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This article contains a partial list of Philippine laws. Philippine laws have had various nomenclature designations at different periods in the history of the Philippines, as shown in the following table:
| Nomenclature Designation |
Abbreviation | Form of government | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Act | Act | Philippine Government under U.S. Rule | 1900-1935 |
| Commonwealth Act | CA | Philippine Commonwealth | 1935-1946 |
| Batas Pambansa | BP | Modified Parliamentary Republic | 1978-1985 |
| Presidential Decree | PD | Republic under martial law/Republic | 1972-1986 |
| Presidential Proclamation | PP | Republic under martial law | 1972-1986 |
| Executive Order | EO | Republic under 1986 Provisional Constitution | 1986-1987 |
| Presidential Proclamation | PP | Republic under 1986 Provisional Constitution | 1986-1987 |
| Republic Act | RA | Republic | 1946-72, 1987-present |
The following table lists of Philippine laws which have been mentioned in Wikipedia, or which are otherwise notable.
| Designation | Date Passed | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Act 1696 | September 6, 1907 | Known as the Flag Law, this law proscribed the Philippine flag and banned the use of the Philippine national anthem. The law was repealed in 1919. |
| Act 1790 | October 12, 1907 | Permitted the Banco Español-Filipino to change its name. The name change took place on January 1, 1912 into today's Bank of the Philippine Islands. |
| Act 1876 | August 18, 1908 | Mountain Province was established with Amburayan, Apayao, Benguet, Bontoc, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Lepanto as sub-provinces. |
| Act 1952 | The province of Batanes was reestablished. | |
| Act 2280 | February 21, 1920 | Marinduque was reestablished as a separate province. |
| Act 2711 | March 10, 1917 | Established most of the modern-day provinces of the Philippines: the province of Camarines was split into Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur and the province of Bohol was created. |
| Act 2871 | October 22, 1919 | Repealed the Flag Law and legalized the use of the Philippine flag and national anthem. |
| Act 3436 | November 28, 1928 | Established the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) with the bill granting it a 50-year charter. |
| Act 3815 | December 8, 1930 | The Revised Penal Code. |
| Act 3827 | October 28, 1931 | Declared the last Sunday of August as National Heroes' Day. |
| CA 1 | December 21, 1935 | The National Defense Act of 1935, which created an independent Philippine army. |
| CA 39 | October 21, 1936 | Established Zamboanga City. |
| CA 63 | October 21, 1936 | An act providing for the ways in which Philippine citizenship may be lost or reacquired. |
| CA 382 | December 5, 1938 | The English words to the Philippine national anthem were made official. |
| CA 473 | June 17, 1939 | Revised Naturalization Law. |
| CA 502 | October 22, 1939 | Established Quezon City. |
| CA 638 | June 14, 1941 | Provided for the publication and distribution of the Official Gazette. |
| RA 1 | July 15, 1946 | Act appropriating funds for the operation of the Government of the Philippines. |
| RA 14 | September 7, 1946 | Changed the name of the province of Tayabas to Quezon. |
| RA 53 | October 5, 1946 | Press Freedom Law (now known as the Sotto Law). |
| RA 85 | October 29, 1946 | Charter of the Development Bank of the Philippines. |
| RA 265 | June 15, 1948 | Established the Central Bank of the Philippines. |
| RA 305 | December 15, 1948 | Declared Naga City a chartered city. |
| RA 333 | July 17, 1948 | Declared Quezon City the capital of the Philippines. |
| RA 387 | June 18, 1949 | Petroleum Act of 1949 |
| RA 521 | June 15, 1950 | An act converting Cagayan de Misamis into the City of Cagayan de Oro. |
| RA 537 | June 16, 1950 | Extended the area of Quezon City. |
| RA 711 | June 6, 1952 | The province of Zamboanga is split into Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur. |
| RA 1414 | April 25, 1956 | Separated Aklan from Capiz |
| RA 1425 | June 12, 1956 | The Rizal Law, which mandates the inclusion of courses on José Rizal in the curricula of all educational institutions in the Philippines. |
| RA 2141 | April 8, 1959 | Made Biliran a sub-province of Leyte. |
| RA 2733 | June 10, 1960 | Assert that the first mass in the Philippines took place at a site on Limasawa, Southern Leyte; declare the site a national shrine. |
| RA 2786 | June 19, 1960 | The province of Surigao is split into Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur. |
| RA 3518 | June 18, 1963 | Established the Philippine Veterans Bank |
| RA 3844 | August 8, 1963 | Established the pace for land reform in the Philippines. Landbank was formed from this law. |
| RA 4200 | June 19, 1965 | The anti-wiretapping law. |
| RA 4695 | June 18, 1966 | Formed the provinces of Kalinga-Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, and Mountain Province from the earlier Mountain Province |
| RA 4979 | Divided Agusan into Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur | |
| RA 5000 | June 17, 1967 | Creation of Barrio Claro M. Recto, Odiongan, Romblon |
| RA 6134 | August 30, 1970 | Converted the town of Surigao, Surigao del Norte into a city |
| RA 6173 | Oil Industry Commission Act | |
| RA 6395 | Charter of the National Power Corporation | |
| RA 6396 | September 17, 1971 | Made Siquijor an independent province. |
| RA 6430 | June 17, 1972 | Changed the name of the province of Davao del Norte to Davao. |
| BP 8 | December 2, 1978 | Defined the metric system and set the basis for the implementation of the metric system in the Philippines. Modern Philippine Standard Time was also instituted under this law. |
| BP 54 | December 22, 1979 | Set the date of January 30, 1980 as the date for a plebiscite to ratify the 1976 amendments to the 1973 Constitution of the Philippines. |
| BP 122 | March 10, 1981 | Set the date of April 7, 1981 as the date for a plebiscite to ratify the 1981 amendments to the 1973 Constitution of the Philippines. |
| BP 185 | March 16, 1982 | Provides that a natural-born citizen of the Philippines who has lost his Philippine citizenship may be a transferee of private land, for use by him as his residence, subject to the provisions of this Act. |
| BP 880 | December 3, 1985 | Public Assembly Act of 1985 |
| BP 881 | December 3, 1985 | Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines |
| BP 883 | December 3, 1985 | Set the date of February 7, 1986 as the date for a SNAP Election for President and Vice-President. Ferdinand Marcos and Arturo Tolentino win the election, but are overthrown by the EDSA Revolution, bringing Corazon Aquino and Salvador Laurel to power. |
| RA 6635 | October 23, 1972 | Revision of the Tariffs and Customs Code of the Philippines |
| RA 6636 | November 6, 1987 | Resetting the Local Elections from November 9, 1987 to January 18, 1988. |
| RA 6639 | November 27, 1987 | Changed the name of Manila International Airport to Ninoy Aquino International Airport. |
| RA 6645 | December 28, 1987 | Prescribes the manner in how to fill a vacancy in the Congress of the Philippines. |
| RA 6709 | February 10, 1989 | Declared November 5 as a non-working holiday for the province of Negros Occidental to commemorate Cinco de Noviembre, the day Negros became free. |
| RA 6734 | August 1, 1989 | Created the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), which was officially inaugurated on November 6, 1990 in Cotabato City. |
| RA 6735 | August 4, 1989 | Set up a system of initiative and referendum. |
| RA 6766 | October 23, 1989 | Provided for an Organic Act for the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). It mandates the creation of an autonomous government to be headed by a Regional Governor. It creates a Regional Assembly that will enact laws of regional application and a regional judiciary composed of a supreme court and lower courts. |
| RA 7042 | June 13, 1991 | Foreign Investments Act of 1991 |
| RA 7104 | August 14, 1991 | Commission on the Filipino Language Act |
| RA 7156 | September 12, 1991 | Mini-Hydro Law |
| RA 7160 | October 10, 1991 | "Local Government Code of 1991." |
| RA 7653 | June 14, 1993 | The New Central Bank Act |
| RA 7638 | December 9, 1994 | Charter of the Department of Energy |
| RA 7648 | April 5, 1993 | Electric Power Crisis Act |
| RA 7832 | December 8, 1994 | "Anti-electricity and Electric Transmission Lines/Materials Pilferage Act of 1994" / an act penalizing the pilferage of electricity and theft of power transmission lines/materials, rationalizing system losses by phasing out pilferage losses as a component thereof, and for other purposes. |
| RA 7878 | February 14, 1995 | Divided Kalinga-Apayao into Kalinga and Apayao provinces. |
| RA 8171 | October 23, 1995 | "An act providing for the repatriation of Filipino women who have lost their Philippine citizenship by marriage to aliens and natural-born Filipinos." |
| RA 8179 | March 28, 1996 | "An act further liberalizing foreign investments, amending for the purpose Republic Act No. 7042, and for other purposes." |
| RA 8223 | December 8, 1996 | Converted the municipality of Marikina, Metro Manila into a city. |
| RA 8293 | June 6, 1997 | The Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines (Philippine copyright law). |
| RA 8353 | September 30, 1997 | The Anti-Rape Law of 1997. |
| RA 8438 | December 22, 1997 | Created the Cordillera Autonomous Region. A plebiscite, held on March 9, 1998 to ratify the bill, was held and invalidated the act. See Cordillera Administrative Region. |
| RA 8470 | January 31, 1998 | Split the province of Davao into two, creating the province of Compostela Valley. |
| RA 8471 | January 31, 1998 | Created the Island Garden City of Samal in Davao province by combining the municipalities of Samal, Babak, and Kaputian. |
| RA 8472 | January 31, 1998 | Converted the municipality of Tagum, the capital of Davao, into a city. |
| RA 8473 | January 31, 1998 | Created the municipality of Braulio E. Dujali, Davao out of several barangays in Panabo and Carmen. |
| RA 8479 | February 10, 1998 | "Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Act of 1998" / An act deregulating the downstream oil industry and for other purposes |
| RA 8491 | February 12, 1998 | Prescribed the code of the national flag, anthem, motto, coat-of-arms and other heraldic items and devices of the Philippines. |
| RA 8535 | February 23, 1998 | Provided for the creation of the City of Novaliches comprising the 15 northernmost barangays of Quezon City. However, in the succeeding plebiscite on October 23, 1999, an overwhelming majority of Quezon City residents voted “no” to the bill. |
| RA 8749 | June 23, 1999 | "Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999" / An act providing for a Comprehensive Air Pollution Control Policy and for Other Purposes |
| RA 8797 | September 10, 2000 | Converted the municipality of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan into a city. Became the First City of Bulacan |
| RA 8981 | December 5, 2000 | "PRC Modernization Act Of 2000" / An act providing for the modernization of the Professional Regulation Commission. |
| RA 9006 | February 12, 2001 | "Fair Election Act of 2001" / An act to enhance the holding of free, orderly, honest, peaceful and credible elections through fair election practices. |
| RA 9015 | March 5, 2001 | Converted the municipality of Panabo, Davao into a city. |
| RA 9136 | June 8, 2001 | "Electric Power Industry Reforms Act of 2001" / An act ordaining reforms in the electric power industry, amending for the purpose certain laws and for other purposes |
| RA 9139 | June 8, 2001 | "The Administrative Naturalization Law of 2000" |
| RA 9160 | September 29, 2001 | "Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001". Subsequent foreign pressure by the FATF and by other nations resulted in this act being amended. |
| RA 9164 | March 19, 2002 | "Synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections" |
| RA 9165 | June 7, 2002 | "Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002" |
| RA 9178 | November 13, 2002 | "Barangay Micro Business Enterprises (BMBE's) Act of 2002." |
| RA 9189 | February 13, 2003 | "Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003" / An act providing for a system of overseas absentee voting by qualified citizens of the Philippines abroad, appropriating funds therefor, and for other purposes |
| RA 9208 | May 26, 2003 | "Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003" / An act providing for policies to eliminate and punish human trafficking, especially women and children, establishing the necessary institutional mechanisms for the protection and support of trafficked persons. |
| RA 9225 | August 29, 2003 | "Citizenship Retention and Re-Acquisition Act of 2003" / An act making the citizenship of Philippine citizens who acquire foreign citizenship permanent, amending for the purpose Commonwealth Act No. 63, as amended, and for other purposes. |
| RA 9262 | March 8, 2004 | Inspired by the life of Dolores Lorenzo, this act gives the protection of the law to women and children suffering from domestic abuse. |
| RA 9334 | December 21, 2004 | An act increasing the excise tax rates imposed on alcohol and tobacco products, amending for the purpose sections 131, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, and 288 of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended. Also known as the "sin tax" law. |
| RA 9335 | January 25, 2005 | "Lateral Attrition Act of 2005" / an act to improve the revenue collection performance of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) through the creation of a rewards and incentives fund and of a revenue performance evaluation board and for other purposes |
| RA 9337 | May 24, 2005 | An act amending sections 27, 28, 34, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 116, 117, 119, 121, 148, 151, 236, 237 and 288 of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended, and for other purposes. Also known as the "expanded value-added tax" or the "E-VAT" law. |
| RA 9340 | May 25, 2005 | "Synchronized Barangay and Sangguiniang Kabataan Elections Resetting" / An act resetting the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections, extending the term of officeof Barangay and Sangguiniang Kabataan Officials and for other purposes. |
| RA 9346 | June 24, 2006 | The act repealing the death penalty, replacing the sentence with the sentence of life imprisonment and reclusión perpetua. |
| RA 9367 | January 12, 2007 | "Biofuels Act of 2006" / An act to direct the use of Biofuels, establishing for this purpose the Biofuel Program, appropriating funds therefor, and for other purposes. |
| RA 9369 | January 23, 2007 | "Amending the Election Modernization Act" / An act amending Republic Act No. 8436, Entitled "An Act Authorizing The Commission on Elections to use an Automated Election System in the May 11, 1998 National or Local Elections and in Subsequent National and Local Electoral Exercises, to Encourage Transparency, Credibility, Fairness and Accuracy of Elections, amending for the purpose Batas Pambansa Blg. 881, as amended, Republic Act No. 7166 and other related elections laws, providing funds therefor and for other purposes |
| RA 9371 | February 22, 2007 | An act dividing the Lone District of Cagayan de Oro City into two districts, with the Cagayan de Oro River as a natural boundary. |
| RA 9372 | March 6, 2007 | The Human Security Act of 2007 |
| RA 9492 | July 25, 2007 | The act that mandates the celebration of certain public holidays to the nearest weekday. Also known as the holiday economics law. |
| RA 9500 | April 29, 2008 | The University of the Philippines Charter of 2008. Declaring it as the National University. |
| RA 9999 | February 23, 2010 | Free Legal Assistance Act |
| RA 10000 | February 23, 2010 | The Agri-Agra Reform Credit Act. |
| RA 10066 | March 26, 2010 | National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009. It established the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property |
The text of many Philippine laws can be found on the following sites: