October 27, 1997

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8368

AN ACT REPEALING PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 772, ENTITLED 'PENALIZING SQUATTING AND OTHER
SIMILAR ACTS'

SECTION 1. Title. This Act shall be known as the "Anti-Squatting Law Repeal Act of 1997."

SECTION 2. Repeal. Presidential Decree No. 772, entitled "Penalizing Squatting and Other Similar
Acts" is hereby repealed.

SECTION 3. Effect on Pending Cases. All pending cases under the provisions of Presidential
Decree No. 772 shall be dismissed upon the effectivity of this Act.

SECTION 4. Effect on Republic Act No. 7279. Nothing herein shall be construed to nullify,
eliminate or diminish in any way Section 27 of Republic Act No. 7279 or any of its provisions relative to
sanctions against professional squatters and squatting syndicates.

SECTION 5. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect thirty (30) days after its publication in two (2)
newspapers of national circulation.

Approved: October 27, 1997

Published in Malaya and Manila Chronicle on November 7, 1997. Published in the Official Gazette, Vol.
94 No. 5 page 710 on February 2, 1998.

10-27-1997 Republic Act No. 8368

Anti-Squatting Law Repeal Act of 1997

* See PD 772 entitled "Penalizing Squatting And Other Similar Acts" (issued on August 20, 1975).
ACCESSlaw14

See further RA 7279 entitled "An Act To Provide For A Comprehensive And Continuing
Urban Development And Housing Program, Establish The Mechanism For Its Implementation, And For
Other Purposes" (approved March 24, 1992); and Article 312 (Occupation of Real Property or Usurpation
of Real Rights in Property) of Act 3815 entitled "Revised Penal Code" (approved December 8, 1930).

See further EO 153 entitled "Instituting The National Drive To Suppress And Eradicate
Professional Squatting And Squatting Syndicates, Amending Executive Orders Nos. 178, S. 1999 And 129,
S. 1993, And For Other Purposes" (issued December 10, 2002); EO 178 entitled "Creating The National
Police Task Force On Professional Squatters And Squatting Syndicates" (issued November 23, 1999); EO
178 entitled "Creating The National Police Task Force On Professional Squatters And Squatting
Syndicates" (issued November 23, 1999); and EO 129 entitled "Establishing An Institutional Mechanism
To Curtail The Activities Of Professional Squatting Syndicates And Professional Squatters And
Intensifying The Drive Against Them" (issued October 15, 1993).
 See also LOI 691 (issued on May 16, 1978); LOI 557 (issued June 11, 1977); LOI 555
(issued June 11, 1977); and LOI 19 (issued on October 2, 1972).

See also EO 803 entitled "Creating And Directing The Metro Manila Inter-Agency
Committee On Informal Settlers To Plan, Coordinate And Implement, In Coordination With Concerned
Government Agencies, A Comprehensive Shelter Program For Informal Settlers Affected By Government
Priority Infrastructure Projects And Those Living In Danger Areas Within Metro Manila" (issued May 21,
2009).

Section 4 - Effect on Republic Act No. 7279

1 RA 7297, Section 27 provides:

Action Against Professional Squatters and Squatting Syndicates. The local government units, in
cooperation with the Philippine National Police, the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP),
and the PCUP-accredited urban poor organization in the area, shall adopt measures to identify and
effectively curtail the nefarious and illegal activities of professional squatters and squatting syndicates,
as herein defined. AccsLw1

Any person or group identified as such shall be summarily evicted and their dwellings or structures
demolished, and shall be disqualified to avail of the benefits of the Program. A public official who
tolerates or abets the commission of the abovementioned acts shall be dealt with in accordance with
existing laws.

For purposes of this Act, professional squatters or members of squatting syndicates shall be imposed the
penalty of six (6) years imprisonment or a fine of not less than Sixty thousand pesos (P60,000.00) but not
more than One hundred thousand pesos (P100,000), or both, at the discretion of the court.

xxx xxx xxx

The same law provides:

SECTION 30. Prohibition Against New Illegal Structures. It shall be unlawful for any person to
construct any structure in areas mentioned in the preceding section.

After the effectivity of this Act, the barangay, municipal or city government units shall prevent the
construction of any kind of illegal dwelling units of structures within their respective localities. The head
of any local government unit concerned who allows, abets or otherwise tolerates the construction of
any structure in violation of this section shall be liable to administrative sanctions under existing laws
and to penal sanctions provided for in this Act. aCCeSSLaw11