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January 29, 1951

Note: The convention entered into force, April 1, 1931.

Reference: This Convention is also published in 288 UNTS, p. 285 and 8 UST, p. 1083.

The Postal Administration of the Republic of the Philippines and the Post Office Department of the United States being desirous of reestablishing the exchange of postal money orders between the two countries, the undersigned, duly authorized for that purpose, have agreed upon the following articles:

ARTICLE I

There shall be a regular exchange of Postal Money Orders between the Postal Administration of the Republic of the Philippines and that of the United States of North America including its possessions, excepting the Panama Canal.

ARTICLE II

ORDER EXPRESSED IN UNITED STATES MONEY

The amounts of orders in both directions shall be expressed in United States currency; and in consideration of the fluctuations in the rate of exchange between the two countries, it is agreed that all amounts shall be converted into their proper equivalents by the exchange office of Manila; that is to say, that the amounts received for orders issued in the Republic of the Philippines and payable in the United States, shall be converted into dollars and cents according to the rate of exchange on the eve of the dispatch of the list described in Article IX; and the amounts of orders issued in the United States for payment in the Republic of the Philippines shall be converted into the money of the Republic of the Philippines at the current rate of exchange on the day of the arrival of the lists from San Francisco, Honolulu or Guam.

ARTICLE III

MAXIMUM AMOUNT

1. The maximum amount of each order is fixed at one hundred dollars.

2. No order shall contain any fraction of a cent.

ARTICLE IV

CURRENCY

The amount of the orders shall be deposited by the remitter and paid to the payee in gold or its legal equivalent, However, in case there be money in legal circulation of less value than gold each Administration shall have the right to receive and use such money in its transactions with the public, taking into account the difference in value.

ARTICLE V

FEES

1. The Postal Administration of the Republic of the Philippines shall have the right to fix the fees which the public shall pay for orders issued by its offices and the Administration of the United States shall have the same right with regard to the orders which it may issue.

2. Each country shall communicate to the other a list of the fees which it may collect and the public shall pay for that service. These fees shall be paid in advance at the office of issue and shall not be refunded.

ARTICLE VI

The country of origin shall keep the fees paid by the public on all money orders issued within its own jurisdiction and no commission shall be exacted or other charge made by either administration for any service performed in connection with the exchange of money orders.

ARTICLE VII

EXCHANGE OFFICES

The money order service in each country shall be conducted exclusively through exchange offices. On the part of the United States the exchange offices shall be San Francisco, Honolulu, and Guam, and on that of the Republic of the Philippines, the exchange office shall be Manila.

ARTICLE VIII

The applicant for a money order shall be required to furnish, if possible, the full surname and Christian name (or at least the initial of one Christian name) both of the remitter and the payee, or the name of the firm or company who are remitters or payees, and the addresses of the remitter and payee.

ARTICLE IX

MONEY ORDER LISTS

1. The particulars relating to each order issued in the United States on the Republic of the Philippines shall be entered by the exchange office of San Francisco, Honolulu, or Guam, on a list identical with Model "A' (thus indicated in the appendix), in which shall be expressed the amount of each order in the money of the United States. That list having received the impression of the dating stamp of the Office at San Francisco, Honolulu, or Guam, shall be transmitted to the Exchange Office at Manila, where it shall be stamped in like manner (with the date of receipt) and where the necessary arrangements for payment of the order shall be made.

2. In the same way the particulars relating to orders issued in the Republic of the Philippines on the United States shall be entered by the exchange office at Manila in a list identical with Model "B" (thus indicated in the appendix), in which shall be entered the amount of each order in the money of the United States. That list after receiving the impression of the dating stamp of the exchange office, shall be transmitted to the exchange office at San Francisco, Honolulu or Guam, where in like manner it shall be stamped with the date of receipt and where the necessary arrangements shall be made for payment of the orders.

3. Each money order noted in the lists will bear a consecutive number to be known as the "international number" which numbering will begin on July 1 of each year with the number 1. The lists will also be numbered serially beginning with number 1 on July 1 of each year. Each of the contracting parties will acknowledge the receipt of current list by means of the first subsequent list sent to the other country.

4. A list shall be transmitted by every mail dispatched from Manila for San Francisco, Honolulu, or Guam, and vice versa, and a duplicate of each list shall be dispatched by the next following mail.

5. Should it happen on the date of dispatch of the list that there are no orders to send, a list shall be sent nevertheless with the following words written across it: "No orders."

6. Should the original list or the duplicate thereof fail to be received at the expected time, the dispatching exchange office upon receiving notice of that fact, shall transmit a duplicate or a triplicate of the missing list duly authenticated.

7. The original orders issued in the United States for payment in the Republic of the Philippines shall be retained in the records of the exchange offices at San Francisco, Honolulu, or Guam, and the orders issued in the Republic of the Philippines for payment in the United States shall be retained in the exchange office at Manila, to be available in conducting correspondence regarding the remittances thus represented.

