Laws & Executive Issuances (1900-2011) : Women's Rights and Welfare

g
L AW S A N D E X EC U T I V E I S S UA N C E S
ON
WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND WELFARE
g
Republic of the Philippines
House of Representatives
Quezon City, Metro Manila
Foreword
w omen in the Philippines have

always figured in history as strong,
courageous, decisive, caring, and nurturing leaders, revolutionaries,
patriots and mothers. Filipino women in pre-colonial times stood as
equals of men in command of leadership and family affairs. Their
subordination to men in the colonial era, could not stifle their spirit
for freedom and equality – like the young women of Malolos who
made their desire for education heard through a letter to the
Governor-General. In the years since, numerous laws and executive
issuances have been crafted recognizing the important role of women
not just in the family but in the nation’s economic and political growth.
This compendium of Philippine laws and executive issuances

is intended to serve as a reference material for legislators and policy
makers in crafting laws and formulating policies and programs that
will further empower women to achieve their full potential and engage
women meaningfully in nation building. Students and researchers
will also find this compilation helpful as it enables them to gain a
broader perspective on the spectrum of government initiatives to
protect and empower women.
The compendium brought together laws and executive
issuances crafted from the American period to the Commonwealth
era, the Japanese occupation, up to the country’s independence
covering the years 1900 to 2011. This compendium puts forth a
comprehensive historical evolution of legislation and implementing
regulations that define the terrain of women’s role, rights and welfare
in the country. The reader will see laws that are named Acts,
Commonwealth Acts, and Republic Acts. Executive issuances are
those promulgated by Presidents of the Philippines such as
Presidential Decrees and Executive Orders.
This is the third book in a series of topical compilation of

laws which is being produced by the House Secretariat, a most
commendable program of legislative documentation which will
certainly enrich the terrain of legislative policy making in the country.
That it has been due in partnership with the alumnae of the first
sorority in the University of the Philippines and the country, the U.P.
Sigma Beta Alumnae Foundation, Inc. augurs well for multi-sectoral
partnership efforts toward rationalizing the management of legislative
information resources.
I acknowledge the tireless efforts devoted to the production

of this book by the House Secretary General Marilyn B. Barua-Yap
and the Legislative Information and Resource Management
Department consisting of the Legislative Library Service and the
Archives and Museum Management Service, as well as the Printing
and Reproduction Service.
FELICIANO BELMONTE, JR.

Speaker
LEGISLATIVE MEASURES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LAWS AND EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES ON

Part I
PAGE
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 3
PUBLIC LAWS
ACT NO. 51 5
AN ACT APPROPRIATING SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY
DOLLARS IN MONEY OF THE UNITED STATES, TO BE PAID TO
THE WIDOW OF EDUARDO KINTERO, CHIEF OF POLICE OF
TACLOBAN, LEYTE, OR TO THE COMMANDING OFFICER OF
THE DISTRICT FOR HER BENEFIT.
ACT NO. 342 6

AN ACT APPROPRIATING ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED
DOLLARS, LOCAL CURRENCY, TO BE PAID TO THE WIDOW
OF AMBROSIO CEBALLOS, PRESIDENT OF DAGAMI, LEYTE.
ACT NO. 348 7

DOLLARS, IN LOCAL CURRENCY, TO BE PAID TO THE WIDOW
OF HONORATO QUISUMBING, LATE PRESIDENT OF THE TOWN
OF LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA, OR TO THE COMMANDING OFFICER
OF THE DISTRICT FOR HER BENEFIT.
i
LAWS AND EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES ON WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND WELFARE
PUBLIC LAWS PAGE
ACT NO. 349 8

DOLLARS, IN LOCAL CURRENCY, TO BE PAID TO THE WIDOW
OF JUAN VELASCO, LATE PRESIDENT OF NAGCARLAN,
LAGUNA, OR TO THE COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE
DISTRICT FOR HER BENEFIT.
ACT NO. 350 9

DOLLARS, IN LOCAL CURRENCY, TO BE PAID TO MARIA E.
LONZUELA SANTOS, THE WIDOW OF, DON MARIANO
RAMIREZ, LATE PRESIDENT OF BOCAUE, BULACAN, OR TO
THE TREASURER OF THE PROVINCE FOR HER BENEFIT.
ACT NO. 351 10

AN ACT APPROPRIATING ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS, IN
LOCAL CURRENCY, TO BE PAID TO THE WIDOW OF
BONIFACIO ORTUA, LATE PRESIDENT OF THE PUEBLO OF
LAGONOY, AMBOS CAMARINES, ISLAND OF LUZON, OR TO
THE TREASURER OF THE PROVINCE FOR HER BENEFIT.
ACT NO. 1041 11

AN ACT AMENDING ACT NUMBERED TWO HUNDRED AND
NINETY, ENTITLED “AN ACT PROVIDING AN INEXPENSIVE
METHOD OF ADMINISTRATION UPON THE ESTATES OF CIVIL
EMPLOYEES OF THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT WHO ARE
CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES, AND WHO DIE IN THE
SERVICE OF THE INSULAR GOVERNMENT, LEAVING SMALL
ESTATE UPON WHICH NO REGULAR ADMINISTRATION IS
DEEMED ADVISABLE,” AND PROVIDING A METHOD OF
PAYING SMALL AMOUNTS DUE ESTATES OF DECEASED
NATIVE EMPLOYEES WITHOUT THE EXPENSE OF
ADMINISTRATION.
ii
PUBLIC LAWS PAGE
ACT NO. 1438 14

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE COMMITMENT OF JUVENILE
OFFENDERS BETWEEN CERTAIN AGES TO CHARITABLE OR
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS INSTEAD OF TO THE PUBLIC
PRISONS OR JAILS, AND FOR THE TRANSFER OF SUCH
OFFENDERS FROM PUBLIC PRISONS OR JAILS TO SUCH
CHARITABLE OR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES.
ACT NO. 1918 17

AN ACT AMENDING ACT NUMBERED SEVENTY-FOUR, BY
MAKING WOMEN ELIGIBLE AS MEMBERS OF THE LOCAL
SCHOOL BOARD AND PROVIDING THAT TWO POSITIONS AT
LEAST SHALL BE HELD BY WOMEN.
ACT NO. 1924 18

AN ACT EXTENDING THE BENEFITS OF ACT NUMBERED
EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SEVEN TO MALE AND
FEMALE TEACHERS OF MUNICIPALITIES AND OF TOWNSHIPS
INHABITED BY CHRISTIAN TRIBES IN MINDORO AND
PALAWAN, AND IN THE SUBPROVINCE OF ABRA.
ACT NO. 1975 19

AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CLASSES
FOR THE INSTRUCTION AND TRAINING OF MALE AND
FEMALE NURSES UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE
DIRECTOR OF HEALTH.
ACT NO. 2138 23

AN ACT APPROPRIATING INSULAR FUNDS NOT OTHERWISE
APPROPRIATED, FOR THE PURPOSES MENTIONED IN ACT
NUMBERED NINETEEN HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FIVE,
ENTITLED “AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT
OF CLASSES FOR THE INSTRUCTION AND TRAINING OF MALE
AND FEMALE NURSES UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE
DIRECTOR OF HEALTH.”
iii
PUBLIC LAWS PAGE
ACT NO. 2161 24

AN ACT AMENDING ACT NUMBERED NINETEEN HUNDRED
AND SEVENTY-FIVE, ENTITLED “AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CLASSES FOR THE INSTRUCTION
AND TRAINING OF MALE AND FEMALE NURSES UNDER THE
SUPERVISION OF THE DIRECTOR OF HEALTH,” BY REMOVING
THE RESTRICTION AS TO THE NUMBER OF NURSES OF EACH
SEX THAT MAY BE ADMITTED DURING ANY ONE YEAR.
ACT NO. 2467 25

AN ACT TO REORGANIZE THE PHILIPPINE TRAINING SCHOOL
FOR NURSES, TO ESTABLISH A SCHOOL OF MIDWIFERY, AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
ACT NO. 2710 28

AN ACT TO ESTABLISH DIVORCE
ACT NO. 2988 31

AN ACT TO ABOLISH THE PUBLIC WELFARE BOARD AND
TRANSFER ITS POWERS AND FUNCTIONS TO THE OFFICE OF
THE PUBLIC WELFARE COMMISSIONER; MAKE THE BUREAU
OF DEPENDENT CHILDREN A DIVISION OF THE OFFICE OF
THE PUBLIC WELFARE COMMISSIONER; CHARGE SAID
OFFICE WITH THE ACTIVITIES AND FUNCTIONS RELATIVE
TO THE PROTECTION OF INFANCY, AS PROVIDED FOR IN ACTS
NUMBERED TWENTY-SIX HUNDRED AND THIRTY-THREE AND
TWENTY-NINE HUNDRED AND FIVE, AND WITH ALL WORK
IN GENERAL, RELATED WITH MATERNITY, HYGIENE, AND
CHILD WELFARE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
ACT NO. 3071 34

AN ACT TO REGULATE THE EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN AND
CHILDREN IN SHOPS, FACTORIES, INDUSTRIAL,
AGRICULTURAL, AND MERCANTILE ESTABLISHMENTS, AND
OTHER PLACES OF LABOR IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS ; TO
PROVIDE PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS HEREOF, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES.
iv
PUBLIC LAWS PAGE
ACT NO. 3157 38

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS EIGHT HUNDRED AND
SEVENTY-TWO AND EIGHT HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FOUR
OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE, RELATIVE TO THE SOURCES
OF THE PENSION AND RETIREMENT FUND AND THE LIFE
PENSION OF THE OFFICERS AND ENLISTED MEN OF THE
CONSTABULARY.
ACT NO. 3200 41

AN ACT TO FACILITATE THE ESTABLISHMENT AND
OPERATION OF THE PUERICULTURAL INSTITUTIONS
ORGANIZED IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.
ACT NO. 3205 43

SEVENTY-TWO AND EIGHT HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FOUR
OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE, AS AMENDED BY ACT
NUMBERED THIRTY-ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SEVEN,
RELATIVE TO THE SOURCE OF THE PENSION AND
RETIREMENT FUND AND THE LIFE PENSION OF THE OFFICERS
AND ENLISTED MEN OF THE CONSTABULARY.
ACT NO. 3579 47

AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE TRANSFER TO WELFAREVILLE
OF ALL FEMALE PRISONERS CONFINED IN BILIBID PRISONS,
APPROPRIATING THE SUM OF SIXTY THOUSAND PESOS FOR
THIS PURPOSE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
ACT NO. 3799 48

AN ACT GRANTING CERTAIN COMPENSATION TO THE WIFE
OR LEGITIMATE CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF TWENTY-
ONE YEARS OF ANY SENATOR OR REPRESENTATIVE WHO
DIES DURING HIS TERM OF OFFICE, AND APPROPRIATING
FUNDS THEREFOR.
v
PUBLIC LAWS PAGE
ACT NO. 3810 49

AN ACT GRANTING TO CONSUELO D. BORJA, A FRANCHISE
TO INSTALL, OPERATE, AND MAINTAIN AN ELECTRIC LIGHT,
HEAT, AND POWER PLANT IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF ILIGAN,
PROVINCE OF LANAO, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.
ACT NO. 3815 50

AN ACT REVISING THE PENAL CODE AND OTHER PENAL
LAWS.
ACT NO. 3922 57

AN ACT TO AMEND ARTICLE THIRTEEN HUNDRED AND
EIGHTY-SEVEN OF THE CIVIL CODE, EMPOWERING MARRIED
WOMEN, OF AGE, TO DISPOSE FREELY OF HEIR
PARAPHERNAL PROPERTY, WITHOUT THE CONSENT OF THE
HUSBAND.
ACT NO. 4081 58

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS IN THE
PRACTICE OF MIDWIFERY AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
ACT NO. 4091 59

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION FIVE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-
THREE OF ACT NUMBERED ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY, AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
ACT NO. 4112 61

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY-
ONE OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE, AS AMENDED, BY
GRANTING THE RIGHT OF SUFFRAGE TO THE WOMEN AND
MAKING THEM ELIGIBLE TO ALL PUBLIC OFFICES, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES.
vi
COMMONWEALTH ACTS PAGE
COMMONWEALTH ACT NO. 34 63

AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE HOLDING OF A PLEBISCITE
ON THE QUESTION OF WOMAN SUFFRAGE.
COMMONWEALTH ACT No. 473 67

AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE ACQUISITION OF PHILIPPINE
CITIZENSHIP BY NATURALIZATION, AND TO REPEAL ACTS
NUMBERED TWENTY-NINE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN
AND THIRTY-FOUR HUNDRED AND FORTY-EIGHT.

AN ACT TO CONTROL AND REGULATE THE IMMIGRATION OF
ALIENS INTO THE PHILIPPINES
COMMONWEALTH ACT No. 625 78

AN ACT PROVIDING THE MANNER IN WHICH THE OPTION
TO ELECT PHILIPPINE CITIZENSHIP SHALL BE DECLARED BY
A PERSON WHOSE MOTHER IS A FILIPINO CITIZEN

AN ACT TO GRANT MATERNITY LEAVE TO MARRIED WOMEN
WHO ARE IN THE SERVICE OF THE GOVERNMENT OR OF ANY
OF ITS INSTRUMENTALITIES.

AN ACT APPROPRIATING THE SUM OF FIVE HUNDRED
THOUSAND PESOS FOR THE RESUMPTION OF THE
ACTIVITIES AND FUNCTIONS RELATIVE TO THE PROTECTION
OF EARLY INFANCY, MATERNITY, AND CHILD HEALTH.

AN ACT TO ESTABLISH MUNICIPAL MATERNITY AND
CHARITY CLINICS
vii
REPUBLIC ACTS PAGE
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 21 85

AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE LEGITIMATE FATHER, OR, IN HIS
DEFAULT, THE MOTHER, OF ANY MINOR OR INCOMPETENT
PERSON HAVING A CLAIM OR SHARE IN A CLAIM AGAINST
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PHILIPPINES OR OF THE UNITED
STATES, TO RECEIVE PAYMENT OF SAID CLAIM OR SHARE
WHEN THE AMOUNT THEREOF DOES NOT EXCEED FIVE
HUNDRED PESOS OR ITS EQUIVALENT IN DOLLARS

AN ACT PROVIDING A LIFE PENSION FOR WIDOWS OF EX-
PRESIDENTS OF THE PHILIPPINES

AN ACT TO ORDAIN AND INSTITUTE THE CIVIL CODE OF THE
PHILIPPINES

AN ACT TO REGULATE THE EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN AND
CHILDREN, TO PROVIDE PENALTIES FOR VIOLATION HEREOF,
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

AN ACT TO AMEND CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE PRIVATE
EMPLOYMENT AGENCY LAW IN ORDER TO GIVE ADDED
PROTECTION TO APPLICANTS FOR EMPLOYMENT

AN ACT GRANTING A LIFE PENSION TO THE WIDOW OF THE
LATE COMMISSIONER PEDRO GUEVARA IN CONSIDERATION
OF HIS MANY YEARS OF OUTSTANDING AND HIGHLY
MERITORIOUS PUBLIC SERVICE

AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE PRESIDENT TO ISSUE
APPROPRIATE CERTIFICATES OF RECOGNITION TO WIDOWS,
viii
REPUBLIC ACTS PAGE
PARENTS AND NEXT OF KIN OF MEMBERS OF THE ARMED

FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES WHO LOST OR SHALL LOSE
THEIR LIVES IN LINE OF DUTY

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS THREE, SEVEN AND TWELVE
OF REPUBLIC ACT NUMBERED SIX HUNDRED SEVENTY-NINE,
ENTITLED “AN ACT TO REGULATE THE EMPLOYMENT OF
WOMEN AND CHILDREN, TO PROVIDE PENALTIES FOR
VIOLATION HEREOF, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES”

AN ACT APPROPRIATING FUNDS AS COMPENSATION TO THE
WIDOWS AND/OR LEGITIMATE CHILDREN OF GOVERNMENT
OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES IN THE EXECUTIVE
DEPARTMENT WHO DIED IN THEIR CRASHES IN THE
PROVINCE OF CEBU AND AT ILIGAN BAY

AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE WOMEN’S AUXILIARY CORPS IN
THE ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES, TO PROVIDE THE
PROCUREMENT OF ITS OFFICERS AND ENLISTED
PERSONNEL, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

AN ACT EXEMPTING FROM INCOME TAX THE TEN THOUSAND
DOLLARS PRIZE OF MISS GEMMA CRUZ AS MISS
INTERNATIONAL

AN ACT GRANTING MRS. NATALIA AMPARADO A FRANCHISE
TO INSTALL, MAINTAIN AND OPERATE AN ELECTRIC LIGHT,
HEAT AND POWER SYSTEM IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF
ALIMODIAN, PROVINCE OF ILOILO
ix
REPUBLIC ACTS PAGE

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A
MATERNITY AND CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL IN THE
MUNICIPALITY OF MARCOS, PROVINCE OF ILOCOS NORTE,
TO BE KNOWN AS MARCOS MATERNITY AND CHILDREN’S
HOSPITAL, AND AUTHORIZING THE APPROPRIATION OF
FUNDS THEREFOR

AN ACT GRANTING FELICIANA E. ALVAREZ A FRANCHISE TO
CONSTRUCT, MAINTAIN AND OPERATE AN ICE PLANT AND
COLDSTORAGES, AND TO DISTRIBUTE AND SELL ICE SO
MANUFACTURED AND FURNISH COLD STORAGE SERVICE IN
THE CITY OF QUEZON

AN ACT GRANTING EMELIA MACALINO A FRANCHISE TO
CONSTRUCT, MAINTAIN AND OPERATE AN ICE PLANT AND
COLD STORAGE IN THE CITY OF ILOILO

AN ACT GRANTING SYLVIA G. GUMABAO FRANCHISE TO
CONSTRUCT, MAINTAIN, AND OPERATE AN ICE PLANT AND
COLD STORAGE IN THE MUNICIPALITIES OF SANTIAGO AND
ECHAGUE, PROVINCE OF ISABELA, AND TO SELL AND
DISTRIBUTE ICE SO MANUFACTURED AND FURNISH COLD
STORAGE THEREIN AND IN THE MUNICIPALITIES OF ALICIA,
ANGADANAN, CAUAYAN, CABATUAN, SAN MATEO, RAMON,
CORDON, JONES, SAN AGUSTIN, SAN GUILLERMO AND SAN
ISIDRO, ALL IN THE PROVINCE OF ISABELA

AN ACT GRANTING LOURDES BENGZON A FRANCHISE TO
CONSTRUCT, OPERATE AND MAINTAIN AN ICE PLANT AND
COLD STORGE IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF BUGALLON,
PROVINCE OF PANGASINAN, AND TO SELL AND DISTRIBUTE
ICE AND SUPPLY COLD STORAGE IN THE MUNICIPALITIES
x
REPUBLIC ACTS PAGE
OF LINGAYEN, BUGALLON, MANGATAREM, AGUILAR,

BINMALEY AND URBlZTONDO, ALL IN THE SAME PROVINCE

AN ACT GRANTING TERESITA TIROL GARGANTIEL A
FRANCHISE TO CONSTRUCT, OPERATE AND MAINTAIN AN
ICE PLANT AND COLD STORAGE IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF
BAYAWAN, PROVINCE OF NEGROS ORIENTAL, AND TO SELL
ICE AND TO SUPPLY COLD STORAGE THEREIN AND TO
NEIGHBORING MUNICIPALITIES

AN ACT AUTHORIZING MARCELINA S. AQUINO TO TRANSFER,
ASSIGN, SELL OR MORTGAGE IN FAVOR OF ANY BANKING
OR FINANCING INSTITUTION HER FRANCHISES UNDER
REPUBLIC ACTS NUMBERED SIX HUNDRED NINETY-SEVEN
AND SEVEN HUNDRED FIFTY-SEVEN, TO INSTALL, OPERATE
AND MAINTAIN TELEPHONE SYSTEMS IN THE CITY OF
BUTUAN AND IN THE PROVINCE OF AGUSAN AND THE
MUNICIPALITIES ANP MUNICIPAL DISTRICTS THEREOF

AN ACT GRANTING ANUNCIACION H. REYES A FRANCHISE
TO CONSTRUCT, OPERATE AND MAINTAIN A RADIO
BROADCASTINGSTATION IN THE CITY OF SAN CARLOS IN
PANGASINAN FOR EDUCATIONAL, CULTURALAND
COMMERCIAL PURPOSES

AN ACT GRANTING LYNDA FELICIANO A FRANCHISE TO
COLD STORAGE IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF
MAKATI,PROVINCE OF RIZAL

AN ACT GRANTING ENRICA M. REYES GARCIA A TEMPORARY
PERMIT TO CONSTRUCT, ESTABLISH, OPERATE AND
xi
REPUBLIC ACTS PAGE
MAINTAIN A COMMERCIAL RADIO BROADCASTING STATION

IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF KALIBO, PROVINCE OF AKLAN

AN ACT GRANTING NATIVIDAD R. ORTEGA FRANCHISE TO
INSTALL, OPERATE AND MAINTAIN AN ELECTRIC LIGHT,
HEAT AND POWER SYSTEM AND AN ICE PLANT IN THE
MUNICIPALITY OF MAHAPLAG, PROVINCE OF LEYTE, AND
TO SELL AND DISTRIBUTE ELECTRIC LIGHT, HEAT, POWER
AND ICE PLANT

AN ACT AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NUMBERED FIFTY
HUNDRED AND FIVE, ENTITLED “AN ACT GRANTING
ESPERANZA LAZARO A FRANCHISE TO CONSTRUCT,
MAINTAIN AND OPERATE AN ICE PLANT IN BARRIO
DAMPALIT, MUNICIPALITY OF MALABON, PROVINCE OF
RIZAL.”

AN ACT AMENDING SECTION ONE OF REPUBLIC ACT
NUMBERED THIRTY HUNDRED FIFTEEN BY GIVING
RETROACTIVE EFFECT TO THE PROVISIONS THEREOF. (re:
Armed Forces Retirement Act)

AN ACT AUTHORIZING MARCELINA S. AQUINO TO TRANSFER,
ASSIGN, SELL OR MORTGAGE IN FAVOR OF ANY BANKING
OR FINANCING INSTITUTION HER FRANCHISE UNDER
REPUBLIC ACTS NUMBERED SIX HUNDRED NINETY-SEVEN
AND SEVEN HUNDRED FIFTY-SEVEN, TO INSTALL, OPERATE
AND MAINTAIN TELEPHONE SYSTEMS IN THE CITY OF
BUTUAN AND IN THE PROVINCE OF AGUSAN AND THE
MINICIPALITIES AND MUNICIPAL DISTRICTS THEREOF, AND
FURTHER MODIFYINGTHE PROVISIONS OF SAID FRANCHISE
xii
REPUBLIC ACTS PAGE

AN ACT GRANTING JOSEFINA B. RAMOS A FRANCHISE TO
COLD STORAGE IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF GUIGUINTO,
PROVINCE OF BULACAN AND TO SELL ICE IN THE PROVINCE
OF BULACAN

AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF SAN FELIPE ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL IN THE CITY OF NAGA TO ROSARIO V. MARAMBA
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

AN ACT CREATING BARRIO CRISPINA MARCOS IN THE
MUNICIPALITY OF BATAC, PROVINCE OF ILOCOS NORTE

AN ACT FURTHER AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NUMBERED SIX
HUNDRED SEVENTY-NINE, AS AMENDED BY REPUBLIC ACT
NUMBERED ELEVEN HUNDRED THIRTY-ONE (RE: WOMAN
AND CHILD LABOR LAW)

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE FIXING OF THE MAXIMUM
SELLING PRICE OF ESSENTIAL ARTICLES OR COMMODITIES,
CREATING THE PRICE CONTROL COUNCIL, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES

AN ACT GRANTING ERNA P. CRUZ A FRANCHISE TO
CONSTRUCT, INSTALL, OPERATE AND MAINTAIN
AERONAUTICAL AND RADIO BROADCASTING AND
TELEVISION STATIONS IN THE ISLAND OF MINDANAO

AN ACT INSTITUTING A COMPREHENSIVE AGRARIAN
REFORM PROGRAM TO PROMOTE SOCIAL JUSTICE AND
xiii
REPUBLIC ACTS PAGE
INDUSTRIALIZATION, PROVIDING THE MECHANISM FOR ITS

IMPLEMENTATION, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

AN ACT RENAMING THE BAY-ANG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN
BARANGAY BAY-ANG, MUNICIPALITY OF AJUY, PROVINCE OF
ILOILO, AS THE BEATRIZ D. TUPAS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF BARANGAY COBOL,
MUNICIPALITY OF BATAC, PROVINCE OF ILOCOS NORTE, TO
BARANGAY PETRA PIMENTEL AND FOR SOME OTHER
PURPOSE

AN ACT RENAMING THE TUMAGA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN
ZAMBOANGA CITY AS THE CATALINA VDA. DE JALON
MEMORIAL SCHOOL

AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE PROHIBITION ON
DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN WITH RESPECT TO
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT, AMENDING FOR
THE PURPOSE ARTICLE ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-FIVE OF THE
LABOR CODE, AS AMENDED

AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF THE BATAAN NATIONAL
SCHOOL OF ARTS AND TRADES IN BALANGA, BATAAN, TO
MEDINA LACSON DE LEON NATIONAL SCHOOL OF ARTS AND
TRADES

AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF THE PIEDAD BARANGAY
HIGH SCHOOL TO DONA CARMEN DENIA CITY HIGH SCHOOL
xiv
REPUBLIC ACTS PAGE

AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF THE SAGURONG
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN BARANGAY SAGURONG,
MUNICIPALITY OF PILI, PROVINCE OF CAMARINES SUR, TO
SOLEDAD MARASIGAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF THE STA. ISABEL
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN BARANGAY STA. ISABEL, CITY OF
SAN PABLO, PROVINCE OF LAGUNA, TO ANTONIA MANUEL
MAGCASE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF THE SAN MIGUEL
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF CALUMPIT,
PROVINCE OF BULACAN, TO DAMIANA DE LEON
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

AN ACT TO DECLARE MARCH EIGHT OF EVERY YEAR AS A
WORKING SPECIAL HOLIDAY TO BE KNOWN AS NATIONAL
WOMEN’S DAY.

AN ACT TO DECLARE UNLAWFUL THE PRACTICE OF
MATCHING FILIPINO WOMEN FOR MARRIAGE TO FOREIGN
NATIONALS ON A MAIL ORDER BASIS AND OTHER SIMILAR
PRACTICES, INCLUDING THE ADVERTISEMENT,
PUBLICATION, PRINTING OR DISTRIBUTION OF BROCHURES,
FLIERS AND OTHER PROPAGANDA MATERIALS IN
FURTHERANCE THEREOF AND PROVIDING PENALTY
THEREFORE

AN ACT ESTABLISHING A DAY CARE CENTER IN EVERY
BARANGAY, INSTITUTING THEREIN A TOTAL DEVELOPMENT
xv
REPUBLIC ACTS PAGE
AND PROTECTION OF CHILDREN PROGRAM, APPROPRIATING

FUNDS THEREFORE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE DEVELOPMENT,
ADMINISTRATION, ORGANIZATION, TRAINING,
MAINTENANCE AND UTILIZATION OF THE CITIZEN ARMED
FORCE OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES

AN ACT PROMOTING THE INTEGRATION OF WOMEN AS FULL
AND EQUAL PARTNERS OF MEN IN DEVELOPMENT AND
NATION BUILDING AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

AN ACT DECLARING FEBRUARY NINETEEN OF EACH YEAR
AS DONA AURORA ARAGON QUEZON DAY A SPECIAL
NONWORKING HOLIDAY IN THE PROVINCE OF AURORA IN
ORDER TO COMMEMORATE THE BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF
DONA AURORA ARAGON QUEZON, THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF
THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL RED CROSS, AND FOUNDATION
DAY OF THE PROVINCE

THE MAGNA CARTA OF PUBLIC HEALTH WORKERS

AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF THE STA. ANA
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN BARANGA Y STA. ANA,
MUNICIPALITY OF ESCALANTE, PROVINCE OF NEGROS
OCCIDENTAL, TO ROSARIO C. VALDIVIA ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL

AN ACT INCREASING MATERNITY BENEFITS IN FAVOR OF
WOMEN WORKERS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, AMENDING FOR
xvi
REPUBLIC ACTS PAGE
THE PURPOSE SECTION 14-A OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1161, AS

AMENDED, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF THE LAYOG BARANGAY
NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL IN BARANGAY LAYOG,
MUNICIPALITY OF MAASIN, PROVINCE OF ILOILO, TO AUREA
BELONIA MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL

AN ACT REVISING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 2644, AS AMENDED,
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE PHILIPPINE MIDWIFERY ACT

AN ACT TO MAXIMIZE THE CONTRIBUTION OF SENIOR
CITIZENS TO NATION BUILDING, GRANT BENEFITS AND
SPECIAL PRIVILEGES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF THE SURIGAO DEL SUR
PROVINCIAL HOSPITAL IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF TANDAG,
PROVINCE OF SURIGAO DEL SUR, TO ADELA SERRA TY
MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF THE BARANGAY
CABUNGAHAN HIGH SCHOOL IN BARANGAY CABUNGAHAN,
MUNICIPALITY OF MAAYON, PROVINCE OF CAPIZ, TO
FLORENTINA BATOAMPO DEGALA MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL

AN ACT PROVIDING INCENTIVES TO ALL GOVERNMENT AND
PRIVATE HEALTH INSTITUTIONS WITH ROQMING-IN AND
BREASTFEEDING PRACTICES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
xvii
REPUBLIC ACTS PAGE

AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF THE PANTOK-PALANGOY
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF
BINANGONAN, PROVINCE OF RIZAL, TO SUSANA MADRIGAL
MEMORIAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

AN ACT GIVING REPRESENTATION TO WOMEN IN THE SOCIAL
SECURITY COMMISSION, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE
SECTION 3 (A) OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1161, AS AMENDED

AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF THE BUCAY NATIONAL
GENERAL HIGH SCHOOL IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF BUCAY,
PROVINCE OF ABRA, TO CRISTINA B. GONZALES MEMORIAL
HIGH SCHOOL

AN ACT CREATING THE TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND SKILLS
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, PROVIDING FOR ITS POWERS,
STRUCTURE AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

AN ACT APPROPRIATING FUNDS FOR THE OPERATION OF THE
GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES FROM
JANUARY ONE TO DECEMBER THIRTY-ONE, NINETEEN
HUNDRED AND NINETY-FIVE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

AN ACT INSTITUTING A NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE
PROGRAM FOR ALL FILIPINOS AND ESTABLISHING THE
PHILIPPINE HEALTH INSURANCE CORPORATION FOR THE
PURPOSE
xviii
REPUBLIC ACTS PAGE

AN ACT PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO WOMEN ENGAGING IN
MICRO AND COTTAGE BUSINESS ENTERPRISES, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES

AN ACT CREATING THE NATIONAL DAIRY AUTHORITY TO
ACCELERATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DAIRY INDUSTRY
IN THE PHILIPPINES, PROVIDING FOR A DAIRY
DEVELOPMENT FUND, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

AN ACT CONVERTING THE JOSEFINA H. CERILLES NATIONAL
HIGH SCHOOL IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF SAN MIGUEL,
PROVINCE OF ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR, INTO A POLYTECHNIC
COLLEGE TO BE KNOWN AS THE JOSEFINA H. CERILLES
POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE. AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFOR

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE ELECTIONS OF PARTY-LIST
REPRESENTATIVES THROUGH THE PARTY-LIST SYSTEM, AND
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

AN ACT TO INSTITUTE THE POLICIES OF OVERSEAS
EMPLOYMENT AND ESTABLISH A HIGHER STANDARD OF
PROTECTION AND PROMOTION OF THE WELFARE OF
MIGRANT WORKERS, THEIR FAMILIES AND OVERSEAS
FILIPINOS IN DISTRESS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

AN ACT FURTHER EXTENDING THE TERM OF THE FRANCHISE
GRANTED TO CONSUELO D. BORJA NOW PRESENTLY HELD
BY ILIGAN LIGHT AND POWER, INC., HER SUCCESSOR-IN-
INTEREST, UNDER REPUBLIC ACT NUMBERED SIX
THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED NINETY-ONE, ORIGINALLY
xix
REPUBLIC ACTS PAGE
GRANTED TO CONSUELO D. BORJA UNDER ACT NUMBERED

THREE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED TEN FOR A PERIOD OF
TWENTY-FIVE (25) YEARS FROM THE DATE OF ITS
EXPIRATION AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE REPATRIATION OF FILIPINO
WOMEN WHO HAVE LOST THEIR PHILIPPINE CITIZENSHIP BY
MARRIAGE TO ALIENS AND OF NATURAL-BORN FILIPINOS

HUNDRED AND NINETY-SIX, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

HUNDRED AND NINETY-SEVEN, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN BARANGAY SAN MIGUEL IN THE
MUNICIPALITY OF STO. TOMAS, PROVINCE OF BATANGAS,
TO TIBURCIA CARPIO MALVAR ELEMENTARYSCHOOL

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE SEPARATION OF THE INAYAWAN
EXTENSION CLASS LOCATED IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF
CAUAYAN, PROVINCE OF NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, FROM TIHE
LINAON BARANGAY HIGH SCHOOL, AND TO BE KNOWN AS
THE EVA J. MONTILIA NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL, AND
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
xx
REPUBLIC ACTS PAGE

AN ACT EXPANDING THE DEFINITION OF THE CRIME OF
RAPE, RECLASSIFYING THE SAME AS A CRIME AGAINST
PERSONS, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE ACT NO. 3815, AS
AMENDED, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE REVISED PENAL
CODE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

AN ACT ESTABLISHING FAMILY COURTS, GRANTING THEM
EXCLUSIVE ORIGINAL JURISDICTION OVER CHILD AND
FAMILY CASES, AMENDING BATAS PAMBANSA BILANG 129,
AS AMENDED, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE JUDICIARY
REORGANIZATION ACT OF 1980, APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

AN ACT TO RECOGNIZE, PROTECT AND PROMOTE THE
RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS CULTURAL COMMUNITIES/
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, CREATING A NATIONAL COMMISSION
ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, ESTABLISHING IMPLEMENTING
MECHANISMS, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES

AN ACT CREATING A NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL IN BARANGAY
SAN PEDRO, MUNICIPALITY OF BATAC, PROVINCE OF ILOCOS
NORTE, TO BE KNOWN AS THE CRISPINA MARCOS·VALDEZ
NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFOR

AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE SOCIAL REFORM AND
POVERTY ALLEVIATION PROGRAM, CREATING FOR THE
PURPOSE THE NATIONAL ANTI-POVERTY COMMISSION,
DEFINING ITS POWERS AND FUNCTIONS, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES
xxi
REPUBLIC ACTS PAGE

AN ACT PROVIDING ASSISTANCE AND PROTECTION FOR
RAPE VICTIMS. ESTABLISHING FOR THE PURPOSE A RAPE
CRISIS CENTER IN EVERY PROVINCE AND CITY.
AUTHORIZING THE APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS THEREFOR,

HUNDRED AND NINETYEIGHT, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE REFORM AND
REORGANIZATION OF THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES, AMENDING CERTAIN
PROVISIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NUMBERED SIXTY-NINE
HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FIVE ENTITLED, “AN ACT
ESTABLISHING THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE UNDER A
REORGANIZED DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENT, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES”

HUNDRED AND NINETYNINE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

JANUARY ONE TO DECEMBER THIRTY-ONE, TWO THOUSAND,
xxii
REPUBLIC ACTS PAGE

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE BENEFITS AND PRIVILEGES TO
SOLO PARENTS AND THEIR CHILDREN, APPROPRIATING
FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

AN ACT PROMULGATING A COMPREHENSIVE POLICY AND A
NATIONAL SYSTEM FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND
DEVELOPMENT (ECCD), PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES

AN ACT TO INSTITUTE POLICIES TO ELIMINATE TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS ESPECIALLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN,
ESTABLISHING THE NECESSARY INSTITUTIONAL
MECHANISMS FOR THE PROTECTION AND SUPPORT OF
TRAFFICKED PERSONS, PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR ITS
VIOLATIONS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE PURIFICATION DOLAR MONFORT
NATIONAL SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL IN BARAGAY P. D.
MONFORT NORTH, MUNICIPALITY OF DUMANGAS,
PROVINCE OF ILOlLO, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

AN ACT ALLOWING ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN TO USE THE
SURNAME OF THEIR FATHER, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE
ARTICLE 176 OF EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 209, OTHERWISE
KNOWN AS THE “FAMILY CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES”

AN ACT DEFINING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND THEIR
CHILDREN, PROVIDING FOR PROTECTIVE MEASURES FOR
VICTIMS, PRESCRIBING PENALTIES THEREFORE, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES
xxiii
REPUBLIC ACTS PAGE

AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE COMPREHENSIVE AGRARIAN
REFORM PROGRAM (CARP), EXTENDING THE ACQUISITION
AND DISTRIBUTION OF ALL AGRICULTURAL LANDS,
INSTITUTING NECESSARY REFORMS, AMENDING FOR THE
PURPOSE CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6657,
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE COMPREHENSIVE AGRARIAN
REFORM LAW OF 1988, AS AMENDED, AND APPROPRIATING
FUNDS THEREFOR

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE MAGNA CARTA OF WOMEN

AN ACT EXPANDING THE PROMOTION OF BREASTFEEDING,
AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7600,
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS “AN ACT PROVIDING INCENTIVES
TO ALL GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE HEALTH INSTITUTIONS
WITH ROOMING-IN AND BREASTFEEDING PRACTICES AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES”

AN ACT ALLOWING THE EMPLOYMENT OF NIGHT WORKERS,
THEREBY REPEALING ARTICLES 130 AND 131 OF
PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NUMBER FOUR HUNDRED FORTY-
TWO, AS AMENDED, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE LABOR
CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES
xxiv
LAWS AND EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES ON
Part II
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
PRESIDENTIAL DECREES PAGE
PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 148 393

AMENDING FURTHER CERTAIN SECTIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT
NUMBERED SIX HUNDRED SEVENTY NINE, AS AMENDED,
COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE WOMAN AND CHILD LABOR
LAW.

A DECREE INSTITUTING A LABOR CODE, THEREBY REVISING
AND CONSOLIDATING LABOR AND SOCIAL LAWS TO AFFORD
PORTECTION TO LABOR, PROMOTE EMPLOYMENT AND
HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT AND INSURE
INDUSTRIAL PEACE BASED ON SOCIAL JUSTICE.

EXEMPTING FROM TAX PRIZES OF MISS UNIVERSE
CONTESTANTS AND CERTAIN EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES
TO BE USED IN CONNECTION WITH THE MISS UNIVERSE
BEAUTY PAGEANT.

THE CHILD AND YOUTH WELFARE CODE

CREATING A NATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE ROLE OF
FILIPINO WOMEN

PROVIDING FOR REPATRIATION OF FILIPINO WOMEN WHO
HAD LOST THEIR PHILIPPINE CITIZENSHIP BY MARRIAGE TO
ALIENS AN OF NATURAL BORN FILIPINOS
xxv

AMENDING PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 198 ENTITLED
“DECLARING A NATIONAL POLICY FAVORING LOCAL
OPERATION AND CONTROL OF WATER SYSTEMS;
AUTHORIZING THE FORMATION OF LOCAL WATER DISTRICTS
AND PROVIDING FOR THE GOVENRMENT AND
ADMINISTRATION OF SUCH DISTRICT; CHARTERING A
NATIONAL ADMINISTRATION TO FACILITATE IMPROVEMENT
OF LOCAL WATER FACILITIES; GRANTING SAID
ADMINISTRATION SUCH POWERS AS ARE NECESSARY TO
OPTIMIZE PUBLIC SERVICE FROM WATER UTILITY
OPERATIONS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.”

EXTENDING FRANKING PRIVILEGE TO THE ARMED FORCES
OF THE PHILIPPINES LADIES CLUB STEERING COMMITTEE
FOR MAILING MONTHLY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE ONLY TO
ORPHANS OF PERSONNEL OF THE AFP WHO DIED IN COMBAT.

GRANTING CITIZENSHIP TO DESERVING ALIENS AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES

AMENDING CERTAIN ARTICLES OF PD 442 ENTITLED “LABOR
CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES”

AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 3835 ESTABLISHING THE
WOMEN’S AUXILIARY CORPS IN THE ARMED FORCE OF THE
PHILIPPINES TO PROVIDE FOR THE PROCUREMENT OF ITS
OFFICERS AND ENLISTED PERSONNEL AND OTHER
PURPOSES
xxvi
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES

A DECREE TO ORDAIN AND PROMULGATE A CODE
RECOGNIZING THE SYSTEM OF FILIPINO MUSLIM LAWS,
CODIFYING MUSLIM PERSONAL LAWS, AND PROVIDING FOR
ITS ADMINISTRATION AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

FURTHER AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1161 OTHERWISE
KNOWN AS SOCIAL SECURITY LAW

GRANTING CITIZENSHIP TO DESERVING ALIENS WHO HAVE
APPLIED FOR NATURALIZATION AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

FURTHER AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1161 OTHERWISE
KNOWN AS SOCIAL SECURITY LAW

AN ACT AMENDING SECTION FOUR OF THE CHARTER OF THE
PHILIPPINE VETERANS BANK

AUTHORIZING FEMALE MILITARY MEMBERS OF THE ARMED
FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES TO MARRY UPON COMPLETION
OF THREE YEARS ACTIVE SERVICE
EXECUTIVE ORDERS
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 5, S. 1922 481

EO NO. 2, S. 1913, AS AMENDED BY EO NO. 7, S. 1913 & EO NO.
79, S. 1914, RESPECTIVELY, AND EO NOS. 13 AND 43, S. 1921,
APPOINTING THE OFFICERS AND MEMBERS OF THE
PLAYGROUND AND RECREATION COMMISSION OF THE CITY
OF MANILA, IS HEREBY FURTHER AMENDED
xxvii
EXECUTIVE ORDERS PAGE

79, S. 1914, RESPECTIVELY, IS HEREBY FURTHER AMENDED

APPOINTMENTS TO PARDON BOARD

EO NO. 19, S. 1923, IS HEREBY AMENDED.

EO NO.26, S. 1922 AS AMENDED BY EO NO. 29, SAME SERIES,
AND EO NOS. 27 AND 64, BOTH SERIES OF 1924, IS HEREBY
FURTHER AMENDED

RE: BOARD TO SELECT CANDIDATES FOR ROCKEFELLER
FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIPS

EO NO. 26, S. 1922, AS AMENDED BY EO NO. 29, SAME SERIES,
IS HEREBY FURTHER AMENDED.

EXECUTIVE ORDER NUMBERED TWENTY-SIX, CURRENT
SERIES, IS HEREBY AMENDED

EXECUTIVE ORDER NUMBERED TWO, SERIES OF NINETEEN
HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN, AS AMENDED BY EXECUTIVE
ORDERS NUMBERED SEVEN, OF THE SAME SERIES, AND NO.
79, SERIES OF 1914, IS HEREBY FURTHER AMENDED.
xxviii
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES

PROMULGATING RULES AND REGULATIONS TO CARRY OUT
THE PROVISIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NUMBERED THIRTY
ENTITLED “AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE PAYMENT, UNDER
CERTAIN CONDITIONS, OF A GRATUITY TO THE WIDOW AND/
OR CHILDREN, AND IN THEIR ABSENCE TO THE OTHER HEIRS,
OF A DECEASED OFFICER OR MEMBER OF ANY POLICE FORCE
OR SIMILAR GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION ENGAGED IN
THE MAINTENANCE OF PEACE AND ORDER, APPROPRIATING
FUNDS THEREFOR.”

79, S. 1914, AND EO NOS. 13 AND 43, S. 1921, AND EO NO. 5, S.
1922, APPOINTING THE OFFICERS AND MEMBERS OF THE
PLAYGROUND AND RECREATION COMMISSION OF THE CITY
OF MANILA, IS HEREBY FURTHER AMENDED.

ADOPTING A NATIONAL CODE OF MARKETING OF
BREASTMILK SUBSTITUTES, BREASTMILK SUPPLEMENTS
AND RELATED PRODUCTS, PENALIZING VIOLATIONS
THEREOF, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

RE: BOARD TO SELECT CANDIDATES FOR ROCKEFELLER
FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIPS

APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE FRAMEWORK PLAN FOR
WOMEN [2001-2004] AND INTENSIFYING THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 5% BUDGET PROVISION FOR
GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS
xxix

FURTHER DEFINING THE COMPOSITION, POWERS AND
FUNCTIONS OF THE NATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE ROLE
OF FILIPINO WOMEN

THE FAMILY CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES

CREATING AN EXECUTIVE COUNCIL TO SUPPRESS
TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS, PARTICULARLY WOMEN AND
CHILDREN

ORGANIZATION OF THE PHILIPPINE ARMY NURSE CORPS
RESERVE

AMENDING EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 208 (S. 1995) ENTITLED
“FURTHER DEFINING THE COMPOSITION, POWERS AND
FUNCTIONS OF THE NATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE ROLE
OF FILIPINO WOMEN”

APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE PHILIPPINE PLAN FOR
GENDER-RESPONSIVE DEVELOPMENT, 1995 TO 2025

RE: ERECTION OF BILLBOARDS, SKY-SIGNS, AND OTHER
FORMS OF ADVERTISING, AND OF RECOMMENDING SUCH
MODIFICATIONS

RE: APPOINTMENTS TO THE BOARD OF PARDONS
xxx
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES

DESIGNATING THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF WOMEN OF THE
PHILIPPINES (NCWP) AS ONE OF THE LEAD MONITORING ARM
OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS (NGOS) FOR THE
EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GLOBAL PLATFORM
FOR ACTION AND THE PHILIPPINE PLAN FOR GENDER-
RESPONSIVE DEVELOPMENT IN THE NGO AND PRIVATE
SECTOR

DIRECTING NATIONAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND
GOVERNMENT-OWNED AND -CONTROLLED CORPORATIONS
TO PROVIDE DAY CARE SERVICES FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES’
CHILDREN UNDER FIVE YEARS OF AGE

APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE PHILIPPINE DEVELOPMENT
PLAN FOR WOMEN FOR 1989 TO 1992

AMENDING EXECUTIVE ORDER 356 DATED 12 AUGUST 1996
WHICH PROVIDES FOR THE IMPLEMENTING GUIDELINES ON
THE INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS TO FASTTRACK SRA
LOCALIZATION, TO INCLUDE THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON
THE ROLE OF THE FILIPINO WOMEN IN THE MEMBERSHIP
OF THE SOCIAL REFORM COUNCIL

DIRECTING THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND
DEVELOPMENT (DSWD) TO EXERCISE OVERSIGHT FUNCTION
OVER THE NATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE ROLE OF
FILIPINO WOMEN (NCRFW)
xxxi

IMPLEMENTING THE NATIONAL COMMITMENT FOR
“BAKUNA ANG UNA SA SANGGOL AT INA”, ATTAINING WORLD
HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS GOALS TO ELIMINATE MEASLES
AND NEONATAL TETANUS, ERADICATE POLIO, CONTROL
HEPATITIS B AND OTHER VACCINE-PREVENTABLE DISEASES

CREATION OF A NATIONAL STEERING COMMITTEE ON
WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY (NSCWPS) TO IMPLEMENT
UN SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS 1325 AND 1820 AND
PROVIDING FUNDS THEREOF
Bibliography 568
Appendix 569
Index 571
xxxii
PART I
Legislative Measures
1
L AWS AND EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES ON W OMEN ’S RIGHTS AND W ELFARE
2
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
ST
STAATE POLICIES
“SEC. 14. The State recognizes the role of women in

nation-building, and shall ensure the fundamental equality
before the law of women and men.”
ARTICLE VI
THE LEGISLA TIVE DEP

LEGISLATIVE ARTMENT
DEPARTMENT
“SEC. 5 (2). The party-list representatives shall

constitute twenty per centum of the total number of
representatives including those under the party list. For three
consecutive terms after the ratification of the Constitution, one-
half of the seats allocated to party-list representatives shall be
filled, as provided by law, by selection or election from the labor,
peasant, urban poor, indigenous cultural communities, women,
youth, and such other sectors as may be provided by law, except
the religious sector.”
ARTICLE XIII
SOCIAL JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
HEAL
LTTH
“SEC. 11. The State shall adopt an integrated and

comprehensive approach to health developments which shall
endeavor to make essential goods, health and other social
services available to all the people at affordable cost. There
3
shall be priority for the needs of the underprivileged sick,

elderly, disabled, women, and children. The State shall endeavor
to provide free medical care to paupers.”
WOMEN
“SEC. 14. The State shall protect working women by

providing safe and healthful working conditions, taking into
account their maternal functions, and such facilities and
opportunities that will enhance their welfare and enable them
to realize their full potential in the service of the nation.”
4
ACT NO. 51
AN ACT APPROPRIATING SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY

DOLLARS IN MONEY OF THE UNITED STATES, TO
BE PAID TO THE WIDOW OF EDUARDO KINTERO,
CHIEF OF POLICE OF TACLOBAN, LEYTE, OR TO
THE COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE DISTRICT
FOR HER BENEFIT.
By authority of the President of the United States, be it enacted

by the United States Philippine Commission, that:
SECTION 1. Whereas, Eduardo Kintero, chief of police

of Tacloban, Leyte, was murdered while in the discharge of his
official duties on April twenty-first, nineteen hundred, because
of the efficient administration of his office and his loyalty to the
United States; and his untimely death leaves his wife and seven
young children in needy circumstances;
The sum of seven hundred and fifty dollars, in money of

the United States, is hereby appropriated out of any money in
the Insular Treasury, not otherwise appropriated, to be paid, in
the discretion of the Military Governor, either to the widow of
Eduardo Kintero or to the commanding officer of the district to
be held and expended by him for her benefit.
SEC. 2. This Act shall take effect on its passage.
ENACTED, November 23, 1900.
5
ACT NO. 342
AN ACT APPROPRIATING ONE THOUSAND FIVE

HUNDRED DOLLARS, LOCAL CURRENCY, TO BE
PAID TO THE WIDOW OF AMBROSIO CEBALLOS,
PRESIDENT OF DAGAMI, LEYTE.

SECTION 1. Whereas Ambrosio Ceballos, president of

Dagami, Leyte, was accidentally shot while in the efficient and
loyal discharge of his official duties and while zealously
cooperating with the Army of the United States, on June
thirteenth, nineteen hundred; and his untimely death leaves
his wife and six children in needy circumstances:
The sum of one thousand five hundred dollars, local

currency, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the Insular
Treasury, not otherwise appropriated, to be paid to Isabel Go
Ceballos, the widow of Ambrosio Ceballos, for the support of
herself and his six children.
SEC. 2. The public good requiring the speedy enactment

of this bill, the passage of the same is hereby expedited in
accordance with section two of “An Act prescribing the order of
procedure by the Commission in the enactment of laws,” passed
September twenty-sixth, nineteen hundred.
ENACTED, January 29, 1902.
6
ACT NO. 348

HUNDRED DOLLARS, IN LOCAL CURRENCY, TO BE
PAID TO THE WIDOW OF HONORATO
QUISUMBING, LATE PRESIDENT OF THE TOWN OF
LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA, OR TO THE COMMANDING
OFFICER OF THE DISTRICT FOR HER BENEFIT.

SECTION 1. Whereas Honorato Quisumbing, president

of the town of Los Baños, Province of Laguna, was murdered
because of his loyalty to the United States and his assistance to
the military authorities and his untimely death leaves his wife
and seven small children in needy circumstances:
The sum of one thousand five hundred dollars, in local

currency, is hereby appropriated, out of the money in the Insular
Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to be paid, in the
discretion of the Civil Governor, either to the widow of Honorato
Quisumbing or to the commanding officer of the district, to be
held and expended by him for her benefit.

ENACTED, February 3, 1902.
7
ACT NO. 349

PAID TO THE WIDOW OF JUAN VELASCO, LATE
PRESIDENT OF NAGCARLAN, LAGUNA, OR TO THE
COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE DISTRICT FOR
HER BENEFIT.

SECTION 1. Whereas, Juan Velasco, president of

Nagcarlan, Laguna, was murdered in the discharge of his official
duties because of the efficient administration of his office and
his loyalty to the United States, and his untimely death leaves
his wife and two children in needy circumstances:

currency, is hereby appropriated, out of any money in the Insular
discretion of the Civil Governor, either to the widow of Juan
Velasco or to the commanding officer of the district, to be held
and expended by him for her benefit.

September twenty-six, nineteen hundred.
8
ACT NO. 350

PAID TO MARIA E. LONZUELA SANTOS, THE WIDOW
OF, DON MARIANO RAMIREZ, LATE PRESIDENT OF
BOCAUE, BULACAN, OR TO THE TREASURER OF
THE PROVINCE FOR HER BENEFIT.

SECTION 1. Whereas Don Mariano Ramirez, president

of Bocaue, Bulacan, was murdered while in the discharge of his
official duties, because of the efficient administration of his office
and his loyalty to the United States, and his untimely death
leaves his wife and five small children in needy circumstances.

currency, is hereby appropriated, out of any money in the Insular
discretion of the Civil Governor, either to Maria E. Lonzuela
Santos, the widow of Don Mariano Ramirez, or to the treasurer
of the province, to be held and expended by him for her benefit.
SEC. 2. The public good requiring the speed enactment

9
ACT NO. 351
AN ACT APPROPRIATING ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS, IN

LOCAL CURRENCY, TO BE PAID TO THE WIDOW OF
BONIFACIO ORTUA, LATE PRESIDENT OF THE
PUEBLO OF LAGONOY, AMBOS CAMARINES,
ISLAND OF LUZON, OR TO THE TREASURER OF
THE PROVINCE FOR HER BENEFIT.

SECTION 1. Whereas Bonifacio Ortua, president of the

pueblo of Lagonoy, Ambos Camarines, Island of Luzon, was
murdered while in the discharge of his official duties, because
of the efficient administration of his office and his loyalty to the
United States, and his untimely death leaves his wife in needy
circumstances.
The sum of one thousand dollars, in local currency, is

hereby appropriated, out of any money in the Insular Treasury
not otherwise appropriated, to be paid, in the discretion of the
Civil Governor, either to the widow of Bonifacio Ortua or to the
treasurer of the province, to be held and expended by him for
her benefit.
SEC. 2. The public good requiring the speed enactment

10
ACT NO. 1041
AN ACT AMENDING ACT NUMBERED TWO HUNDRED AND

NINETY, ENTITLED “AN ACT PROVIDING AN
INEXPENSIVE METHOD OF ADMINISTRATION
UPON THE ESTATES OF CIVIL EMPLOYEES OF THE
PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT WHO ARE CITIZENS OF
THE UNITED STATES, AND WHO DIE IN THE
SERVICE OF THE INSULAR GOVERNMENT,
LEAVING SMALL ESTATE UPON WHICH NO
REGULAR ADMINISTRATION IS DEEMED
ADVISABLE,” AND PROVIDING A METHOD OF
PAYING SMALL AMOUNTS DUE ESTATES OF
DECEASED NATIVE EMPLOYEES WITHOUT THE
EXPENSE OF ADMINISTRATION.
By authority of the United States, be it enacted by the Philippine

Commission, that:
SECTION 1. Section one of Act Numbered Two hundred

and ninety, entitled “An Act providing an inexpensive method
of administration upon the estates of civil employees of the
Philippine Government who are citizens of the United States,
and who die in the service of the Insular Government, leaving
small estates upon which no regular administration is deemed
advisable,” is hereby amended at the end thereof the following:
“In case the head of a Bureau, provincial officer, or

employee of any Bureau or province, who is a citizen of the
United States, shall die while in the service, having to his credit
earned leave of absence, the salary due and the amount due to
the deceased by reason of earned leave of absence shall be paid
to the Treasurer of the Philippine Islands, and be by him
administered in the manner in this section provided. But in
addition to the purposes for which such estate may be applied
by the Treasurer, as hereinbefore provided, the Treasurer is
also authorized to pay the expenses of the transportation of the
11
remains of the deceased to the United States, if such

transportation is desired by the surviving relatives, so far as
the funds in his hands will enable him to pay such expenses:
Provided nevertheless, That if there should be a regular
administration upon the estate of the deceased, then the sum
due to the deceased, by reason of earned leave of absence
standing to his credit, after the payment of unpaid funeral
expenses and transportation of the remains, if desired, to the
United States, if any, shall be turned over to the regular executor
or administrator of the estate of the deceased: And provided
further, That in case the deceased head of a Bureau, provincial
officer or employee of any Bureau, provincial officer, or
employee of any Bureau or province was a native or citizen of
the Philippine Islands, the amount due him at the date of death
for salary and for compensation in lieu of accrued leave shall be
paid, not to the Treasurer of the Philippine Islands, but to the
legal representative of the deceased according to law: And
provided further, That in case said sum does not exceed one
hundred dollars, and there has been no regular administration
upon the estate of the deceased, and it appears that the estate
is not sufficient to warrant the expense of a regular
administration, said sum shall be paid to the next of kin who, in
the opinion of the Auditor, is entitled thereto, in the following
order: First, widow; second children; third, father; fourth,
mother; fifth, brothers and sisters in equal proportion; and such
payment shall extinguish the liability of the Government for
the sum so paid. But such determination by the Auditor shall
not be conclusive as to who the lawful heir or next of kin is, and
any person claiming said sum, or any part thereof, as lawful
heir or next of kin may vindicate his right to the same by action
in court against the person who received the same, anything in
this Act to the contrary notwithstanding.”

12

13
ACT NO. 1438
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE COMMITMENT OF

JUVENILE OFFENDERS BETWEEN CERTAIN AGES
TO CHARITABLE OR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
INSTEAD OF TO THE PUBLIC PRISONS OR JAILS,
AND FOR THE TRANSFER OF SUCH OFFENDERS
FROM PUBLIC PRISONS OR JAILS TO SUCH
CHARITABLE OR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS,
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

Commission, that:
SECTION 1. Whenever any male minor between the ages

of eight and sixteen or any female minor between the ages of
eight and eighteen shall be found guilty by any court of
competent jurisdiction of an offense not punishable by life
imprisonment or death, the court, instead of directing the
confinement of such minor in any public prison or jail, may, in
its discretion, suspend judgment and commit such minor to the
custody of any orphan asylum, reform school, charitable society,
or society for the prevention of cruelty to children, or to any
other charitable or educational institution having for its purpose
the care, betterment, reform, or education of minors, until such
minor shall have reached his majority or for such less period as
to the court may seem proper: PROVIDED, HOWEVER, That
the court prior to making commitment of any minor to any such
institution shall take into consideration the religion of the
minor and that of his parents or next of kin and shall not commit
such minor without the approval of the parents or next of kin to
any private institution not under the control and supervision
of the religious sect or denomination to which such minor and
his parents or next of kin belong.
14
SEC. 2. It shall be the duty of any institution to which

minors are committed as provided in section one hereof to hold
and keep them in safe custody, to instruct them in some useful
art or trade, and to do such other things as may be necessary
for their moral and physical welfare.
SEC. 3. Minor prisoners now confined in Bilibid Prison

or in any provincial jail who, if males, were under the age of
sixteen at the time of commitment, may be transferred by
executive order of the Governor-General for the period of the
unexpired portion of their sentences to any of the institutions
mentioned in section one hereof: PROVIDED, HOWEVER, That
the Governor-General prior to making transfer of any minor
from Bilibid Prison or any provincial prison or jail to any such
institution shall take into consideration the religion of the
minor and that of his parents or next of kin and shall not transfer
such minor without the approval of the parents or next of kin to
any private institution not under the control and supervision
of the religious sect or denomination to which such minor and
his parents or next of kin belong: AND PROVIDED FURTHER,
That any minor transferred as prescribed in this section to any
of the institutions mentioned in section one hereof may be
retransferred by executive order of the Governor-General to
the prison or jail from which he was taken, there to be confined
for the unexpired portion of his sentence.
SEC. 4. Any minor who during the period of his

commitment to any of the institutions mentioned in section one
hereof shall be found incorrigible or who shall be an improper
subject for detention in such institution shall be returned to
the court which committed him, and the court, if it finds such
minor incorrigible or an improper subject for detention in such
institution, shall enter such judgment and pass such sentence
as would have been lawful at the time of the original commitment
of the minor.
15
SEC. 5. Institutions to which minors are committed in

accordance with this Act shall, subject to the approval of the
Philippine Commission, adopt such rules and regulations as may
be necessary for the safe custody, instruction and mental and
educational training of the minors so committed, and in so far
as such minors are concerned, such institutions shall be under
the supervision and control of the Philippine Commission.
SEC. 6. Institutions to which minors are committed in

accordance with this Act shall be entitled to receive such sum
for the care, maintenance, and instruction of such minors as
may be provided by appropriation acts of the province from
which any such minors are committed, or, if such minor are
committed from the city of Manila, then such sum as may be
provided in appropriation acts for the city of Manila.

16
ACT NO. 1918
AN ACT AMENDING ACT NUMBERED SEVENTY-FOUR, BY

MAKING WOMEN ELIGIBLE AS MEMBERS OF THE
LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD AND PROVIDING THAT
TWO POSITIONS AT LEAST SHALL BE HELD BY
WOMEN.

Legislature, that:
SECTION 1. Section ten of Act Numbered Seventy-four

of the Philippine Commission is hereby amended to read as
follows:
“SEC. 10. There shall be established in each municipality

organized under existing law or under any law which may be
hereafter enacted, a local school board, consisting of four or six
members, as the division superintendent may determine, in
addition to the president or alcalde of the municipality, who
shall be a member ex officio. One-half of the members, except
the member ex officio, shall be elected by the municipal council,
and the remaining half shall be appointed by the division
superintendent, and the term of office of all members, holding
by appointment or election, shall be two years and until their
successors shall have been duly elected or appointed. One of
the elective and one of the appointive members shall be women,
so that two of the members of the local school board shall be
women, and it shall be discretionary with the division
superintendent of schools to increase the appointments, and
with the municipal council to increase the elections, of women,
provided that the total number of members shall not exceed
four or six, as hereinbefore provided.”
ENACTED, May 19, 1909.
17
ACT NO. 1924
AN ACT EXTENDING THE BENEFITS OF ACT NUMBERED

EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SEVEN TO MALE
AND FEMALE TEACHERS OF MUNICIPALITIES AND
OF TOWNSHIPS INHABITED BY CHRISTIAN
TRIBES IN MINDORO AND PALAWAN, AND IN THE
SUBPROVINCE OF ABRA.

legislature, that:
SECTION 1. The benefits of Act Numbered Eighteen

hundred and fifty seven are hereby extended to male and female
teachers of municipalities and of townships inhabited by
Christian tribes in Mindoro and Palawan, and in the subprovince
of Abra, subject to the same conditions as those established by
Act referred to.
ENACTED, May 20, 1909.
18
ACT NO. 1975
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF

CLASSES FOR THE INSTRUCTION AND TRAINING
OF MALE AND FEMALE NURSES UNDER THE
SUPERVISION OF THE DIRECTOR OF HEALTH.

Commission, that:
SECTION 1. The Director of Health is hereby

authorized, subject to the approval of the Secretary of the
Interior, to establish classes of male and female Filipino students
to receive instruction and training in nursing and hospital
duties, said instruction and training to be given in the hospitals
and sanitariums of the Bureau of Health and such other
appropriate places as the Director of Health may designate and
the Secretary of the Interior approve.
In order to be admitted to any of the classes provided for

in this section, it shall be a requisite condition:
(a) To have completed the intermediate course in the

public schools of the Philippine Islands and received a certificate
therefrom; or
(b) To be able to give evidence by examination or in

any other manner satisfactory to the Director of Health that
the applicant for admission has received preliminary training
of equal or greater extent.
SEC. 2. The Director of Health, so far as consistent with

the interest of the public service, shall select from amongst those
persons jointly recommended by district health officers and
division superintendents of schools, or in default thereof by
provincial boards, students for the aforesaid classes from
provinces organized under “The Provincial Government Act”
19
and from the Provinces of Palawan, Mindoro, and Batanes, and

the number of students selected shall not exceed thirty each
year of each sex, nor one hundred in all of each sex: Provided,
That in the admission of said students, the highest average
obtained in the examinations referred to in subsections (a) and
(b) of the next preceding section, shall be taken into account.
The Director of Health may admit private students under

such conditions as may be approved by the Secretary of the
Interior: Provided, however , That they shall receive no
compensation or allowances other than subsistence, quarters,
and laundry. Students who were appointed to the course in
nursing under the provisions of Acts Numbered Eighteen
hundred and seventy-three or Nineteen hundred and thirty-
one or those who have been admitted to an analogous training
class in the Bureau of Health are hereby declared to have been
duly appointed under this Act: And Provided, further, That the
Director of Education may, up to July first, nineteen hundred
and ten, subject to the approval of the Secretary of Public
Instruction, issue the usual certificates or diplomas to those
students whose experience, conduct, and services entitling them
to the same, shall have pursued their studies or rendered
services prior to July first, nineteen hundred and ten, for two
complete terms or years or more, and a certificate or diploma
so issued shall have the same value as if it had been issued by
the Director of Health under the provisions of section three of
this Act.
SEC. 3. The course of study, period of probation,

vacations, length of time required for graduation, granting of
diplomas or certificates upon satisfactory completion of the
course of training, rules of discipline, proportion of male and
female students, rates of commutation for subsistence, quarters,
and laundry, blank forms and preliminaries to admission except
as hereinbefore provided shall be prescribed by the Director of
Health subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior:
20
Provided, However, That rules shall so far as possible be

uniform for all students: And Provided Further, That no student
shall be admitted who is suffering from any mental or physical
defect or peculiarity that in the opinion of the Director of Health
would disqualify him for the duties of hospital nurse or
attendant, or whose moral conduct and antecedents are
undesirable.
SEC. 4. Students admitted under the terms of this Act

shall receive quarters and laundry and adequate subsistence or
commutation therefor at rates fixed as hereinbefore provided,
in addition to an annual compensation of two hundred and
eighty-eight pesos each as may be authorized by law: Provided,
However, That the Director of Health may withhold such portion
of their compensation, not to exceed one-sixth thereof, and
deposit the same in the Postal Savings Bank to the credit of the
student from whose allowance the deduction is made, for the
purpose of purchasing such books and student equipment as
may be necessary for him. Any unexpended balance shall be
paid to the student upon graduation.
SEC. 5. Any unexpended balance of the sum of twenty

thousand pesos appropriated in Act Numbered Nineteen
hundred and thirty-one is hereby transferred to the Bureau of
Health, to be expended by the Director of Health for the
establishment and operation of the classes herein authorized,
and for such other purposes pertaining thereto as he may
consider necessary. All equipment heretofore purchased in
accordance with the provisions of Act Numbered Nineteen
hundred and thirty-one shall be transferred to the Bureau of
Health. The Director of Health is further authorized to expend
such sums as may be available from the contingent fund of the
Bureau of Health to carry out the purposes of this Act, including
the transportation and necessary traveling expenses of those
who may be designated for appointment.
21
SEC. 6. Graduates of the classes provided for in this Act

shall be eligible for appointment in the classified civil service
without examination to positions as Government nurses.
SEC. 7. Act Numbered Nineteen hundred and thirty-

one and all other Acts or parts of Acts inconsistent with the
provisions of this Act are hereby repealed.
SEC. 8. This Act shall take effect immediately on its

passage, in accordance with the provisions of section one of Act
Numbered Nineteen hundred and forty-five of the Philippine
Legislature, entitled, “An Act providing the time at which all
Acts of the Philippine Legislature shall take effect.”
ENACTED, April 18, 1910.
22
ACT NO. 2138
AN ACT APPROPRIATING INSULAR FUNDS NOT

OTHERWISE APPROPRIATED, FOR THE PURPOSES
MENTIONED IN ACT NUMBERED NINETEEN
HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FIVE, ENTITLED “AN ACT
TO PROVIDE FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF
SUPERVISION OF THE DIRECTOR OF HEALTH.”

Legislature, that:
SECTION 1. The sum of twenty thousand pesos is hereby

appropriated out of any funds in the Insular Treasury not
otherwise appropriated, to be devoted to the purposes
mentioned in Act Numbered Nineteen hundred and seventy-
five of the Philippine Legislature.
SEC. 2. The Director of Health may expend said sum, or

such part thereof as may be necessary, for the operation of the
classes authorized by said Act Numbered Nineteen hundred and
seventy-five, and for such other purposes connected therewith
as he may be deem advisable and necessary.
SEC. 3. This Act shall take effect on the first day of the
fiscal year nineteen hundred and thirteen.
23
ACT NO. 2161
AN ACT AMENDING ACT NUMBERED NINETEEN

HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FIVE, ENTITLED “AN ACT
TO PROVIDE FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF
SUPERVISION OF THE DIRECTOR OF HEALTH,” BY
REMOVING THE RESTRICTION AS TO THE
NUMBER OF NURSES OF EACH SEX THAT MAY BE
ADMITTED DURING ANY ONE YEAR.

Legislature, that:
SECTION 1. The first paragraph of section two of Act

Numbered Nineteen hundred and seventy-five is hereby
amended to read as follows :
“SEC. 2. The Director of Health, so far as consistent with

the interest of the public service, shall select from amongst those
persons jointly recommended by district health officers and
division superintendents of schools, or in default thereof by
provincial boards, students for the aforesaid classes from
provinces organized under the Provincial Government Act and
from the Provinces of Palawan, Mindoro, and Batanes, and the
number of students selected shall not exceed one hundred in
all of each sex : Provided, That in the admission of said students
the highest average obtained in the examinations referred to in
subsections (a) and (b) of the next preceding section, shall be
taken into account.”

of this bill, the same shall take effect on its passage, in
accordance with section one of Act Numbered Nineteen hundred
and forty-five of the Philippine Legislature.
24
ACT NO. 2467
AN ACT TO REORGANIZE THE PHILIPPINE TRAINING

SCHOOL FOR NURSES, TO ESTABLISH A SCHOOL
OF MIDWIFERY, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

Legislature, that:
SECTION 1. The organization known as the Philippine

Training School for Nurses shall hereafter be known as the
Philippine General Hospital School of Nursing and, subject to
the approval of the Secretary of the Interior and Director of
Health, its administration shall be under the supervision and
direction of the director of the Philippine General Hospital,
with the concurrence of the Board of Regents of the University
of the Philippines, as hereinafter provided.
SEC. 2. The school shall have a superintendent who shall

be a registered nurse of experience to be appointed by the
director of the hospital, with the approval of the Director of
Health and the Secretary of the Interior, and who shall be in
immediate charge of all the activities of the school, except in so
far as instruction in midwifery is concerned. The faculty shall
consist of the superintendent and such instructors and tutors
as the progress on instruction may make necessary, who shall
be appointed by the director of the hospital with the approval
of the Director of Health upon the recommendation of the
superintendent : Provided, That the instruction in midwifery
shall be in charge of the obstetrical department of the College
of Medicine and Surgery of the University of the Philippines.
SEC. 3. The requirements for admission, courses of study,

places of study and instruction, period of probation, length of
time required for graduation, granting of diplomas upon
satisfactory completion of courses of instruction, rules of
discipline, announcements and catalogues, proportion of male
25
and female students, uniforms, subsistence and rates of

compensation therefor, quarters and laundry, and all other
regulations incident to the proper conduct of a school of nursing
not in conflict with law, shall be as prescribed by the director of
the hospital, upon recommendation of the faculty and with the
approval of the Director of Health : Provided, That the annual
announcement and catalogue shall be approved by the Secretary
of the Interior.
SEC. 4. The Board of Regents of the University of the

Philippines shall, upon application by the Director of Health,
with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, have authority
to confer the degree of graduate nurse, or of graduate nurse
and midwife, or of graduate midwife, or such other degree as
they may establish upon students whose qualifications for
entrance and graduation have been approved by the university
council and who have finished courses of instruction approved
by the Board of Regents.
SEC. 5. Students admitted to this school shall receive

subsistence and quarters in addition to such other allowances
and compensation as are provided for by law : Provided, That
the director of the hospital may, with the approval of the Director
of Health, withhold such portion of a student’s compensation
not to exceed one-sixth thereof and deposit same in the Postal
Savings Bank to the credit of the student, from which amount
deductions may be made for the purpose of purchasing such
books and student’s equipment as may be necessary, and any
unexpended balance shall be paid to the student upon
resignation or honorable separation from the school.
SEC. 6. This Act contemplates that the advantages of this

school shall extend proportionately to all parts of the
Archipelago, and to this end students shall be selected,
according to procedure to be established by the Secretary of
the Interior, with the concurrence of the Board of Regents of
the University of the Philippines, in so far as possible, from
26
every province of the Philippine Islands whether organized

under general or special laws : Provided, That the number of
students admitted from the special government provinces
during any semester may not exceed fifteen per centum of the
total number.
SEC. 7. The Secretary of the Interior shall provide that

students admitted under the terms of this Act shall, prior to
matriculation, sign a contract agreeing to serve the Government
for a period of at least one year after graduation, at an equitable
compensation which shall be fixed by the Secretary of the
Interior, with the concurrence of the Board of Regents of the
University of the Philippines.
SEC. 8. Acts Numbered Nineteen hundred and seventy-

five, Nineteen hundred and ninety-six and Twenty-one hundred
and sixty-one, and all other Acts or parts of Acts inconsistent
with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed.
27
ACT NO. 2710
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH DIVORCE
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives

of the Philippines in Legislature assembled and by
the authority of the same:
SECTION 1. A petition for divorce can only be filed for

adultery on the part of the wife or concubinage on the part of
the husband, committed in any of the forms described in article
four hundred and thirty-seven of the Penal Code.
SEC. 2. No person shall be entitled to a divorce who has

not resided in the Philippine Islands for one year prior to the
filing of the petition, unless the cause for which the divorce is
claimed has taken place in said Islands.
SEC. 3. The divorce may be claimed only by the innocent

spouse, provided there has been no condonation of or consent
to the adultery or concubinage, as the case may be. Where both
spouses are guilty, a divorce can not be claimed by either of
them.
SEC. 4. An action for divorce can not be filed except

within one year from and after the date on which the plaintiff
became cognizant of the cause and within five years from and
after the date when such cause occurred; but if such cause
occurred prior to the date on which this Act takes effect, then
only within one year from and after such date.
SEC. 5. An action for divorce shall in no case be tried

before six months shall have elapsed since the filing of the
petition.
SEC. 6. After the filing of the petition for divorce, the

spouses shall be entitled to live separately from each other and
manage their respective property.
28
The husband shall continue to manage the community

property; but if the court deem it proper, it may appoint another
to manage said property, in which case the administrator shall
have the same rights and duties as a guardian and shall not be
allowed to dispose of the income nor of the capital except in
accordance with the orders of the court.
SEC. 7. During the pendency of divorce proceedings the

court shall make provision for the care of the minor children, in
accordance with the circumstances, and may order the
community property or the income therefrom to be set aside
for their support; and in default thereof said minor children
shall be cared for in conformity with the provisions of the Civil
Code; but the court shall abstain from making any order in this
respect in case the parents have, by mutual agreement, made
provision for the care of said minor children and these are, in
the judgment of the court, well cared for.
SEC. 8. A divorce shall not be granted without the guilt

of the defendant being established by final sentence in a
criminal action.
SEC. 9. The decree of divorce shall dissolve the

community of property as soon as such decree becomes final,
but shall not dissolve the bonds of matrimony until one year
thereafter.
The bonds of matrimony shall not be considered as

dissolved with regard to the spouse who, having legitimate
children, has not delivered to each of them or to the guardian
appointed by the court, within said period of one year, the
equivalent of what would have been due to them as their legal
portion if said spouse had died intestate immediately after the
dissolution of the community of property.
SEC. 10. The reconciliation of the spouses shall stop the

proceedings and annul the decree, provided it takes place prior
29
to the expiration of the period of one year mentioned in the last

preceding section.
SEC. 11. The dissolution of the bonds of matrimony shall

have the following effects:
First. The spouses shall be free to marry again.
Second. The minor children shall remain in the custody

of the innocent spouse unless otherwise directed by the court
in the interest of said minors, for whom said court may appoint
a guardian.
Third. The children shall, with regard to their parents,

retain all rights granted to them by law as legitimate children;
but upon the partition of the estate of said parents they shall
bring to collation everything received by them under the
provisions of the second paragraph of section nine.
SEC. 12. This Act shall take effect on its approval.
Effective, March 11, 1917.
30
ACT NO. 2988
AN ACT TO ABOLISH THE PUBLIC WELFARE BOARD AND

TRANSFER ITS POWERS AND FUNCTIONS TO THE
OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC WELFARE
COMMISSIONER; MAKE THE BUREAU OF
DEPENDENT CHILDREN A DIVISION OF THE
OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC WELFARE
COMMISSIONER; CHARGE SAID OFFICE WITH THE
ACTIVITIES AND FUNCTIONS RELATIVE TO THE
PROTECTION OF INFANCY, AS PROVIDED FOR IN
ACTS NUMBERED TWENTY-SIX HUNDRED AND
THIRTY-THREE AND TWENTY-NINE HUNDRED AND
FIVE, AND WITH ALL WORK IN GENERAL, RELATED
WITH MATERNITY, HYGIENE, AND CHILD
WELFARE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of

the Philippines in Legislature assembled and by the
authority of the same:
SECTION 1. The Public Welfare Board, established by

Act Numbered Twenty-five hundred and ten, as amended by
Act Numbered Twenty-seven hundred and forty-five, is hereby
abolished, and all functions, duties, and powers of said Board
are conferred upon and transferred to the Public Welfare
Commissioner, whose office is hereby created, under the
direction and executive control of the Department of the Interior.
Said Commissioner shall be appointed by the Governor-General,
by and with the consent of the Senate. The relations of direction
and dependence between the Office of the Public Welfare
Commissioner and the Department of the Interior shall be
governed by chapter five of the Administrative Code, as
amended by Act Numbered Twenty-eight hundred and three.
SEC. 2. It is hereby directed that the Bureau of

Dependent Children, as organized under Act Numbered Twenty-
31
eight hundred and fifteen, shall be merged with the Office of

the Public Welfare Commissioner, as created by this Act. Said
Bureau of Dependent Children, upon being so merged, shall be
considered as a division of the Office of the Public Welfare
Commissioner. Upon said merger, the present officers and
employees of the Bureau of Dependent Children shall be
transferred to the Office of the Public Welfare Commissioner
and shall continue in the enjoyment of the same rights and
privileges which they have been enjoying heretofore, under the
Civil Service rules.
SEC. 3. It is further provided that hereafter the sum of

one million pesos, or so much thereof as may remain
unexpended, appropriated by Act Numbered Twenty-six
hundred and thirty-three, as amended by Act Numbered Twenty-
nine hundred and five, may be disbursed, any provisions of
existing law to the contrary notwithstanding, for general work
related with maternity, hygiene, and child welfare, and all
activities, duties, and functions prescribed by said acts, as
amended by the present Act, shall be performed through the
Office of the Public Welfare Commissioner.
With regard to the maternity, hygiene, and child welfare

work, any officer or employee of the Insular, provincial or
municipal governments shall render services when required by
the Secretary of the Interior, and may receive additional
compensation therefor if authorized by said Secretary.
SEC. 4. The Secretary of the Interior, through the Office

of the Public Welfare Commissioner, shall have authority, and
it shall be his duty, to investigate, promote, coordinate, inspect,
and regulate all work related with maternity, hygiene, and child
welfare in the Philippine Islands, any provisions of existing law
to the contrary notwithstanding. And said Secretary, through
the Public Welfare Commissioner, may establish and maintain
maternity hospitals, puericultural institutions, dispensaries,
hospitals, and other establishments for the care of children and
32
for the instruction of the personnel which shall have charge of

this work.
SEC. 5. All and each of the acts inconsistent herewith

are hereby repealed.
Approved, February 24, 1921.
33
ACT NO. 3071
AN ACT TO REGULATE THE EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN

AND CHILDREN IN SHOPS, FACTORIES,
INDUSTRIAL, AGRICULTURAL, AND MERCANTILE
ESTABLISHMENTS, AND OTHER PLACES OF LABOR
IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS ; TO PROVIDE
PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS HEREOF, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES.

the authority of the same:
SECTION 1. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or

corporation to employ females or males below the age of fourteen
years as laborers in the mines or in places of labor where
explosives are used or manufactured.
SEC. 2. Any person, firm or corporation owning a factory,

shop, or industrial, or mercantile establishment, shall be obliged
to provide and place in its establishment, for the use of its
laborers, seats proper for women and children and permit them
to use said seats during the hours when they are free of work
and during working hours, provided they can perform their
duties in this position without detriment to efficiency. Laborers
shall be allowed not less than sixty minutes for their noon meal.
SEC. 3. No person, firm or corporation shall employ nor

permit the employment of any person below the age of sixteen
years for work in its shops, factories, commercial or industrial
establishment or other places of labor for more than seven hours
daily or forty-two hours weekly. It shall be the duty of every
employer to post signs in the most conspicuous places in each
room where minors are working, stating the hours during which
these are authorized to work.
34
SEC. 4. No person, firm or corporation shall employ nor

permit the employment of any boy or girl below the age of
fourteen years in its factory, shop, commercial or industrial
establishment or other place of labor on school days, unless such
child knows how to read and write. Every employer shall be
obliged to have in his establishment a duly certified copy of the
birth certificate of each of his laborers below the age of eighteen
years while such laborer is employed by him.
SEC. 5. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or

corporation licensed to establish a bar to employ or permit the
employment in said bar of females under eighteen or males under
sixteen years of age.

corporation to employ women in factories, shops and similar
places of labor where the nature of the work requires the
employee to work always standing.

corporation to employ or permit the employment of persons
below the age of sixteen years in departments or divisions of
their factories, shops or other places of labor where work is
being done in connection with the preparation of any poisonous,
noxious, explosive or infectious substance.

corporation to employ or permit the employment in his factory,
shop, commercial or industrial establishment, or other place of
labor of persons below the age of eighteen years for performing
any work not specified in this Act which involves serious danger
to the life of the laborer.
SEC. 9. Any person, firm or corporation owning, leasing

or managing a factory, shop or place of labor of any description
shall be obliged to establish for the use of its laborers separate
and suitable closets and separate lavatories for males and
35
females, and to provide at least one dressing-room for the women

and children: Provided, that the Director of the Bureau of Labor
shall be authorized, in his discretion, to exempt from this
provision small shops which, on account of their small capital,
cannot comply with the provisions of this section.
SEC. 10. No person, firm or corporation shall employ or

permit the employment in its factory, shop or other place of
labor of any person below the age of sixteen years as operator
of elevators, motorman or fireman, or to clean machinery, work
underground, or do similar work.

