List of Philippine laws

For particular legal codes of the Philippines, see Philippine legal codes.
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This article contains a partial list of Philippine laws.

Designations used for 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|		AbbreviationForm of governmentDates
ActActPhilippine government under United States sovereignty1900-1935
Commonwealth ActCAPhilippine Commonwealth1935-1946
Batas PambansaBPModified parliamentary republic1978-1985
Presidential DecreePDRepublic under Martial Law/Fourth Republic1972-1986
Presidential ProclamationPPRepublic under Martial Law1972-1986
Executive OrderEORepublic under Provisional Constitution1986-1987
Presidential ProclamationPPRepublic under Provisional Constitution1986-1987
Republic ActRARepublic1946-72, 1987-present

Notable Laws

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 display of "any flag, banner, emblem, or device used during the late insurrection in the Philippine Islands to designate or identify those in armed rebellion against the United States, or any flag, banner, emblem, or device used or adopted at any time by the public enemies of the United States in the Philippine Islands for the purposes of public disorder or of rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States in the Philippine Islands, or any flag, banner, emblem, or device of the Katipunan Society or which is commonly known as such.[1]" This law was repealed in 1919.
Act 2871 October 24, 1919 [2] Repealed the Flag Law and legalised the use of the National Flag and the National Anthem.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 the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
CA 63 October 21, 1936 An act providing for the ways in which Philippine citizenship may be lost or reacquired.
CA 111 October 31, 1936 The act that created the Boy Scouts of the Philippines by President Manuel L. Quezon.
CA 382 December 5, 1938 The English lyrics to the National Anthem were made official.
CA 473 June 17, 1939 Revised Naturalization Law.
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. The first legislation passed by the Congress of the Philippines upon independence.
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 333 July 17, 1948 Declared Quezon City the national capital.
RA 387 June 18, 1949 Petroleum Act of 1949
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 2733 June 10, 1960 Asserted that the first mass in the Philippines took place at a site on Limasawa, Southern Leyte; declared the site a national shrine.
RA 3518 June 18, 1963 Established the Philippine Veterans Bank
RA 3844 August 8, 1963 Established the pace for land reform and the formation of Landbank.
RA 4200 June 19, 1965 The anti-wiretapping law.
RA 6173 Oil Industry Commission Act
BP 8 December 2, 1978 Defined the metric system and set the basis for its implementation in the country. Modern Philippine Standard Time was also instituted under this law.
BP 185 March 16, 1982 Provides that a natural-born citizen of the Philippines who has lost 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
RA 6635 October 23, 1972 Revision of the Tariffs and Customs Code of the Philippines
RA 6639 November 27, 1987 Changed the name of the Manila International Airport to Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
RA 6645 December 28, 1987 Prescribes the manner in how to fill a vacancy in Congress.
RA 6734 August 1, 1989 Created the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), which was officially inaugurated on 6 November 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, 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 6955 June 13, 1990 The Anti-Mail Order Bride Law
RA 6975 December 13, 1990 Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of 1990. Created or re-organized under the DILG the National Police Commission, the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Fire Protection, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, and the Philippine Public Safety College.
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 7610 June 17, 1992 Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act
RA 7653 June 14, 1993 The New Central Bank Act; established the present Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
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 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 8293 June 6, 1997 The Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines (the 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 on 9 March 1998 to ratify the bill invalidated the act. See Cordillera Administrative Region.
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 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 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 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 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 "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 and granting universal commutation to 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 splitting the Lone District of Cagayan de Oro City into two, 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 Mandates the observance of some 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 9522 March 1, 2009 Defined the archipelagic baselines of the Philippines and described the Kalayaan Island Group and Panatag Shoal as a "Regime of Islands".
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, establishing the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property
RA 10175 September 12, 2012 The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012
RA 10349 December 11, 2012 The AFP Modernization Act of 2012
RA 10354 December 21, 2012 The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012
RA 10535 May 15, 2013 The Philippine Standard Time (PST) Act of 2013

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Act No. 1696, Flag Law". Philippine Commission. Chan Robles Law Library. August 23, 1907.
  2. ↑ http://www.nhcp.gov.ph/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=760

Full enumeration (External)

The text of many Philippine laws can be found on the following sites: