WHEREAS, PD 525, 1123, 851 and 928 were intended to protect the workers and their wages against the ravages of inflation;

WHEREAS, the opportunity for exemption provided in those decrees was designed to give employers, especially those who were distressed at the time of their enactment, adequate time to make the necessary adjustment and to build the new costs into their regular budgets;

WHEREAS, several employers continue seeking exemptions under those decrees even after the lapse of sufficient time to make the necessary adjustment, thus depriving their employees of the benefits intended for them by law;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested upon me by Proclamation 1081 and by the Constitution, do hereby order the following:

1. Effective today, May 1, 1978, the Department of Labor shall stop accepting applications for exemption under Presidential Decrees 525, 1123, 851 and 928;
2. All applications for exemption already filed with the Department of Labor as of 1 May 1978 shall be processed as usual, taking into consideration the purpose of this Decree;
3. All exemptions already granted as of 1 May 1978 and those which may be granted under Paragraph 2 above shall not be eligible for renewal upon their expiration.
4. This Decree does not apply to employers who are expressly exempted by law.

Done in the City of Manila, this 1st day of May, 1978.

			(Sgd.) FERDINAND E. MARCOS President Republic of the Philippines
	By the President:
	(Sgd.) JUAN C. TUVERA
		Presidential Assistant