corporation to employ or cause the employment of persons below
the age of sixteen years in billiard rooms, cockpits or other places
where games are being played with stakes of money or things
worth money, and in dance halls, stadiums or race courses as
bailarinas, boxers or jockeys.
SEC. 12. No person, firm or corporation shall employ in

its factory, shop or other place of labor, or permit the
employment therein of any person below the age of sixteen
years, to work before six o’clock ante meridian or after six o’clock
post meridian.
SEC. 13. Every person, firm or corporation owning or

managing a factory, shop or place of labor of any description
shall be obliged to grant to any woman employed by it as laborer
who may be pregnant, thirty days vacation with pay before and
another thirty days after confinement: Provided, That the
employer shall not discharge such laborer without just cause,
under the penalty of being required to pay to her wages
equivalent to the total of two months counted from the day of
her discharge.

corporation to employ or permit the employment of persons
36
below the age of sixteen years for the sale of medicines and
drugs in a pharmacy or for any work that may affect the health
of the public.
SEC. 15. Any person, firm or corporation violating any of

the provisions of this Act shall be punished by a fine of not less
than fifty pesos nor more than two hundred and fifty, or by
imprisonment for not less than ten days nor more than six
months, or both, in the discretion of the court.
In the case of firms or corporations, the presidents,

directors or managers thereof or, in their default, the persons
acting in their stead, shall be criminally responsible for each
violation of the provisions of this Act.
Approved, March 16, 1923.
37
ACT NO. 3157

SEVENTY-TWO AND EIGHT HUNDRED AND
SEVENTY-FOUR OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE,
RELATIVE TO THE SOURCES OF THE PENSION AND
RETIREMENT FUND AND THE LIFE PENSION OF
THE OFFICERS AND ENLISTED MEN OF THE
CONSTABULARY.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representative of the

Philippines in Legislature assembled and by the
SECTION 1. Section eight hundred and seventy-two of

the Administrative Code is hereby amended to read as follows:
“SEC. 872. Sources of pension and retirement fund. – To

this fund shall accrue all fines and forfeitures imposed by
summary courts, all fines imposed upon commissioned officers
under the authority of this chapter, and three per centum of
the pay of every officer and two per centum of the pay of every
enlisted man of the Constabulary, which shall be deducted from
said pay monthly.
“All such fines, forfeitures, deductions, and retentions

shall be noted and retained on the pay roll and deposited with
the Insular Treasurer: Provided, That the working capital of
the Constabulary pension and retirement fund shall always be
maintained at the minimum sum of two hundred and fifty
thousand pesos, including business investments. In the event
of the total receipts of said fund from all sources above
mentioned falling below said sum, the Insular Treasurer is
hereby authorized to advance, at the beginning of each fiscal
year, out of any available balance in the Insular Treasury, as a
loan to said fund, such sum as may be necessary to cover the
difference.”
38
SEC. 2. Section eight hundred and seventy-four of the

Administrative Code is hereby amended to read as follows:
“SEC. 874. Life pension. – Any officer or enlisted man of

the Philippine Constabulary who has had twenty or more years
of actual and satisfactory service and has attained to the age of
fifty-five years or who, without having reached said age, is on
account of his physical or mental condition prevented from
continuing in active service, may take advantage of the benefits
of this Act and retire from active service, upon approval by the
Governor-General, and when so retired he shall receive until
his death from the fund above specified an annual pension equal
to two and one-half per centum of the total pay received annually
by him up to date: Provided, That service rendered by an officer
as enlisted man shall be taken into account for the purposes of
the retirement provided for in this section: Provided, further,
That with the exception of the Chief of Constabulary, no officer
shall be retained in active service after having attained to the
age of sixty-four years: And provided, finally, That the annual
pension of a retired officer shall in no case exceed seventy-five
per centum of the total pay received by him on the date of his
retirement.
“Subject to the same condition and in accordance with

the same rules and limitations, an enlisted man shall be entitled
to retirement and to a similar annual compensation from the
same fund, based on the total current pay and allowances
received annually by him at the time he is retired, but in no
case to exceed seventy per centum of such total current pay
and allowances for each year.
“Upon the death of an officer or enlisted man who has

either been retired or would, at the time when he died, have
been entitled by reason of length of service to the retirement
provided for in the two preceding paragraphs, the surviving
legitimate or acknowledged children of such officer or enlisted
man or his lawful wife, in case he left no children, shall be
39
entitled to receive fifty per centum of the pension to which such

officer or enlisted man would have been entitled if he had not
died: Provided, That no payment shall be made as pension to
children after they have attained to the age of eighteen years
or have married, nor to the widow if she remarries. For the
purposes of this Act, all officers and enlisted man still residing
in the Philippine Islands who are at present in the enjoyment
of a life pension and who lack five years or more, from and after
the date of the approval of this Act, before completion of the
fifty-fifth year of life, and who are still in a physical and mental
condition for active service, may be called into active service if
such officers or enlisted men agree, as vacancies in the positions
left by them occur, and shall take their place on the roster, if
officers, as if they had been in active service during the time of
their retirement.”
40
ACT NO. 3200
AN ACT TO FACILITATE THE ESTABLISHMENT AND

OPERATION OF THE PUERICULTURAL
INSTITUTIONS ORGANIZED IN THE PHILIPPINE
ISLANDS.

the Philippines in Legislature assembled and by
SECTION 1. Any organization established for the

protection and care of mothers and children in accordance with
the provisions of Act Numbered Twenty-nine hundred and
eighty-eight shall be exempt from the payment of fees for the
registration of its articles of incorporation and by-laws.
SEC. 2. Any of the property or funds belonging to

puericultural institutions or institutions for the protection and
care of mothers and children which have received aid from the
Insular Government, shall, upon recommendation of the Public
Welfare Commissioner, become municipal, provincial or Insular
property or funds in case such organization dissolve or cease to
operate for five consecutive years.
SEC. 3. Any nurse or midwife who is a graduate of a

school of nursing or midwifery operated or recognized by the
Government, and is employed by a puericultural institution,
with an appointment duly approved by the Public Welfare
Commissioner, shall be authorized to practice midwifery in the
Philippine Islands while in the service of such puericultural
institution, and after one or more years of satisfactory service
during which she has shown skill and competency as midwife
of such puericultural institution or of a hospital, maternity home
or other establishment under the supervision or control of a
Bureau or office of the Insular Government, the Board of Medical
Examiners, upon recommendation and certificate of competency
41
by the Public Welfare Commissioner or the Director of Health,

shall issue a certificate of registration as midwife upon the
payment of ten pesos, without necessity of any examination,
any existing provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding.
SEC. 4. All Acts inconsistent with the provisions hereof

Approved, December 2, 1924.
42
ACT NO. 3205

SEVENTY-TWO AND EIGHT HUNDRED AND
SEVENTY-FOUR OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE,
AS AMENDED BY ACT NUMBERED THIRTY-ONE
HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SEVEN, RELATIVE TO THE
SOURCE OF THE PENSION AND RETIREMENT
FUND AND THE LIFE PENSION OF THE OFFICERS
AND ENLISTED MEN OF THE CONSTABULARY.

SECTION 1. Section eight hundred and seventy-two of

the Administrative Code, as amended by Act Numbered Thirty-
one hundred and fifty-seven, is hereby further amended to read
as follows:
“SEC. 872. Sources of pension and retirement fund.—To

this fund shall accrue all fines and forfeitures imposed by
summary courts, all fines imposed upon commissioned officers
under the authority of this chapter, and four per centum of the
pay of every officer and three per centum of the pay of every
enlisted man of the Constabulary, which shall be deducted from
said pay monthly.
“All such fines, forfeitures, deductions, and retentions

shall be noted and retained on the pay roll and deposited with
the Insular Treasurer to the credit of the Constabulary pension
and retirement fund.”
SEC. 2. Section eight hundred and seventy-four of the

Administrative Code, as amended by Act Numbered Thirty-one
hundred and fifty-seven, is hereby further amended to read as
follows:
43
“SEC. 874. Life pension.—Any officer or enlisted man of

the Philippine Constabulary who has had twenty or more years
of actual and satisfactory service and has attained to the age of
fifty-five years or who, without having reached said age, is on
account of his physical or mental condition prevented from
continuing in active service, may take advantage of the benefits
of this Act and retire from active service, upon approval by the
Governor-General, and when so retired he shall receive until
his death from the fund above specified an annual pension equal
to two and one-half per centum, for each year of active service
rendered by him up to date, of the total pay received annually
by him on the date of his retirement; but in no case more than
seventy-five per centum of such total current pay: Provided,
That service rendered by an officer as enlisted man shall be
taken into account for the purposes of the retirement provided
for in this section: Provided, further, That with the exception of
the Chief of Constabulary, no officer shall be retained in active
service after having attained to the age of sixty-four years: And
provided, finally, That officers and enlisted men of the
Constabulary who have completed twenty or more years of
actual satisfactory service previous to the approval of Act
Numbered Thirty-one hundred and fifty-seven shall be entitled
to retirement on the same terms and subject to the same
condition as originally set forth in section eight hundred and
seventy-four of the Administrative Code previous to its
amendment by Act Numbered Thirty-one hundred and fifty-
seven.
“Subject to the same conditions and in accordance with

the same rules and limitations, an enlisted man shall be entitled
to retirement and to a similar annual compensation from the
same fund, based on the total current pay and allowances
received annually by him at the time he is retired, but in no
case to exceed seventy-five per centum of such current pay and
allowances for each year.
44
“Upon the death of an officer or enlisted man who has

either been retired or would, at the time when he died, have
been entitled by reason of length of service to the retirement
provided for in the two preceding paragraphs, the surviving
legitimate or acknowledged children of such officer or enlisted
man or his widow, or only the latter in case he left no children
or after his surviving minor child has reached the age of eighteen
years, shall be entitled to receive in equal shares and with the
right of accretion, fifty per centum of the pension to which such
officer or enlisted man would have been entitled if he had not
died: Provided, That no payment shall be made as pension to
children after they have attained to the age of eighteen years
or have married, nor to the widow if she remarries: And
provided, further, That no pension whatever shall be paid to
the widow if the marriage was contracted after the retirement
of the deceased officer or enlisted man. For the purposes of this
Act, all officers and enlisted men still residing in the Philippine
Islands who are at present in the enjoyment of a life pension
and who lack five years or more, from and after the date of the
approval of this Act, before completion of the fifty-fifth year of
life, and who are still physically and mentally fit for active
service, may be called into active service if such officers or
enlisted men agree, as vacancies in the positions left by them
occur, and shall take their place on the roster, if officers, as if
they had been in the active service during the time of their
retirement.”
SEC. 3. To carry out the purposes of this Act, there shall

be appropriated in the Appropriation Act each year, beginning
with the first day of the fiscal year next following the approval
of this Act and annually thereafter, the sum of one hundred
thousand pesos which shall be included in the total
appropriation for the Constabulary, and said sum shall be
credited on the books of the Insular Treasurer to the
Constabulary pension and retirement fund, and said funds is
hereby set aside to complete the payment of pensions to the
45
officers and enlisted men of the Constabulary: Provided, That

any portion of the sum above mentioned remaining unexpended
at the end of each economic year shall revert to the general
funds, with the exception of a sum sufficient to maintain the
working capital of the Constabulary pension and retirement
fund, including investments, at the minimum sum of three
hundred thousand pesos.
46
ACT NO. 3579
AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE TRANSFER TO

WELFAREVILLE OF ALL FEMALE PRISONERS
CONFINED IN BILIBID PRISONS, APPROPRIATING
THE SUM OF SIXTY THOUSAND PESOS FOR THIS
PURPOSE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

SECTION 1. The Secretary of Justice is hereby

authorized to order the construction on the grounds of
Welfareville of such buildings as may be strictly necessary for
the confinement therein of all female prisoners at present
confined in Bilibid Prisons. Upon the completion of such
buildings, said prisoners shall be transferred to the same.
SEC. 2. The sum of sixty thousand pesos is hereby

appropriated, out of any funds in the Insular Treasury not
otherwise appropriated, to carry out the purposes of this Act,
including the compensation of additional personnel, the
purchase of equipment and furniture, and other necessary
miscellaneous expenses.
Approved, November 27, 1929.
47
ACT NO. 3799
AN ACT GRANTING CERTAIN COMPENSATION TO THE

WIFE OR LEGITIMATE CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE
OF TWENTY-ONE YEARS OF ANY SENATOR OR
REPRESENTATIVE WHO DIES DURING HIS TERM
OF OFFICE, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFOR.

the Philippines in Legislature assembled and by the authority
of the same:
SECTION 1. Upon the death of any member of the Senate

or House of Representatives during his term of office, his widow
or, in default therefor, his legitimate children under the age of
twenty-one years shall be paid a compensation equivalent to
the total of one year’s salary of such deceased Senator or
Representative, upon presentation of proof of his death.
SEC. 2. The sum of twenty-one thousand pesos is hereby

appropriated, out of any funds in the Insular Treasury not
otherwise appropriated, to be placed at the disposal of the
Senate or House of Representatives for the payment of the
compensation herein authorized to the widow or children of
any Senator or Representative who may have died during the
Eight Legislature. Hereafter, the sums necessary to carry out
the purposes of this Act shall be provided in the annual
appropriations acts.
48
ACT NO. 3810
AN ACT GRANTING TO CONSUELO D. BORJA, A

FRANCHISE TO INSTALL, OPERATE, AND MAINTAIN
AN ELECTRIC LIGHT, HEAT, AND POWER PLANT IN
THE MUNICIPALITY OF ILIGAN, PROVINCE OF
LANAO, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.

SECTION 1. Subject to the rules and conditions

established in Act Numbered Thirty-six hundred and thirty-six,
there is hereby granted to Consuelo D. Borja, for a period of
fifty years from the approval of this Act, the right, privilege and
authority to construct, maintain and operate an electric light,
heat and power system for the purpose of generating and
distributing electric light, heat and power, for sale within the
limits of the municipality of Iligan, Province of Lanao, Philippine
Islands.
49
ACT NO. 3815
AN ACT REVISING THE PENAL CODE AND OTHER

PENAL LAWS.

PRELIMINARY ARTICLE. – This law shall be known as

“The Revised Penal Code.”
XXX XXX XXX
TITLE EIGHT
CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS
CHAPTER ONE
DESTRUCTION OF LIFE
SECTION ONE. – Parricide, murder, homicide
XXX XXX XXX
SECTION TWO. Infanticide and abortion
ART. 255. Infanticide . — The penalty provided for

parricide in article 246 and for murder in article 248 shall be
imposed upon any person who shall kill any child less than three
days of age.
If the crime penalized in this article be committed by

the mother of the child for the purpose of concealing her
dishonor, she shall suffer the penalty of prisión correccional in
its medium and maximum periods, and if said crime be
50
committed for the same purpose by the maternal grandparents

or either of them, the penalty shall be prisión mayor.
ART. 256. Intentional abortion. — Any person who shall

intentionally cause an abortion shall suffer:
1. The penalty of reclusión temporal, if he shall use any

violence upon the person of the pregnant woman.
2. The penalty of prisión mayor if, without using violence,

he shall act without the consent of the woman.
3. The penalty of prisión correccional in its medium and

maximum periods, if the woman shall have consented.
ART. 257. Unintentional abortion . — The penalty of

prisioncorreccional in its minimum and medium period shall
be imposed upon any person who shall cause an abortion by
violence, but unintentionally.
ART. 258. Abortion practiced by the woman herself of by

her parents. — The penalty of prisioncorreccional in its medium
and maximum periods shall be imposed upon a woman who shall
practice abortion upon herself or shall consent that any other
person should do so.
Any woman who shall commit this offense to conceal her

dishonor, shall suffer the penalty of prisión correccional in its
minimum and medium periods.
If this crime be committed by the parents of the pregnant

woman or either of them, and they act with the consent of said
woman for the purpose of concealing her dishonor, the offenders
shall suffer the penalty of prisión correccional in its medium
and maximum periods.
ART. 259. Abortion practiced by a physician or midwife

and dispensing of abortives. — The penalties provided in Article
51
256 shall be imposed in its maximum period, respectively, upon

any physician or midwife who, taking advantage of their
scientific knowledge or skill, shall cause an abortion or assist
in causing the same.
Any pharmacist who, without the proper prescription

from a physician, shall dispense any abortive shall suffer arresto
mayor and a fine not exceeding 1,000 pesos.
XXX XXX XXX
TITLE ELEVEN
CRIME AGAINST CHASTITY
CHAPTER ONE
ADULTERY AND CONCUBINAGE
ART. 333. Who are guilty of adultery. — Adultery is

committed by any married woman who shall have sexual
intercourse with a man not her husband and by the man who
has carnal knowledge of her knowing her to be married, even if
the marriage be subsequently declared void.
Adultery shall be punished by prisión correccional in its

medium and maximum periods.
If the person guilty of adultery committed this offense

while being abandoned without justification by the offended
spouse, the penalty next lower in degree than that provided in
the next preceding paragraph shall be imposed.
ART. 334. Concubinage. — Any husband who shall keep

a mistress in the conjugal dwelling, or shall have sexual
intercourse, under scandalous circumstances, with a woman
who is not his wife, or shall cohabit with her in any other place,
52
shall be punished by prisión correccional in its minimum and

medium periods.
The concubine shall suffer the penalty of destierro.
CHAPTER TWO
RAPE AND ACTS OF LASCIVIOUSNESS
ART. 335. When and how rape is committed. – Rape is

committed having carnal knowledge of a woman under any of
the following circumstances:
1. By using force or intimidation;
2. When the woman is deprived of reason or otherwise

unconscious; and
3. When the woman is under twelve years of age, even

though neither of the circumstances mentioned in the two next
preceding paragraphs shall be present.
Art. 336. Acts of lasciviousness. – Any person who shall

commit any act of lasciviousness upon other persons of either
sex, uner any of the circumstances mentioned in the preceding
article, shall be punished by prisión correccional.
CHAPTER THREE
SEDUCTION, CORRUPTION OF MINORS AND
WHITE SLAVE TRADE
ART. 337. Qualified seduction. – The seduction of a virgin

over twelve years and under eighteen years of age, committed
by any person in public authority, priest, houseservant, domestic,
guardian, teacher, or any person who, in any capacity, shall be
entrusted iwth the education or custody of the woman seduced,
53
shall be punished by prisión correccional in its minimum and

medium periods.
The penalty next higher in degree shall be imposed upon

any person who shall seduce his sister or descendant, whether
or not she be a virgin or over eighteen years of age.
Under the provisions of this Chapter, seduction is

committed when the offender has carnal knowledge of any of
the persons and under the circumstances described herein.
ART. 338. Simple seduction. – The seduction of a woman

who is single or a widow of good reputation, over twelve but
under eighteen years of age, committed by means of deceit, shall
be punished by arresto mayor.
XXX XXX XXX
Art. 341. White slave trade. — The penalty of prision

mayor in its medium and maximum period shall be imposed
upon any person who, in any manner, or under any pretext, shall
engage in the business or shall profit by prostitution or shall
enlist the services of any other for the purpose of prostitution.
CHAPTER FOUR
ABDUCTION
ART. 342. Forcible abduction. – The abduction of any

woman against her will and with lewd designs shall be punished
by reclusion temporal.
The same penalty shall be imposed in every case, if the

female abducted be under twelve years of age.
ART. 343. Consented abduction. – The abduction of a

virgin over twelve and under eighteen years of age, carried out
54
with her consent and with lewd designs, shall be punished by

the penalty of prisión correccional in its minimum and medium
periods.
XXX XXX XXX
CHAPTER TWO
ILLEGAL MARRIAGES
XXX XXX XXX
Art. 351. Premature marriages. — Any widow who shall

marry within three hundred and one day from the date of the
death of her husband, or before having delivered if she shall
have been pregnant at the time of his death, shall be punished
by arresto mayor and a fine not exceeding 500 pesos.
The same penalties shall be imposed upon any woman

whose marriage shall have been annulled or dissolved, if she
shall marry before her delivery or before the expiration of the
period of three hundred and one day after the legal separation.
XXX XXX XXX
TITLE FIFTEEN
FINAL PROVISIONS
ART. 366. Application of laws enacted prior to this Code.

– Without prejudice to the provisions contained in article 22 of
this Code, felonies and misdemeanours, committed prior to the
date of effectiveness of this Code shall be punished in accordance
with the Code or Acts in force at the time of their commission.
ART. 367. Repealing clause. – Except as is provided in

the next preceding article, the present Penal Code, the
Provisional Law for the application of its provisions, and Acts
55
Nos. 277, 292, 480, 518, 519, 899, 1121, 1438, 1523, 1559, 1692,
1754, 1755, 2030, 2036, 2071, 2142, 2212, 2293, 2298, 2300, 2364,
2549, 2557, 2595, 2609, 2712, 2718, 3104, 3195, 3244, 3298, 3309,
3313, 3397, 3559, and 3586, are hereby repealed.
The provisions of the Acts which are mentioned

hereunder are also repealed, namely:
Act 666, sections 6 and 8.
Act 1508, section 9, 10, 11, and 12.
Act 1524, section 4.
Act 1533, sections 1, 2, and 6.
Act 1697, section 3 and 4.
Act 1757, sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 (first clause), 11, and

12.
Act 2381, sections 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9.
Act 2711, sections 02, 2670, 2671, and 2672.
Act 3247, sections 1, 2, 3, and 5; and
General Orders, No. 58, series of 1900, section 106.
And all laws and parts of laws which are contrary to the
provisions of this Code are hereby repealed.
56
ACT NO. 3922
AN ACT TO AMEND ARTICLE THIRTEEN HUNDRED AND

EIGHTY-SEVEN OF THE CIVIL CODE,
EMPOWERING MARRIED WOMEN, OF AGE, TO
DISPOSE FREELY OF HEIR PARAPHERNAL
PROPERTY, WITHOUT THE CONSENT OF THE
HUSBAND.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representative of the

Philippines in Legislature assembled and by the
SECTION 1. Article thirteen hundred and eighty-seven

of the Civil Code is hereby amended to read as follows:
“Art. 1387. The married woman, of age, may alienate,

encumber or mortgage or otherwise dispose of her paraphernal
property, and appear in court to litigate with regard to the same,
without necessity of the permission or presence of the husband.”
SEC. 2. All acts or parts of acts inconsistent with this

Act are hereby repealed.
Approved, September 12, 1932.
57
ACT NO. 4081
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS IN THE

PRACTICE OF MIDWIFERY AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES.

SECTION 1. Restrictions in the practice of midwifery.—

Any midwife or nurse authorized to practice midwifery in the
Philippine Islands is hereby prohibited to perform obstetrical
operations or to make internal examinations in parturient cases
as well as to administer pituitrin or ergotin or any other similar
preparations or derivatives to a woman in labor, unless she is
under the immediate direction and supervision of a licensed
physician.
SEC. 2. Violations.—Any person violating the provision

of this Act shall be subject to a fine of not more than two hundred
pesos, or to imprisonment for not more than ninety days, or
both, in the discretion of the court.
58
ACT NO. 4091
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION FIVE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-

THREE OF ACT NUMBERED ONE HUNDRED AND
NINETY, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

SECTION 1. Section five hundred and fifty-three of Act

Numbered One hundred and ninety is hereby amended to read
as follows:
“SEC. 553. Father or mother natural guardian and to be

appointed guardian of estate, if competent.—The father, or, in
case of his death or legal disqualification, the mother, of a minor
child, is to be deemed the natural guardian of the child, and as
such is entitled to the custody, and care for the education of the
minor, but not of his estate, unless so ordered by the court,
except that where a parent who has insured the life of his minor
child under eighteen years of age is, under the terms of the
policy, the sole beneficiary, and liable for the payment of the
premiums on the policy in question, said parent, as natural
guardian, may collect the dividends due on the policy and may
borrow or otherwise compromise or surrender the policy in
question. It shall be the duty of the judge, in the appointment of
a guardian of the estate of a minor child, to appoint the father
or mother or near relative of the child, preference being given
in the order just named ; but the court shall have the power to
set aside the order of preference here provided, and to appoint
any suitable person as guardian, either of the person or of the
estate of the minor, or both, as the best interests of the child
may require. The authority of the guardian shall not be
extinguished or affected by the marriage of the guardian.”
59
60
ACT NO. 4112

4112
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION FOUR HUNDRED AND
THIRTY-ONE OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE, AS
AMENDED, BY GRANTING THE RIGHT OF
SUFFRAGE TO THE WOMEN AND MAKING THEM
ELIGIBLE TO ALL PUBLIC OFFICES, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES.

SECTION 1. Section four hundred and thirty-one of Act

Numbered Twenty-seven hundred and eleven, known as the
Administrative Code, as amended, is hereby further amended
to read as follows:
“SEC. 431. Qualifications prescribed for voters. – Every

male or female person who is not a citizen or subject of a foreign
power, twenty-one years of age or over, who shall have been a
resident of the Philippines for one year and of the municipality
in which he shall offer to vote for six months next preceding the
day of voting is entitled to vote in all elections if comprised
within either of the following three classes:
“(a) Those who, under the laws in force in the Philippine

Islands upon the twenty-eight day of August, nineteen hundred
and sixteen, were legal voters and had exercised the right of
suffrage.
“(b) Male persons who own real property to the value of

five hundred pesos, declared in their name for taxation purposes
for a period of not less than one year prior to the date of the
election, or who annually pay thirty pesos or more of the
established taxes.
61
“(c) Those who are able to read and write either Spanish,
or English, or a native language.”
SEC. 2. For the purposes of the registration of women in

the list of voters and voting by women, the Secretary of the
Interior and Labor shall by regulation provide for the manner
in which they shall establish their identity.
SEC. 3. This Act shall take effect on January first,

nineteen hundred and thirty-five.
Approved: December 7, 1933.
62
COMMONWEALTH ACT NO. 34

COMMONWEALTH
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE HOLDING OF A PLEBISCITE
ON THE QUESTION OF WOMAN SUFFRAGE.
Be it enacted by the National Assembly of the Philippines:
SECTION 1. Pursuant to the provisions of Article V of

the Constitution, there shall be held a plebiscite on Friday, April
thirty, nineteen hundred and thirty-seven, on the question of
woman suffrage. On said date all qualified women, as hereinafter
provided, may vote either in favor or against the granting of
such suffrage.
Said Article V of the Constitution shall be published in

the Official Gazette, in English and in Spanish, for three
consecutive issues at least fifteen days prior to said election,
and the said Article V shall be posted in a conspicuous place in
each municipal and provincial office building and in each polling
place not later than then twenty-second day of April, nineteen
hundred and thirty-seven, and shall remain posted therein
continually until after the termination of the plebiscite. At least
ten copies of the said Article V of the Constitution, in English
and in Spanish, shall be kept at each polling place available for
examination by the qualified electors during the plebiscite.
Whenever practicable, copies in the principal native languages,
as may be determined by the Secretary of the Interior, shall
also be kept in each polling place.
SEC. 2. Every female citizen of the Philippines, twenty-

one years of age, or over, who shall have been a resident of the
Philippines for one year and of the municipality wherein she
proposes to vote for at least six months next preceding the
plebiscite and who possesses the qualifications required by
existing law for male voters, but without the disqualifications
therein specified, is entitled to vote in said plebiscite.
63
SEC. 3. The provisions of the Election Law regarding

the holding of a special election, in so far as said provisions are
not in conflict herewith, are hereby declared applicable to the
plebiscite provided for in this Act. Four watchers shall be
appointed for each polling place in every municipality by the
women’s club organized therein, or in default of any women’s
organization, by the National federation of Women’s Club. The
same number of watchers shall be allowed to groups or
organizations opposed to woman suffrage.
SEC. 4. In specially organized provinces, whenever

necessary, the provincial boards, under the supervision of the
Secretary of the Interior, provide for the formation of election
precincts in every municipality or municipal district, shall
designate the proper polling places, and shall appoint election
inspectors and poll clerks with their respective substitutes.
SEC. 5. The election precincts shall remain as now

established, and the polling places shall be the same unless the
municipal council or board concerned shall designate a different
place on or before April first, nineteen hundred and thirty-seven.
SEC. 6. The existing boards of election inspectors shall

meet, for the registration of voters, for the purposes of this Act
on April tenth and seventeenth, nineteen hundred and thirty-
seven, between the hours of seven in the morning and seven in
the afternoon: Provided, however, That if upon the stroke of
seven o’clock in the evening on either of the two days designated
for registration and the revision of the list there still remain
women who desire to be registered, the election inspectors shall
make a list of those present at said hour within a radius of thirty
meters from the polling place and shall hand each of them a
consecutively numbered card, and upon presentation of said
card, the registration of said women shall be permitted after
seven o’clock in the evening. Before registering any female voter,
the board of election inspectors shall require each registrant to
fill out and sign, under oath before said board of election
64
inspectors, an identification card, showing her name in full; her

age on her birthday; her civil status; her citizenship; length of
residence in the Philippines; length of residence in the
municipality where she proposes to vote; and whether she is
able to read and write any native language, Spanish or English.
Printed forms for this purpose shall be furnished each
registrant. Each election inspector and poll clerk shall receive
two pesos for each day of actual service rendered by him as
required by this Act.
Women possessing the qualifications of a male voter may

be appointed poll clerks for the plebiscite.
SEC. 7. All judicial proceedings for the inclusion or

exclusion of voters shall be free of charge and shall be filed not
later than the twenty-third day of April, nineteen hundred and
thirty-seven, and shall be finally decided on or before the twenty-
sixth day of April, nineteen hundred and thirty-seven. The board
of election inspectors shall hold its last meeting on April twenty-
eight, nineteen hundred and thirty-seven, for the purpose
specified in section four hundred and thirty-nine of the Election
Law.
SEC. 8. The ballots to be used in the plebiscite shall be

printed in English and in Spanish and shall conform to the
following form:
(See Official Ballot)
SEC. 9. The boards of inspectors shall prepare only three

copies of the returns of the plebiscite in their respective polling
places on a form to be prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior.
One copy shall be deposited in the ballot box for the valid ballots
and the two copies shall be delivered to the proper municipal
treasurer, who shall immediately forward, by registered mail,
one copy to the Secretary of the National Assembly and the other
copy to the Secretary of the Interior. The Bureau of Posts shall
65
accept and transmit without delay and free of charge all

plebiscite returns and any official report or telegram connected
therewith.
SEC. 10. A count of the votes cast according to the returns

of the board of inspectors will be made by the National Assembly.
If the result shows that not less than three hundred thousand
women have voted affirmatively on the question, all women who
possess the qualifications specified in section two hereof will
be entitled to vote in any election which may be held thereafter.
In such case, the registration list of the plebiscite may be used
in any subsequent election, until revised according to law.
SEC. 11. The sum of one hundred and fifty thousand

pesos, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby
appropriated out of any funds in the National Treasury, not
otherwise appropriated, for the payment, subject to the approval
of the Secretary of the Interior, of the expenses incurred in
connection with the holding of the plebiscite provided for in
this Act.
SEC. 12. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
66

COMMONWEALTH
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE ACQUISITION OF
PHILIPPINE CITIZENSHIP BY NATURALIZATION,
AND TO REPEAL ACTS NUMBERED TWENTY-NINE
HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN AND THIRTY-
FOUR HUNDRED AND FORTY-EIGHT.
SECTION 1. Title of Act. – This Act shall be known and

may be cited as the “Revised Naturalization Law.”
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 3. Special qualifications. – The ten years of

continuous residence required under the second condition of
the last preceding section shall be understood as reduced to
five years for any petitioner having any of the following
qualifications:
(1) Having honorably held office under the Government

of the Philippines or under that of any of the provinces, cities,
municipalities, or political subdivisions thereof;
(2) Having established a new industry or introduced a

useful invention in the Philippines;
(3) Being married to a Filipino woman;
(4) Having been engaged as a teacher in the Philippines

in a public or recognized private school not established for the
exclusive instruction of children of persons of a particular
nationality or race, in any of the branches of education or
industry for a period of not less than two years;
(5) Having been born in the Philippines.
67
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 6. Widow and minor children of aliens dying after

declaration of intention not required to file declaration of
intention. – When any alien who has declared his intention to
become a citizen of the Philippines dies before he is actually
naturalized the widow and minor children of such alien may, by
complying with the other provisions of this Act, be naturalized
without making any declaration of intention.
SEC. 7. Petition for citizenship. – Any person desiring

to acquire Philippine citizenship shall file with the competent
court, a petition in triplicate, accompanied by two photographs
of the petitioner, setting forth his name and surname; his present
and former places of residence; his occupation; the place and
date of his birth; whether single or married and the father of
children, the name, age, birthplace and residence of the wife
and of each of the children; the approximate date of his or her
arrival in the Philippines, the name of the port of debarkation,
and, if he remembers it, the name of the ship on which he came;
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 15. Effect of the naturalization on wife and children

– Any woman who is now or may hereafter be married to a
citizen of the Philippines, and who might herself be lawfully
naturalized shall be deemed a citizen of the Philippines.
Minor children of persons naturalized under this law who

have been born in the Philippines shall be considered citizens
thereof.
A foreign-born minor child, if dwelling in the Philippines

at the time of the naturalization of the parent, shall automatically
become a Philippine citizen, and a foreign-born minor child, who
is not in the Philippines at the time the parent is naturalized,
shall be deemed a Philippine citizen only during his minority,
68
unless he begins to reside permanently in the Philippines when

still a minor, in which case, he will continue to be a Philippine
citizen even after becoming of age.
A child born outside of the Philippines after the

naturalization of his parent, shall be considered a Philippine
citizen, unless within one year after reaching the age of majority,
he fails to register himself as a Philippine citizen at the American
Consulate of the country where he resides, and to take the
necessary oath of allegiance.
SEC. 16. Right of widow and children of petitioners who

have died. – In case a petitioner should die before the final
decision has been rendered, his widow and minor children may
continue the proceedings. The decision rendered in the case
shall, so far as the widow and minor children are concerned,
produce the same legal effect as if it had been rendered during
the life of the petitioner.
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 22. Repealing clause. – Act Numbered Twenty-

nine hundred and twenty-seven as amended by Act Numbered
Thirty four hundred and forty-eight, entitled “The
Naturalization Law”. is repealed: Provided, That nothing in this
Act shall be construed to affect any prosecution, suit, action, or
proceedings brought; or any act, thing, or matter, civil or
criminal, done or existing before the taking effect of this Act,
but as to all such prosecutions, suits, actions, proceedings, acts,
things, or matters, the laws, or parts of laws repealed or
amended by this Act are continued in force and effect.
SEC. 23. Date when this Act shall take effect. – This Act
shall take effect on its approval.
Approved, June 17, 1939.
69

COMMONWEALTH
AN ACT TO CONTROL AND REGULATE THE IMMIGRATION
OF ALIENS INTO THE PHILIPPINES
TITLE OF ACT
SECTION 1. This Act shall be known as “The Philippine

Immigration Act of 1940”
XXX XXX XXX
NONIMMIGRANTS
SEC. 9. Aliens departing from any place outside the

Philippines, destined for the Philippines who are otherwise
admissible and who qualify within one of the following
categories, may be admitted as nonimmigrants:
(a) A temporary visitor coming for business or for pleasure

or for reasons of health;
(b) A person in transit to a destination outside the

Philippines;
(c) A seaman serving as such on a vessel arriving at a

port of the Philippines and seeking to enter temporarily and
solely in the pursuit of his calling as a seaman;
(d) A person seeking to enter the Philippines solely to

carry on trade between the Philippines and the foreign state of
which he is national, his wife, and his unmarried children under
twenty-one years of age, if accompanying or following to join
him, subject to the condition that citizens of the Philippines
under the similar conditions are accorded like privileges in the
foreign state of which such person is a national;
70
XXX XXX XXX
IMMIGRANTS
SEC. 13. Under the conditions set forth in this Act, there
may be admitted into the Philippines immigrants, termed “quota
immigrants” not in excess of fifty (50) of any one nationality or
without nationality for any one calendar year, except that the
following immigrants, termed “non-quota immigrants,” may be
admitted without regard to such numerical limitations.
The corresponding Philippine Consular representative

abroad shall investigate and certify the eligibility of a quota
immigrant previous to his admission into the Philippines.
Qualified and desirable aliens who are in the Philippines under
temporary stay may be admitted within the quota, subject to
the provisions of the last paragraph of Section 9 of this Act.
(a) The wife or the husband or the unmarried child under

twenty-one. years of age of a Philippine citizen, if accompanying
or following to join such citizen;
(b) A child of alien parents born during the temporary

visit abroad of the mother, the mother having been previously
lawfully admitted into the Philippines for permanent residence,
if the child is accompanying or coming to join a parent and
applies for admission within five years from the date of its birth;
(c) A child born subsequent to the issuance of the

immigration visa of the accompanying parent, the visa not having
expired;
(d) A woman who was a citizen of the Philippines and

who lost her citizenship because of her marriage to an alien or
by reason of the loss of Philippine citizenship by her husband,
and her unmarried child under twenty- one years of age, if
accompanying or following to join her;
71
(e) A person previously lawfully admitted into the

Philippines for permanent residence, who is returning from a
temporary visit abroad to an unrelinquished residence in the
Philippines;
(g) A natural-born citizen of the Philippines, who has been

naturalized in a foreign country, and is returning to the
Philippines for permanent residence, including his spouse and
minor unmarried children, shall be considered a non-quota
immigrant for purposes of entering the Philippines.
XXX XXX XXX
DOCUMENTATION OF IMMIGRANTS
SEC. 15. Presentation of unexpired passport; in the case

of the children. - Immigrants must present for admission into
the Philippines unexpired passports or official documents in
the nature of passports issued by the governments of the
countries to which they owe allegiance or other travel
documents showing their origin and identity as prescribed by
regulations, and valid immigration visas issued by consular
officers, except that children born subsequent to the issuance
of the immigration visa or a reentry permit in case of children
born abroad during the temporary visit abroad of their mothers
as provided for in paragraph (c) of Section Thirteen of this Act,
the immigration visa or reentry permit not having expired, and
returning residents as referred to in Section Thirteen (f) hereof,
present unexpired reentry permits as provided for in Section
twenty-two of this Act, shall not be subject to these documentary
requirements. No child shall, however, be exempt from these
documentary requirements unless the alleged mother shall have
proved her state of pregnancy before the consular officers in
the case of children born subsequent to the issuance of a valid
immigration visa, or before the immigration authority prior to
her departure from the Philippines in the case of children born
abroad of mothers with valid reentry permits: Provided,
72
however, That in the latter case should the mother become

pregnant after her departure from the Philippines the fact of
her pregnancy shall be proved before the consul officers who
shall issue the appropriate certification for presentation to the
immigration authorities upon her return to the Philippines.
XXX XXX XXX
IMMIGRATION VISAS FOR QUOTA IMMIGRANTS
SEC. 18. An immigration visa shall not be issued by a

consular officer to an immigrant whose admission into the
Philippines is subject to the numerical limitations imposed by
Section Thirteen of this Act until the consular officer shall have
received from the Commissioner of Immigration the allotment
of a quota number to be placed upon the visa for the immigrant.
SEC. 19. Preference in allotment of quota numbers. - In

allotting quota numbers, the Commissioner of immigration shall
accord preference to immigrants who are the fathers and
mothers of Philippine citizens who are twenty-one years of age
or over, and the wives, husbands, and unmarried children under
of twenty-one years of age, of aliens lawfully admitted into the
Philippines for permanent residence and residing therein. Such
preference shall be accorded only upon petition made therefor
under regulations prescribed by the Commissioner.
XXX XXX XXX
REENTRY PERMITS
EXCLUDED CLASSES
SEC. 29. (a) The following classes of aliens shall be

excluded from entry into the Philippines:
(1) Idiots or insane persons and persons who have been

insane;
73
(2) Persons afflicted with a loathsome or dangerous

contagious disease, or epilepsy:
(3) Persons who have been convicted of a crime involving

moral turpitude;
(4) Prostitutes, or procurers, or persons coming for any

immoral purposes;
(5) Persons likely to become, public charge;
(6) Paupers, vagrants, and beggars;
(7) Persons who practice polygamy or who believe in or

advocate the practice of polygamy;
(8) Persons who believe in or advocate the overthrow by

force and violence of the Government of the Philippines, or of
constituted lawful authority, or who disbelieve in or are opposed
to organized government, or who advocate the assault or
assassination of public officials because of their office, or who
advocate or teach principles, theories, or ideas contrary to the
Constitution of the Philippines or advocate or teach the unlawful
destruction of property, or who are members of or affiliated with
any organization entertaining or teaching such doctrines;
(9) Persons over fifteen years of age, physically capable

of reading, who cannot read printed matter in ordinary use in
any language selected by the alien, but this provision shall not
apply to the grandfather, grandmother, father, mother, wife,
husband or child of a Philippine citizen or of an alien lawfully
resident in the Philippines;
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 30. Any alien seeking admission into the Philippines

may be required to testify under oath on matters relating to his
admissibility. The burden of proof shall be upon such alien to
74
establish that he is not subject to exclusion under any provision

of the immigration laws.
XXX XXX XXX
GENERAL DEFINITIONS
SEC. 50. As used in this Act:
(a) The term “Philippines” means all the territory and

waters subject to the jurisdiction of the Government of the
Philippines.
(b) The term “alien” means any person not a citizen of

the Philippines.
(c) Except for the period covered by Section 55, the term
“consular officer” means any official acting for the Government
of the Philippines, designated by the President for the purpose
of issuing visas to aliens as required of aliens by this Act.
(d) The term “unmarried” when used in reference to an

individual as of any time, means an individual who at such time
is not married, whether or not previously married.
(e) The terms “child,” “father,” and “mother,” do not

include a child or parent by adoption unless the adoption took
place before May 1, 1939.
(f) The terms “wife” and “husband” do not include a wife

or husband by reason of a proxy or picture marriage taking place
after the effective date of this Act.
(g) The word “person” shall be construed to import both

the plural and the singular, as the case may be, and shall include
partnerships, corporations, companies, and associations. When
construing and enforcing the provisions of this Act, the act,
omission, or failure of any director, officer, agent, or employee
75
of any partnership, corporation, company, or association acting

within the scope of his employment or office shall, in every case,
be deemed the act, omission, or failure of such partnership,
corporation, company, or association.
(h) The term “vessel” shall include civil aircraft as well

as water craft.
(i) The term “seaman” means a person serving in any

capacity on board a vessel or civil aircraft.
(j) The term “immigrant” means any alien departing from

any place outside the Philippines destined for the Philippines,
other than a nonimmigrant.
(k) The term “immigration laws” shall mean this Act and
any other law hereafter enacted relating to the entry of aliens
into the Philippines, and their exclusion, deportation, and
repatriation therefrom.
(l) The words “the President” refer to the President of

the Philippines.
EFFECTIVE DATE OF ACT
SEC. 51. When this Act shall have been approved by the
President of the United States, such fact shall be made known
by proclamation of the President of the Philippines and this
Act shall take effect on the one hundred and twentieth day after
the date of such proclamation: Provided, however, That the
provisions of this Act creating the Bureau of Immigration and
appropriating funds for its support and maintenance shall take
effect on the date of the proclamation above-referred to,
announcing the approval of this Act by the President of the
United States.
76
REPEAL OF EXISTING LAWS
SEC. 52. This Act is in substitution for and supersedes

all previous laws relating to the entry of aliens into the
Philippines, and their exclusion, deportation, and repatriation
therefrom, with the exception of Section Sixty-Nine of Act
Numbered Twenty-seven hundred and eleven which shall
continue in force and effect: Provided, That nothing contained
in this Act shall be construed to affect any prosecution, suit,
action, or proceedings brought, or any act, thing, or matter, civil
or criminal, done or existing at the time of the taking effect of
this Act; but as to all such prosecutions, suits, actions,
proceedings, acts, thing, or matters, the laws or parts of laws
repealed or amended by this Act are continued in force and
effect: and Provided, further, That as to such prosecutions,
actions, suits, or proceedings or as to such acts, things, or
matters, the procedure provided for by this Act or by the
regulations prescribed thereunder shall be followed in so far as
the same may be applicable.
GENERAL RESERVATIONS
SECTION 54. [Repealed by Section 19 of R.A. 503,

approved June 12, 1950].
Approved: August 26, 1940.
77

COMMONWEALTH
AN ACT PROVIDING THE MANNER IN WHICH THE
OPTION TO ELECT PHILIPPINE CITIZENSHIP
SHALL BE DECLARED BY A PERSON WHOSE
MOTHER IS A FILIPINO CITIZEN
SECTION 1. The option to elect Philippine citizenship

in accordance with subsection (4), section 1, Article IV, of the
Constitution1 shall be expressed in a statement to be signed
and sworn to by the party concerned before any officer
authorized to administer oaths, and shall be filed with the
nearest civil registry. The said party shall accompany the
aforesaid statement with the oath of allegiance to the
Constitution and the Government of the Philippines.
SEC. 2. If the party concerned is absent from the