ARTICLE X

1. As soon as a list arrives at the office of destination, that office shall issue internal orders according to the amounts specified in the lists in favor of the payees and remit them free from postage to the respective addressees or to the offices of destination, in conformity with the domestic regulations in force in each country for the payment of postal money orders.

2. When a list contains irregularities which cannot be corrected at the receiving exchange office that office shall ask for explanations with the least possible delay; and in the meantime the issue of inland money orders corresponding to the entries shall be suspended until the explanations are received.

3. One copy of each exchange list shall be returned by the receiving exchange office to the dispatching office, but before returning such copy, the receiving office shall enter therein the names of the respective offices of payment of the orders enumerated in the list, and in the lists from the United States returned by the exchange office at Manila, the latter office shall also enter the amount of each order in the money of the Republic of the Philippines, according to the conversion made by it.

ARTICLE XI

1. The orders issued by each country on the other shall be subject as regards payment to the regulations which govern payment of domestic money orders in the country on which they are drawn.

2. The paid orders shall remain the possession of the country of payment.

ARTICLE XII

When it becomes necessary to rectify an error in the name of the remitter or the payee or when the amount is to be returned to the sender, the one interested shall apply directly to the office where the order was issued.

ARTICLE XIII

Duplicate orders may be issued only by the Postal Administration of the paying country and in accordance with its regulations on the subject.

ARTICLE XIV

1. Repayment shall be effected by the country of issue only after authorization is received from the country of destination; the amount repaid must be placed to the credit of the former in the quarterly account (Article XVI).

2. Each Administration shall determine the course pursued in repayment to the remitter.

ARTICLE XV

1. Orders which have not been paid within twelve months after that in which they were issued, shall become void and the amounts received shall revert and be placed at the disposal of the country of origin.

2. At the end of each month the office at Manila shall prepare and send to the office of the Assistant Postmaster General, Bureau of Finance, Division of Money Orders, Washington 25, D.C., a detailed statement of all orders issued in the United States and drawn on the Republic of the Philippines which have not been paid within twelve months after the last day of the month of issue, which under the terms of this article have become void and reverted to the country of issue.

3. On the other hand the Post office Department of the United States, at the end of each month shall send to the Postal Administration of the Republic of the Philippines a list of postal orders issued in the latter country and drawn on the United States, which in accordance with this Article have become void.

4. All orders which have become void shall be entered in the quarterly account to the credit of the country of issue.

ARTICLE XVI

1 At the end of each quarter the Postal Administration of the Republic of the Philippines shall prepare an account in which shall be entered in detail the totals of the lists showing the amounts of orders issued during the same quarter in each of the two countries and the balance resulting from such transactions.

2. Two copies of that account shall be transmitted to the Assistant Postmaster General, Bureau of Finance, Division of Money Orders, Washington 25, D.C. If, after proper verification, the balance, which must always be expressed in money of the United States, is found to be against the Postal Administration of the Republic of the Philippines, it shall be paid in money of the United States by means of a bill of exchange, payable at sight. If the balance be found against the United States it shall be paid by means of a Postmaster General's check drawn on the Treasurer of the United States in favor of the Director General of Posts of the Republic of the Philippines and transmitted direct to Manila or if preferable it may be deposited to the credit of the Philippine Republic account in any financial institution designated by the latter.

ARTICLE XVII

1. If, pending settlement of a quarterly account, either of the two Administrations shall ascertain that its obligation to the other is in excess of ten thousand dollars, for the current month, it shall make an interim payment on account approximating 90% of the amount due. The accounts and the letters relating to remittances on account shall be in accordance with the forms "C", "D", "E", and "F" annexed to this convention.

ARTICLE XVIII

1. The Postal Administration of either of the two countries may adopt Other regulations, not contrary to this convention, for the purpose of protection against fraud, or for the better operation of the system which it has established.

2. Every additional regulation adopted must be communicated without loss of time to the Administration of the other country.

ARTICLE XIX

Should extraordinary circumstances justify it, each of the two Postal Administrations shall be authorized to suspend temporarily the exchange of money orders in whole or in part, provided that notice of the suspension is immediately given to the other country, by cable if necessary.

ARTICLE XX

This convention after having been signed shall take effect on the first day of the month of April, 1951, and shall continue in force until twelve months after either Administration shall have notified the other of its desire to terminate it.

DONE in duplicate and signed at the city of Manila, Philippines on March 12, 1951, and at Washington, D.C., on January 29, 1951.

The foregoing Convention is hereby approved.

HARRY S. TRUMAN
President of the United States

DEAN ACHESON
Secretary of State

ELPIDIO QUIRINO
President of the Republic of the Philippines

FELINO NERI
Acting Secretary of Foreign Affairs

SOTERO BALUYUT
Secretary of Public Works and Communications