MOP, Bk 5, v.5, 100
1. To gather all available data relative to lands of the public or private domain of the National Government and those of the City of Manila, including actually abandoned rights-of-way of existing streets and those proposed to be abandoned, which lands may be exchanged with privately owned lots needed for public purposes in connection with the planning of the City of Manila;The Committee is hereby empowered to call upon any department, bureau, office, dependency, agency or instrumentality of the government for such assistance, data and information as it may need in carrying out its functions. For this purpose, it shall have access to, and the right to examine, the books, documents, papers or records thereof, as well as the books, documents, papers or records of such private party, firm, corporation, business house or enterprise as may be affected by, or interested in, the exchange, expropriation, purchase and sale of any private land in connection with the execution of the planning of the City of Manila.
2. To gather the existing assessed values and to ascertain the market values of such government-owned lands as are mentioned in the next preceding paragraph hereof, and to consider all factors affecting the proper appraisal of the lots proposed to be exchanged or to be purchased;
3. To conduct the necessary negotiations leading to the acquisition of privately owned lands by exchange or purchase, and to recommend, through the National Urban Planning Commission, to the President the expropriation of any of such lands when all efforts at extra-judicial acquisition thereof fail.