Philippines, he may make the statement herein authorized
before any officer of the Government of the United States2
authorized to administer oaths, and he shall forward such
statement together with his oath of allegiance, to the Civil
Registry of Manila.
SEC. 3. The civil registrar shall collect as filing fees of

the statement, the amount of ten pesos.
SEC. 4. The penalty of prision correccional, or a fine not

exceeding ten thousand pesos, or both, shall be imposed on
anyone found guilty of fraud or falsehood in making the
statement herein prescribed.
78

COMMONWEALTH
AN ACT TO GRANT MATERNITY LEAVE TO MARRIED
WOMEN WHO ARE IN THE SERVICE OF THE
GOVERNMENT OR OF ANY OF ITS
INSTRUMENTALITIES.
SECTION 1. Married women who are permanently or

temporarily appointed in the service of the Government, or in
any of its branches, subdivisions, agencies, or instrumentalities,
including the corporations and enterprises owned or controlled
by the Government, shall, in addition to the vacation and sick
leave which they may enjoy now, be entitled in case of pregnancy
to a maternity leave of sixty days subject to the following
conditions.
(a) Permanent and regular employees who have rendered

two or more years of continuous service, shall be entitled to
maternity leave with full pay;
(b) Permanent and regular employees who have rendered

less than two years of continuous service, shall be entitled to
half pay; and
(c) Temporary employees shall be entitled to maternity

leave without pay and shall be readmitted to the service at the
end of their leave. No employee shall be refused readmission to
the service on the ground of absence on account of maternity.
SEC. 2. The proper department head or chief of bureau

or office shall, subject to the requirements of the public service,
avoid the assignment of strenuous and fatiguing work to married
women under their charge who are in a state of pregnancy.
SEC. 3. Any savings in the appropriation, allotment, or

fund for salaries and wages, authorized for any fiscal year for
79
the department of the government concerned, or for any of its

branches, subdivisions, agencies, or instrumentalities, including
corporations and enterprises owned or controlled by it, may be
used for the temporary employment of substitute officers or
employees to take the place of those who are granted maternity
leave if the duties of the latter cannot be dispensed with without
detriment to the service, and the same cannot be assigned to,
or distributed among, the other employees already in the
service.
Approved: June 14, 1941.
80

COMMONWEALTH
AN ACT APPROPRIATING THE SUM OF FIVE HUNDRED
THOUSAND PESOS FOR THE RESUMPTION OF THE
ACTIVITIES AND FUNCTIONS RELATIVE TO THE
PROTECTION OF EARLY INFANCY, MATERNITY,
AND CHILD HEALTH.
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives

in Congress assembled:
SECTION 1. In order to insure and afford adequate

facilities for the resumption and continuation of the protection
of early infancy and the promotion of the general work of the
Government related to maternity and child health, there is
appropriated, out of any funds in the National Treasury not
otherwise appropriated, the sum of five hundred thousand pesos
to be expended at the discretion of the Secretary of Health and
Public Welfare: Provided, That the funds herein appropriated
shall not be affected by any priority appropriation established
by law.
SEC. 2. It shall be the duty of the Secretary of Health

and Public Welfare, through the Bureau of Health, to reorganize
as soon as practicable, the puericulture centers and maternity
houses existing on or before the approval of this Act, and
establish new ones in the different municipalities, municipal
districts and chartered cities where such institutions are
urgently needed. The Director of Health or his duly authorized
representatives shall have control and supervision over the
puericulture centers.
SEC. 3. Said institutions shall be maintained by the

National Government and by the chartered city or municipality
or municipal district in which established. The share of the
National Government and of the cities, municipalities and other
entities shall be in the following proportion: sixty per centum
81
shall be paid out to the National fund and forty percent centum
by the local entity concerned. Said amount shall be deposited
with, and certified to, by the treasurer of the city or municipality
or municipal district concerned, who shall act as treasurer ex-
officio of the puericulture center or maternity house therein.
82

COMMONWEALTH
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH MUNICIPAL MATERNITY AND
CHARITY CLINICS
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in

Congress assembled:
SECTION 1. Subject to the provisions of this Act, the

Director of Health shall establish municipal maternity and
charity clinics in municipalities and municipal districts having
a population of not more than eight thousand inhabitants:
Provided, That said municipalities and municipal districts have
no puericulture centers or other health organizations
established.
SEC. 2. To take charge of a municipal maternity and

charity clinic established under this Act the Director of Health
shall appoint a duly licensed physician; a registered nurse
should there be no physician available; or a registered midwife,
should no physician, or registered nurse be available: Provided,
however, That such appointee shall reside in the municipality
or municipal district for which he is appointed and that he shall
serve subject to the rules and regulations that may be
promulgated by the Director of Health with the approval of the
Department Head.
SEC. 3. The municipal maternity and charity clinic shall

attend to all obstetrical cases in the municipality and shall
render free service to indigent patients certified as such by the
municipal treasurer.
SEC. 4. A physician appointed to take charge of a

municipal maternity and charity clinic shall be given a basic
compensation of one hundred pesos a month provided said
physician attends to at least fifty patients during the month,
fifty per cent of whom shall be mothers and babies under one
83
year of age; in addition, said physician shall be granted an

additional compensation of twenty-five pesos for every childbirth
personally attended by him or her, said rate of additional
compensation not to exceed fifty pesos or a total of one hundred
fifty pesos a month including the basic compensation.
A registered nurse shall have a basic compensation of

sixty pesos a month provided she attends to at least forty
patients during the month; in addition, the nurse shall be given
an additional compensation of fifteen pesos for every childbirth
attended by her which additional pay shall not exceed a total of
forty pesos during the month or a total monthly compensation
including the basic salary, of one hundred pesos.
A registered midwife shall have a basic compensation of

thirty pesos a month provided she attends to thirty patients
during the month; in addition, she shall be granted an additional
compensation of ten pesos for every childbirth attended by her
during the month which additional pay shall not exceed forty
pesos or a total of seventy pesos including her basic
compensation.
SEC. 5. In Mindanao and Sulu and the Provinces of

Palawan, Mindoro, Samar, Batanes, and the Mountain Province,
the basic pay and the additional compensation provided in
section four of this Act shall be doubled.
SEC. 6. The sum of seven hundred thousand pesos is

hereby appropriated from the funds of the National Treasury
not otherwise appropriated to cover the expenses for salaries,
supplies, equipment, travelling expenses and other sundry
expenses that may be needed to carry out the provisions of this
Act and shall not be affected by any priority appropriation
established by law.
84
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 21
AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE LEGITIMATE FATHER, OR, IN

HIS DEFAULT, THE MOTHER, OF ANY MINOR OR
INCOMPETENT PERSON HAVING A CLAIM OR
SHARE IN A CLAIM AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT
OF THE PHILIPPINES OR OF THE UNITED STATES,
TO RECEIVE PAYMENT OF SAID CLAIM OR SHARE
WHEN THE AMOUNT THEREOF DOES NOT EXCEED
FIVE HUNDRED PESOS OR ITS EQUIVALENT IN
DOLLARS

the Philippines in Congress assembled.
SECTION 1. Any provision of law to the contrary

notwithstanding, the legitimate father, or, in his default, the
mother, of any minor or incompetent person having a claim, or
share in a claim, against the Government of the Philippines or
of the United States, is authorized, without need of the court
appointing him or her as guardian for said minor or incompetent
person, to receive payment of said claim or share when the
amount thereof does not exceed five hundred pesos or its
equivalent in dollars, except in case said father or mother is an
imbecile, insane, vagrant or vicious person, or is a habitual
drunkard or a habitual criminal, or has abandoned, neglected,
or refused to support said minor or incompetent person, or has
caused the same to commit offenses against the law.
85
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 208
AN ACT PROVIDING A LIFE PENSION FOR WIDOWS OF EX-

PRESIDENTS OF THE PHILIPPINES

the Philippines in Congress assembled;
SECTION 1. The widow of an ex-President of the

Philippines, or of a President who dies in office shall be entitled
to a life pension of twelve thousand pesos per year payable to
her monthly by the Treasury of the Philippines.
SEC. 2. This Act shall take effect on April fifteen,

nineteen hundred and forty-eight.
86
AN ACT TO ORDAIN AND INSTITUTE

THE CIVIL CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES
BOOK I
PERSONS
Title III. – MARRIAGE
CHAPTER 1
REQUISITES OF MARRIAGE
ART. 52. Marriage is not a mere contract but an inviolable

social institution. Its nature, consequences and incidents are
governed by law and not subject to stipulation, except that the
marriage settlements may to a certain extent fix the property
relations during the marriage. (n)
ART. 53. No marriage shall be solemnized unless all these

requisites are complied with:
(1) Legal capacity of the contracting parties;
(2) Their consent, freely given;
(3) Authority of the person performing the marriage; and
(4) A marriage license, except in a marriage of exceptional

character(Sec. 1a, ART. 3613).
ART. 54. Any male of the age of sixteen years or upwards,

and any female of the age of fourteen years or upwards, not
under any of the impediments mentioned in Articles 80 to 84,
may contract marriage. (2)
ART. 55. No particular form for the ceremony of marriage

is required, but the parties with legal capacity to contract
marriage must declare, in the presence of the person solemnizing
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the marriage and of two witnesses of legal age, that they take
each other as husband and wife. This declaration shall be set
forth in an instrument in triplicate, signed by signature or mark
by the contracting parties and said two witnesses and attested
by the person solemnizing the marriage.
In case of a marriage on the point of death, when the

dying party, being physically unable, cannot sign the instrument
by signature or mark, it shall be sufficient for one of the
witnesses to the marriage to sign in his name, which fact shall
be attested by the minister solemnizing the marriage. (3)
XXX XXX XXX
ART. 57. The marriage shall be solemnized publicly in

the office of the judge in open court or of the mayor; or in the
church, chapel or temple, as the case may be, and not elsewhere,
except in cases of marriages contracted on the point of death or
in remote places in accordance with Article 72 of this Code, or
in case of marriage referred to in Article 76 or when one of the
parents or the guardian of the female or the latter herself if
over eighteen years of age request it in writing, in which cases
the marriage may be solemnized at a house or place designated
by said parent or guardian of the female or by the latter herself
in a sworn statement to that effect. (5a)
XXX XXX XXX
ART. 61. In case either of the contracting parties is a

widowed or divorced person, the same shall be required to
furnish, instead of the baptismal or birth certificate required in
the last preceding article, the death certificate of the deceased
spouse or the decree of the divorce court, as the case may be. In
case the death certificate cannot be found, the party shall make
an affidavit setting forth this circumstance and his or her actual
civil status and the name and the date of the death of the
deceased spouse.
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In case either or both of the contracting parties, being

neither widowed nor divorced, are less than twenty years of
age as regards the male and less than eighteen years as regards
the female, they shall, in addition to the requirements of the
preceding articles, exhibit to the local civil registrar, the consent
to their marriage, of their father, mother or guardian, or persons
having legal charge of them, in the order mentioned. Such
consent shall be in writing, under oath taken with the
appearance of the interested parties before the proper local civil
registrar or in the form of an affidavit made in the presence of
two witnesses and attested before any official authorized by law
to administer oaths. (9a)
ART. 62. Males above twenty but under twenty-five years

of age, or females above eighteen but under twenty-three years
of age, shall be obliged to ask their parents or guardian for
advice upon the intended marriage. If they do not obtain such
advice, or if it be unfavorable, the marriage shall not take place
till after three months following the completion of the
publication of the application for marriage license. A sworn
statement by the contracting parties to the effect that such
advice has been sought, together with the written advice given,
if any, shall accompany the application for marriage license.
Should the parents or guardian refuse to give any advice, this
fact shall be stated in the sworn declaration. (n)
XXX XXX XXX
CHAPTER 2
MARRIAGES OF EXCEPTIONAL CHARACTER
ART. 72. In case either of the contracting parties is on

the point of death or the female has her habitual residence at a
place more than fifteen kilometers distant from the municipal
building and there is no communication by railroad or by
provincial or local highways between the former and the latter,
the marriage may be solemnized without necessity of a marriage
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license; but in such cases the official, priest, or minister

solemnizing it shall state in an affidavit made before the local
civil registrar or any person authorized by law to administer
oaths that the marriage was performed in articulo mortis or at
a place more than fifteen kilometers distant from the municipal
building concerned, in which latter case he shall give the name
of the barrio where the marriage was solemnized. The person
who solemnized the marriage shall also state, in either case,
that he took the necessary steps to ascertain the ages and
relationship of the contracting parties and that there was in
his opinion no legal impediment to the marriage at the time
that it was solemnized. (20)
XXX XXX XXX
ART. 79. Mixed marriages between a Christian male and

a Mohammedan or pagan female shall be governed by the general
provision of this Title and not by those of the last preceding
article, but mixed marriages between a Mohammedan or pagan
male and a Christian female may be performed under the
provisions of the last preceding article if so desired by the
contracting parties, subject, however, in the latter case to the
provisions of the second paragraph of said article. (26)
CHAPTER 3
VOID AND VOIDABLE MARRIAGES
ART. 80. The following marriages shall be void from the

beginning:
(1) Those contracted under the ages of sixteen and

fourteen years by the male and female respectively, even with
the consent of the parents;
(2) Those solemnized by any person not legally authorized

to perform marriages;
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(3) Those solemnized without a marriage license, save

marriages of exceptional character;
(4) Bigamous or polygamous marriages not falling under

Article 83, Number 2;
(5) Incestuous marriages mentioned in Article 81;
(6) Those where one or both contracting parties have

been found guilty of the killing of the spouse of either of them;
(7) Those between stepbrothers and stepsisters and other

marriages specified in Article 82. (n)
ART. 81. Marriages between the following are incestuous

and void from their performance, whether the relationship
between the parties be legitimate or illegitimate:
(1) Between ascendants and descendants of any degree;
(2) Between brothers and sisters, whether of the full or

half blood;
(3) Between collateral relatives by blood within the

fourth civil degree. (28a)
Art. 82. The following marriages shall also be void from

the beginning:
(1) Between stepfathers and stepdaughters, and

stepmothers and stepsons;
(2) Between the adopting father or mother and the

adopted, between the latter and the surviving spouse of the
former, and between the former and the surviving spouse of the
latter;
(3) Between the legitimate children of the adopter and

the adopted.(28a)
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XXX XXX XXX
ART. 84. No marriage license shall be issued to a widow

till after three hundred days following the death of her husband,
unless in the meantime she has given birth to a child. (n)
ART. 85. A marriage may be annulled for any of the

following causes, existing at the time of the marriage:
(1) That the party in whose behalf it is sought to have

the marriage annulled was between the ages of sixteen and
twenty years, if male, or between the ages of fourteen and
eighteen years, if female, and the marriage was solemnized
without the consent of the parent, guardian or person having
authority over the party, unless after attaining the ages of twenty
or eighteen years, as the case may be, such party freely cohabited
with the other and both lived together as husband and wife;
(2) In a subsequent marriage under Article 83, Number

2, that the former husband or wife believed to be dead was in
fact living and the marriage with such former husband or wife
was then in force;
(3) That either party was of unsound mind, unless such

party, after coming to reason, freely cohabited with the other as
husband or wife;
(4) That the consent of either party was obtained by fraud,

unless such party afterwards, with full knowledge of the facts
constituting the fraud, freely cohabited with the other as her
husband or his wife, as the case may be;
(5) That the consent of either party was obtained by force

or intimidation, unless the violence or threat having
disappeared, such party afterwards freely cohabited with the
other as her husband or his wife, as the case may be;
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(6) That either party was, at the time of marriage,

physically incapable of entering into the married state, and such
incapacity continues, and appears to be incurable. (30a)
XXX XXX XXX
ART. 87. The action for annulment of marriage must be

commenced by the parties and within the periods as follows:
(1) For causes mentioned in Number 1 of Article 85, by

the party whose parent or guardian did not give his or her
consent, within four years after attaining the age of twenty or
eighteen years, as the case may be; or by the parent or guardian
or person having legal charge, at any time before such party
has arrived at the age of twenty or eighteen years;
(2) For causes mentioned in Number 2 of Article 85, by

the spouse who has been absent, during his or her lifetime; or
by either spouse of the subsequent marriage during the lifetime
of the other;
XXX XXX XXX
Title IV. – LEGAL SEPARATION
ART. 97. A petition for legal separation may be filed:
(1) For adultery on the part of the wife and for

concubinage on the part of the husband as defined in the
Penal Code; or
(2) An attempt by one spouse against the life of the other.

(n)
XXX XXX XXX
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Title V. – RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS

BETWEEN HUSBAND AND WIFE
ART. 109. The husband and wife are obliged to live together,
observe mutual respect and fidelity, and render mutual help
and support. (56a)
ART. 110. The husband shall fix the residence of the

family. But the court may exempt the wife from living with the
husband if he should live abroad unless in the service of the
Republic. (58a)
ART. 111. The husband is responsible for the support of

the wife and the rest of the family. These expenses shall be met
first from the conjugal property, then from the husband’s capital,
and lastly from the wife’s paraphernal property. In case there is
a separation of property, by stipulation in the marriage
settlements, the husband and wife shall contribute
proportionately to the family expenses. (n)
ART. 112. The husband is the administrator of the

conjugal property, unless there is a stipulation in the marriage
settlements conferring the administration upon the wife. She
may also administer the conjugal partnership in other cases
specified in this Code. (n)
ART. 113. The husband must be joined in all suits by or

against the wife, except:
(1) When they are judicially separated;
(2) If they have in fact been separated for at least one

year;
(3) When there is a separation of property agreed upon

in the marriage settlements;
(4) If the administration of all the property in the

marriage has been transferred to her, in accordance with
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Articles 196 and 197;
(5) When the litigation is between the husband and wife;
(6) If the suit concerns her paraphernal property;
(7) When the action is upon the civil liability arising

from a criminal offense;
(8) If the litigation is incidental to the profession,

occupation or business in which she is engaged;
(9) In any civil action referred to in Articles 25 to 35;

and
(10) In an action upon a quasi-delict.
In the cases mentioned in Nos. 7 to 10, the husband must

be joined as a party defendant if the third paragraph of Article
163 is applicable. (n)
ART. 114. The wife cannot, without the husband’s consent

acquire any property by gratuitous title, except from her
ascendants, descendants, parents-in-law, and collateral relatives
within the fourth degree. (n)
ART. 115. The wife manages the affairs of the household.

She may purchase things necessary for the support of the family,
and the conjugal partnership shall be bound thereby. She may
borrow money for this purpose, if the husband fails to deliver
the proper sum. The purchase of jewelry and precious objects is
voidable, unless the transaction has been expressly or tacitly
approved by the husband, or unless the price paid is from her
paraphernal property. (62a)
ART. 116. When one of the spouses neglects his or her

duties to the conjugal union or brings danger, dishonor or
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material injury upon the other, the injured party may apply to
the court for relief.
The court may counsel the offender to comply with his

or her duties, and take such measures as may be proper. (n)
ART. 117. The wife may exercise any profession or

occupation or engage in business. However, the husband may
object, provided:
(1) His income is sufficient for the family, according to

its social standing, and
(2) His opposition is founded on serious and valid

grounds.
In case of disagreement on this question, the parents and

grandparents as well as the family council, if any, shall be
consulted. If no agreement is still arrived at, the court will
decide whatever may be proper and in the best interest of the
family. (n)
Title VI. – PROPERTY RELATIONS

BETWEEN HUSBAND AND WIFE
CHAPTER 1
GENERAL PROVISIONS
ART. 118. The property relations between husband and

wife shall be governed in the following order:
(1) By contract executed before the marriage;
(2) By the provisions of this Code; and
(3) By custom. (1315a)
ART. 119. The future spouses may in the marriage

settlements agree upon absolute or relative community of
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property, or upon complete separation of property, or upon any

other regime. In the absence of marriage settlements, or when
the same are void, the system of relative community or conjugal
partnership of gains as established in this Code, shall govern
the property relations between husband and wife. (n)
XXX XXX XXX
ART. 124. If the marriage is between a citizen of the

Philippines and a foreigner, whether celebrated in the
Philippines or abroad, the following rules shall prevail:
(1) If the husband is a citizen of the Philippines while

the wife is a foreigner, the provisions of this Code shall govern
their relations;
(2) If the husband is a foreigner and the wife is a citizen

of the Philippines, the laws of the husband’s country shall be
followed, without prejudice to the provisions of this Code with
regard to immovable property. (1325a)
XXX XXX XXX
CHAPTER 3
PARAPHERNAL PROPERTY
ART. 135. All property brought by the wife to the

marriage, as well as all property she acquires during the
marriage, in accordance with article 148, is paraphernal. (1381a)
ART. 136. The wife retains the ownership of the

paraphernal property. (1382)
ART. 137. The wife shall have the administration of the

paraphernal property, unless she delivers the same to the
husband by means of a public instrument empowering him to
administer it.
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In this case, the public instrument shall be recorded in

the Registry of Property. As for the movables, the husband shall
give adequate security.(1384a)
XXX XXX XXX
ART. 140. A married woman of age may mortgage,

encumber, alienate or otherwise dispose of her paraphernal
property, without the permission of the husband, and appear
alone in court to litigate with regard to the same. (n)
ART. 141. The alienation of any paraphernal property

administered by the husband gives a right to the wife to require
the constitution of a mortgage or any other security for the
amount of the price which the husband may have received.
(1390a)
CHAPTER 4
CONJUGAL PARTNERSHIP OF GAINS
SECTION 1. – General Provisions
ART. 142. By means of the conjugal partnership of gains

the husband and wife place in a common fund the fruits of their
separate property and the income from their work or industry,
and divide equally, upon the dissolution of the marriage or of
the partnership, the net gains or benefits obtained
indiscriminately by either spouse during the marriage. (1392a)
ART. 143. All property of the conjugal partnership of gains

is owned in common by the husband and wife. (n)
ART. 144. When a man and a woman live together as

husband and wife, but they are not married, or their marriage
is void from the beginning, the property acquired by either or
both of them through their work or industry or their wages and
salaries shall be governed by the rules on co-ownership. (n)
XXX XXX XXX
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SECTION 2. – Exclusive Property of Each Spouse
ART. 148. The following shall be the exclusive property

of each spouse:
(1) That which is brought to the marriage as his or her

own;
(2) That which each acquires, during the marriage, by

lucrative title;
(3) That which is acquired by right of redemption or by

exchange with other property belonging to only one of the
spouses;
(4) That which is purchased with exclusive money of the

wife or of the husband. (1396)
ART. 149. Whoever gives or promises capital to the

husband shall not be subject to warranty against eviction, except
in case of fraud. (1937)
ART. 150. Property donated or left by will to the spouses,

jointly and with designation of determinate shares, shall pertain
to the wife as paraphernal property, and to the husband as
capital, in the proportion specified by the donor or testator, and
in the absence of designation, share and share alike, without
prejudice to what is provided in Article 753. (1398a)
XXX XXX XXX
SECTION 3. – Conjugal Partnership Property
ART. 156. Whenever an amount or credit payable in a

certain number of years belongs to one of the spouses, the sums
which may be collected by installments due during the marriage
shall not pertain to the conjugal partnership, but shall be
considered capital of the husband or of the wife, as the credit
may belong to one or the other spouse. (1402)
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ART. 157. The right to an annuity, whether perpetual or

of life, and the right of usufruct, belonging to one of the spouses
shall form a part of his or her separate property, but the fruits,
pensions and interests due during the marriage shall belong to
the partnership.
The usufruct which the spouses have over the property

of their children, though of another marriage, shall be included
in this provision. (1403a)
ART. 158. Improvements, whether for utility or

adornment, made on the separate property of the spouses
through advancements from the partnership or through the
industry of either the husband or the wife, belong to the conjugal
partnership.
Buildings constructed, at the expense of the partnership,

during the marriage on land belonging to one of the spouses,
also pertain to the partnership, but the value of the land shall
be reimbursed to the spouse who owns the same.(1404a)
ART. 159. Whenever the paraphernal property or the

husband’s capital consists, in whole or in part, of livestock
existing upon the dissolution of the partnership, the number of
animals exceeding that brought to the marriage shall be deemed
to be of the conjugal partnership. (1405a)
ART. 160. All property of the marriage is presumed to

belong to the conjugal partnership, unless it be proved that it
pertains exclusively to the husband or to the wife. (1407)
SECTION 4. – Charges Upon and Obligation of the

Conjugal Partnership
ART. 161. The conjugal partnership shall be liable for:
(1) All debts and obligations contracted by the husband

for the benefit of the conjugal partnership, and those contracted
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by the wife, also for the same purpose, in the cases where she
may legally bind the partnership;
(2) Arrears or income due, during the marriage, from

obligations which constitute a charge upon property of either
spouse or of the partnership;
(3) Minor repairs or for mere preservation made during

the marriage upon the separate property of either the husband
or the wife; major repairs shall not be charged to the
partnership;
(4) Major or minor repairs upon the conjugal partnership

property;
(5) The maintenance of the family and the education of

the children of both husband and wife, and of legitimate children
of one of the spouses;
(6) Expenses to permit the spouses to complete a

professional, vocational or other course. (1408a)
XXX XXX XXX
ART. 163. The payment of debts contracted by the

husband or the wife before the marriage shall not be charged to
the conjugal partnership.
Neither shall the fines and pecuniary indemnities

imposed upon them be charged to the partnership.
However, the payment of debts contracted by the husband

or the wife before the marriage, and that of fines and
indemnities imposed upon them, may be enforced against the
partnership assets after the responsibilities enumerated in
Article 161 have been covered, if the spouse who is bound should
have no exclusive property or if it should be insufficient; but at
the time of the liquidation of the partnership such spouse shall
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be charged for what has been paid for the purpose above-
mentioned. (1410)
XXX XXX XXX
SECTION 5. – Administration of the Conjugal

Partnership
ART. 165. The husband is the administrator of the

conjugal partnership.(1412a)
ART. 166. Unless the wife has been declared a non compos
mentis or a spendthrift, or is under civil interdiction or is
confined in a leprosarium, the husband cannot alienate or
encumber any real property of the conjugal partnership without
the wife’s consent. If she refuses unreasonably to give her
consent, the court may compel her to grant the same.
This article shall not apply to property acquired by the

conjugal partnership before the effective date of this Code.
(1413a)
ART. 167. In case of abuse of powers of administration of

the conjugal partnership property by the husband, the courts,
on petition of the wife, may provide for receivership, or
administration by the wife, or separation of property. (n)
ART. 168. The wife may, by express authority of the

husband embodied in a public instrument, administer the
conjugal partnership property. (n)
ART. 169. The wife may also by express authority of the

husband appearing in a public instrument, administer the
latter’s estate. (n)
ART. 170. The husband or the wife may dispose by will of

his or her half of the conjugal partnership profits. (1414a)
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ART. 171. The husband may dispose of the conjugal

partnership property for the purposes specified in Articles 161
and 162. (1415a)
ART. 172. The wife cannot bind the conjugal partnership

without the husband’s consent except in cases provided by law.
(1416a)
ART. 173. The wife may, during the marriage, and within
ten years from the transaction questioned, ask the courts for
the annulment of any contract of the husband entered into
without her consent, when such consent is required, or any act
or contract of the husband which tends to defraud her or impair
her interest in the conjugal partnership property. Should the
wife fail to exercise this right, she or her heirs, after the
dissolution of the marriage, may demand the value of property
fraudulently alienated by the husband. (n)
ART. 174. With the exception of moderate donations for

charity, neither husband nor wife can donate any property of
the conjugal partnership without the consent of the other. (n)
XXX XXX XXX
SECTION 6. – Dissolution of the Conjugal Partnership
Art. 175. The conjugal partnership of gains terminates:
(1) Upon the death of either spouse;
(2) When there is a decree of legal separation;
(3) When the marriage is annulled;
(4) In case of judicial separation of property under Article

191. (1417a)
Art. 176. In case of legal separation, the guilty spouse

shall forfeit his or her share of the conjugal partnership profits,
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which shall be awarded to the children of both, and the children

of the guilty spouse had by a prior marriage. However, if the
conjugal partnership property came mostly or entirely from the
work or industry, or from the wages and salaries, or from the
fruits of the separate property of the guilty spouse, this forfeiture
shall not apply.
In case there are no children, the innocent spouse shall

be entitled to all the net profits. (n)
Art. 177. In case of annulment of the marriage, the spouse

who acted in bad faith or gave cause for annulment shall forfeit
his or her share of the conjugal partnership profits. The
provision of the preceding article shall govern. (n)
Art. 178. The separation in fact between husband and

wife without judicial approval, shall not affect the conjugal
partnership, except that:
(1) The spouse who leaves the conjugal home or refuses

to live therein, without just cause, shall not have a right to be
supported;
(2) When the consent of one spouse to any transaction

of the other is required by law, judicial authorization shall be
necessary;
(3) If the husband has abandoned the wife without just

cause for at least one year, she may petition the court for a
receivership, or administration by her of the conjugal
partnership property, or separation of property. (n)
XXX XXX XXX
SECTION 7. – Liquidation of the Conjugal Partnership
ART. 186. The mourning apparel of the widow shall be

paid for out of the estate of the deceased husband. (1427a)
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XXX XXX XXX
CHAPTER 5
SEPARATION OF PROPERTY OF THE SPOUSES
AND ADMINISTRATION OF PROPERTY
BY THE WIFE DURING THE MARRIAGE
ART. 190. In the absence of an express declaration in the

marriage settlements, the separation of property between
spouses during the marriage shall not take place save in virtue
of a judicial order. (1432a)
ART. 191. The husband or the wife may ask for the
separation of property, and it shall be decreed when the spouse
of the petitioner has been sentenced to a penalty which carries
with it civil interdiction, or has been declared absent, or when
legal separation has been granted.
In case of abuse of powers of administration of the

conjugal partnership property by the husband, or in case of
abandonment by the husband, separation of property may also
be ordered by the court, according to the provisions of Articles
167 and 178, No. 3.
In all these cases, it is sufficient to present the final

judgment which has been entered against the guilty or absent
spouse. (1433a)
The husband and the wife may agree upon the dissolution
of the conjugal partnership during the marriage, subject to
judicial approval. All the creditors of the husband and of the
wife, as well as of the conjugal partnership shall be notified of
any petition for judicial approval or the voluntary dissolution
of the conjugal partnership, so that any such creditors may
appear at the hearing to safeguard his interests. Upon approval
of the petition for dissolution of the conjugal partnership, the
court shall take such measures as may protect the creditors
and other third persons.
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After dissolution of the conjugal partnership, the

provisions of Articles 214 and 215 shall apply. The provisions of
this Code concerning the effect of partition stated in Articles
498 to 501 shall be applicable. (1433a)
XXX XXX XXX
ART. 195. The separation of property ceases:
(1) Upon reconciliation of the spouses, in case of legal

separation;
(2) When the civil interdiction terminates;
(3) When the absent spouse appears;
(4) When the court, at the instance of the wife, authorizes

the husband to resume the administration of the conjugal
partnership, the court being satisfied that the husband will not
again abuse his powers as an administrator;
(5) When the husband, who has abandoned the wife,

rejoins her.
In the above cases, the property relations between the

spouses shall be governed by the same rules as before the
separation, without prejudice to the acts and contracts legally
executed during the separation.
The spouses shall state, in a public document, all the

property which they return to the marriage and which shall
constitute the separate property of each.
This public document shall be recorded in the Registry

of Property.
In the cases referred to in this article, all the property

brought in shall be deemed to be newly contributed, even though
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all or some may be the same which existed before the liquidation
effected by reason of the separation.(1439a)
ART. 196. With the conjugal partnership subsisting, the

administration of all classes of property in the marriage may be
transferred by the courts to the wife:
(1) When she becomes the guardian of her husband;
(2) When she asks for the declaration of his absence;
(3) In case of civil interdiction of the husband.
The courts may also confer the administration to the wife,

with such limitation as they may deem advisable, if the husband
should become a fugitive from justice or be in hiding as a
defendant in a criminal case, or if, being absolutely unable to
administer, he should have failed to provide for administration.
(1441a)
ART. 197. The wife to whom the administration of all the

property of the marriage is transferred shall have, with respect
to said property, the same powers and responsibility which the
husband has when he is the administrator, but always subject
to the provisions of the last paragraph of the preceding article.
(1442a)
XXX XXX XXX
Title VIII. – PATERNITY AND FILIATION
CHAPTER 1
LEGITIMATE CHILDREN
ART. 255. Children born after one hundred and eighty

days following the celebration of the marriage, and before three
hundred days following its dissolution or the separation of the
spouses shall be presumed to be legitimate.
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Against this presumption no evidence shall be admitted

other than that of the physical impossibility of the husband’s
having access to his wife within the first one hundred and twenty
days of three hundred which preceded the birth of the child.
This physical impossibility may be caused:
(1) By the impotence of the husband;
(2) By the fact that the husband and wife were living
separately, in such a way that access was not possible;
(3) By the serious illness of the husband. (108a)
ART. 256. The child shall be presumed legitimate,

although the mother may have declared against its legitimacy
or may have been sentenced as an adulteress. (109)
ART. 257. Should the wife commit adultery at or about

the time of the conception of the child, but there was no physical
impossibility of access between her and her husband as set forth
in Article 255, the child is prima facie presumed to be
illegitimate if it appears highly improbable, for ethnic reasons,
that the child is that of the husband. For the purposes of this
article, the wife’s adultery need not be proved in a criminal case.
(n)
ART. 258. A child born within one hundred eighty days

following the celebration of the marriage is prima facie
presumed to be legitimate. Such a child is conclusively presumed
to be legitimate in any of these cases:
(1) If the husband, before the marriage, knew of the

pregnancy of the wife;
(2) If he consented, being present, to the putting of his

surname on the record of birth of the child;
108
(3) If he expressly or tacitly recognized the child as his

own. (110a)
ART. 259. If the marriage is dissolved by the death of the

husband, and the mother contracted another marriage within
three hundred days following such death, these rules shall
govern:
(1) A child born before one hundred eighty days after the
solemnization of the subsequent marriage is disputably
presumed to have been conceived during the former marriage,
provided it be born within three hundred days after the death
of the former husband:
(2) A child born after one hundred eighty days following

the celebration of the subsequent marriage is prima facie
presumed to have been conceived during such marriage, even
though it be born within the three hundred days after the death
of the former husband.(n)
ART. 260. If after a judgment annulling a marriage, the

former wife should believe herself to be pregnant by the former
husband, she shall, within thirty days from the time she became
aware of her pregnancy, notify the former husband or his heirs
of that fact. He or his heirs may ask the court to take measures
to prevent a simulation of birth.
The same obligation shall devolve upon a widow who

believes herself to have been left pregnant by the deceased
husband, or upon the wife who believes herself to be pregnant
by her husband from whom she has been legally separated. (n)
ART. 261. There is no presumption of legitimacy or

illegitimacy of a child born after three hundred days following
the dissolution of the marriage or the separation of the spouses.
Whoever alleges the legitimacy or the illegitimacy of such child
must prove his allegation. (n)
109
ART. 262. The heirs of the husband may impugn the

legitimacy of the child only in the following cases:
(1) If the husband should die before the expiration of the

period fixed for bringing his action;
(2) If he should die after the filing of the complaint,

without having desisted from the same;
(3) If the child was born after the death of the husband.
(112)
ART. 263. The action to impugn the legitimacy of the child

shall be brought within one year from the recording of the birth
in the Civil Register, if the husband should be in the same place,
or in a proper case, any of his heirs.
If he or his heirs are absent, the period shall be eighteen

months if they should reside in the Philippines; and two years
if abroad. If the birth of the child has been concealed, the term
shall be counted from the discovery of the fraud. (113a)
ART. 264. Legitimate children shall have the right:
(1) To bear the surnames of the father and of the mother;
(2) To receive support from them, from their ascendants

and in a proper case, from their brothers and sisters, in
conformity with Article 291;
(3) To the legitime and other successional rights which

this Code recognizes in their favor. (114)
XXX XXX XXX
CHAPTER 4
ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN
SECTION 1. – Recognition of Natural Children
110
ART. 284. The mother is obliged to recognize her natural

child:
(1) In any of the cases referred to in the preceding article,

as between the child and the mother;
(2) When the birth and the identity of the child are clearly
proved.(136a)
ART. 285. The action for the recognition of natural

children may be brought only during the lifetime of the presumed
parents, except in the following cases:
(1) If the father or mother died during the minority of

the child, in which case the latter may file the action before the
expiration of four years from the attainment of his majority;
(2) If after the death of the father or of the mother a

document should appear of which nothing had been heard and
in which either or both parents recognize the child.
In this case, the action must be commenced within four years

from the finding of the document. (137a)
XXX XXX XXX
SECTION 2. – Other Illegitimate Children
ART. 288. Minor children mentioned in the preceding

article are under the parental authority of the mother. (n)
XXX XXX XXX
CHAPTER 3
EFFECT OF PARENTAL AUTHORITY
ON THE PROPERTY OF THE CHILDREN
111
CHAPTER 4
EXTINGUISHMENT OF PARENTAL AUTHORITY
ART. 327. Parental authority terminates:
(1) Upon the death of the parents or of the child;
(2) Upon emancipation;
(3) Upon adoption of the child;
(4) Upon the appointment of a general guardian. (167a)
ART. 328. The mother who contracts a subsequent

marriage loses the parental authority over her children, unless
the deceased husband, father of the latter, has expressly
provided in his will that his widow might marry again, and has
ordered that in such case she should keep and exercise parental
authority over their children.
The court may also appoint a guardian of the child’s

property in case the father should contract a subsequent
marriage. (168a)
ART. 329. When the mother of an illegitimate child

marries a man other than its father, the court may appoint a
guardian for the child. (n)
ART. 330. The father and in a proper case the mother,

shall lose authority over their children:
(1) When by final judgment in a criminal case the penalty

of deprivation of said authority is imposed upon him or her;
(2) When by a final judgment in legal separation

proceedings such loss of authority is declared. (169a)
112
ART. 331. Parental authority is suspended by the

incapacity or absence of the father, or in a proper case of the
mother, judicially declared, and also by civil interdiction. (170)
ART. 332. The courts may deprive the parents of their

authority or suspend the exercise of the same if they should
treat their children with excessive harshness or should give
them corrupting orders, counsels, or examples, or should make
them beg or abandon them. In these cases, the courts may also
deprive the parents in whole or in part, of the usufruct over the
child’s property, or adopt such measures as they may deem
advisable in the interest of the child. (171a)
ART. 333. If the widowed mother who has contracted a

subsequent marriage should again become a widow, she shall
recover from this moment her parental authority over all her
unemancipated children. (172)
XXX XXX XXX
ART. 363. In all questions on the care, custody, education

and property of children the latter’s welfare shall be paramount.
No mother shall be separated from her child under seven years
of age, unless the court finds compelling reasons for such
measure.
Title XIII. – USE OF SURNAMES (n)
ART. 368. Illegitimate children referred to in Article 287

shall bear the surname of the mother.
ART. 369. Children conceived before the decree annulling

a voidable marriage shall principally use the surname of the
father.
ART. 370. A married woman may use:
113
(1) Her maiden first name and surname and add her
husband’s surname, or
(2) Her maiden first name and her husband’s surname

or
(3) Her husband’s full name, but prefixing a word

indicating that she is his wife, such as “Mrs.”
ART. 371. In case of annulment of marriage, and the wife

is the guilty party, she shall resume her maiden name and
surname. If she is the innocent spouse, she may resume her
maiden name and surname. However, she may choose to
continue employing her former husband’s surname, unless:
(1) The court decrees otherwise, or
(2) She or the former husband is married again to another

person.
ART. 372. When legal separation has been granted, the

wife shall continue using her name and surname employed
before the legal separation.
ART. 373. A widow may use the deceased husband’s

surname as though he were still living, in accordance with
Article 370.
XXX XXX XXX
CHAPTER 2
AGE OF MAJORITY
Art. 402. Majority commences upon the attainment of the

age of twenty-one years.
The person who has reached majority is qualified for all

acts of civil life, save the exceptions established by this Code in
special cases. (320a)
114
Art. 403. Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding

article, a daughter above twenty-one but below twenty-three
years of age cannot leave the parental home without the consent
of the father or mother in whose company she lives, except to
become a wife, or when she exercises a profession or calling, or
when the father or mother has contracted a subsequent
marriage.(321a)
XXX XXX XXX
115
AN ACT TO REGULATE THE EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN

