreme Court; the Secretary of the Senate; the Secretary of the House of Representatives; registers of deeds; justices of the peace and auxiliary justices of the peace; the governor of a province; the president of a municipality; any other officer in the Philippine service appointed by the Governor-General, Secretary of War, or President of the United States. Test Questions 1. Name the courts in the Philippines. What is the purpose of the courts? 2. Can cases be taken to the United States Supreme Court? 3. How many members of the Supreme Court of the Philippines are there? Who appoints these members? 4. When is the Supreme Court in session? 5. Where are the decisions of the Supreme Court published? Name the officers of the Supreme Court. 6. Give the name of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. 7. Describe the Courts of First Instance. What is the vacation period of Courts of First Instance? Name the officers of a Court of First Instance. 8. Who appoints Judges of First Instance? How many judges are there in Manila? What are Auxiliary Judges of First Instance? What is the age of retirement for Judges of First Instance and Auxiliary Judges? 9. What cases are heard in Courts of First Instance? 10. What cases are heard in justice of the peace courts? What is the municipal court of Manila? What powers have justices of the peace? II. Who appoints justices of the peace and auxiliary justices of the peace? What are the qualifications for these positions? 12. Who has direct supervision over justices of the peace? What officer may suspend or remove a justice of the peace? 13. What is the limit of salaries of justices of the peace? 14. Should a person, if selected, become a justice of the peace? Why? 15. What fees are collected in justice of the peace courts? 16. What are the duties of the Attorney-General? 17. What is the law officer of the City of Baguio called? Of the City of Manila? Of a province? Who appoints these law officers? 18. Who acts as sheriff? What are the duties of a sheriff? 19. Who usually performs the duties of the register of deeds? What is the principal duty of registers of deeds? 20. Who has supervision over sheriffs and registers of deeds? 21. What is the General Land Registration Office? 22. Why should land be registered? 23. What is a cadastral survey? What is a Torrens title? 24. Who appoints notaries public in the provinces? In Manila? What is the term of office? 25. What are the qualifications of a notary public? 26. What powers has a notary public? 27. What officers have authority to administer oaths? CHAPTER XXI EXTERNAL RELATIONS 190. The United States in the Philippines.—The United States holds sovereignty over the Philippines. We mean by this statement that the United States exercises control over the Islands, such as including them in her treaties and defending them with her Army and Navy, and will continue to do so until she declares the Philippines independent. This control, however, is mainly cooperative in nature, for it is the desire of the United States to establish a stable government, completely independent, as soon as possible. The Philippines, even now, enjoys most of the privileges of an independent state. The President is the chief executive of the United States. As such, he has authority over the civil government in the Islands. As the President has many duties to perform, he assigns direct supervision over the Philippines to a member of his Cabinet, the Secretary of War, and to the Bureau of Insular Affairs under the Secretary of War. Since Washington, the capital of the United States, is a great distance from the Philippines, a direct representative of the President and the people of the United States is appointed to the Philippines. This representative is the Governor-General. Congress is the legislative body of the United States. It enacts some laws for the Philippines and declares the 224 |