AND CHILDREN, TO PROVIDE PENALTIES FOR
VIOLATION HEREOF, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

the Philippines in Congress assembled:
SECTION 1. Employment of children below fourteen

years of age. - (a) Children below fourteen years of age may only
be employed to perform light work –
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 7. Employment of women. – (a) No women shall be

employed in any shop factory, commercial or industrial
establishment or other place of labor –
(1) to perform work which requires the employee to work

always standing or which involves the lifting of heavy objects;
or
(2) to work between ten o’clock at night and six o’clock in

the morning of the following day.
An employer may be exempted from the requirement of

paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of this section
(1) in case of force majeure causing an interruption in –

the work which was not foreseen and which is not of a recurring
character; or
(2) by the Secretary of Labor, if he finds, after proper

investigation, that the work has to do with raw materials or
materials in the course of treatment which are subject to rapid
deterioration and night work is necessary to preserve such
materials from loss.
116
(b) In any shop, factory, commercial, industrial, or

agricultural establishment or other place of labor where men
and women are employed, the employer shall not discriminate
against any woman in respect to terms and conditions of
employment on account of her sex, and shall pay equal
remuneration for work of equal value for both men and women
employees.
SEC. 8. Maternity protection. – (a) In any shop, factory,

commercial, industrial, or agricultural establishment or other
place of labor, the employer shall grant to any woman employed
by him who may be pregnant vacation with pay for six weeks
prior to the expected date of delivery and for another eight
weeks after normal delivery or miscarriage at the rate of not
less than sixty per cent of her regular or average weekly wages.
The employer shall have the right to require any woman applying
for vacation leave with pay under this section to produce a
medical certificate stating that delivery will probably take place
within six weeks. The vacation shall be extended without pay
on account of illness medically certified to arise out of the
pregnancy or delivery or miscarriage rendering the woman unfit
for work. Prolonged absence on account of illness incident to
pregnancy or delivery or miscarriage shall not be a valid ground
for discharge.
(b) It shall be the duty of any employer to allow any

woman employed by him who is nursing a child at least one-
half hour twice a day during her working hours to nurse her
child.
(c) It shall be the duty of every employer having at least

fifteen married women in his employ to establish an adequate
nursery near the place of work where they may leave their
children, said nursery to be under the supervision of either a
registered or a qualified midwife.
117
SEC. 9. Facilities for women and children. – (a) It shall

be the duty of every employer –
(1) to provide seats proper for women and children and

permit them to use such seats when they are free from work
and during working hours, provided they can perform their
duties in this position without detriment to efficiency; and
(2) to establish separate and suitable toilet rooms and

lavatories for men and women and provide at least a dressing
room for women and children.
The Secretary of Labor may exempt from the requirement

of paragraph (2) of this subsection small shops which, on account
of their small capital, cannot comply therewith.
(b) It shall be the duty of every employer to allow his

employees not less than sixty minutes for their noon meals.
SEC. 10. Special work permits; rules and regulations. –

(a) The Secretary of Labor or his duly authorized representative
shall have the power to grant a special permit for the
employment of any child whose employment is otherwise
prohibited in this Act, whenever in his judgment the economic
necessity of the family to which such child belongs requires his
assistance for increasing the family income. Such permit shall
be issued under such conditions as will not prejudice the
compulsory school attendance of any child under the rules and
regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Education under
section 1 of this Act and as may be necessary for the protection
of such child.
(b) The Secretary of Labor shall have power, after

consultation with representatives of employers and employees
or organizations thereof, to make, amend, or rescind such rules
and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the purposes
of this Act. Such rules and regulations, without limiting the
118
generality of the foregoing, may define terms used in this Act

and may include terms and conditions to prevent the
circumvention or evasion of the provisions of this Act. Such rules
and regulations shall take effect thirty days after publication
in newspapers of general circulation and by such other means
as the Secretary of Labor deems reasonably calculated to give
the public general notice of its issuance.
SEC. 11. Enforcement of Act. – (a) The Director of Labor

shall enforce this Act and the rules and regulations promulgated
by the Secretary of Labor hereunder.
(b) Every employer employing women and children shall

keep a printed abstract of this Act conspicuously posted in or
about the premises wherein they are employed. Every employer
shall keep a list of the women and children employed by him
and shall furnish the Director of Labor with copy of such list
and shall also keep on file the birth certificates, educational
certificates, medical certificates and special work permits
pertaining to such children.
(c) The Director of Labor or his authorized representative

shall have the power to enter any place of employment, during
office hours where women and children are employed, to require
the production of such list, birth certificates, educational
certificates, medical certificates, special work permits and other
pertinent books and records, to question and employee therein
and make such investigation of any fact, matter or condition as
may be necessary to apprehend violations of this Act or as will
aid in the proper enforcement of this Act.
SEC. 12. Violations and penalties. – (a) It shall be unlawful

for employer to discharge any woman employed by him who
may be pregnant for the purpose of preventing such woman from
enjoying the benefits of section 7 of this Act or to discharge such
woman while on leave on account of her pregnancy of
confinement.
119
(b) It shall be unlawful for any employer to discharge

any woman or child employed by him for having filed a complaint
under this Act or to discharge such woman and child or other
employee who has given testimony or is about to give testimony
under this Act.
(c) Any violation of any provision of this Act shall be

punished by a fine of not less than one hundred pesos nor more
than five thousand pesos, or by imprisonment for not less than
thirty days nor more than one year, or by both such fine and
imprisonment, in the discretion of the court.
If the violation is committed by a firm, association or

corporation, the manager or in his default, the person acting as
such, shall be liable.
SEC. 13. Separability. - If any provision of this Act or the

application thereof to any person circumstance shall be held
invalid, the remainder of the Act or the application of such
provision to persons or circumstances other than those as to
which it is held invalid, shall not be affected thereby.
SEC. 14. Repeal of prior inconsistent laws. – Act

Numbered Thirty hundred and seventy-one, entitled “An Act to
regulate the employment of women and children in shops,
factories, industrial, agricultural and mercantile
establishments, and other places of labor in the Philippine
Islands; to provide penalties for violations hereof, and for other
purposes,” and such other acts as are inconsistent herewith,
SEC. 15. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect on its

approval.
Approved, April 15, 1952.
120
AN ACT TO AMEND CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE

PRIVATE EMPLOYMENT AGENCY LAW IN ORDER
TO GIVE ADDED PROTECTION TO APPLICANTS
FOR EMPLOYMENT

SECTION 1. Section numbered eleven of Act Numbered

Three thousand nine hundred fifty-seven, whose short title is
the Private Employment Agency Law, is hereby amended to read
as follows:
“SEC. 11. In order that any contract between the

agent or recruiter and the applicant for employment,
work or a position may be valid, it shall be written in a
language or dialect known to the latter and shall be
executed before the public defender, or the clerk of Court
of First Instance, or justice of the peace who shall not
charge any fee for his services or for preparing the
contract. It shall be the duty of the public defender, or
the clerk of court or the justice of the peace to carefully
explain to the contracting parties the scope and effects
of the contract, to satisfy himself regarding the
correctness of any debt or obligation set forth in such
contract, including the fees of the agent or recruiter, and
to sign the contract, certifying in the acknowledgment
clause thereof that the provisions of this section have
been complied with. When it is specifically provided in
the contract that applicant for employment shall be
employed outside the province where he or she resides,
it shall be further the duty of the public defender, or the
clerk of court, or the justice of the peace to observe the
following requirements: (1) to require the production of
the birth certificate of the applicant, or, in the event of
121
the destruction of the records thereof, an affidavit of the

father or mother, or in their default, the guardian or
person in charge of the applicant, the same to be sworn
to before the justice of the peace of the birthplace of the
applicant certifying the latter’s age except when it
appears evident from the physical appearance of the
applicant that he or she is already of age, (2) if the
applicant be a minor, no contract shall be executed
without the written consent of the applicant’s father or
mother, or in their default, the guardian or person in
charge who shall appear before the public defender, or
the clerk of court or the justice of the peace to express
their consent, and (3) if the applicant be a female person
below fourteen years of age, no contract shall be executed.
Any failure to comply with these obligations shall render
the public defender, or the clerk of court, or the justice
of the peace liable to the penalties imposed in section
numbered twenty-one of this Act.”
SEC. 2. Paragraph (e) of section numbered twenty of

the said Act is hereby amended to read as follows:
“SEC. 20. It shall be unlawful for any licensee:
XXX XXX XXX
“(e) To recruit for employment, offer

employment to, enter into any contract to secure
employment for, or assist in the admission as employee,
servant or laborer of, any female person below fourteen
years of age in any case, or any minor without the written
consent of the minor’s father or mother, in their default,
the guardian or person in charge.”
SEC. 3. Section numbered twenty-one of the said Act is

hereby amended to read as follows:
122
“SEC. 21. Any violation of the provisions of this

Act shall be punished by a fine of not less than one
hundred pesos nor more than five hundred pesos and by
imprisonment for not less than one month nor more than
six months, or both, in the discretion of the court:
Provided, That in the case of the violation of subsections
(e) and (f) of the next preceding section, the penalty shall
be imprisonment for not less than six months nor more
than six years: Provided, further, That the court may in
its discretion impose the additional penalty of removal
from office, if the violator is the public defender, or the
clerk of court, or the justice of the peace or of permanent
disqualification from obtaining any license, if the violator
is an agent or recruiter.”
SEC.4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
123
AN ACT GRANTING A LIFE PENSION TO THE WIDOW OF

THE LATE COMMISSIONER PEDRO GUEVARA IN
CONSIDERATION OF HIS MANY YEARS OF
OUTSTANDING AND HIGHLY MERITORIOUS
PUBLIC SERVICE

SECTION 1. In consideration of the many years of

outstanding and highly meritorious public service rendered in
various capacities by the late Commissioner Pedro Guevara, a
life pension in the amount of two thousand four hundred pesos
annually, payable in twelve equal installments, is hereby
granted to his widow. Such gratuity shall not be subject to
attachment or levy and shall be exempt from any tax.
SEC. 2. The sum of two thousand four hundred pesos

is hereby authorized to be appropriated, out of any funds in the
National Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the payment
of the pension herein authorized for the fiscal year 1954-1955.
Thereafter the necessary amount therefor shall be included in
the animal General Appropriations Act.
124
AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE PRESIDENT TO ISSUE

APPROPRIATE CERTIFICATES OF RECOGNITION
TO WIDOWS, PARENTS AND NEXT OF KIN OF
MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE
PHILIPPINES WHO LOST OR SHALL LOSE THEIR
LIVES IN LINE OF DUTY

SECTION 1. The President is hereby authorized to issue

an appropriate certificate or token acknowledging the debt of
the Filipino people to widows, parents and next of kin of
members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines who have lost
or shall lose their lives in line of duty during World War II, or
during any war or period of armed conflict involving the security
of the Philippines.
SEC. 2. Such certificates of appreciation shall be issued

to such widows, parents and next of kin upon application to the
Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. As used in
this Act:
a. The term “widow” shall include widower.
b. The term “parents” shall include mother, father, step-

mother, step-father, mother or father through adoption, and
foster parents who stood in loco parentis.
c. The term “next of kin” shall include children step-

children, children through adoption, brothers, sisters, half-
brothers and half-sisters.
d. The term “World War II” shall include the period

extending from December eight, nineteen hundred and forty-
one to July twenty-fifth, nineteen hundred and forty-seven.
125
126

1131
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS THREE, SEVEN AND
TWELVE OF REPUBLIC ACT NUMBERED SIX
HUNDRED SEVENTY-NINE, ENTITLED “AN ACT TO
REGULATE THE EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN AND
CHILDREN, TO PROVIDE PENALTIES FOR
VIOLATION HEREOF, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES”

SECTION 1. Section three, seven and twelve of Republic

Act Numbered Six hundred seventy-nine are amended to read
as follows:
XXX XXX XXX
“SEC. 7. Employment of women. – (a) No woman,

regardless of age, shall be employed in any shop, factory,
commercial or industrial establishment or other place of labor
to perform work which requires the employee to work always
standing or which involves the lifting of heavy objects.
“(b) No woman, regardless of age, shall be employed or

permitted or suffered to work, with or without compensation,
in any industrial undertaking or branch thereof between ten
o’clock at night and six o’clock in the morning of the following
day, except those who are immediate members of the family
operating or owning the same. An employer may be exempted
from the requirement of this subsection –
“(1) in case of force majeure causing an interruption in

the work which was not foreseen and which is not of a securing
character;
“(2) by the secretary of Labor, if he finds, after the proper

investigation, that the work has to do with raw materials or
127
materials in the course of treatment and which are subject to

rapid deteriorations and night work is necessary to preserve
such materials from loss; and
“(3) by the President of the Philippines, with or without

the recommendation of the Secretary of Labor, in case of
emergency where the national interests demand the suspension
of the night work prohibition for women in a particular industry
or industries.
“(c) No woman, regardless of age, shall be employed or

in any commercial or non-industrial and undertaking or branch
thereof, other than agricultural, between twelve o’clock midnight
and seven o’clock in the morning of the following day, except
those who are immediate members of the family owning or
operating the same.
“(d) No woman, regardless of age, shall be employed or

permitted or suffered to work in any agricultural undertaking
at night time without giving her a period of rest of not less than
nine consecutive hours.
“The prohibition against night work for women provided

for in subsections (b), (c) and (d) hereof shall not apply to —
“(1) women holding responsible positions of a managerial

or technical character; and
“(2) women employed in health and welfare services.
“(c) In any shop, factory, commercial, industrial, non-

industrial, or agricultural establishment or other place of labor
where mean and women are employed, the employer shall not
discriminate against any woman in respect to terms and
conditions of employment on account of her sex, and shall pay
equal remunerations for work of equal value for both men and
women employees.
128
“SEC. 12. Violation and penalties. – (a) It shall be unlawful

for any employer: (1) to discharge any woman employed by him
for the purpose of preventing such woman from enjoying the
benefits of sections seven or eight of this Act; (2) to discharge
such woman on account of her pregnancy, or while on leave or
in confinement due to her pregnancy, or (3) to discharge or refuse
the admission of such woman upon returning to her work for
fear that she may again the pregnant.
“(b) It shall be unlawful for any employer to discharge

any women or child employed by him for having filed a complaint
under this Act or to discharge such woman or child or any other
employee who has given testimony or is about to give testimony
under this Act.
“(c) It shall be unlawful for any employer to discharge

any women or child employed by him for any other cause which
is not attributable to the fault of such employee or worker.
“(d) Any violation of any provisions of this Act shall be

punished by a fine of not less than one hundred pesos nor more
than five thousand pesos, or by imprisonment for not less than
thirty days nor more than one year, or by both such fine and
imprisonment, in the discretion of the Court.
“If the violation is committed by a firm, association or

corporation, the manager or, in his default, the person acting as
such, shall be liable.”
129
AN ACT APPROPRIATING FUNDS AS COMPENSATION TO

THE WIDOWS AND/OR LEGITIMATE CHILDREN OF
GOVERNMENT OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES IN THE
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT WHO DIED IN THEIR
CRASHES IN THE PROVINCE OF CEBU AND AT
ILIGAN BAY

SECTION 1. The widows and/or legitimate children of

every officer or employee of the Government in the Executive
Department who died as a result of their crash in the Province
of Cebu on March seventeen, nineteen hundred and fifty-seven,
and their crash at Iligan Bay on October three, nineteen hundred
and fifty-six, shall be granted compensation equivalent to the
salary for two years of their deceased husbands and/or legitimate
fathers, the same not to be subject to attachment, levy, execution
or any tax whatsoever.
SEC. 2. Such sum as may be necessary to carry out the

purposes of this Act is appropriated out of any funds in the
National Treasury not otherwise appropriated.
130
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE WOMEN’S AUXILIARY CORPS

IN THE ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES, TO
PROVIDE THE PROCUREMENT OF ITS OFFICERS
AND ENLISTED PERSONNEL, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES

the Philippines in Congress assembled.
SECTION 1. There is established in the Armed Forces

of the Philippines a Women’s Auxiliary Corps which shall
perform administrative duties and such other functions and
services as may be prescribed by the Secretary of National
Defense. It shall be composed of officers and enlisted women
the full complement of which shall not exceed one per cent of
the total manpower strength of the Armed Forces of the
Philippines: Provided, That the ratio of officers to enlisted
women shall be one officer for every twenty enlisted women.
SEC. 2. Officers of the Women’s Auxiliary Corps shall

be commissioned in the Reserve Force by the President of the
Philippines upon recommendation of the Secretary of National
Defense from unmarried female native-born citizens of the
Philippines between the ages of twenty-one and twenty-six years
who are holders of Bachelor’s degrees from any school, college
or university recognized by the Government and are possessed
by the such additional qualifications as may be prescribed by
the Secretary of National Defense: Provided, however, That all
initial commissions shall be in the rank of second lieutenant
except that within a period of two years from the approval of
this Act, and under such rules and regulations as the President
of the Philippines may prescribe, the President is hereby
authorized to commission officers in the Women’s Auxiliary Corps
in rank above second lieutenant but not higher than captain.
131
SEC. 3. Any unmarried and without dependent female

citizen of the Philippines, between the ages of eighteen and
twenty-five years, able-bodied, free from disease, of good moral
character and habits and who is a high school graduate may be
enlisted in the Women’s Auxiliary Corps for a term of three years;
Provided, That insofar as practicable, enlistments shall be
apportioned among the various provinces of the Philippines;
Provided, further, That those who are high school
undergraduates who possess working knowledge of typewriting
and stenography or such other special skills necessary in the
performance of administrative duties and other functions and
services as determined by the Secretary of National Defense
may be enlisted in the Women’ Auxiliary Corps.
SEC. 4. The names of all commissioned officers of the

Women’s Auxiliary Corps shall be contained in a separate
promotion list which shall be known as the Women’s Auxiliary
Corps Promotion List, separate and distinct from those of the
major services of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. They
shall be promoted in the same manner as officers of the Nurse
Corps : Provided, however, That no officer of the Women’s
Auxiliary Corps shall be promoted to a rank higher than that of
a major. Enlisted women of the Women’s Auxiliary Corps shall
likewise be promoted in the same manner as enlisted women of
the Nurse Corps.
SEC. 5. Except as otherwise specifically provided, all

laws and rules and regulations now or hereafter applicable to
male commissioned officers and enlisted men, shall be applicable
respectively to commissioned officers and enlisted women of
the Women’s Auxiliary Corps : Provided, That upon contracting
marriage, they shall be automatically separated or discharged
from the service: Provided, further, That of they become pregnant
out of wedlock they shall be discharged for cause.
SEC. 6. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to mean

the displacement or separation from the service of those female
132
civilian employees under the employ of the Armed Forces of

the Philippines before the approval of this Act: Provided, That
in the commission and enlistment herein provided, these female
employee shall be given preference in the commission and/or
enlistment, subject to the same conditions, limitations and
qualifications hereinabove provided.
SEC. 7. The amount of one million five hundred

thousand pesos is hereby appropriated, out of any funds in the
National Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the initial
implementation of this Act, and such amounts as shall thereafter
be needed shall be included in the annual appropriations of the
Armed Forces of the Philippines.
133
AN ACT EXEMPTING FROM INCOME TAX THE TEN

THOUSAND DOLLARS PRIZE OF MISS GEMMA CRUZ
AS MISS INTERNATIONAL

SECTION 1. The ten thousand dollars prize of Miss

Gemma Cruz as Miss International, donated by her to Boys Town,
shall not be included in gross income and shall be exempt from
tax, any provision of the National Internal Revenue Code to the
contrary notwithstanding.
134

5011
AN ACT GRANTING MRS. NATALIA AMPARADO A
FRANCHISE TO INSTALL, MAINTAIN AND OPERATE
AN ELECTRIC LIGHT, HEAT AND POWER SYSTEM
IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF ALIMODIAN, PROVINCE
OF ILOILO

SECTION 1. Subject to the terms and conditions

established in, Act Numbered Thirty-six hundred and thirty-
six, as amended by Commonwealth Act Numbered One hundred
and thirty-two, and to the provisions of the Constitution, there
is hereby granted to Mrs. Natalia Amparado for a period of
twenty-five years from the approval of this Act, the right,
privilege and authority to install, maintain and operate an
electric light, heat and power system for the purpose of
generating and distributing electric light, heat and/or power
for sale within the Municipality of Alimodian, Province of Iloilo.
SEC. 2. In the event that the grantee shall purchase and

secure electric heat and power from the National Power
Corporation, the latter is hereby authorized to negotiate and
transact for the benefit and in behalf of the public consumers
with reference to rates.
** Lapsed into law without the President’s signature, pursuant to Article VI

Section 27 of the Constitution.
135
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A

MATERNITY AND CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL IN THE
MUNICIPALITY OF MARCOS, PROVINCE OF ILOCOS
NORTE, TO BE KNOWN AS MARCOS MATERNITY
AND CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL, AND AUTHORIZING
THE APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS THEREFOR.

SECTION1. There shall be established under the direct

supervision of the Director of Medical Services, a maternity and
children’s hospital in the Municipality of Marcos, Province of
Ilocos Norte, to be known as Marcos Maternity and Children’s
Hospital.
SEC.2. The sum of one hundred thousand pesos is hereby

authorized to be appropriated, out of any funds in the National
Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the establishment,
operation and maintenance of said hospital during the’ fiscal
year nineteen hundred and sixty-seven. Thereafter, such sum
as may be needed for its operation and maintenance shall be
included in the annual General
136
AN ACT GRANTING FELICIANA E. ALVAREZ A FRANCHISE

TO CONSTRUCT, MAINTAIN AND OPERATE AN ICE
PLANT AND COLDSTORAGES, AND TO DISTRIBUTE
AND SELL ICE SO MANUFACTURED AND FURNISH
COLD STORAGE SERVICE IN THE CITY OF QUEZON

SECTION 1. Subject to the conditions imposed by this

Act, there is granted to Feliciana E. Alvarez, her successors or
assigns, for a period of twenty-five years after the approval of
this Act, the right, privilege and authority to construct, maintain
and operate an ice plant and cold storages in the City of Quezon
for the purpose of manufacturing ice and furnishing cold storage,
and to sell and distribute the ice so manufactured and render
cold storage service and facilities in the said city, and to collect
a schedule of rates, prices and charges for the ice so
manufactured,
distributed and sold, and for the cold storage furnished which
schedule of rates, prices and charges shall at all times be subject
to regulation by the Public Service Commission.
SEC. 2. All the machinery, equipment and appurtenances

to be used by the grantee shall be modern, safe and first class in
every respect.
SEC. 3. If the grantee shall not commence the

manufacture of ice within two years from the approval of this
Act, unless prevented by an act of God, or by force majeure,
martial law, riot, civil commotion, usurpation by a military
power or any other cause beyond the grantee’s control, this
franchise shall become null and void.
137
SEC. 4. This franchise is granted subject to the provisions

of Commonwealth Act Numbered One hundred forty six, as
amended, only with respect to the fixing of rates, and with the
understanding and upon the. condition that it shall be subject
to amendment, alteration and/or repeal by the Congress of the
Philippines when public interest so requires.
SEC. 5. In the event of any competing individual,

association of persons, or corporation receiving from the
Congress of the Philippines a similar franchise in which there

shall be any term or terms more favorable than those herein
granted or tending to place the herein grantee at any
disadvantage, then such term or terms shall ipso facto become
a part of the terms hereof and shall operate equally in favor of
the grantee as in the case of said competing individual,
association of persons or corporation.
Approved,
** Lapsed into law without the signature of the President pursuant to Article VI,
138
AN ACT GRANTING EMELIA MACALINO A FRANCHISE TO

CONSTRUCT, MAINTAIN AND OPERATE AN ICE
PLANT AND COLD STORAGE IN THE CITY OF
ILOILO


established in this Act and in Commonwealth Act Numbered
One Hundred forty-six, as amended, and to the provisions of
the Constitution, there is granted to Emelia Macalino, for a
period of twenty five years from the approval of this Act, the
right, privilege and authority to construct, maintain and operate
an ice plant and cold storage, in the City of Iloilo for the purpose
of manufacturing ice for distribution and sale for supplying cold
storage in the City of Iloilo and surrounding municipalities of
Panay and to charge and collect a schedule of prices and rates
therefore which schedule shall at all times be subject to
regulation by the Public Service Commission or its legal
successor.
SEC. 2. The grantee shall manufacture and supply ice

up to the limit of the capacity of her plant, said limit to be
determined by the Public Service Commission, and sell the same
at rates to be determined by the said Commission.
SEC. 3. All the apparatus and appurtenances to be used

by the grantee shall be modern, safe and first class in every
respect, and the grantee shall, whenever the Public Service
Commission shall determined that public interest reasonably
requires it, change or alter any of her apparatus and
appurtenances at grantee’s expense.
139

construction of the ice plant and cold storage within one year
from the approval of this Act, unless prevented by an Act of God
or force majeure, martial law, rot, civil commotion, usurpation
by a military power or by any other cause beyond the grantee’s
control, this franchise shall become null and void.
SEC. 5. This franchise is granted with the understanding

and upon the condition that it shall be subject to amendment,
alteration, or repeal by the Congress of the Philippines when
the public interest so requires.
SEC. 6. The books, records and accounts of the grantee

shall always be open to the inspection of the Auditor General
quarterly reports in duplicate showing the gross receipts for
the quarter.
SEC. 7. In the event of any competing person, natural or

juridical, receiving from the Congress of the Philippines a
similar franchise in which there shall be any term or tending to
place the herein grantee at any disadvantage, then such term
or terms shall ipso facto become a part of the terms hereof and
shall operate equally in favor of the grantee as in the case of
such competing person.
Approved,
140
AN ACT GRANTING SYLVIA G. GUMABAO FRANCHISE TO

CONSTRUCT, MAINTAIN, AND OPERATE AN ICE
PLANT AND COLD STORAGE IN THE
MUNICIPALITIES OF SANTIAGO AND ECHAGUE,
PROVINCE OF ISABELA, AND TO SELL AND
DISTRIBUTE ICE SO MANUFACTURED AND
FURNISH COLD STORAGE THEREIN AND IN THE
MUNICIPALITIES OF ALICIA, ANGADANAN,
CAUAYAN, CABATUAN, SAN MATEO, RAMON,
CORDON, JONES, SAN AGUSTIN, SAN GUILLERMO
AND SAN ISIDRO, ALL IN THE PROVINCE OF
ISABELA

SECTION 1. Subject to the conditions established in this

Act, and the provisions of Commonwealth Act Numbered One
hundred and forty-six, as amended, and of the Constitution,
applicable thereto, there is hereby granted to Sylvia G. Gumabao,
hereinafter called the grantee, her successors or assigns, for a
period of twenty-five years from the approval of this Act, the
right and privilege to construct, operate and maintain a fifty-
ton ice plant and cold storage in the municipalities of Santiago
and Echague, Province of lsabela, for the purpose of
manufacturing and distributing ice within said municipalities
and to sell the ice manufactured in and .in the municipalities of
Alicia, Angadanan, Cauayan, Cabatuan, San Mateo, Ramon,
Cordon, Jones, San Agustin, San Guillermo and San Isidro, all
in the Province of Isabela, and to render cold storage service
and facilities in the same municipalities and to charge and collect
a schedule of rates and prices for the ice so manufactured,
distributed and sold, which schedule of rates and prices shall
at all times be subject to regulations by the Public Service
Commission.
141

of Commonwealth Act Numbered One hundred forty-six as
amended, only with respect to fixing rates and with the
understanding and upon the condition that it shall be subject to
amendment, alteration or repeal by the Congress of the
Philippines when public interest so requires.

respect, and the grantee shall change or alter any of said
apparatus and appurtenances at her expense whenever the
Public Service Commission shall determine that public interest
reasonably requires it.

or force majeure, martial law, riot, civil commotion, usurpation


the quarter.

142

Approved,
** Lapsed into without the signature of the President pursuant to Article VI,
143
AN ACT GRANTING LOURDES BENGZON A FRANCHISE TO

CONSTRUCT, OPERATE AND MAINTAIN AN ICE
PLANT AND COLD STORGE IN THE MUNICIPALITY
OF BUGALLON, PROVINCE OF PANGASINAN, AND
TO SELL AND DISTRIBUTE ICE AND SUPPLY COLD
STORAGE IN THE MUNICIPALITIES OF LINGAYEN,
BUGALLON, MANGATAREM, AGUILAR, BINMALEY
AND URBlZTONDO, ALL IN THE SAME PROVINCE


One hundred forty-six, as amended, and to the provisions of
the Constitution, there is hereby granted to Lourdes E. Bengzon,
hereinafter referred to as the grantee, for a period of. Twenty-
five years from the approval of this Act, a franchise to construct,
operate and maintain an ice plant and cold storage in the
Municipality of Bugallon, Province of Parigasinan, for the
purpose of manufacturing ice for distribution and sale, and for
supplying cold storage in the Municipalities of Lingayen,
Bugallon, Mangatarem, Aguilar, Binmaley and Urbiztondo, and.
to charge and collect a schedule of prices and rates therefore
which schedule shall at all times be subject to regulation by the
Public Service Commission. or its legal successor: Provided
however, that the Public Service Commission shall only have
the power to fix prices and rates and shall have no power to
deny the grantee the right, privilege and authority to construct,
operate and maintain said ice plant and cold storage.
SEC. 2. The grantee shall manufacture and supply up to

fifty tons, the maximum capacity of her ice plant and cold storage,
which shall be determined by the Public Service Commission
or its legal successors.
144

respect, and the grantee whenever the Public Service
Commission shall have determined that public interest
reasonably requires it shall any of such apparatus and

or force majeure, martial law, riot, civil commotion, usurpation


the quarter.

Approved,
145
AN ACT GRANTING TERESITA TIROL GARGANTIEL A

FRANCHISE TO CONSTRUCT, OPERATE AND
MAINTAIN AN ICE PLANT AND COLD STORAGE IN
THE MUNICIPALITY OF BAYAWAN, PROVINCE OF
NEGROS ORIENTAL, AND TO SELL ICE AND TO
SUPPLY COLD STORAGE THEREIN AND TO
NEIGHBORING MUNICIPALITIES

SECTION 1. Subject to the conditions imposed by this

Act, there is hereby granted to Teresita Tirol Gargantiel, herein
referred to as the grantee, a franchise to construct, operate
and maintain an ice plant and cold storage in the Municipality
of Bayawan, Province of Negros Oriental, for the purpose of
manufacturing and distributing ice and supplying cold storage
therein and to its neighboring municipalities and to collect and
charge a schedule of prices and rates for the ice and cold storage
furnished.

up to the limit of ‘the capacity of her plant and/or plants.
SEC. 3. The apparatus and appurtenances to be used by

the grantee shall be modern, safe and first class in every respect
and the grantee, whenever the’ Congress shall determine that
public interest reasonably requires it, shall change or alter any
of the apparatus and appurtenances at the grantee’s .expense.
SEC. 4. The franchise shall continue for a period of

twenty-five years from the date said plant and cold storage is
placed in operation and/or commences the manufacture and
distribution of ice in the Municipality of Bayawan and in its
neighboring municipalities, subject to, the excess condition that
146
be franchise shall be null and void unless the construction of at

least one plant and cold storage be begun within four, years
from the date of the approval of this Act and completed within
six years from said date, except when prevented by an Act of
God or force majeure, martial law, riot, civil commotion,
usurpation by military power or any other cause beyond the
grantee’s control.

shall always be open to inspection by the municipal treasurer
and/or his authorized representatives, and it shall be the duty
of the grantee to submit to the municipal treasurer a quarterly
report in duplicate showing the gross receipts for the past
quarter, one of which shall be forwarded by the municipal
treasurer to the Auditor General, who shall keep the same on
file.

of the Constitution, Commonwealth Act Numbered One
hundred forty-six, as’ amended, and Act Numbered Fourteen
hundred and fifty-nine, as amended; and with the understanding
alteration, or repeal by the Congress of the Philippines, when
public interest so requires.
SEC. 7. The grantee shall not commence any construction

nor exercise the rights and privileges herein granted without
first communicating to the Secretary of Public Works and
Communications her acceptance and conformity to the terms
and conditions of this franchise within two years from the date
of the approval of this Act.
SEC. 8. In the event of any competing individual,

association of persons, or corporation receiving from the
Congress of the Philippines a. similar franchise in which there
shall be any term or terms more favorable than those herein
granted or tending to place the herein grantee at any
147
disadvantage, then such term or terms shall ipso facto become

a part of the terms hereof and shall operate equally in favor of
the grantee as in the case of said competing individual,
association of persons or corporation.
148
AN ACT AUTHORIZING MARCELINA S. AQUINO TO

TRANSFER, ASSIGN, SELL OR MORTGAGE IN
FAVOR OF ANY BANKING OR FINANCING
INSTITUTION HER FRANCHISES UNDER REPUBLIC
ACTS NUMBERED SIX HUNDRED NINETY- SEVEN
AND SEVEN HUNDRED FIFTY-SEVEN, TO INSTALL,
OPERATE AND MAINTAIN TELEPHONE SYSTEMS
IN THE CITY OF BUTUAN AND IN THE PROVINCE
OF AGUSAN AND THE MUNICIPALITIES ANP
MUNICIPAL DISTRICTS THEREOF

SECTION 1. Subject to the provisions of the Constitution,

Marcelina S. Aquino is hereby authorized to transfer, assign,
sell or mortgage in favor of any banking or financing institution
the franchises granted under Republic Acts Numbered Six
hundred ninety-seven and Seven hundred Fifty-seven which
were transferred to her by authority of Republic Acts Numbered
Thirty-nine hundred seventy one and Thirty nine hundred
seventy-two, as well as the certificates of Public Service
Commission to her pursuant to the above mentioned Acts,
including all assets and property operated there under, located
in the City of Butuan and in the Province of Agusan and the
municipalities and municipal districts thereof.
Approved,
** Lapsed into law on June 21, 1969, without the signature of the President
pursuant to Article VI, Section 27 of the Constitution.
149
AN ACT GRANTING ANUNCIACION H. REYES A

FRANCHISE TO CONSTRUCT, OPERATE AND
MAINTAIN A RADIO BROADCASTINGSTATION IN
THE CITY OF SAN CARLOS IN PANGASINAN FOR
EDUCATIONAL, CULTURALAND COMMERCIAL
PURPOSES

SECTION 1. Subject to the provisions of the Constitution,

as well as of Act Numbered Three thousand eight hundred forty-
six, entitled “An Act providing for the regulation of radio stations
and radio communications in the Philippine Islands, and for
other purposes;” Act Numbered Three thousand nine hundred
ninety-seven, known as the Radio Broadcasting Law;
Commonwealth Act Numbered One hundred forty-six, known
as the Public Service Act and their amendments, and other
applicable laws not inconsistent with this Act, Anunciacion H.
Reyes is hereby granted a franchise to construct, operate and
maintain for educational, cultural and commercial purposes and
in the public interest, a radio broadcasting station in the City
of San Carlos in Pangasinan.
SEC. 2. This franchise shall continue for a period of

twenty-five years from the date said station shall be put in
operation, and is granted upon the express condition that the
same shall be void unless the construction of said station be
begun within two years from the date of approval of this Act
and be completed within four years from said date.
SEC. 3. This franchise is likewise made upon the express

condition that the grantee shall contribute to the public welfare,
shall assist in the function of public information and education,
shall conform to the ethics of honest enterprise and shall not
150
use her station for the dissemination of deliberately false

information or willful misrepresentation, or to the detriment
of public health, or to incite, encourage or assist in subversive
or treasonable acts.
SEC. 4. The grantee’s radio broadcasting station shall

not be put in actual operation until the Secretary of Public Works
and Communications shall have allotted to the grantee the
frequency and wave length to be used under this franchise and
issued to the grantee a license for such use.
SEC. 5. The radio broadcasting station of the grantee

shall be so constructed and operated and the wave length so
selected as to avoid interference with existing radio stations
and to permit the expansion of the grantee’s service.
SEC. 6. A special right is reserved to the President of

the Philippines, in time of war, rebellion, public peril, calamity,
disaster or disturbance of peace and order, to cause the closing
of the said station or to authorize the temporary use and
operation thereof by any department of the Government without
compensating the grantee for the use of said station during the
period when it shall be so operated.
SEC. 7. The grantee shall be liable to pay the same taxes,

unless exempted there from, on her real estate, buildings, and
personal property, exclusive of the franchise, as other persons
or corporations are now paying or hereafter may be required by
law to pay.
SEC. 8. The franchise hereby granted shall be subject to

amendment, alteration, or repeal by the Congress of the
Philippines when the public interest so requires.
SEC. 9. Acceptance of this franchise shall be given in

writing by the grantee within one year after the approval of
151
this Act. When so accepted, the grantee shall be empowered to

exercise the privilege granted thereby.
SEC. 10. The grantee shall not lease, transfer, grant the
usufruct of, sell or assign this franchise, or the rights and
privileges acquired thereunder, to any person, firm, company,
corporation or other commercial or legal entity, nor merge with
any other company or corporation organized for the same
purpose, without the prior approval of the Congress of the
Philippines. Any corporation to which this franchise may be
sold, transferred or assigned shall be subject to the corporation
laws of the Philippines now existing or hereafter enacted, and
any person, firm, company, corporation or other commercial or
legal entity to which this franchise is sold, transferred or
assigned shall be subject to all conditions, terms, restrictions
and limitations of this franchise as fully and completely and to
the same extent as if the franchise had been originally granted
to the said person, firm, company or other commercial or legal
entity.
152
AN ACT GRANTING LYNDA FELICIANO A FRANCHISE TO

MUNICIPALITY OF MAKATI,PROVINCE OF RIZAL


established in this Act and Commonwealth Act Numbered One
hundred forty-six, as amended, and to the provisions of the
Constitution, there is granted to Lynda Feliciano, for a period
of twenty-five years from the approval of this Act, the right,
privilege and operate and maintain an ice plant and cold storage
in the Municipality of Makati, Province of Rizal, for the purpose
of manufacturing ice for distribution and sale, and for supplying
cold storage in the said municipality and to charge and collect a
schedule of prices and rates therefore, which schedule shall at
all times be subject to regulation by the Public Service
Commission or its legal successor.

up to the limit of the capacity of the plant, said limit to be
determined by the Public Service Commission and sell the same
at rates to be determined by the Public Service Commission.

respect, and the grantee shall whenever the Public Service
Commission shall determined that public interest reasonably
requires it, change or alter any of its apparatus and

construction of the ice plant within two years from the approval
153
of this Act, unless prevented by an Act of God or force majeure,

power or any other cause beyond the grantee’s control, this

and upon the condition that its terms shall not exceed twenty-
five years that it shall be subject to amendment, alteration, or
repeal by the Congress of the Philippines when the public
interest so requires and that the grantee shall be subject to all
existing taxes under the National Internal Revenue Code.

or his authorized representatives and it shall be the duty of the
grantee to submit to the Auditor General quarterly reports in
duplicate showing the gross receipts for the quarter past.

similar franchise in which there shall be any term or terms more
favorable than those herein granted or tending to place the
herein grantee at any disadvantage, then such term or terms
shall ipso facto become a part of the terms hereof and shall
operate equally in favor of the grantee as in the case of such
competing person.
SEC. 8. In consideration of this franchise, the grantee

shall pay a tax equivalent to five per-cent (5%) of his gross
income.
Approved,
154
AN ACT GRANTING ENRICA M. REYES GARCIA A

TEMPORARY PERMIT TO CONSTRUCT, ESTABLISH,
OPERATE AND MAINTAIN A COMMERCIAL RADIO
BROADCASTING STATION IN THE MUNICIPALITY
OF KALIBO, PROVINCE OF AKLAN

SECTION1. Subject to the, provisions of the Constitution,

Enrica M. Reyes Garcia is herby granted a temporary permit to
construct, establish, operate and maintain in the Municipality
of Kalibo, Province of Aklan, subject to the approval of the
Secretary of Public Works and communications, a commercial
radio broadcasting station in the Municipality of Kalibo,
Province of Aklan.
SEC. 2. The president of the Philippines shall have the

power and authority to permit the location of said radio station,
or any of them on lands of the public domain under such terms
and conditions as he may prescribe.
SEC. 3. This temporary permit shall continue to be in

force during the time that Government has not yet established
any, similar service in the places selected by the grantee and is
granted upon the express condition that the same shall be void
unless, the construction of the said radio station be begun within
one year from the date of approval of this Act and be completed
within three years from said date.
SEC. 4. The grantee shall not engage in the domestic

business of telecommunications in the Philippines without
further special approval of the Congress of the Philippines, it
being understood that the purpose of this temporary permit is
to secure to the grantee the right to construct, establish, operate
155
and maintain said stations in such places within the Philippines

as the interest of the grantee and of her trade and business may
justify.
SEC. 5. This temporary permit shall not take effect until

the Secretary of Public Works and Communications shall have
allotted to the grantee the frequencies and wave lengths to be
used there under, but the grantee may use the international
distress frequency of five hundred kilocycle and the high distress
frequency of eight thousand two hundred eighty kilocycle
whenever necessary.
SEC. 6. No fees are chargeable as the radio station that

may by establish by virtue of this Act shall engage in
communication regarding the grantee’s business only.
SEC. 7. The grantee shall so construct and operate said

radio so as not to interfere with the operation of other radio
stations maintained and operated in the Philippines.
SEC. 8. The grantee shall hold the national, provincial,

and municipal governments of the Philippines harmless from
all claims, accounts, demands, or actions arising out accidents
or injuries either to property persons, caused by the construction
or operation of grantee’s radio station.
SEC. 9. A special right is hereby reserved to the President

of the Philippines in time of war, insurrection, public peril,
emergency, calamity or disaster to cause the closing of the
grantee’s radio station or to authorize the temporary use of
possession thereof by any department of the Government upon
payment of just compensation.
usufruct, of sell or assign this temporary permit, or the rights
or privileges acquired there under to any person, natural or
juridical, nor merge with any other person, without the approval
156
of the Congress of the Philippines first had. Any person, natural

or juridical to which this temporary permit may be sold,
transferred or assigned shall be subject to the corporation laws
of the Philippines now existing or hereafter enacted, and any
person to which this temporary permit is sold, transferred or
assigned shall be subject to all conditions, terms, restrictions,
and limitations of this temporary permit as fully and, as
completely and to the same extent as if the temporary permit
has been originally granted to such person.
SEC. 11. This franchise shall be subject to amendment,

alteration or repeal by the Congress of the Philippines when
the public interest so requires, and shall not be interpreted as
an exclusive grant of privileges herein provided for.
Approved,
** Lapsed into law on without the signature of the President pursuant to Article
VI, Section 27 of the Constitution.
157
AN ACT GRANTING NATIVIDAD R. ORTEGA FRANCHISE

TO INSTALL, OPERATE AND MAINTAIN AN
ELECTRIC LIGHT, HEAT AND POWER SYSTEM AND
AN ICE PLANT IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF
MAHAPLAG, PROVINCE OF LEYTE, AND TO SELL
AND DISTRIBUTE ELECTRIC LIGHT, HEAT, POWER
AND ICE PLANT

SECTION 1. Subject to the terms and condition

established in Act Numbered Thirty-six hundred and thirty-
six, as amended by Commonwealth Act Numbered One hundred
thirty-two, and to the provisions of the constitution, there is
granted to Natividad R. Ortega in the Municipality of Mahaplag,
Province of Leyte, for a period of twenty-five years from the
approval of this Act, the right, privilege and authority to install,
operate and maintain electric light, heat and power system and
an ice plant for the purpose of generating, distributing electric
light, heat and power and manufacturing ice for sale within
the limits of the said municipality.
SEC. 2. In the event that the grantee shall purchase and

secure electric heat and power from the National power
Corporation, the latter is hereby authorized to negotiate and
transact for the benefit and in behalf of the public consumers
with reference to rates.

up to the limit of the capacity of her plant, said limit to be
determined by the Public Service Commission.

158
respect, and the grantee, whenever the Public service

Commission shall have determined that public interest
reasonably requires it, shall change or alter any of her apparatus
and appurtenances at her expense.

manufacture and distribution of ice in the Municipality of
Mahaplag, Province of Leyte, within one year from the approval
of this Act, unless prevented by an Act of God or force majeure,
power or by any other cause beyond the grantee’s control, this
SEC. 6. This franchise is granted subject to the provision

of the Constitution and Commonwealth Act Numbered One
hundred forty-six, as amended, and with the understanding and
upon the condition that it shall be subject to amendment,

or his authorized representatives, and it shall be the duty of
the grantee to submit to the Auditor General quarterly reports
in duplicate showing the gross receipts for the quarter past.
SEC. 8. It is expressly provided that in the event the

Government decides to maintain and operate for itself the
system and enterprise herein authorized, the grantee shall
surrender her franchise and turn over to the Government all
serviceable equipment therein, at cost, less reasonable
depreciation.
SEC. 9. In consideration of this franchise the grantee

shall pay a tax equivalent to five per cent of her gross income.
159
Approved,
160
AN ACT AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NUMBERED FIFTY

HUNDRED AND FIVE, ENTITLED “AN ACT
GRANTING ESPERANZA LAZARO A FRANCHISE TO
CONSTRUCT, MAINTAIN AND OPERATE AN ICE
PLANT IN BARRIO DAMPALIT, MUNICIPALITY OF
MALABON, PROVINCE OF RIZAL.”

the Philippines Congress assembled:
SECTION 1. The title of Republic Act Numbered Fifty

hundred and five is hereby amended to read as follows: “An Act
granting Esperanza Lazaro a franchise to construct, maintain
and operate an ice plant and cold storage in Barrio Dampalit,
Municipality of Malabon, Province of Rizal.”
SEC. 2. Sections one and two of the same Act are also
amended to read as follows:
“SECTION 1. Subject to the terms and conditions

the Constitution, there is hereby granted to Esperanza Lazaro,
for a period of twenty-five years from the approval of this Act,
the right, privilege and authority to construct, maintain and
operate an ice plant and cold storage in Barrio Dampalit,
Municipality of Malabon, Province of Rizal, for the purpose of
manufacturing ice for distribution and sale supplying cold
storage within the Province of Rizal, and to charge and collect a
schedule of prices and rates therefor which schedule shall, at
all times, be subject to regulation by the Public Service
Commission or its legal successor.

and cold storage up to the limit of the capacity of her plants and
161
cold storage service, said limit to be determined by the Public

Service Commission, and sell the same at rates to be determined
by the said Commission.”
SEC. 3. This act shall take effect upon its approval.
Approved,
162
AN ACT AMENDING SECTION ONE OF REPUBLIC ACT

NUMBERED THIRTY HUNDRED FIFTEEN BY
GIVING RETROACTIVE EFFECT TO THE
PROVISIONS THEREOF. (re: Armed Forces Retirement
Act)

SECTION 1. Section one of Republic Act Numbered

Thirty hundred fifteen is hereby amended to read as follows:
“SECTION l. All the benefits granted under Republic Act

Numbered Three hundred forty, which provides for a uniform
retirement system for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, to
provide for separation therefrom and for other purposes, shall
be applicable to the officers and enlisted men of the Philippine
Constabulary who had been retired from active service before
the approval of the said Republic Act Numbered Three hundred
and forty, including such retirees who died after retirement but
before June nineteen, nineteen hundred and sixty, to the end
that said retired officers and enlisted men of the Philippine
Constabulary or their widows and minor children shall enjoy
the same rights and privileges there under granted to the Armed
Forces of the Philippines.
Approved, August 4, 1969.
163
AN ACT AUTHORIZING MARCELINA S. AQUINO TO

TRANSFER, ASSIGN, SELL OR MORTGAGE IN
FAVOR OF ANY BANKING OR FINANCING
INSTITUTION HER FRANCHISE UNDER REPUBLIC
ACTS NUMBERED SIX HUNDRED NINETY-SEVEN
AND SEVEN HUNDRED FIFTY-SEVEN, TO INSTALL,
OPERATE AND MAINTAIN TELEPHONE SYSTEMS IN
THE CITY OF BUTUAN AND IN THE PROVINCE OF
AGUSAN AND THE MINICIPALITIES AND
MUNICIPAL DISTRICTS THEREOF, AND FURTHER
MODIFYINGTHE PROVISIONS OF SAID FRANCHISE

SECTION 1. Marcelina S. Aquino is hereby authorized

to transfer, assign, sell or mortgage in favor of any banking or
financing institution the franchises granted under Republic Acts
Numbered Six hundred ninety-seven and Seven hundred fifty-
seven, which were transferred to her by authority of Republic
Acts Numbered Thirty-nine hundred seventy-one and Thirty-
nine hundred seventy-two, as well as the certificates of public
convenience granted or to be granted by the Public Service
Commission to her pursuant to the above-mentioned Acts,
including all assets and property operated there under, located
in the City of Butuan and in the Province of Agusan and the
municipalities and municipal districts thereof
SEC. 2. Any provision of law or rule or regulation to the

contrary notwithstanding the jurisdiction of the Public Service
Commission over the telephone systems installed, operated and
maintained by the said Marcelina S. Aquino by virtue of the
aforementioned franchises and Republic Acts, shall be limited
to the fixing of rates for the telephone service rendered.
164
Approved,
165
AN ACT GRANTING JOSEFINA B. RAMOS A FRANCHISE TO

MUNICIPALITY OF GUIGUINTO, PROVINCE OF
BULACAN AND TO SELL ICE IN THE PROVINCE OF
BULACAN

the Philippines in Congress assemble:

the Constitution, there is granted to Josefina B. Ramos, for a
period of twenty-five years from the approval of this Act, the
right, privilege and authority to construct, operate and maintain
an ice plant and cold storage in the Municipality of Guiguinto,
Province of Bulacan. Subject to the approval of the Public Service
Commission, for the purpose of manufacturing ice for
distribution and sale, and for supplying cold storage in the
Province of Bulacan and to charge and collect a schedule of prices
and rates therefor which schedule shall at all times be subject
to the regulation by the Public Service Commission or its legal
successor.

up to the limit of the capacity of the plant, said limit to be
determined by the Public Service Commission.
SEC. 3. All the apparatus and appurtenance to be used

respect. The grantee, whenever the Public Service Commission
determines that public interest reasonably requires it, shall
change or alter any her apparatus and appurtenances at
grantee’s expense.
166

construction within two years from the approval of this Act,
unless prevented by an act of God or force mojeure, martial law,
riot, civil commotion, usurpation by a military power or any
other cause beyond the grantee’s control, this franchise shall
become null and void.


or his authorized representatives. It shall be the duty of the
grantee to submit to the Auditor General quarterly reports in
duplicate showing the gross receipts for the quarter past.
SEC. 7. In consideration of this franchise the grantee

shall pay a tax equivalent to five per cent of her gross income.
Approved,
** Lapsed into law on August 4, 1969, without the signature of the President
167
AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF SAN FELIPE

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN THE CITY OF NAGA TO
ROSARIO V. MARAMBA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

SECTION 1. The name of San Felipe Elementary School

in the City of Naga, is hereby changed to Rosario V. Maramba
Elementary School.
168
AN ACT CREATING BARRIO CRISPINA MARCOS IN THE

MUNICIPALITY OF BATAC, PROVINCE OF ILOCOS
NORTE

SECTION 1. The sitios of Palongpong, Calogoan,

Sampalocan and Aracua in the Municipality of Batac, Province
of Ilocos Norte, are constituted into a district and independent
barrio of said municipality, to be known as the Barrio of Crispina
Marcos.
169
AN ACT FURTHER AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT

NUMBERED SIX HUNDRED SEVENTY-NINE, AS
AMENDED BY REPUBLIC ACT NUMBERED ELEVEN
HUNDRED THIRTY-ONE (RE: WOMAN AND CHILD
LABOR LAW)

SECTION 1. Section one of Republic Act Numbered Six

hundred seventy-nine is hereby amended to read as follows:
XXX XXX XXX
“SEC. 7. Employment of women. — (a) No women,

regardless of age, shall be employed in any shop, factory,
commercial or industrial establishment or other place of labor
to perform work which requires the employee to work always
standing or which involves the lifting of heavy objects.
(b) No woman, regardless of age, shall be employed or

in any industrial undertaking or branch thereof between ten
o’clock at night and ten o’clock in the morning of the following
day, except those who are immediate members of the family
operating or owning the same. An employer may be exempted
from the requirement of this subsection —
“(1) in case of force majeure causing an interruption in

the work which was not foreseen and which is not of a recurring
character;
(2) by the Secretary of Labor, if he finds, after proper

investigation, that the work has to do with raw material or
materials in the course of treatment which are subject to rapid
170
deterioration and night work is necessary to preserve such

materials from loss; and
(3) by the President of the Philippines, with or without

the recommendation of the Secretary of Labor, after consultation
with employers and workers’ organizations concerned in case
of serious emergency where national interest demand the
suspension of the night work prohibition for women in particular
industry or industries. Such suspension shall be notified by the
government to the Director General of the International Labor
Office in its Annual Report on the Application of the Night Work
Convention.
“(c) No woman, regardless of age, shall be employed or

in any commercial or non-industrial undertaking or branch
thereof, other than agricultural, between twelve o’clock midnight
and seven o’clock in the morning of the following day, except
those who are immediate members of the family owning or
operating the same.
“(d) No woman, regardless of age shall be employed or

permitted or suffered to work in any agricultural undertaking
at night without giving her a period of rest of not less than nine
consecutive hours.
The prohibition against night work for women provided

for in subsections (b), (c) and (d) hereof shall not apply to —
(1) women holding responsible positions of a

managerial or technical character; and
(2) women employed in health and welfare services.
“(e) In any shop, factory, commercial, industrial, non-

industrial or agricultural establishment or other place of labor
where men and women are employed, the employer shall not
discriminate against any woman in respect to terms and
171
conditions of employment on account of her sex, and shall pay

equal remuneration for work of equal value for both men and
women employees.
“(f) No woman, eighteen years or over, shall be allowed

or permitted or suffered to work in any shop, factory,
commercial or industrial establishment or in any place of labor
without granting her a rest period of eleven consecutive hours
of work between two working periods.”
172
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE FIXING OF THE MAXIMUM

SELLING PRICE OF ESSENTIAL ARTICLES OR
COMMODITIES, CREATING THE PRICE CONTROL
COUNCIL, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

the Philippines in Congress assembled;
SECTION 1. It is hereby declared to be the national

policy to prevent monopoly, hoarding, injurious speculation,
manipulation and profiteering with respect to the supply,
distribution and marketing of the following articles or
commodities, whether imported or locally produced or
manufactured, and to fix the maximum prices, consistent with
the policies of the State to increase production and productivity,
of such of these commodities as are essential to the public
interest:
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 2. To carry out the above policy, there is hereby

created a Price Control Council hereinafter referred to as the
“Council”), which shall be composed of the Secretary of
Commerce and Industry, the Secretary of Agriculture and
Natural Resources, the Secretary of Health, the Chairman of
the National Economic Council, and three representatives of
consumers one of which shall be from qualified nominees of
nationwide government employees’ organization, the second
from qualified nominees of the private labor sector and the third
from qualified nominees of nationwide women’s organization,
who shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines with
the consent of the Commission on Appointments and who shall
have the following qualifications: a natural-born Filipino citizen;
at least thirty years of age; and not connected with the
production, supply, distribution or marketing of any of the items
173
mentioned in Section One: Provided, that the above-named

government officials, except the Chairman, may authorize their
respective undersecretaries to represent them in the meetings
of the Council. A majority of the members shall constitute a
quorum and four affirmative votes shall be necessary for any
action or decision of the Council: Provided, further, that the
representative of consumers shall receive as emolument or
compensation for services rendered to the Council a per diem
of P50.00 for every meeting attended: Provided, finally, that the
total emolument or compensation that may be received by said
representative of the consumers shall not exceed the amount of
P1,000.00 a month. The Council shall elect the Chairman from
among themselves. The Director of Commerce shall serve as
the Executive Director of the Council and the Bureau of
Commerce (hereinafter referred to as the “Bureau”) shall
provide staff support to the Council.
Within 10 days after the assumption of office of the

Chairman or any member of the Council, the members thereof
including the Executive Director of the Council shall submit a
statement of their assets and/or liabilities and a full and fair
disclosure of all their interests and professional connections as
of the date of their assumption of office. A copy each of said
statements shall be filed with the office of the Secretary of the
Senate and with the Office of the Secretary of the House of
Representatives.
In each province and chartered city, there shall be a local

price council whose composition, functions and scope of
authority shall be determined by the Price Control Council, and
which shall be under its immediate control and supervision:
Provided, that the government employees, the private labor
sector and the women’s organization in the area are each
represented therein.
XXX XXX XXX
174
SEC. 6. The Council shall promulgate such rules and

regulations as shall be deemed necessary for the effective
implementation of the provisions of this Act subject to the
approval of the President of the Philippines. The rules and
regulations that may be promulgated by the Council shall take
effect fifteen days after their publication once a week for two
consecutive weeks in at least two newspapers, one in English
and another in the National Language of general circulation in
the Philippines. They shall be posted at the entrance of the City
Hall or Municipal Building of each city, municipality or
municipal district in English and in the local dialect.
In the exercise of its powers, the Council, by unanimous

vote shall have the power to issue, under the signature and
authority of the Chairman, subpoenas and subpoenas duces
tecum, which shall be duly entered in a record book indicating
the facts attendant thereto, and, notwithstanding the provisions
of sections 81, 347 and 349 of the National Internal Revenue
Code, to require the Bureau of Internal Revenue to submit any
sales, income or other tax returns filed by any producer,
manufacturer or retailer of products listed in section one hereof
whenever relevant to any public hearing and any inquiry under
this Act.
The Council shall submit a quarterly report to Congress

of all its actuations under this Act beginning January 1, 1972
and every quarter thereafter.
SEC. 7. Imprisonment for a period of not less than six

months nor more than five years or a fine of not less than two
thousand pesos nor more than twenty thousand pesos, or both,
shall be imposed upon any person who sells any commodity in
excess of the maximum selling price established by the Council,
or who violates any provision of this Act or any order, rule or
regulation issued pursuant to the provisions of this Act.
Provided, however, that in the case of aliens, in addition to the
penalty herein provided, the offender shall, upon conviction and
175
after service of sentence, be immediately deported without any

further proceedings.
Whenever any of the offenses described above is

committed by a corporation or association, the president and
each of the directors or managers of said corporation or
association, or its agent or representative in the Philippines in
case of a foreign corporation or association who shall have
knowingly permitted or failed to prevent the commission of such
offenses, shall be held liable as principals thereof.
Any government official or employee, who by neglect or

connivance has in any manner aided or abetted in the violation
or circumvention of the provisions of this Act, shall be held
criminally liable as co-principal under this section and shall, in
addition, suffer the penalty of perpetual absolute
disqualification to hold public office. Any government official
or employee who, being duly authorized by the Council to act as
its authorized agent, shall divulge to any person, or make known
in any other manner than may be authorized by law, any
information regarding the income, method of operation or other
confidential information regarding the business of any person,
association or corporation, knowledge of which was acquired
by him in the course of the discharge of his official duties, shall
be punished by both fine of not less than two thousand pesos
nor more than twenty thousand pesos and imprisonment of not
less than two years nor more than five years.
SEC. 8. If any provision of this Act or the applicability

of such provision to any person or circumstance shall be held
invalid, the validity of the other provisions of this Act and the
applicability of such provisions to other persons or
circumstances shall not be affected thereby.
SEC. 9. The President is hereby authorized to allot

from the unprogrammed appropriations for the Executive
Departments from the General Fund under Republic Act No.
176
6130, the sum of Two hundred fifty thousand pesos for necessary
operating expenses to carry out the provisions of this Act during
the fiscal year ending June 30, 1972, and under the next General
Appropriations Act, the sum of one million pesos for the same
purpose during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1973: Provided,
that not more than one hundred thousand pesos shall be spent
for personal services for a full year.
The Council and the Bureau of Commerce may call upon

any official, agent, employee, agency or instrumentality of the
government for staff or any other assistance that they may deem
necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act and said agency
or instrumentality of the government shall, with the approval
of the President, assign the official, agent, or employee and
provide the assistance requested by the Council and the Bureau
of Commerce.
SEC. 10. The decisions of the Council on questions of

fact shall be final and executory while those involving questions
of law shall be reviewable by the Supreme Court by certiorari.
SEC. 11. This Act takes effect upon its approval and
shall continue in force up to June 30, 1973: Provided, however,
that convictions rendered under this Act or under the duly
promulgated orders, rules and regulations issued pursuant
thereto shall remain valid and enforceable, and prosecutions of
offenses committed during the effectivity thereof shall
commence and shall not be barred until terminated by
convictions or acquittal of the accused.
Approved, July 27, 1971.
177
AN ACT GRANTING ERNA P. CRUZ A FRANCHISE TO

CONSTRUCT, INSTALL, OPERATE AND MAINTAIN
AERONAUTICAL AND RADIO BROADCASTING AND
TELEVISION STATIONS IN THE ISLAND OF
MINDANAO

SECTION 1. There is hereby granted and conceded to

Erna P. Cruz, her successors or assigns, and hereunder referred
to as the “grantee”, a franchise to construct, install, operate and
maintain, subject to the approval of the Secretary of Public
Works and Communications, aeronautical and broadcasting and
television stations in the Island of Mindanao.
SEC. 2. A special right is reserved to the President of

the Philippines in time of war, rebellion, public peril, calamity,
emergency, disaster or disturbance of peace or order to take
over and operate the said stations or to authorize the temporary
use and operation thereof by any department of the Government
upon due compensation to the grantee for the use of said stations
during the period when they shall be so operated.
SEC. 3. The President of the Philippines shall have the

power and authority to permit the construction of said stations
or any of them on any land of the public domain upon such terms
and conditions as he may prescribe
SEC. 4. This franchise is granted for a period of twenty-

five years and upon the express condition that same shall be
void unless the construction of two stations be completed within
two years from the date of the approval of this Act.
178
SEC. 5. The grantee, her successors or assigns, shall

construct and operate her radio stations so as not to interfere
with the operation of other radio stations maintained and
operated in the Philippines.
SEC. 6. No private property shall be taken for any

purpose by the grantee of this franchise, her successors or
assigns, without proper condemnation proceedings and just
compensation paid or tendered therefor, and any authority to
take and occupy land contained herein shall not authorize the
taking, use, or occupation of any land except such as required
for the actual necessary purposes for which the franchise is
granted. All lands or rights of use and occupation of lands granted
to the grantee, her successors or assigns, shall, upon the
termination of this franchise or upon its revocation or repeal,
revert to the national, provincial, or municipal government to
which such land or right to use and occupy belonged at the time
of the grant thereof, or the right to use and occupy the same
was conceded to the grantee herein, her successors or assigns.
SEC. 7. The right is hereby reserved to the Government

of the Philippines, through the Public Service Commission or
such other government agency as may hereafter be duly
authorized, to fix the maximum rates or charges to be charged
by the grantee.
SEC. 8. The grantee shall keep a separate account of the

gross receipts of the business transacted by her in the
Philippines and shall furnish the Auditor General and the
treasurer of the Philippines a copy of such account not later
than the thirty-first day of January of each year for the preceding
year. For the purpose of auditing the accounts so rendered to
the Auditor General and the National Treasurer, all the books
and accounts of the grantee or duplicates thereof, so far as they
relate to the business transacted in the Philippines, shall be
kept in the Philippines and shall be subject to the official
inspection of the Auditor General or his authorized
179
representatives, and the audit and approval of such accounts

shall be final and conclusive evidence as to the account of said
gross receipts, except that the grantee shall have the right to
appeal to the courts of the Philippines, under the terms and
conditions provided in the laws of the Philippines.
SEC. 9. As a condition of the granting of this franchise

the grantee shall execute a bond in favor of the Government of
the Republic of the Philippines in the sum of fifty thousand
pesos, in form and with sureties satisfactory to the Secretary of
Public Works and Communications conditioned upon the faithful
performance of the grantee’s obligations hereunder during the
first three years of the life of this franchise. If, after three years
from the date of the acceptance of this franchise, the grantee
shall have fulfilled the same, the bond aforesaid shall be
cancelled by the Secretary of Public Works and
Communications.
SEC. 10. Acceptance of this franchise shall be given in

writing within six months after approval of this Act. When so
accepted by the grantee and upon the approval of the bond
aforesaid by the Secretary of Public Works and Communications,
the grantee shall be empowered to exercise the privileges
granted thereby.
usufruct of sell or assign this franchise, or the rights or privileges
acquired thereunder to any person, firm company, corporation
or other commercial or legal entity, nor merge with any other
person, company or corporation organized for the same purpose
without the approval of the Congress of the Philippines first
had. Any corporation to which this franchise may be sold,
transferred, or assigned shall be subject to the corporation laws
of the Philippines now existing or hereafter enacted, and any
person, firm, company, corporation or other commercial or legal
entity to which this franchise is sold, transferred, or assigned
shall be subject to all conditions, terms, restrictions and
180
limitations of this franchise as fully and completely and to the

same extent as if the franchise had been originally granted to
the said person, firm, company, corporation or other commercial
or legal entity.
SEC. 12. In consideration of the franchise and rights

hereby granted, the grantee shall pay a franchise tax equal to
five per centum of the gross earnings under this franchise, three
per centum shall accrue to the national government and two
per centum to the municipality where the franchise is in
operation.
SEC. 13. This franchise shall be subject to amendment,

the public interest so requires and shall not be interpreted as
an exclusive grant of the privileges herein provided for.
Approved,
** Lapsed into law on October 4, 1971, without the signature of the President
181
AN ACT INSTITUTING A COMPREHENSIVE AGRARIAN

REFORM PROGRAM TO PROMOTE SOCIAL JUSTICE
AND INDUSTRIALIZATION, PROVIDING THE
MECHANISM FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES

CHAPTER I
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER
SECTION 1. Title.– This Act shall be known as the

Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988.
XXX XXX XXX
CHAPTER X
SPECIAL AREAS OF CONCERN
SEC. 40. Special Areas of Concern.-As an integral part of

the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, the following
principles in these special areas of concern shall be observed:
(1) Subsistence Fishing-Small fisherfolk, including

seaweed farmers, shall be assured of greater access to the
utilization of water resources.
(2) Logging and Mining Concessions-Subject to the

requirement of a balanced ecology and conservation of water
resources, suitable areas, as determined by the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), in logging, mining
and pasture areas, shall be opened up for agrarian settlements
whose beneficiaries shall be required to undertake reforestation
and conservation production methods. Subject to existing laws,
rules and regulations, settlers and members of tribal
182
communities shall be allowed to enjoy and exploit the products

of the forest other than timber within the logging concessions.
(3) Sparsely Occupied Public Agricultural Lands-

Sparsely occupied agricultural lands of the public domain shall
be surveyed, proclaimed and developed as farm settlements for
qualified landless people based on an organized program to
ensure their orderly and early development.
Agricultural land allocations shall be made for ideal

family-size farms as determined by the PARC. Pioneers and
other settlers shall be treated equally in every respect.
Subject to the prior rights of qualified beneficiaries,

uncultivated lands of the public domain shall be made available
on a lease basis to interested and qualified parties. Parties who
will engage in the development of capital-intensive, traditional
or pioneering crops shall be given priority.
The lease period, which shall not be more than a total of

fifty (50%) years, shall be proportionate to the amount of
investment and production goals of the lessee. A system of
evaluation and audit shall be instituted.
(4) Idle, Abandoned, Foreclosed and Sequestered Lands

-Idle, abandoned, foreclosed and sequestered lands shall be
planned for distribution as home lots and family-size farm lots
to actual occupants. If land area permits, other landless families
shall be accommodated in these lands.
(5) Rural Women-All qualified women members of the

agricultural labor force must be guaranteed and assured equal
rights to ownership of the land, equal shares of the farm’s
produce, and representation in advisory or appropriate
decision-making bodies.
183
(6) Veterans and Retirees-In accordance with Section 7

of Article XVI of the Constitution, landless war veterans and
veterans of military campaigns, their surviving spouses and
orphans, retirees of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)
and the Integrated National Police (INP), returnees,
surrenderees, and similar beneficiaries shall be given due
consideration in the disposition of agricultural lands of the
public domain.
(7) Agriculture Graduates-Graduates of agricultural

schools who are landless shall be assisted by the government,
through the DAR, in their desire to own and till agricultural
lands.
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 73. Prohibited Acts and Omissions.– The following

are prohibited:
(a) The ownership or possession, for the purpose of

circumventing the provisions of this Act, of agricultural lands
in excess of the total retention limits of award ceilings by any
person, natural or juridical, except those under collective
ownership by farmer-beneficiaries.
(b) The forcible entry or illegal detainer by persons who

are not qualified beneficiaries under this Act to avail themselves
of the rights and benefits of the Agrarian Reform Program.
(c) The conversion by any landowner of his agricultural

land into any non-agricultural use with intent to avoid the
application of this Act to his landholdings and to dispossess his
tenant farmers of the land tilled by them.
(d) The willful prevention or obstruction by any person,

association or entity of the implementation of the CARP.
184
(e) The sale, transfer, conveyance or change of the nature

of lands outside of urban centers and city limits either in whole
or in part after the effectivity of this Act. The date of the
registration of the deed of conveyance in the Register of Deeds
with respect to titled lands and the date of the issuance of the
tax declaration to the transferee of the property with respect
to unregistered lands, as the case may be, shall be conclusive
for the purpose of this Act.
(f) The sale, transfer or conveyance by a beneficiary of

the right to use or any other usufructuary right over the land
he acquired by virtue of being a beneficiary, in order to
circumvent the provisions of this Act.
SEC. 74. Penalties.-Any person who knowingly or

willfully violates the provisions of this Act shall be punished by
imprisonment of not less than one (1) month to not more than
three
(3) years or a fine of not less than one thousand pesos

(P1,000.00) and not more than fifteen thousand pesos
(P15,000.00), or both, at the discretion of the court.
If the offender is a corporation or association, the officer

responsible therefor shall be criminally liable.
SEC. 75. Suppletory Application of Existing Legislation.–

The provisions of Republic Act No. 3844 as amended,
Presidential Decree Nos. 27 and 266 as amended, Executive
Order Nos. 228 and 229, both Series of 1987; and other laws not
inconsistent with this Act shall have suppletory effect.
SEC. 76. Repealing Clause. – Section 35 of Republic Act

No. 3844, Presidential Decree No. 316, the last two paragraphs
of Section 12 of Presidential Decree No. 946, Presidential Decree
No. 1038, and all other laws, decrees, executive orders, rules
185
and regulations, issuances or parts thereof inconsistent with

this Act are hereby repealed or amended accordingly.
SEC. 77. Separability Clause.-If, for any reason, any section

or provision of this Act is declared null and void, no other
section, provision, or part thereof shall be affected and the same
shall remain in full force and effect.
SEC. 78. Effectivity Clause.– This Act shall take effect

immediately after publication in at least two (2) national
newspapers of general circulation.
186
AN ACT RENAMING THE BAY-ANG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

IN BARANGAY BAY-ANG, MUNICIPALITY OF AJUY,
PROVINCE OF ILOILO, AS THE BEATRIZ D. TUPAS
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

SECTION 1. The name of the Bay-ang Elementary School

in Barangay Bay-ang, Municipality of Ajuy, Province of lloilo, is
hereby changed to Beatriz D. Tupas Elementary School.
187
AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF BARANGAY COBOL,

MUNICIPALITY OF BATAC, PROVINCE OF ILOCOS
NORTE, TO BARANGAY PETRA PIMENTEL AND FOR
SOME OTHER PURPOSE

SECTION 1. The name of Barangay Cobol in the

Municipality of Batac, Province of Ilocos Norte, is hereby
changed to Barangay Petra Pimentel.
188
AN ACT RENAMING THE TUMAGA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

IN ZAMBOANGA CITY AS THE CATALINA VDA. DE
JALON MEMORIAL SCHOOL

SECTION 1. The Tumaga Elementary School located

in Barangay Tumaga, Zamboanga City, is hereby renamed as
the Catalina Vda. de Jalon Memorial School.
Approved,
189
AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE PROHIBITION ON

DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN WITH
RESPECT TO TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF
EMPLOYMENT, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE
ARTICLE ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-FIVE OF THE
LABOR CODE, AS AMENDED.

SECTION 1. Article One hundred thirty-five of the Labor

Code, as amended, is hereby further amended to read as follows:
“Art. 135. Discrimination Prohibited. – It shall be

unlawful for any employer to discriminate against any woman
employee with respect to terms and conditions of employment
solely on account of her sex.
“The following are acts of discrimination:
“(a) Payment of a lesser compensation, including wage,

salary or other form of remuneration and fringe benefits, to a
female employee as against a male employee, for work of equal
value; and
“(b) Favoring a male employee over a female employee

with respect to promotion, training opportunities, study and
scholarship grants solely on account of their sexes.
“Criminal liability for the willful commission of any

unlawful act as provided in this article or any violation of the
rules and regulations issued pursuant to Section 2 hereof shall
be penalized as provided in Articles 288 and 289 of this Code:
Provided, That the institution of any criminal action under this
provision shall not bar the aggrieved employee from filing an
entirely separate and distinct action for money claims, which
190
may include claims for damages and other affirmative reliefs.

The actions hereby authorized shall proceed independently of
each other.”
SEC. 2. The Secretary of Labor and Employment is hereby

authorized to promulgate the necessary guidelines to implement
this Article in accordance with the generally accepted practices
and standards here and abroad.
SEC. 3. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from
the date of its publication in at least two (2) national newspapers
of general circulation.
Approved, May 12, 1989.
191
AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF THE BATAAN

NATIONAL SCHOOL OF ARTS AND TRADES IN
BALANGA, BATAAN, TO MEDINA LACSON DE LEON
NATIONAL SCHOOL OF ARTS AND TRADES

SECTION 1. The name of the Bataan National School of

Arts and Trades in Balanga, Bataan, is hereby changed to Medina
Lacson de Leon National School of Arts and Trades.
SEC. 2 This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
192
AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF THE PIEDAD

BARANGAY HIGH SCHOOL TO DONA CARMEN
DENIA CITY HIGH SCHOOL

SECTION 1. The name of the Pied ad Barangay High

School in Davao City is hereby changed to Dona Carmen Denia
City High School.
SEC. 2. This Act shall take effort upon its approval.
193
AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF THE SAGURONG

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN BARANGAY SAGURONG,
MUNICIPALITY OF PILI, PROVINCE OF CAMARINES
SUR, TO SOLEDAD MARASIGAN ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL

SECTION 1. The name of the Sagurong Elementary

School situated in Barangay Sagurong, Municipality of Pili,
Province of Camarines Sur, is hereby changed to Soledad
Marasigan Elementary School.
Approved,
194
AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF THE STA. ISABEL

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN BARANGAY STA. ISABEL,
CITY OF SAN PABLO, PROVINCE OF LAGUNA, TO
ANTONIA MANUEL MAGCASE ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL

SECTION 1. The name of the Sta. Isabel Elementary

School in Barangay Sta. Isabel, City of San Pablo, Province of
Laguna, is hereby changed to Antonia Manuel Magcase
Elementary School.
Approved,
195

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF
CALUMPIT, PROVINCE OF BULACAN, TO DAMIANA
DE LEON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

SECTION 1. The name of the San Miguel Elementary

School in the Municipality of Calumpit, Province of Bulacan, is
hereby changed to Damiana de Leon Elementary School.
196
AN ACT TO DECLARE MARCH EIGHT OF EVERY YEAR AS

A WORKING SPECIAL HOLIDAY TO BE KNOWN AS
NATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY.

SECTION 1. The eighth day of March of every year is

hereby declared as a working special holiday to be known as
National Women’s Day.
SEC. 2. To ensure meaningful observance of the holiday

as herein declared, all heads of government agencies and
instrumentalities, including government-owned and controlled
corporations as well as local government units, and employers
in the private sector shall encourage and afford sufficient time
and opportunities for their employees to engage and participate
in any activity conducted within the premises of their respective
offices or establishments to celebrate National Women’s Day.
SEC. 3. This Act shall take effect two (2) days following
its publication in at least two (2) national newspapers of general
circulation.
197
AN ACT TO DECLARE UNLAWFUL THE PRACTICE OF

MATCHING FILIPINO WOMEN FOR MARRIAGE TO
FOREIGN NATIONALS ON A MAIL ORDER BASIS
AND OTHER SIMILAR PRACTICES, INCLUDING THE
ADVERTISEMENT, PUBLICATION, PRINTING OR
DISTRIBUTION OF BROCHURES, FLIERS AND
OTHER PROPAGANDA MATERIALS IN
FURTHERANCE THEREOF AND PROVIDING
PENALTY THEREFORE

SECTION 1. It is the policy of the State to ensure and

guarantee the enjoyment of the people of a decent standard of
living. Towards this end, the State shall take measures to protect
Filipino women from being exploited in utter disregard of human
dignity in their pursuit of economic upliftment.
SEC. 2. Pursuant thereto, it is hereby declared unlawful:
(a) For a person, natural or juridical, association, club or

any other entity to commit, directly or indirectly, any of the
following acts:
(1) To establish or carry on a business which has for its

purpose the matching of Filipino women for marriage to foreign
nationals either on a mail-order basis or through personal
introduction;
(2) To advertise, publish, print or distribute or cause the

advertisement, publication, printing or distribution of any
brochure, flier, or any propaganda material calculated to
promote the prohibited acts in the preceding subparagraph;
198
(3) To solicit, enlist or in any manner attract or induce

any Filipino woman to become a member in any club or
association whose objective is to match women for marriage to
foreign nationals either on a mail-order basis or through
personal introduction for a fee;
(4) To use the postal service to promote the prohibited

acts in subparagraph 1 hereof.
(b) For the manager or officer-in-charge or advertising

manager of any newspaper, magazine, television or radio station,
or other media, or of an advertising agency, printing company
or other similar entities, to knowingly allow, or consent to, the
acts prohibited in the preceding paragraph.
SEC. 3. In case of violation of this Act by an association,

club, partnership, corporation, or any other entity, the incumbent
officers thereof who have knowingly participated in the violation
of this Act shall be held liable.
SEC. 4. Any person found guilty by the court to have

violated any of the acts herein prohibited shall suffer an
imprisonment of not less than six (6) years and one (1) day but
not more than eight (8) years, and a fine of not less than Eight
thousand pesos (P8,000) but not more than Twenty thousand
pesos (P20,000): Provided, That if the offender is a foreigner, he
shall be immediately deported and barred forever from entering
the country after serving his sentence and payment of fine.
SEC. 5. Nothing in this Act shall be interpreted as a

restriction on the freedom of speech and of association for
purposes not contrary to law as guaranteed by the Constitution.
SEC. 6. All laws, decrees, orders, instructions, rules and

regulations, or parts thereof inconsistent with this Act are
hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
199
SEC. 7. This Act shall take effect upon its publication for
two (2) consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation.
200
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A DAY CARE CENTER IN EVERY

BARANGAY, INSTITUTING THEREIN A TOTAL
DEVELOPMENT AND PROTECTION OF CHILDREN
PROGRAM, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFORE,

SECTION 1. Title. – This Act shall be known as the

“Barangay - Level Total Development and Protection of Children
Act.”
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is hereby declared to

be the policy of the State to defend the right of the children to
assistance, including proper care and nutrition, and to provide
them with special protection against all forms of neglect, abuse,
cruelty, exploitation and other conditions prejudicial to their
development.
Filipino children up to six (6) years of age deserve the

best care and attention at the family and community levels.
Towards this end, there is hereby established a day care center
in every barangay with a total development and protection of
children program as provided in this Act instituted in every
barangay day care center.
SEC. 3. Program Framework. – The total development

and protection of children program for day care centers shall
be provided for children up to six (6) years of age with the
consent of parents: provided, however, that, in case of abused,
neglected or exploited children, such consent shall not be
required. The program shall include the following:
201
(a) Monitoring of registration of births and the completion

of the immunization series for prevention of tuberculosis,
diphtheria, tetanus, measles, poliomyelitis and such other
diseases for which vaccines have been developed for
administration to children up to six (6) years of age;
(b) Growth and nutritional monitoring, with

supplementary nutritional feeding and supervision of
nutritional intake at home;
(c) Care for children of working mothers during the day

and, where feasible, care for children up to six (6) years of age
when mothers are working at night: provided, that the day care
center need not to take care of children in a particular place
but shall develop network of homes where women may take
care of the children up to six (6) years of age of working mothers
during work hours, with adequate supervision from the
supervising social welfare officer of the Department of Social
Welfare and Development: provided, further, that, where young
children are left to the care of paid domestic, an elderly relative
or older children without adequate and competent adult
supervision, the supervising social welfare officer shall provide
such training and adult supervision until the children’s care
meets adequate standards whereby the children under their
care will develop normally as healthy, happy and loved children,
even in the absence of their mothers during working hours;
(d) Materials and network of surrogate mothers-teachers

who will provide intellectual and mental stimulation to the
children, as well as supervised wholesome recreation, with a
balanced program of supervised play, mental stimulation
activities, and group activities with peers;
(e) A sanctuary for abused, neglected or exploited

children either in one child institution in the barangay and/or
network of sanctuary-homes which will take in children in
urgent need of protection due to a situation which endangers
202
the child or which has exposed the child to cruelty and abuse:
provided, that the day care center, with the help and support of
the barangay chairman and their barangay-level support
systems, may call upon law enforcement agencies when the child
needs to be rescued from an unbearable home situation;
(f) A referral and support system for pregnant mothers

for prenatal and neonatal care and, in the proper case, for
delivery of the infant under conditions which will remove or
minimize risk to mother and child. Provided, that high-risk
mothers shall be referred to the proper tertiary or secondary
care service personnel and children who are at risk from any
condition or illness will be brought for care: provided, further,
that the day care center shall be alert to illegal abortions and
incompetent and untrained hilots so that they are provided the
needed basic training for normal delivery and are trained to
recognize high-risk pregnancies which should be referred to
competent obstetrical and pediatric medical care for mother
and child who are at risk; and
(g) A support system and network of assistance from

among the members of the barangay for the total development
and protection of children.
Section 4. Implementing Agency. – The program shall be

implemented by the barangay.
The sangguniang barangay may call upon private

volunteers, who are responsible members of the community, and
utilize them to assist in the care of children and provide
consultative services for medical, educational, and other needs
of the children.
SEC. 5. Functions of the Department of Social Welfare

and Development. – The Department shall:
203
(a) Formulate the criteria for the selection, qualifications,

and training accreditation of barangay day care workers and
the standards for the implementation of the total development
and protection of children program;
(b) Coordinate activities of nongovernment organizations

with the day care workers and other social workers of the
Department in order that their services may be fully utilized
for the attainment of the program goals; and
(c) Protect and assist abused, neglected or exploited

children and secure proper government assistance for said
children.
SEC. 6. Funds for the Center, the Program and Day Care
Workers. – (a) The funds for the establishment, maintenance
and operation of barangay day care centers shall be appropriated
from the national budget and shall be included in the annual
General Appropriations Act as part of the budget of the
Department of Social Welfare and Development.
(b) The province, city or municipality concerned shall

provide financial assistance for the establishment of every
barangay day care center within their respective locality.
(c) Barangay day care workers in accredited day care

centers shall receive a monthly allowance of not less than Five
hundred pesos (P500.00) to be charged to the annual
appropriations of the Department of Social Welfare and
Development.
(d) In order to carry out the provisions of this Act, the

amount needed for the program and day care workers shall be
appropriated in the General Appropriations Act of the year
following its enactment into law.
(e) A portion of health programs available to the

Philippines under official aid or official debt arrangements from
204
foreign countries, the amount to be determined by the Office of

the President, shall be extended in support of the day care
centers.
SEC. 7. Repealing Clause. – All laws, decrees, rules and

regulations, and executive orders contrary to or inconsistent
with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
SEC 8. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect upon its

approval and completion if its publication in at least two (2)
national newspapers of general circulation.
205
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE DEVELOPMENT,

ADMINISTRATION, ORGANIZATION, TRAINING,
MAINTENANCE AND UTILIZATION OF THE CITIZEN
ARMED FORCE OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE
PHILIPPINES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

ARTICLE I
TITLE

“Citizen Armed Force or Armed Forces of the Philippines
Reservist Act.”
XXX XXX XXX
ARTICLE X
UTILIZATION OF THE RESERVE FORCE
SEC. 59. Mobilization. – The utilization of the Reserve

Force in times of emergency to meet threats to national security
shall be through mobilization:
(1) Full Mobilization – Full mobilization shall be through

the joint act of Congress and the President. When full
mobilization is ordered, all units of the Ready and Standby
Reserves will be activated, the reservists constituting them are
called to active duty, and the units activated are placed on
operational readiness. All other reservists not assigned to any
unit or those assigned to reserve pools shall be organized into
replacement units;
(2) Partial Mobilization – Partial mobilization shall be

through the joint act of Congress and the President. When
206
partial mobilization is ordered, only the units of the Ready

Reserve as are necessary to meet the threat will be activated,
the reservists assigned to these units are called to active duty
and the activated units are placed on operational readiness.
The President will specify the units to be activated; and
(3) Selective Mobilization – Selective mobilization shall

be by authority of the President. Selective mobilization may be
ordered to meet a local threat or emergency situation. When so
ordered, only selected units of the Ready Reserve of the
localities involved are activated and the reservists assigned to
them are called to active duty; or active auxiliary units are
organized and volunteer reservists are called to active auxiliary
service for the purpose, under such rules and regulations as
the Secretary of National Defense may prescribe.
SEC. 60. Status of Reservists under Mobilization. – An

enlisted or officer reservist when called to active duty by virtue
of mobilization shall receive all the pay and allowances, medical
care, hospitalization and other privileges and benefits
prescribed by law or regulations for officers and enlisted
personnel of the regular force.
SEC. 61. Mobilization Centers. – There shall be

established in each province as many mobilization centers as
needed corresponding to the number and distribution of
reservists in the province to which reservists will report when
mobilization is ordered. The citizen military training centers
in the provinces established under this Act may also be used as
mobilization centers. The Secretary of National Defense, upon
recommendation of the Chief of Staff, AFP and in consultation
with the local executives, shall prescribe the location of the
mobilization centers. The location of these centers shall be given
the widest public information by the local executives.
SEC. 62. Demobilization. – When the threat or emergency

for which mobilization had been ordered has passed, the
207
President shall order the demobilization of the reserve units

activated and the reservists of such deactivated units shall be
reverted to the inactive status.
SEC. 63. Auxiliary Service. – For the purpose of helping

maintain local peace and order, meeting local insurgency threat,
assisting in rescue and relief operations during disasters and
calamities, health welfare activities and participating in local
socioeconomic development projects, the President may call
upon the reservists in the affected or concerned localities to
volunteer their services. Such voluntary services shall be
referred to as auxiliary service and shall be of two (2) types:
(1) Civil Auxiliary Service – Civil auxiliary service covers

services rendered in helping maintain law and order, assisting
in rescue and relief operations, participating in socioeconomic
development projects, delivery of health services and any other
nonmilitary activity. Female reservists shall be given greater
participation in this regard. Reservists serving under this
category shall not be armed. Those who have licensed firearms
may be granted permit to carry firearms only when they are
actually performing duties in maintaining peace and order,
provided adequate control measures are instituted by the proper
authorities concerning the carrying and use of firearms. In no
case shall the reservists be vested with police powers.
(2) Military Auxiliary Service – Military auxiliary service

covers services rendered in meeting local insurgency threat.
Reservists serving under this category will be organized into
Ready Reserve units. They must be issued and allowed to carry
firearms: Provided, That these reservists will be utilized only
for the defense of their respective localities and will not be
employed outside their localities. Elected/appointed local
government officials are expected to perform their duties and
responsibilities in their respective peace and order council
levels or similar organizations efficiently and effectively to
208
enhance a total integrated system approach against threats to

national security.
The Secretary of National Defense shall prescribe the

rules and regulations to implement this section in coordination
with the Secretary of the Interior and Local Government.
SEC. 64. Status of Reservists on Auxiliary Service. – A

reservist performing auxiliary service shall not receive pay but
shall be entitled to receive allowances and burial benefits as
provided by law. With his consent, a reservist on auxiliary
service, whether civil or military, may continue to render such
service without receiving the allowances due him. A reservist
serving military auxiliary service is subject to military law;
whereas, a reservist serving civil auxiliary service is not.
SEC. 65. Women Reservists. – Women shall have the right

and duty to serve in the AFP. The relevant standards for
admission, training and commissioning of women shall be the
same as those required for men, except for those essential
adjustments in such standards required because of physiological
differences between men and women.
XXX XXX XXX
ARTICLE XII
TRANSITORY PROVISIONS
SEC. 67. Retention of ROTC Units in Colleges and

Universities. – ROTC units in colleges and universities shall
continue with ROTC training in accordance with this Act.
ARTICLE XIII
PENALTIES
SEC. 68. Penalties. – Failure of reservists to respond to

the call to compulsory training or service shall be punishable in
accordance with the Articles of War, and those convicted by a
209
court martial shall be liable for imprisonment of not less than

two (2) months to not more than twelve (12) months. Citizens
who fail to register for compulsory military training or who alter
having selected to undergo such training and have been notified
thereof fall to report for training shall, upon conviction by the
civil court, be punishable and liable for imprisonment of not
less than one (1) month to not more than three (3) months.
SEC. 69. Failure to Provide Updated List of Registrants.–

Failure of registrars and canvassers to provide an updated
listing of registrants under their responsibility shall, upon
conviction by the civil court, be punishable and liable for
imprisonment of not less than one (1) month to not more than
three (3) months under Sections 16 and 19 of this Act.
ARTICLE XIV
RESCISSION AND EFFECTIVITY
SEC. 70. Repealing Clause. – All laws, decrees, executive

orders, rules and regulations which are inconsistent or in
conflict with any provision of this Act are hereby repealed or
amended.
SEC. 71. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect upon its
approval.
210
AN ACT PROMOTING THE INTEGRATION OF WOMEN AS

FULL AND EQUAL PARTNERS OF MEN IN
DEVELOPMENT AND NATION BUILDING AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES.

SECTION 1. Title. — This Act shall be cited as the

“Women in Development and Nation Building Act.”
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — The State recognizes

the role of women in nation building and shall ensure the
fundamental equality before the law of women and men. The
State shall provided women rights and opportunities equal to
that of men.
To attain the foregoing policy:
(1) A substantial portion of official development

assistance funds received from foreign governments and
multilateral agencies and organizations shall be set aside and
utilized by the agencies concerned to support programs and
activities for women;
(2) All government departments shall ensure that women

benefit equally and participate directly in the development
programs and projects of said department, specifically those
funded under official foreign development assistance, to ensure
the full participation and involvement of women in the
development process; and
(3) All government departments and agencies shall review

and revise all their regulations, circulars, issuances and
procedures to remove gender bias therein.
211
SEC. 3. Responsible Agency. — The National Economic

and Development Authority (NEDA) shall primarily be
responsible for ensuring the participation of women as
recipients in foreign aid, grants and loans. It shall determine
and recommend the amount to be allocated for the development
activity involving women.
SEC. 4. Mandate. — The NEDA, with the assistance of

the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women, shall
ensure that the different government departments, including
its agencies and instrumentalities which, directly or indirectly,
affect the participation of women in national development and
their integration therein:
(1) Formulate and prioritize rural or countryside

development programs or projects, provide income and
employment opportunities to women in the rural areas and thus,
prevent their heavy migration from rural to urban or foreign
countries;
(2) Include an assessment of the extent to which their

programs and/or projects integrate women in the development
process and of the impact of said programs or projects on women,
including their implications in enhancing the self-reliance of
women in improving their income;
(3) Ensure the active participation of women and women’s

organizations in the development programs and/or projects
including their involvement in the planning, design,
implementation, management, monitoring and evaluation
thereof;
(4) Collect sex-disaggregated data and include such data

in its program/project paper, proposal or strategy;
(5) Ensure that programs and/or projects are designed

so that the percentage of women who receive assistance is
212
approximately proportionate to either their traditional

participation in the targeted activities or their proportion of
the population, whichever is higher. Otherwise, the following
should be stated in the program/project paper, proposal or
strategy;
(a) The obstacle in achieving the goal;
(b) The steps being taken to overcome those obstacles;
(c) To the extent that steps are not being taken to

overcome those obstacles, why they are not being taken.
(6) Assist women in activities that are of critical

significance to their self-reliance and development.
SEC. 5. Equality in Capacity to Act. — Women of legal

age, regardless of civil status, shall have the capacity to act and
enter into contracts which shall in every respect be equal to
that of men under similar circumstances.
In all contractual situations where married men have

the capacity to act, married women shall have equal rights.
To this end:
(1) Women shall have the capacity to borrow and obtain

loans and execute security and credit arrangement under the
same conditions as men;
(2) Women shall have equal access to all government and

private sector programs granting agricultural credit, loans and
non-material resources and shall enjoy equal treatment in
agrarian reform and land resettlement programs;
(3) Women shall have equal rights to act as incorporators

and enter into insurance contracts; and
213
(4) Married women shall have rights equal to those of

married men in applying for passport, secure visas and other
travel documents, without need to secure the consent of their
spouses.
In all other similar contractual relations, women shall

enjoy equal rights and shall have the capacity to act which shall
in every respect be equal to those of men under similar
circumstances.
SEC. 6. Equal Membership in Clubs. — Women shall

enjoy equal access to membership in all social, civic and
recreational clubs, committees, associations and similar other
organizations devoted to public purpose. They shall be entitled
to the same rights and privileges accorded to their spouses if
they belong to the same organization.
SEC. 7. Admission to Military Schools. — Any provision

of the law to the contrary notwithstanding, consistent with the
needs of the services, women shall be accorded equal
opportunities for appointment, admission, training, graduation
and commissioning in all military or similar schools of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police
not later than the fourth academic year following the approval
of this Act in accordance with the standards required for men
except for those minimum essential adjustments required by
physiological differences between sexes.
SEC. 8. Voluntary Pag-IBIG, GSIS and SSS Coverage. —

Married persons who devote full time to managing the
household and family affairs shall, upon the working spouse’s
consent, be entitled to voluntary Pag-IBIG (Pagtutulungan —
Ikaw, Bangko, Industriya at Gobyerno), Government Service
Insurance System (GSIS) or Social Security System (SSS)
coverage to the extent of one-half (1/2) of the salary and
compensation of the working spouse. The contributions due
thereon shall be deducted from the salary of the working spouse.
214
The GSIS or the SSS, as the case may be, shall issue rules
and regulations necessary to effectively implement the
provisions of this section.
SEC. 9. Implementing Rules. — The NEDA, in

consultation with the different government agencies concerned,
shall issue rules and regulations as may be necessary for the
effective implementation of Sections 2, 3 and 4, of this Act within
six (6) months from its effectivity.
SEC. 10. Compliance Report. — Within six (6) months

from the effectivity of this Act and every six (6) months
thereafter, all government departments, including its agencies
and instrumentalities, shall submit a report to Congress on their
compliance with this Act.
SEC. 11. Separability Clause. — If for any reason any

section or provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional or
invalid, the other sections or provisions hereof which are not
affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect.
SEC. 12. Repealing Clause. — The provisions of Republic

Act No. 386, otherwise known as the Civil Code of the
Philippines, as amended, and of Executive Order No. 209,
otherwise known as the Family Code of the Philippines, and all
laws, decrees, executive orders, proclamations, rules and
regulations, or parts thereof, inconsistent herewith are hereby
repealed.
SEC. 13. Effectivity Clause. — The rights of women and

all the provisions of this Act shall take effect immediately upon
its publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers
215
AN ACT DECLARING FEBRUARY NINETEEN OF EACH

YEAR AS DONA AURORA ARAGON QUEZON DAY A
SPECIAL NONWORKING HOLIDAY IN THE
PROVINCE OF AURORA IN ORDER TO
COMMEMORATE THE BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF
DONA AURORA ARAGON QUEZON, THE FIRST
PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL RED
CROSS, AND FOUNDATION DAY OF THE PROVINCE

SECTION 1. In commemoration of the birth anniversary

of the first President of the Philippine National Red Cross Dona
Aurora Aragon Quezon, and the foundation day of the Province
of Aurora, February Nineteen of each year is hereby declared
as a special nonworking holiday in the said province.
216
THE MAGNA CARTA OF PUBLIC HEALTH WORKERS


“Magna Carta of Public Health Workers”.
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 29. Leave Benefits for Public Health Workers. –

Public health workers are entitled to such vacation and sick
leaves as provided by existing laws and prevailing practices:
Provided, That in addition to the leave privilege now enjoyed
by public health workers, women health workers are entitled
to such maternity leaves provided by existing laws and
prevailing practices: Provided, further, That upon separation
of the public health workers from service, they shall be entitled
to all accumulated leave credits with pay.
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 35. Rules and Regulations. – The Secretary of

Health after consultation with appropriate agencies of the
Government as well as professional and health workers’
organizations or unions, shall formulate and prepare the
necessary rules and regulations to implement the provisions of
this Act. Rules and regulations issued pursuant to this Section
shall take effect thirty (30) days after publication in a newspaper
SEC. 36. Prohibition Against Double Recovery of Benefits.

– Whenever other laws provide for the same benefits covered
by this Act, the public health worker shall have the option to
choose which benefits will be paid to him/her. However, in the
217
event that the benefits chosen are less than that provided under
this Act, the worker shall be paid only the difference.
SEC. 37. Prohibition Against Elimination and/or

Diminution – Nothing in this law shall be construed to eliminate
or in any way diminish benefits being enjoyed by public health
workers at the time of the effectivity of this Act.
SEC. 38. Budgetary Estimates. – The Secretary of Health

shall submit annually the necessary budgetary estimates to
implement the provisions of this Act in staggered basis of
implementation of the proposed benefits until the total of Nine
hundred forty-six million six hundred sixty-four thousand pesos
(P946,664,000.00) is attained within five (5) years. Budgetary
estimates for the succeeding years should be reviewed and
increased accordingly by the Secretary of Health in consultation
with the Department of Budget and Management and the
Congressional Commission on Health (HEALTHCOM).
SEC. 39. Penal Provision. – Any person who shall willfully

interfere with, restrain or coerce any public health worker in
the exercise of his/her rights or shall in any manner commit
any act in violation of any of the provisions of this Act, upon
conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not less than Twenty
thousand pesos (P20,000.00) but not more than Forty thousand
pesos (P40,000.00) or imprisonment of not more than one (1)
year or both at the discretion of the court.
If the offender is a public official, the court, in addition

to the penalties provided in the preceding paragraph, may
impose the additional penalty of disqualification from office.
SEC. 40. Separability Clause. – If any provision of this

Act is declared invalid, the remainder of this Act or any provision
not affected thereby shall remain in force and effect.
218
SEC. 41. Repealing Clause. – All laws, presidential

decrees, executive orders and their implementing rules,
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed,
amended or modified accordingly.
SEC. 42. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen

(15) days after its publication in at least two (2) national
219
AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF THE STA. ANA

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN BARANGAY STA. ANA,
MUNICIPALITY OF ESCALANTE, PROVINCE OF
NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, TO ROSARIO C. VALDIVIA
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

SECTION 1. The name of the Sta. Ana Elementary School

in Barangay Sta. Ana, Municipality of Escalante, Province of
Negros Occidental, is hereby changed to Rosario C. Valdivia
Elementary School.
220
AN ACT INCREASING MATERNITY BENEFITS IN FAVOR OF

WOMEN WORKERS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR,
AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTION 14-A OF
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1161, AS AMENDED, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES

SECTION 1. Section 14-A of Republic Act No. 1161, as

amended, is further amended to read as follows:
“SEC. 14-A. Maternity Leave Benefit. – A covered female

employee who has paid at least three monthly maternity
contributions in the twelve-month period preceding the
semester of her childbirth, abortion or miscarriage and who is
currently employed shall be paid a daily maternity benefit
equivalent to one hundred percent (100%) of her present basic
salary, allowances and other benefits or the cash equivalent of
such benefits for sixty (60) days subject to the following
conditions:
“(a) That the employee shall have notified her employer

of her pregnancy and the probable date of her childbirth which
notice shall be transmitted to the SSS in accordance with the
rules and regulations it may provide;
“(b) That the payment shall be advanced by the employer

in two equal installments within thirty (30) days from the filing
of the maternity leave application:
“(c) That in case of caesarian delivery, the employee shall

be paid the daily maternity benefit for seventy-eight (78) days;
“(d) That payment of daily maternity benefits shall be a

bar to the recovery of sickness benefits provided by this Act for
221
the same compensable period of sixty (60) days for the same
childbirth, abortion, or miscarriage;
“(e) That the maternity benefits provided under this

Section shall be paid only for the first four deliveries after March
13, 1973;
“(f) That the SSS shall immediately reimburse the

employer of one hundred percent (100%) of the amount of
maternity benefits advanced to the employee by the employer
upon receipt of satisfactory proof of such payment and legality
thereof; and
“(g) That if an employee should give birth or suffer

abortion or miscarriage without the required contributions
having been remitted for her by her employer to the SSS, or
without the latter having been previously notified by the
employer of the time of the pregnancy, the employer shall pay
to the SSS damages equivalent to the benefits which said
employee would otherwise have been entitled to, and the SSS
shall in turn pay such amount to the employee concerned.”
SEC. 2. Nothing in this Act shall be construed as to

diminish existing maternity benefits under present laws and
collective bargaining agreements.
SEC. 3. All laws, executive orders, proclamations,

presidential decrees, rules and regulations, and other issuances,
or parts hereof, inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are
hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
SEC. 4. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after
its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2)
national newspapers of general circulation, whichever comes
earlier.
222
AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF THE LAYOG

BARANGAY NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL IN
BARANGAY LAYOG, MUNICIPALITY OF MAASIN,
PROVINCE OF ILOILO, TO AUREA BELONIA
MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL

SECTION 1. The name of the Layog Barangay National

High School in Barangay layog, Municipality of Maasin, Province
of Iloilo, is hereby changed to Aurea Belonia Memorial High
School.
223
AN ACT REVISING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 2644, AS AMENDED,

OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE PHILIPPINE
MIDWIFERY ACT

ARTICLE I – TITLE

“Philippine Midwifery Act of 1992”.
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 23. Practice of Midwifery Defined. – The practice

of mid-wifery consist in performing or rendering, or offering to
perform or render, for a fee, salary, or other reward or
compensation, services requiring an understanding of the
principles and application of procedures and techniques in the
supervision and care of women during pregnancy, labor and
puerperium management of normal deliveries, including the
performance of internal examination during labor except when
patient is with antenatal bleeding; health education of the
patient, family and community; primary health care services in
the community, including nutrition and family planning in
carrying out the written order of physicians with regard to
antenatal, intra-natal and post-natal care of the normal
pregnant mother in giving immunization, including oral and
parenteral dispensing of oxitoxic drug after delivery of placenta,
suturing perenial lacerations to control bleeding, to give
intravenous fluid during obstetrical emergencies provided they
have been trained for that purpose; and may inject Vitamin K
to the newborn: Provided, however, That this provision shall
not apply to students in midwifery schools who perform
224
midwifery services under the supervision of the instructors, nor

to emergency cases.
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 28. Repealing Clause. – Republic Act Numbered Two

Thousand Six Hundred and Forty-four is hereby repealed and
all laws, decrees, orders, instructions, rules and regulations and
other issuances or parts thereof inconsistent with this Act are
likewise repealed or amended accordingly.
SEC. 29. Separability Clause. – If for any reason, any part

or section of this Act shall be declared unconstitutional or
invalid, other sections or provisions hereof which are not
SEC. 30. Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall take effect

upon completion of its publication in at least two (2) national
225
AN ACT TO MAXIMIZE THE CONTRIBUTION OF SENIOR

CITIZENS TO NATION BUILDING, GRANT BENEFITS
AND SPECIAL PRIVILEGES AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES

SECTION 1. Declaration of Policies and Objectives. –

Pursuant to Article XV. Section 4 of the Constitution, it is the
duty of the family to take care of its elderly members while the
State may design programs of social, security for them. In
addition to this, Section 10 in the Declaration of Principles and
State Policies provides:” The State shall provide social justice
in all phases of national development”. Further Article XII,
Section 11 provides: “The State shall adopt an integrated and
comprehensive approach to health development which shall
services available to all people at affordable cost. There shall
be priority for the needs of the underprivileged, sick, elderly,
disabled, women and children.” Consonant with these
constitutional principles the following are the declared policies
of this Act:
a) to motivate and encourage the senior citizens to

contribute to nation building;
b) to encourage their families and the communities they

live with to reaffirm the valued Filipino tradition of caring for
the senior citizens.
In accordance with these policies, this Act aims to:
1) establish mechanisms whereby our senior citizens are

maximized;
226
2) adopt measure whereby our senior citizens are assisted

and appreciated by the community as a whole;
3) establish a program beneficial to the senior citizens,

their families and the rest of the community that they serve.
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 12. Repealing Clause. – All provisions of law, orders,

decrees, including rules and regulations inconsistent herewith
are hereby repealed and/or modified accordingly.
SEC. 13. Separability Clause. – If any part or provision

of this Act shall be held to be unconstitutional or invalid, other
provisions hereof which are not affected thereby shall continue
to be in full force and effect.

(15) days following its publication in one (1) national newspaper
227
AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF THE SURIGAO DEL

SUR PROVINCIAL HOSPITAL IN THE MUNICIPALITY
OF TANDAG, PROVINCE OF SURIGAO DEL SUR, TO
ADELA SERRA TY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

the Philippines in Congress Assembled:
SECTION 1. The name of the Surigao del Sur Provincial

Hospital in the Municipality of Tandag, Province of Surigao del
Sur, is hereby changed to Adela Serra Ty Memorial Hospital.
228
AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF THE BARANGAY

CABUNGAHAN HIGH SCHOOL IN BARANGAY
CABUNGAHAN, MUNICIPALITY OF MAAYON,
PROVINCE OF CAPIZ, TO FLORENTINA BATOAMPO
DEGALA MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL

SECTION 1. The name of the Barangay Cabungahan

High School in Barangay Cabungahan Municipality of Maayon,
Province of Capiz, is hereby changed to Florentina Batoampo
Degala Memorial High School.
SEC 2. This Act shall effect upon its approval.
229
AN ACT PROVIDING INCENTIVES TO ALL GOVERNMENT

AND PRIVATE HEALTH INSTITUTIONS WITH
ROOMING-IN AND BREASTFEEDING PRACTICES

SECTION 1. Title. – This Act shall be known as “The

Rooming-In and Breastfeeding Act of 1992”.
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. – The State adopts rooming-

in as a national policy to encourage, protect and support the
practice of breastfeeding. It shall create an environment where
basic physical, emotional, and psychological needs of mothers
and infants are fulfilled through the practice of rooming-in and
breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding has distinct advantages which benefit the

infant and the mother, including the hospital and the country
that adopt its practice. It is the first preventive health measure
that can be given to the child at birth. It also enhances mother-
infant relationship. Furthermore, the practice of breastfeeding
could save the country valuable foreign exchange that may
otherwise be used for milk importation.
Breastmilk is the best food since it contains essential

nutrients completely suitable for the infant’s needs. It is also
nature’s first immunization, enabling the infant to fight potential
serious infection. It contains growth factors that enhance the
maturation of an infant’s organ systems.
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. – For purposes of this Act,

the following definitions are adopted:
230
a) Age of gestation - the length of time the fetus is inside

the fetus is inside the mother’s womb.
b) Bottlefeeding - the method of feeding an infant using

a bottle with artificial nipples, the contents of which can be any
type of fluid.
c) Breastfeeding - the method of feeding an infant

directly from the human breast.
d) BreastmiIk - The human milk from a mother.
e) Expressed breastmilk - the human milk which has

been extracted from the breast by hand or by breast pump. It
can be fed to an infant using a dropper, a nasogatric tube, a cup
and spoon, or a bottle.
f) Formula feeding - the feeding of a newborn with

infant formula usually by bottlefeeding. It is also called artificial
feeding.
g) Health institutions - are hospitals, health infirmaries,

health centers, lying-in centers, or puericulture centers with
obstetrical and pediatric services.
h) Health personnel - are professionals and workers who

manage and/or administer the entire operations of health
institutions and/or who are involved in providing maternal and
child health services.
i) Infant - a child within zero (0) to twelve (12) months

of age.
j) Infant formula - the breastmilk substitute formulated

industrially in accordance with applicable Codex Alimentarius
standards, to satisfy the normal nutritional requirements of
infants up to six (6) months of age, and adopted to their
physiological characteristics.
231
k) Lactation Management – the general care of a

mother-infant nursing couple during the mother’s prenatal,
immediate postpartum and postnatal periods. It deals with
educating and providing knowledge and information to pregnant
and lactating mothers on the advantages of breastfeeding the
physiology of lactation, the establishment and maintenance of
lactation, the proper care of the breasts and nipples, and such
other matters that would contribute to successful breastfeeding.
l) Low birth weight infant - a newborn weighing less

than two thousand five hundred (2,500) grams at birth.
m) Mother’s milk - the breastmilk from the newborn’s

own mother.
n) Rooming-in - the practice of placing the newborn in

the same room as the mother right after delivery up to discharge
to facilitate mother-infant bonding and to initiate breastfeeding.
The infant may either share the mother’s bed or be placed in a
crib beside the mother.
o) Seriously ill mothers - are those who are: with severe

infections; in shock; in severe cardiac or respiratory distress;
or dying; or those with other conditions that may be determined
by the attending physician as serious.
p) Wet-nursing - the feeding of a newborn from another

mother’s breast when his/her own mother cannot breastfeed.
CHAPTER I
ROOMING-IN AND BREASTFEEDING OF INFANTS
SEC. 4. Applicability. – The provisions in this Chapter

shall apply to all private and government health institutions
adopting rooming-in and breastfeeding as defined in this Act.
232
SEC. 5. Normal Spontaneous Deliveries. – The following

newborn infants shall be put to the breast of the mother
immediately after birth and forthwith roomed-in within thirty
(30) minutes:
a) well infants regardless of age of gestation; and
b) infants with low birth weights but who can suck.
SEC. 6. Deliveries by Caesarian. – Infants delivered by

caesarian section shall be roomed-in and breastfed within three
(3) to four (4) hours after birth.
SEC. 7. Deliveries Outside Health Institutions. –

Newborns delivered outside health institutions whose mothers
have been admitted to the obstetrics department/unit and who
both meet the general conditions stated in Section 5 of this Act,
shall be roomed-in and breastfed immediately.
SEC. 8. Exemptions. – Infants whose conditions do not

permit rooming-in and breastfeeding as determined by the
attending physician and infants whose mothers are either. a)
seriously ill; b) taking medications contraindicated to breast
feeding; c) violent psychotics; or d) whose conditions do not
permit breastfeeding and rooming-in as determined by the
attending physician shall be exempted from the provisions of
Sections 5, 6, and 7: Provided, That these infants shall be fed
expressed breastmilk or wet-nursed as may be determined by
the attending physician.
SEC. 9. Right of the Mother to Breastfeed. – It shall be

the mother’s right to breastfeed her child who equally has the
right to her breastmilk. Bottlefeeding shall be allowed only after
the mother has been informed by the attending health personnel
of the advantages of breastfeeding and the proper techniques
233
of infant formula feeding and the mother has opted in writing

to adopt infant formula feeding for her infant.
CHAPTER II
HUMAN MILK BANK
SEC. 10. Provision of Facilities for Breastmilk Collection

and Storage. – The health institution adopting rooming-in and
breastfeeding shall provide equipment, facilities, and supplies
for breastmilk collection, storage and utilization, the standards
of which shall be defined by the Department of Health.
CHAPTER III
INFORMATION, EDUCATION AND RE-EDUCATION
DRIVE
SEC. 11. Continuing Education, Re-education and

Training of Health Personnel. – The Department of Health with
the assistance of other government agencies, professional and
non-governmental organizations shall conduct continuing
information, education, re-education and training programs for
physicians, nurses, midwives, nutritionist-dietitians,
community health workers and traditional birth attendants
(TBAs) and other health personnel on current and updated
lactation management. Information materials shall be given to
all health personnel involved in maternal and infant care in
health institutions.
SEC. 12. Information Disseminations to Pregnant

Women. – During the prenatal, perinatal and postnatal
consultations and/or confinements of the mothers or pregnant
women in a health institution, it shall be the obligation of the
health institution and the health personnel to immediately and
continuously teach, train, and support the women on current
and updated lactation management and infant care, through
participatory strategies such as organization of mothers’ clubs
234
and breastfeeding support groups and to distribute written

information materials on such matters free of charge.
CHAPTER IV
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
SEC. 13. Incentives . – The expenses incurred by a

private health institution in complying with the provisions of
this Act, shall be deductible expenses for income tax purposes
up to twice the actual amount incurred: Provided, That the
deduction shall apply for the taxable period when the expenses
were incurred: Provided, further, That the hospital shall comply
with the provisions of this Act within six (6) months after its
approval.
Government health institutions shall receive an

additional appropriation equivalent to the savings they may
derive as a result of adopting rooming-in and breastfeeding.
The additional appropriation shall be included in their budget
for the next fiscal year.
SEC. 14. Sanctions. – The Secretary of Health is hereby

empowered to impose sanctions for the violation of this Act
and the rules issued there under. Such sanctions may be in the
form of reprimand or censure and in cases of repeated willful
violations, suspension of the permit to operate of the erring
health institution.
SEC. 15. Rules and Regulations – The Secretary of Health

in consultation with other government agencies, professional
and non- governmental organizations concerned shall
promulgate the rules and regulations, necessary to carry out
the provisions of this Act.
SEC. 16. Repealing Clause. – All acts, laws, decrees,

executive orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof which
235
are contrary to or inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed,

amended, or modified accordingly.
SEC. 17. Separability Clause. – If any clause, sentence,

paragraph or part of this Act shall be declared to be invalid,
the remainder of this Act or any provision not affected there by
shall remain in force and effect
SEC. 18. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect one

hundred twenty (120) days after publication in at least two (2)
236
AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF THE PANTOK-

PALANGOY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN THE
MUNICIPALITY OF BINANGONAN, PROVINCE OF
RIZAL, TO SUSANA MADRIGAL MEMORIAL
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

SECTION 1. The name of the Pantok-Palangoy

Elementary School in the Municipality of Binangonan, Province
of Rizal, is hereby changed to Susana Madrigal Memorial
Elementary School.
237
AN ACT GIVING REPRESENTATION TO WOMEN IN THE

SOCIAL SECURITY COMMISSION, AMENDING FOR
THE PURPOSE SECTION 3 (A) OF REPUBLIC ACT NO.
1161, AS AMENDED

SECTION 1. Section 3 (a) of Republic Act No. 1161, as

amended, is hereby further amended to read as follows:
“SEC. 3. Social Security System – (a) To carry out the

purposes of this ACT, the Social Security System with principal
place of business in Metro Manila, Philippines, is hereby
created. The SSS shall be directed and controlled by a Social
Security Commission composed of the Secretary of Labor and
Employment, the SSS Administrator and seven appointive
members, three of whom shall represent the labor group, one of
whom shall be a woman, three, the management group, one of
whom shall be a woman and one, the general public, to be
appointed by the President of the Philippines. The Chairman
of the Commission shall be designated by the President from
among its members. The term of the appointive members shall
be three years: Provided, That the terms of the first six
appointive members shall be one, two and three years for every
two members, respectively.
All vacancies, except through the expiration of the term,

shall be filled for the unexpired term only. The appointive
members of the Commission shall receive One thousand five
hundred pesos per diem for each meeting actually attended by
them: Provided, That no compensation shall be paid for more
than eight meetings a month. Members of the Commission who
hear cases pending before the Commission shall also receive
per diem of One thousand five hundred pesos.”
238
239
AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF THE BUCAY

NATIONAL GENERAL HIGH SCHOOL IN THE
MUNICIPALITY OF BUCAY, PROVINCE OF ABRA, TO
CRISTINA B. GONZALES MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL

SECTION 1. The name of the Bucay National General High

School in the Municipality of Bucay, Province of Abra, is hereby
changed to Cristina B. Gonzales Memorial High School.
Approved,
240
AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF THE ANGELINA

DUMAJEL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN THE
MUNICIPALITY OF KALAWIT, ZAMBOANGA DEL
NORTE, TO BATAYAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

SECTION 1. The name of the Angelina Dumajel

Elementary School in the Municipality of Kalawit, Province of
Zamboanga del Norte, is hereby changed to Batayan Elementary
School.
SEC. 2. This Act shall take effect upon its publication in

at least two (2) national newspapers of general circulation.
**Lapsed into law without the signature of the President

241
AN ACT CREATING THE TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, PROVIDING
FOR ITS POWERS, STRUCTURE AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES


“Technical Education and Skills Development Act of 1994” or
the “TESDA Act of 1994.”
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 7. Composition of the TESDA Board. – The TESDA

Board shall be composed of the following:
The Secretary of Labor and Employment Chairperson
Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports Co-

Chairperson
Secretary of Trade and Industry Co-Chairperson
Secretary of Agriculture Member
Secretary of Interior and Local Government Member
Director-General of the TESDA Secretariat Member
In addition, the President of the Philippines shall appoint

the following members from the private sector: two (2)
representatives, from the employer/industry organization, one
of whom shall be a woman; three (3) representatives, from the
labor sector, one of whom shall be a woman, and two (2)
representatives of the national associations of private technical-
vocational education and training institutions, one of whom shall
242
be a woman. As soon as all the members of the private sector

are appointed, they shall so organize themselves that the term
of office of one-third (1/3) of their number shall expire every
year. The member from the private sector appointed thereafter
to fill vacancies caused by expiration of terms shall hold office
for three (3) years.
The President of the Philippines may, however, revise

the membership of the TESDA Board, whenever the President
deems it necessary for the effective performance of the Board’s
functions through an administrative order.
The TESDA Board shall meet at least twice a year, or as

frequently as deemed necessary by its Chairperson. In the
absence of the Chairperson, a Co-Chairperson shall preside. In
case any member of the Board representing the Government
cannot attend the meeting, he or she shall be regularly
represented by an undersecretary or deputy-director general,
as the case may be, to be designated by such member for the
purpose.
The benefits, privileges and emoluments of the Board

shall be consistent with existing laws and rules.
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 34. Transitory Provisions. – a) Within two (2) months

after the approval of this Act, the President shall, in consultation
with the Secretary of Labor and Employment and the Secretary
of Education, Culture and Sports, appoint the private sector
representatives of the TESDA Board.
b) Within three (3) months after the appointment of the

private sector representatives, the President shall, upon the
recommendation of the Board, appoint the Director-General.
243
c) Within four (4) months after the appointment of the

Director-General, the Board shall convene to determine the
organizational structure and staffing pattern of the Authority.
d) Within one (1) year after the organization of the

Authority, the Board shall commission an expert group on
funding schemes for the TESDA Development Fund, as provided
in Section 31, the results of which shall be used as the basis for
appropriate action by the Board.
e) The personnel of the existing National Manpower and

Youth Council (NMYC) of the Department of Labor and
Employment and the Bureau of Technical and Vocational
Education (BTVE) of the Department of Education, Culture and
Sports, shall, in a holdover capacity, continue to perform their
respective duties and responsibilities and receive their
corresponding salaries and benefits until such time when the
organizational structure and staffing pattern of the Authority
shall have been approved by the Board: Provided, That the
preparation and approval of the said new organizational
structure and staffing pattern shall, as far as practicable, respect
and ensure the security of tenure and seniority rights of affected
government employees.
Those personnel whose positions are not included in the

new staffing pattern approved by the Board or who are not
reappointed or who choose to be separated as a result of the
reorganization shall be paid their separation or retirement
benefits under existing laws.
SEC. 35. Automatic Review. – Every five (5) years, after

the effectivity of this Act, an independent review panel composed
of three (3) persons appointed by the President shall review
the performance of the Authority and shall make
recommendations, based on its findings to the President and to
both Houses of Congress.
244
SEC. 36. Implementing Rules and Guidelines. – The

TESDA Board shall issue, within a period of ninety (90) days
after the effectivity of this Act, the rules and regulations for the
effective implementation of this Act.
The TESDA Board shall submit to the Committees on

Education, Arts and Culture of both Houses of Congress copies
of the implementing rules and guidelines within thirty (30) days
after its promulgation.
Any violation of this Section shall render the official/s

concerned liable under R.A. No. 6713, otherwise known as the
“Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and
Employees” and other existing administrative and/or criminal
laws.

decrees, executive orders, presidential proclamations, rules and
regulations or parts thereof contrary to or inconsistent with
this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Act is declared unconstitutional, the same shall not affect the
validity and effectivity of the other provisions hereof.

(15) days after its complete publication in two (2) newspapers
245
AN ACT APPROPRIATING FUNDS FOR THE OPERATION

OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE
PHILIPPINES FROM JANUARY ONE TO DECEMBER
THIRTY-ONE, NINETEEN HUNDRED AND NINETY-
FIVE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

SECTION 1. Appropriation of Funds. – The following

sums, or so much thereof as may be necessary, are hereby
appropriated out of any funds in the National Treasury of the
Philippines not otherwise appropriated, for the operation of
the Government of the Republic of the Philippines from January
one to December thirty-one, nineteen hundred and ninety-five,
except where otherwise specifically provided herein:
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 27. Gender-Responsive Projects. – All departments,

bureaus, offices and agencies shall set aside an amount out of
their 1995 appropriations to be used for projects designed to
address gender issues in accordance with R.A. No. 7192.
The concerned departments, bureaus, offices and

agencies shall submit reports to the National Commission on
the Role of Filipino Women through the Department of Budget
and Management, indicating the amounts utilized to implement
such Gender-responsive projects and activities.
The implementation of this Section shall be in accordance

with the guidelines to be jointly issued by the National
Commission on the Role of Filipino Women, the National
Economic and Development Authority and the Department of
Budget and Management.
246
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 72. Report on Compliance with COA

Recommendations. – All departments, agencies, bureaus, offices
and instrumentalities of the government, including government
owned or controlled corporations and local government units,
shall submit to the Commission on Audit (COA) within sixty
(60) days from their receipt of the COA annual audit report, a
status report on the actions they have taken on the audit
findings and recommendations made by the COA pertaining to
each of said departments, agencies, instrumentalities,
corporations and local government units.
SEC. 73. Submission of Quarterly Reports. – Within thirty

(30) days after the end of each quarter, each department, bureau,
office or agency shall submit a quarterly report to the House
Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on
Finance, copy furnished the Department of Budget and
Management, the Commission on Audit, and the appropriate
Committee Chairman of the House of Representatives on their
cumulative allotments, obligations incurred/liquidated, total
disbursements, unliquidated obligations, unobligated and
unexpended balances, and the results of expended
appropriations.
The quarterly report shall include detailed statements

on the disbursements and utilization of appropriations for the
purchase of motor vehicles and equipment, capital investment
outlays, as well as appropriations earmarked and released for
rentals, travels, petroleum, oil and lubricants, water,
illumination and power services, and telephone and other
communication services.
Likewise, the Department of Budget and Management

shall submit to the House Committee on Appropriations, the
Senate Committee on Finance and the appropriate Committee
Chairman of the House of Representatives a quarterly report
247
on releases made from the lump-sum Special Purpose Funds,

Supplemental Appropriations, Continuing Appropriations and
Automatic Appropriations, and, as applicable, the unreleased
balances of such appropriations.
SEC. 74. Separability Clause. – If for any reason any

SEC. 75. Effectivity. – The provisions of this Act shall

take effect on January one, nineteen hundred and ninety-five,
unless otherwise provided herein.
248
AN ACT INSTITUTING A NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE

PROGRAM FOR ALL FILIPINOS AND ESTABLISHING
THE PHILIPPINE HEALTH INSURANCE
CORPORATION FOR THE PURPOSE

SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as

the “National Health Insurance Act of 1995.”
ARTICLE I
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
SEC. 2. Declaration of Principles and Policies. – Section

11, Article XIII of the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the
Philippines declares that the State shall adopt an integrated
and comprehensive approach to health development which shall
services available to all the people at affordable cost. Priority
for the needs of the underprivileged, sick, elderly, disabled,
women, and children shall be recognized. Likewise, it shall be
the policy of the State to provide free medical care to paupers.
In the pursuit of a National Health Insurance Program,

this Act shall adopt the following guiding principles:
(a) Allocation of National Resources for Health – The

Program shall underscore the importance for government to
give priority to health as a strategy for bringing about faster
economic development and improving quality of life.
XXX XXX XXX
(o) Public Health Services – The Government shall be

responsible for providing public health services for all groups
249
such as women, children, indigenous people, displaced

communities and communities in environmentally endangered
areas, while the Program shall focus on the provision of personal
health services. Preventive and promotive public health services
are essential for reducing the need and spending for personal
health services;
(p) Quality of Services - The Program shall promote the

improvement in the quality of health services provided through
the institutionalization of programs of quality assurance at all
levels of the health service delivery system. The satisfaction of
the community, as well as individual beneficiaries, shall be a
determinant of the quality of service delivery;
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 3. General Objectives. – This Act seeks to:
(a) provide all citizens of the Philippines with the

mechanism to gain financial access to health services;
(b) create the National Health Insurance Program,

hereinafter referred to as the Program, to serve as the means
to help the people pay for health care services;
(c) prioritize and accelerate the provision of health

services to all Filipinos, especially that segment of the
population who cannot afford such services; and
(d) establish the Philippine Health Insurance

Corporation, hereinafter referred to as the Corporation, that
will administer the Program at central and local levels.
ARTICLE II
DEFINITION OF TERMS
SEC. 4. Definition of Terms. – For the purpose of this

Act, the following terms shall be defined as follows:
250
(a) Beneficiary -Any person entitled to health care

benefits under this Act.
(b) Benefit Package - Services that the Program offers to

its members.
(c) Capitation - A payment mechanism where a fixed rate,

whether per person, family, household, or group, is negotiated
with a health care provider who shall be responsible for
delivering or arranging for the delivery of health services
required by the covered person under the conditions of a health
care provider contract.
(d) Contribution - The amount paid by or in behalf of a

member to the Program for coverage, based on salaries or wages
in the case of formal sector employees, and on household
earnings and assets, in the case of the self-employed, or on other
criteria as may be defined by the Corporation in accordance
with the guiding principles set forth in Article I of this Act.
(e) Coverage - The entitlement of an individual, as a

member or as a dependent, to the benefits of the Program.
(f) Dependent - The legal dependents of a member are:

1) the legitimate spouse who is not a member; 2) the unmarried
and unemployed legitimate, legitimated, illegitimate,
acknowledged children as appearing in the birth certificate;
legally adopted or stepchildren below twenty-one (21) years of
age; 3) children who are twenty-one (21) years old or above but
suffering from congenital disability, either physical or mental,
or any disability acquired that renders them totally dependent
on the member for support; 4) the parents who are sixty (60)
years old or above whose monthly income is below an amount
to be determined by the Corporation in accordance with the
guiding principles set forth in Article I of this Act.
251
(g) Diagnostic Procedure - Any procedure to identify a

disease or condition through analysis and examination.
(h) Emergency - An unforeseen combination of

circumstances which calls for immediate action to preserve the
life of a person or to preserve the sight of one or both eyes; the
hearing of one or both ears; or one or two limbs at or above the
ankle or wrist.
(i) Employee - Any person who performs services for an

employer in which either or both mental and physical efforts
are used and who receives compensation for such services,
where there is an employer-employee relationship.
(j) Employer - A natural or juridical person who employs

the services of an employee.
(k) Enrollment - The process to be determined by the

Corporation in order to enlist individuals as members or
dependents covered by the Program.
(l) Fee for Service - A reasonable and equitable health

care payment system under which physicians and other health
care providers receive a payment that does not exceed their
billed charge for each unit of service provided.
(m) Global Budget - An approach to the purchase of

medical services by which health care provider negotiations
concerning the costs of providing a specific package of medical
benefits is based solely on a predetermined and fixed budget.
(n) Government Service Insurance System – The

Government Service Insurance System created under
Commonwealth Act No. 186, as amended.
(o) Health Care Provider - Refers to:
252
(1) a health care institution, which is duly licensed and

accredited devoted primarily to the maintenance and operation
of facilities for health promotion, prevention, diagnosis,
treatment, and care of individuals suffering from illness, disease,
injury, disability or deformity, or in need of obstetrical or other
medical and nursing care. It shall also be construed as any
institution, building, or place where there are installed beds,
cribs, or bassinets for twenty-four hour use or longer by patients
in the treatment of diseases, injuries, deformities, or abnormal
physical and mental states, maternity cases or sanitarial care,
or infirmaries, nurseries, dispensaries, and such other similar
names by which they may be designated; or
SEC. 56. Separability Clause. – In the event any provision

of this Act or the application of such provision to any person or
circumstances is declared invalid, the remainder of this Act or
the application of said provisions to other persons or
circumstances shall not be affected by such declaration.
SEC. 57. Repealing Clause. – Executive Order 119,

Presidential Decree 1519 and other laws currently applying to
the administration of Medicare are hereby repealed. All other
laws, executive orders, administrative rules and regulations or
parts thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this
Act are also hereby amended, modified, or repealed accordingly.
SEC. 58. Government Guarantee. – The Government of

the Philippines guarantees the financial viability of the Program.

(15) days after its publication in at least three (3) national
253
AN ACT PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO WOMEN ENGAGING

IN MICRO AND COTTAGE BUSINESS ENTERPRISES,

SECTION 1. Objective of the Act. – It is hereby declared

to be the objective of this Act to provide all possible assistance
to Filipino women in their pursuit of owning, operating and
managing small business enterprises.
SEC. 2. Coverage of the Act.·– All women who are citizens

of the Philippines, at least eighteen (18) years of age, regardless
of civil status, shall enjoy the benefits provided in this Act.
SEC. 3. Women With Existing Micro and Cottage

Business. – Any woman who, at time of ’ the effectivity of this
Act shall have been engaged for at least one (1) year in any micro
and cottage business, with a daily inventory of goods worth not
more than Twenty-five thousand pesos (P25,000) or with any
business equipment with a book value of not more than Fifty
thousand pesos (P50,000) shall have priority to obtain a loan
not exceeding the value of her business equipment, at prime
interest rate or at the rate of twelve percent (12%) per annum,
whichever is lower from any government financing institution.
Provided , That only women with good track record in sales
shall be eligible to obtain such loan.
SEC. 4. Business Learner. – All woman who shall have

been certified, after appropriate training, by the Technical
Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), or any
government or government-accredited training institution as
eligible to operate a micro and cottage business with a maximum
capitalization of Twenty-five thousand pesos (P25,000) shall
254
likewise be eligible in obtaining a loon under the same conditions

as provided in the preceding Section: Provided, That no loan
for the operation of a retail store shall be granted : Provided,
further, That the loan shall be limited to the purchase or the
basic equipment, tools and materials: Provided, furthermore,
That such basic equipment and tools shall be subject to chattel
mortgage in favor of the government financing institution
concerned.
SEC. 5. Technical Training. – The office of the TESDA

shall provide and conduct such necessary technical training and
programs, free of charge, to all women who may avail of the
benefits provided in Section 4 hereof.
SEC. 6. Implementing Bureau. – The function of

accomplishing the objective of this Act is hereby given to the
Bureau of Small and Medium Business Development of the
Department of Trade and Industry created under Executive
Order No. 133, including the authority to issue such necessary
certification of eligibility to obtain a loan as provided in Sections
4 and 5 hereof.
SEC. 7. Assurance of Loon Availability. – There shall be

earmarked from the loan portfolio of all government financing
institutions such amount of money equivalent to five percent
(5%) thereof for purposes of implementing the provisions of this
Act
SEC. 8. Rules and Regulations. – The Department of

Trade and Industry shall promulgate such rules and regulations
necessary to implement the provisions of this Act.
SEC. 9. Prohibited Acts. – The following acts are hereby

prohibited:
a) To sell mortgage, pledge or in any way encumber any

of the equipment, tools or materials procured through a loan
255
and obtained by virtue of this Act while the loan has not yet
been fully paid.
b) to refuse, deny or delay without justifiable cause

granting loans as provided in this Act.
SEC. 10. Penalty. – Any person who may be found guilty

of committing any of the prohibited acts provided in the
preceding Section hereof shall be sentenced to suffer a penalty
of one (1) year imprisonment or a fine of not less than Five
thousand pesos (P5,000) or both.
SEC. 11 . Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen

(15) days after its publication in two (2) newspapers of general
circulation.
256
AN ACT CREATING THE NATIONAL DAIRY AUTHORITY TO

ACCELERATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DAIRY
INDUSTRY IN THE PHILIPPINES, PROVIDING FOR
A DAIRY DEVELOPMENT FUND, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES

SECTION 1. Title . – This Act shall be known as the

“National Dairy Development Act of 1995.”
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 12. National Dairy Campaign. – The Authority shall

promote a nationwide campaign to boost support for the
realization of the objectives of this Act. It shall encourage the
participation of women’s groups in dairy and dairy-related
projects including dairy animal health care, village nutrition
schemes, community-based processing, and marketing of milk
and dairy products.
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 24. Appropriations . – The appropriations of

agencies, division, council and corporation, merged, abolished
or transferred pursuant to this Act shall be turned over to the
Authority. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for its
continued operation and maintenance shall be included in the
annual General Appropriations Act.

orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof which are
inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified
accordingly.
257

Act is declared unconstitutional or invalid, other provisions
thereof which are not affected thereby shall continue in full force
and effect.
SEC. 27. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect after

fifteen (15) days following its publication in the Official Gazette
or in any newspaper of general circulation.
Approved, Februrary 20, 1995.
258
AN ACT CONVERTING THE JOSEFINA H. CERILLES

NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL IN THE MUNICIPALITY
OF SAN MIGUEL, PROVINCE OF ZAMBOANGA DEL
SUR, INTO A POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE TO BE
KNOWN AS THE JOSEFINA H. CERILLES
POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE. AND APPROPRIATING
FUNDS THEREFOR

SECTION 1. The Josefina H. Ceri1Ies National High

School in the Municipality of San Miguel, Province of Zamboanga
del Sur, is hereby converted into a polytechnic college to be
known as Josefina H. Cerilles Polytechnic College.
SEC. 2. The faculty and employees of Josefina H. Cerilles

National High School, as well as its funds, assets, equipment
and facilities, shall be absorbed by the College.
SEC. 3. The chairperson of the Commission on Higher

Education, in coordination with the Secretary of Education,
Culture and Sports, is hereby directed to take such steps as are
necessary for the immediate conversion and operation of the
College.
SEC. 4. The amount necessary for the implementation of

this Act shall be charged against the current year ’s
appropriations of the Josefina H. Cerilles National High School.
Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for its operation and
maintenance shall be included in the General Appropriations
Act.
Fees and charges, including government subsidies and

other income generated by the College shall constitute special
259
trust funds and shall be deposited in any authorized government

depository bank, and all interests that shall accrue therefrom
shall form part of the same funds for the use of the College.
The income generated by the College may, at their

discretion, be disbursed for the professional growth and
development, health, welfare and other similar benefits of the
faculty members and personnel, for extension and student
welfare expenses so that flexibility on use of income shall be
focused on faculty, personnel improvement and student welfare
activities and for expenses necessary for the attainment of its
purposes under this Act.
260
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE ELECTIONS OF PARTY-LIST

REPRESENTATIVES THROUGH THE PARTY-LIST
SYSTEM, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR


“Party-List System Act”.
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. – The State shall promote

proportional representation in the election of representatives
to the House of Representatives through a party-list system of
registered national, regional and sectoral parties or
organizations or coalitions thereof, which will enable Filipino
citizens belonging to marginalized and underrepresented
sectors, organizations and parties, and who lack well-defined
political constituencies but who could contribute to the
formulation and enactment of appropriate legislation that will
benefit the nation as a whole, to become members of the House
of Representatives. Towards this end, the State shall develop
and guarantee a full, free and open party system in order to
attain the broadest possible representation of party, sectoral or
group interests in the House of Representatives by enhancing
their chances to compete for and win seats in the legislature,
and shall provide the simplest scheme possible.
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 5. Registration. – Any organized group of persons

may register as a party, organization or coalition for purposes
of the party-list system by filing with the COMELEC not later
than ninety (90) days before the election a petition verified by
its president or secretary stating its desire to participate in
the party-list system as a national, regional or sectoral party or
261
organization or a coalition of such parties or organizations,

attaching thereto
its constitution, by-laws, platform or program of government,

list of officers, coalition agreement and other relevant
information as the COMELEC may require: Provided, That the
sectors shall include labor, peasant, fisherfolk, urban poor,
indigenous cultural communities, elderly, handicapped, women,
youth, veterans, overseas workers, and professionals.
The COMELEC shall publish the petition in at least two

(2) national newspapers of general circulation.
The COMELEC shall, after due notice and hearing,

resolve the petition within fifteen (15) days from the date it
was submitted for decision but in no case not later than sixty
(60) days before election.
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 17. Rights of Party-List Representatives. – Party-

list representatives shall be entitled to the same salaries and
emoluments as regular members of the House of
Representatives.
SEC. 18. Rules and Regulations. – The COMELEC shall

promulgate the necessary rules and regulations as may be
necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act.
SEC. 19. Appropriations. – The amount neccesary for the

implementation of this Act shall be provided in the regular
appropriations for the Commission on Elections starting fiscal
year 1996 under the General Appropriations Act.
Starting 1995, the COMELEC is hereby authorized to

utilize savings and other available funds for purpose of its
information campaign on the party-list system.
262
SEC. 20. Separability Clause. – If any part of this Act is

held invalid or unconstitutional, the other parts or provisions
thereof shall remain valid and effective.

orders, rules and regulations, or parts thereof, inconsistent with
the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed.

(15) days after its publication in a newspaper of general
circulation.
263
AN ACT TO INSTITUTE THE POLICIES OF OVERSEAS

EMPLOYMENT AND ESTABLISH A HIGHER
STANDARD OF PROTECTION AND PROMOTION OF
THE WELFARE OF MIGRANT WORKERS, THEIR
FAMILIES AND OVERSEAS FILIPINOS IN DISTRESS,

SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known and

cited as the “Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of
1995.”
XXX XXX XXX
IX. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
SEC. 32. POEA and OWWA Board; Additional

Memberships. – Notwithstanding any provision of law to the
contrary, the respective Boards of the POEA and the OWWA
shall, in addition to their present composition, have three (3)
members each who shall come from the women, sea-based and
land-based sectors respectively, to be appointed by the President
in the same manner as the other members.
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 34. Representation in Congress. – Pursuant to

Section 5(2), Article VI of the Constitution and in line with the
objective of empowering overseas Filipinos to participate in the
policy-making process to address Filipino migrant concerns, two
(2) sectoral representatives for migrant workers in the House
of Representatives shall be appointed by the President from
the ranks of migrant workers: Provided, That at least one (1) of
the two (2) sectoral representatives shall come from the women
264
migrant workers sector: Provided, further, That all nominees

must have at least two (2) years experience as a migrant worker.
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 38. Appropriation and Other Sources of Funding. –

The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act
shall be provided for in the General Appropriations Act of the
year following its enactment into law and thereafter.
SEC. 39. Migrant Workers Day. – The day of signing by

the President of this Act shall be designated as the Migrant
Workers Day and shall henceforth be commemorated as such
annually.
SEC. 40. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – The

departments and agencies charged with carrying out the
provisions of this Act shall, within ninety (90) days after the
effectivity of this Act, formulate the necessary rules and
regulations for its effective implementation.

orders, rules and regulations, or parts thereof inconsistent with
the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified
accordingly.
SEC. 42. Separability Clause. – If, for any reason, any

section or provision of this Act is held unconstitutional or
invalid, the other sections or provisions hereof shall not be
affected thereby.

after fifteen (15) days from its publication in the Official Gazette
or in at least two (2) national newspapers of general circulation
whichever comes earlier.
265
AN ACT FURTHER EXTENDING THE TERM OF THE

FRANCHISE GRANTED TO CONSUELO D. BORJA
NOW PRESENTLY HELD BY ILIGAN LIGHT AND
POWER, INC., HER SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST,
UNDER REPUBLIC ACT NUMBERED SIX
THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED NINETY-ONE,
ORIGINALLY GRANTED TO CONSUELO D. BORJA
UNDER ACT NUMBERED THREE THOUSAND EIGHT
HUNDRED TEN FOR A PERIOD OF TWENTY-FIVE
(25) YEARS FROM THE DATE OF ITS EXPIRATION

SECTION 1. The term of franchise granted to Consuela

D. Borja, now held by Iligan Light and Power, Inc., as her
successor-in-interest, originally granted to Consuelo D. Borja
under Act Numbered Three thousand eight hundred ten and
extended under Republic Act Numbered Six thousand three
hundred ninety-one is hereby extended under the same terms
and conditions therein provided, subject to the provisions of
the Constitution, for a period of twenty-five (25) years from the
date of its expiration.
SEC. 2. The grantee shall not lease, transfer , grant the

usufruct of, sell or assign this franchise nor the rights and
privileges acquired thereunder, to any person, firm, company,
corporation or other commercial or legal entity, nor merge with
any other person, company or corporation organized for the same
266
purpose, without the approval and/or consent of the Congress

of the Philippines.
Approved,
** Lapsed into Law on September 4, 1995 without the signature of the President
in accordance with Art. VI, Section 27 of the Constitution.
267
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE REPATRIATION OF

FILIPINO WOMEN WHO HAVE LOST THEIR
PHILIPPINE CITIZENSHIP BY MARRIAGE TO
ALIENS AND OF NATURAL-BORN FILIPINOS

SECTION 1. Filipino women who have lost their Philippine

citizenship by marriage to aliens and natural-born Filipinos who
have lost their Philippine citizenship, including their minor
children, on account of political or economic necessity, may
reacquire Philippine citizenship through repatriation in the
manner provided in Section 4 of Commonwealth Act No. 63, as
amended: Provided, That the applicant is not a:
(1) Person opposed to organized government or affiliated

with any association or group of persons who uphold and teach
doctrines opposing organized government;
(2) Person defending or teaching the necessity or

propriety of violence, personal assault, or association for the
predominance of their ideas;
(3) Person convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude;
(4) Person suffering from mental alienation or incurable

contagious diseases.
SEC. 2. Repatriation shall be effected by taking the

necessary oath of allegiance to the Republic of the Philippines
and registration in the proper civil registry and in the Bureau
of Immigration. The Bureau of Immigration shall thereupon
cancel the pertinent alien certificate of registration and issue
the certificate of identification as Filipino citizen to the
repatriated citizen.
268
SEC. 3. All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations,

or parts thereof inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed
or amended accordingly.
SEC. 4. This Act shall take effect thirty (30) days after
its publication in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,
** Lapsed into law on October 23, 1995 without the signature of the president in
accordance with Article VI, Section 27 of the Constitution.
269

SIX, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES


one to December thirty-one, nineteen hundred and ninety-six,
XXX XXX XXX

bureaus, offices and agencies shall set aside a minimum amount
of five percent (5%) out of their 1996 appropriations to be used
for projects designed to address gender issues in accordance
with R.A. No. 7192.

agencies shall submit reports to the National Commission on
the Role of Filipino Women through the Department of Budget
and Management, indicating the amounts utilized to implement
such Gender-responsive projects and activities.

with the guidelines to be jointly issued by the National Economic
and Development Authority and the Department of Budget and
Management.
270
V. CLOSING STATEMENT
In closing, I would like to put on record my deep

gratitude to the leadership of Congress, most especially to the
House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee
on Finance for the timely enactment of the General
Appropriations Bill for CY 1996. While this was scrutinized by
all concerned, I observed that it was designed, molded and
crafted with the welfare of the Filipino people and the national
interest of our beloved Philippines in mind.
This Bill has become Republic Act No. 8174.
Very truly yours,
(Sgd.) FIDEL V. RAMOS
THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congress of the Philippines
Manila
271

SEVEN, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES


one to December thirty-one, nineteen hundred and ninety-
seven, except where otherwise specifically provided herein:
XXX XXX XXX

bureaus, offices and agencies shall set aside a minimum amount
of five percent (5%) out of their 1997 appropriations to be used
for projects designed to address gender issues in accordance
with R.A. No. 7192.

agencies shall submit semestral reports to Congress, the
Department of Budget and Management and the National
Commission on the Role of Filipino Women indicating the
amounts utilized to implement such gender-responsive projects
and activities.

with the guidelines jointly issued by the National Economic
272
and Development Authority and the Department of Budget and

Management.
VI. CLOSING STATEMENT
In closing, I would like to put on record my gratitude to

the leadership of Congress, most especially to the House
Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on
Finance for the enactment of the General Appropriations Act
for Fy 1997. I am aware of the extensive debate that went on, in
and out of the halls of Congress, in the crafting of this most
important measure. I am satisfied that, with the proper
guidelines, this budget will be an instrument for carrying on
our goals towards an economically prosperous, socially
responsible and politically stable Philippines in FY 1997 and
beyond.
This Bill becomes Republic Act No. 8250.
Very truly yours,
(Sgd.) FIDEL V. RAMOS

Manila
273

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN BARANGAY SAN MIGUEL
IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF STO. TOMAS, PROVINCE
OF BATANGAS, TO TIBURCIA CARPIO MALVAR
ELEMENTARYSCHOOL

SECTION 1. The name of the San Miguel Elementary

School in Sto. Tomas, Batangas, is hereby changed to Tiburcia
Carpio Malvar Elementary School.
SEC. 2. This Act shall take effect immediately upon its

approval.
Approved,
** Lapsed into law without the signature of the president in accordance with
Article VI, Section 27 of the Constitution.
274

8311
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE SEPARATION OF THE

INAYAWAN EXTENSION CLASS LOCATED IN THE
MUNICIPALITY OF CAUAYAN, PROVINCE OF
NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, FROM TIHE LINAON
BARANGAY HIGH SCHOOL, AND TO BE KNOWN AS
THE EVA J. MONTILLA NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL,
AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

SECTION 1. The Inayawan Extension Class located in

the Municipality of Cauayan, Negros Occidental, is hereby
separated from the Linaon Barangay High School, and shall
henceforth be known as the Eva J. Montilla National High
School.
SEC. 2. The Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports

shall issue such rules and regulations as may be necessary to
carry out the purpose of this Act.
SEC. 3. The amount necessary for the implementation

of this Act shall be charged against the current year ’s
appropriation of the Linaon National High School-Inayawan
Extension Class.
Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for the

operation and maintenance of the Eva J. Montilla National High
School shall be included in the annual General Appropriations
Act.
275
Approved,
** Lapsed into law on June 14, 1997 without the signature of the president, in
accordance with Article VI, Section 27 of the Constitution.
276
AN ACT EXPANDING THE DEFINITION OF THE CRIME OF

RAPE, RECLASSIFYING THE SAME AS A CRIME
AGAINST PERSONS, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE
ACT NO. 3815, AS AMENDED, OTHERWISE KNOWN
AS THE REVISED PENAL CODE, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES


“The Anti-Rape Law of 1997.”
SEC. 2. Rape as a Crime Against Persons. - The crime of

rape shall hereafter be classified as a crime Against Persons
under Title Eight of Act No. 3815, as amended, otherwise known
as the Revised Penal Code. Accordingly, there shall be
incorporated into Title Eight of the same Code a new chapter
to be known as Chapter Three on Rape, to read as follows:
CHAPTER THREE
RAPE
“Article 266-A. Rape; When And How Committed. – Rape

is Committed –
1) By a man who shall have carnal knowledge of a woman

under any of the following circumstances:
a) Through force, threat, or intimidation;
b) When the offended party is deprived of reason or

otherwise unconscious;
c) By means of-fraudulent machination or grave abuse

of authority; and
277
d) When the offended party is under twelve (12) years

of age or is demented, even though none of the circumstances
mentioned above be present.
2) By any person who, under any of the circumstances

mentioned in paragraph 1 hereof, shall commit an act of sexual
assault by inserting his penis into another person’s mouth or
anal orifice, or any instrument or object, into the genital or anal
orifice of another person.
XXX XXX XXX
“Article 266- C. Effect of Pardon. – The subsequent valid

marriage between the offender and the offended party shall
extinguish the criminal action or the penalty imposed.
In case it is the legal husband who is the offender, the

subsequent forgiveness by the wife as the offended party shall
extinguish the criminal action or the penalty: Provided, That
the crime shall not be extinguished or the penalty shall not be
abated if the marriage is void ab initio.
Article 266-D. Presumptions. – Any physical overt act

manifesting resistance against the act of rape in an y degree
from the offended party, or where the offended party is so
situated as to render her/him incapable of giving valid consent,
may be accepted as evidence in the prosecution of the acts
punished under Article 266-A.”
SEC. 3. Separability Clause. – If any part, section, or

provision of this Act is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the
other parts thereof not affected thereby shall remain valid.
SEC. 4. Repealing Clause. – Article 335 of Act No. 3815,

as amended, and all laws, acts, presidential decrees, executive
orders, administrative orders, rules and regulations
inconsistent with or contrary to the previsions of this Act are
deemed amended, modified or repealed accordingly.
278

(15) days after completion of its publication in two (2)
279
AN ACT ESTABLISHING FAMILY COURTS, GRANTING

THEM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINAL JURISDICTION OVER
CHILD AND FAMILY CASES, AMENDING BATAS
PAMBANSA BILANG 129, AS AMENDED, OTHERWISE
KNOWN AS THE JUDICIARY REORGANIZATION ACT
OF 1980, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES


“Family Courts Act of 1997.”
SEC. 2. State and National Policies. – The State shall

protect the rights and promote the welfare of children in
keeping with the mandate of the Constitution and the precepts
of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The State shall provide a system of adjudication for youthful
offenders which takes into account their peculiar circumstances.
The State recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall

protect and strengthen the family as a basic autonomous social
institution. The courts shall preserve the solidarity of the family;
provide procedures for the reconciliation of spouses and the
amicable settlement of family controversy.
SEC. 3. Establishment of Family Courts. – There shall

be established a family court in every province and city in the
country. In case where the city is the capital of the province,
the Family Court shall be established in the municipality which
has the highest population.
XXX XXX XXX
280
SEC. 5. Jurisdiction of Family Courts. – The Family

Courts shall have exclusive original jurisdiction to hear and
decide the following cases:
a) Criminal cases where one or more of the accused is

below eighteen (18) years of age but not less than nine (9) years
of age, or where one or more of the victims is a minor at the
time of the commission of the offense: Provided, That if the
minor is found guilty, the court shall promulgate sentence and
ascertain any civil liability which the accused may have incurred.
The sentence, however, shall be suspended without need of
application pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 603, otherwise
known as the “Child and Youth Welfare Code”;
XXX XXX XXX
j) Violations of Republic Act No. 7610, otherwise known

as the “Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse,
Exploitation and Discrimination Act,” as amended by Republic
Act No. 7658; and
k) Cases of domestic violence against:
1) Women - which are acts of gender based violence that

results, or are likely to result in physical, sexual or psychological
harm or suffering to women; and other forms of physical abuse
such as battering or threats and coercion which violate a
woman’s personhood, integrity and freedom of movement; and
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 14. Appeals. – Decisions and orders of the court

shall be appealed in the same manner and subject to the same
conditions as appeals from the ordinary regional trial courts.
SEC. 15. Appropriations. – The amount necessary to carry

out the provisions of this Act shall be included in the General
281
Appropriations Act of the year following its enactment into law

and thereafter.

Supreme Court, in coordination with the DSWD, shall formulate
the necessary rules and regulations for the effective
implementation of the social aspects of this Act.
SEC. 17. Transitory Provisions . – Pending the

establishment of such family courts, the Supreme Court shall
designate from among the branches of the Regional Trial Court
at least one Family Court in each of the cities of Manila, Quezon,
Pasay, Caloocan, Makati, Pasig, Mandaluyong, Muntinlupa,
Laoag, Baguio, Santiago, Dagupan, Olongapo, Cabanatuan, San
Jose, Angeles, Cavite, Batangas, Lucena, Naga, Iriga, Legazpi,
Roxas, Iloilo, Bacolod, Dumaguete, Tacloban, Cebu, Mandaue,
Tagbilaran, Surigao, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, General
Santos, Oroquieta, Ozamiz, Dipolog, Zamboanga, Pagadian,
Iligan, and in such other places as the Supreme Court may deem
necessary.
Additional cases other than those provided in Section 5

may be assigned to the Family Courts when their dockets permit:
Provided, That such additional cases shall not be heard on the
same day family cases are heard.
In areas where there are no Family Courts, the cases

referred to in Section 5 of this Act shall be adjudicated by the
Regional Trial Court.
SEC. 18. Separability Clause. – In case any provision of

this Act is declared unconstitutional, the other provisions shall
remain in effect.
SEC. 19. Repealing Clause. – All other laws, decrees,

executive orders, rules or regulations inconsistent herewith are
hereby repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.
282

(15) days after its publication in at least two (2) national
Approved, October 28, 1997.
283
AN ACT TO RECOGNIZE, PROTECT AND PROMOTE THE

RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS CULTURAL
COMMUNITIES/ INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, CREATING
A NATIONAL COMMISSION ON INDIGENOUS
PEOPLES, ESTABLISHING IMPLEMENTING
MECHANISMS, APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

CHAPTER I
GENERAL PROVISIONS

“The Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997.”
XXX XXX XXX
CHAPTER V
SOCIAL JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
SEC. 21. Equal Protection and Non-discrimination of

ICCs/IPs. – Consistent with the equal protection clause of the
Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, the Charter of
the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
including the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination
Against Women and International Human Rights Law, the State
shall, with due recognition of their distinct characteristics and
identity, accord to the members of the ICCs/IPs the rights,
protections and privileges enjoyed by the rest of the citizenry.
It shall extend to them the same employment rights,
opportunities, basic services, educational and other rights and
privileges available to every member of the society. Accordingly,
284
the State shall likewise ensure that the employment of any form
of force or coercion against ICCs/IPs shall be dealt with by law.
The State shall ensure that the fundamental human

rights and freedoms as enshrined in the Constitution and
relevant international instruments are guaranteed also to
indigenous women. Towards this end, no provision in this Act
shall be interpreted so as to result in the diminution of rights
and privileges already recognized and accorded to women under
existing laws of general application.
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 25. Basic Services. – The ICCs/IPs have the right to

special measures for the immediate, effective and continuing
improvement of their economic and social conditions, including
in the areas of employment, vocational training and retraining,
housing, sanitation, health and social security. Particular
attention shall be paid to the rights and special needs of
indigenous women, elderly, youth, children and differently-abled
persons. Accordingly, the State shall guarantee the right of ICCs/
IPs to government’s basic services which shall include, but not
limited to, water and electrical facilities, education, health and
infrastructure.
SEC. 26. Women. – ICC/IP women shall enjoy equal rights

and opportunities with men, as regards the social, economic,
political and cultural spheres of life. The participation of
indigenous women in the decision-making process in all levels,
as well as in the development of society, shall be given due
respect and recognition.
The State shall provide full access to education, maternal

and child care, health and nutrition, and housing services to
indigenous women. Vocational, technical, professional and other
forms of training shall be provided to enable these women to
fully participate in all aspects of social life. As far as possible,
285
the State shall ensure that indigenous women have access to

all services in their own languages.
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 40. Composition. – The NCIP shall be an

independent agency under the Office of the President and shall
be composed of seven (7) Commissioners belonging to ICCs/IPs,
one (1) of whom shall be the Chairperson. The Commissioners
shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines from a
list of recommendees submitted by authentic ICCs/IPs: Provided,
That the seven (7) Commissioners shall be appointed specifically
from each of the following ethnographic areas: Region I and the
Cordilleras; Region II; the rest of Luzon; Island Groups
including Mindoro, Palawan, Romblon, Panay and the rest of
the Visayas; Northern and Western Mindanao; Southern and
Eastern Mindanao; and Central Mindanao: Provided, That at
least two (2) of the seven (7) Commissioners shall be women.
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 50. Consultative Body. – A body consisting of the

traditional leaders, elders and representatives from the women
and youth sectors of the different ICCs/IPs shall be constituted
by the NCIP from time to time to advise it on matters relating
to the problems, aspirations and interests of the ICCs/IPs.
XXX XXX XXX
CHAPTER XIII
FINAL PROVISIONS
SEC. 78. Special Provision. – The City of Baguio shall

remain to be governed by its Charter and all lands proclaimed
as part of its townsite reservation shall remain as such until
otherwise reclassified by appropriate legislation: Provided,
That prior land rights and titles recognized and/or acquired
through any judicial, administrative or other processes before
286
the effectivity of this Act shall remain valid: Provided, further,

That this provision shall not apply to any territory which
becomes part of the City of Baguio after the effectivity of this
Act.
SEC. 79. Appropriations. – The amount necessary to

finance the initial implementation of this Act shall be charged
against the current year’s appropriation of the ONCC and the
OSCC. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for its
continued implementation shall be included in the annual
General Appropriations Act.
SEC. 80. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within

sixty (60) days immediately after appointment, the NCIP shall
issue the necessary rules and regulations, in consultation with
the Committees on National Cultural Communities of the House
of Representatives and the Senate, for the effective
implementation of this Act.
SEC. 81. Saving Clause. – This Act will not in any manner
adversely affect the rights and benefits of the ICCs/IPs under
other conventions, recommendations, international treaties,
national laws, awards, customs and agreements.

this Act or any portion thereof is declared unconstitutional by a
competent court, other provisions shall not be affected thereby.
SEC. 83. Repealing Clause. – Presidential Decree No.

410, Executive Order Nos. 122-B and 122-C, and all other laws,
decrees, orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof
inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified
accordingly.
287

(15) days upon its publication in the Official Gazette or in any
two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved, October 29, 1997
288
AN ACT CREATING A NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL IN

BARANGAY SAN PEDRO, MUNICIPALITY OF BATAC,
PROVINCE OF ILOCOS NORTE, TO BE KNOWN AS
THE CRISPINA MARCOS·VALDEZ NATIONAL HIGH
SCHOOL, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

SECTION 1. There shall be established a national high

school in Barangay San Pedro, Municipality of Batac, Province
of llocos Norte, to be known as the Crispina Marcos-Valdez
National High School.
SEC. 2. The Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports

shall issue such rules and regulations as may be necessary to
carry out the purpose of this Act.
SEC. 3. The amount necessary to carry out the provisions

of this Act shall be included in the General Appropriations Act
of the year following its enactment into law and thereafter.
Approved,
sed into law on November 22, 1997 without the signature of the President
289
AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE SOCIAL REFORM AND

POVERTY ALLEVIATION PROGRAM, CREATING
FOR THE PURPOSE THE NATIONAL ANTI-POVERTY
COMMISSION, DEFINING ITS POWERS AND
FUNCTIONS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

SECTION 1. Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Social

Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act.”
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 4. Adoption and Integration of Social Reform

Agenda (SRA) in the National Anti-Poverty Action Agenda. –
The National Anti-Poverty Action Agenda shall principally
include the core principles and programs of the Social Reform
Agenda (SRA). The SRA shall have a multi-dimensional
approach to poverty consisting of the following reforms:
(1) Social dimension access to quality basic services. –

These are reforms which refer to equitable control and access
to social services and facilities such as education, health,
housing, and other basic services which enable the citizens to
meet their basic human needs and to live decent lives;
(2) Economic dimension asset reform and access to

economic opportunities. - Reforms which address the existing
inequities in the ownership, distribution, management and
control over natural and man-made resources from which they
earn a living or increase the fruits of their labor;
(3) Ecological dimension sustainable development of

productive resources. - Reforms which ensure the effective and
sustainable utilization of the natural and ecological resource
290
base, thus assuring greater social acceptability and increased

participation of the basic sectors in environmental and natural
resources conservation, management and development;
(4) Governance dimension democratizing the decision-

making and management processes. - Reforms which enable the
basic sectors to effectively participate in decision-making and
management processes that affect their rights, interests and
welfare.
The SRA shall focus on the following sector-specific

flagship programs:
XXX XXX XXX
(6) For members of other disadvantaged groups such as

the women, children, youth, persons with disabilities, the
elderly, and victims of natural and man-made calamities – the
Comprehensive Integrated Delivery of Social Services (CIDSS).
Additionally, to support the sectoral flagship programs,

the following cross-sectoral flagships shall likewise be instituted:
(1) Institution-building and effective participation in

governance;
(2) Livelihood programs;
(3) Expansion of micro-credit/microfinance services and

capability building; and
(4) Infrastructure buildup and development.
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 6. Composition of the NAPC. – The President of

the Republic of the Philippines shall serve as Chairperson of
the NAPC. The President shall appoint the Lead Convenor of
the NAPC, either from the government or private sector, who
291
shall likewise serve as the head of the National Anti-Poverty

Commission Secretariat, and shall have the rank of a Cabinet
Secretary. There shall be a vice chairperson for the government
sector and a vice chairperson for the basic sectors; the former
to be designated by the President, and the latter to be elected
among the basic sector representatives of the NAPC as vice
chairperson for the basic sector; and the following as members:
XXX XXX XXX
(3) Representatives from each of the following basic

sectors:
XXX XXX XXX
(g) Women;
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 16. Special Credit Windows in Existing Government

Financing Institutions (GFIs) . – The existing government
financial institutions shall provide for the savings and credit
needs of the poor. The GFIs such as the Land Bank of the
Philippines, Philippine Postal Bank, Al Amanah Bank, and the
Development Bank of the Philippines are hereby mandated to
coordinate with NAPC and PCFC in setting up special credit
windows and other arrangements, such as the servicing of Small
Savers Instruments (SSIs), that will promote the microfinance
program of this Act.
The private financing institutions may also provide the

savings and credit requirements of the poor by setting up similar
credit windows and other arrangements to promote the savings
component of the microfinance program of this Act.
Special credit windows for the poor shall, as far as

practicable, include an allocation for the basic sectors, as defined
292
in this Act, particularly those living in the rural areas, agrarian

reform communities, and women in the countryside.
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 20. Repealing Clause. – All laws, executive orders,

rules and regulations, or parts thereof, inconsistent with this
Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly. The
provisions of this Act shall not be repealed, amended or modified
unless expressly provided in subsequent general or special laws.

Act shall be held invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining
provisions thereof not affected thereby shall remain in full force
and effect.
SEC. 22. Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall be effective

on June 30, 1998.
293
AN ACT PROVIDING ASSISTANCE AND PROTECTION FOR

RAPE VICTIMS, ESTABLISHING FOR THE PURPOSE
A RAPE CRISIS CENTER IN EVERY PROVINCE AND
CITY. AUTHORIZING THE APPROPRIATION OF
FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

SECTION I. Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Rape

Victim Assistance and Protection Act of 1998,”
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 4. Duty of the Police Officer. – Upon receipt by the

police of the complaint for rape, it shall be the duty of the police
officer to:
(a) Immediately refer the case to the prosecutor for

inquest investigation if the accused is detained; otherwise, the
rules of court shall apply;
(b) Arrange for counseling and medical services for the

offended party; and
(c) Immediately make a report on the action taken. It

shall be the duty of the police officer or the examining physician,
who must be of the same gender as the offended party, to ensure
that only persons expressly authorized by the offended party
shall be allowed inside the room where the investigation or
medical or physical examination is being conducted.
For this purpose. a women’s desk must be established in

every police precinct throughout the country to provide a police
woman to conduct investigation of complaints of women rape
victims. In the same manner, the preliminary investigation
294
proper or inquest of women rape victims must be assigned to

female prosecutor or prosecutors after the police shall have
endorsed all the pertinent papers thereof to the same office.
XXX XXX XXX

ninety (90) days upon the approval of this Act, all concerned
agencies shall formulate rules and regulations as may be
necessary for the proper implementation thereof.
SEC. 9. Separability Clause. – If any part, section or

provision of this Act is declared invalid or unconstitutional,
the other parts thereof not affected thereby shall remain valid.
SEC. 10. Repealing Clause. – All laws, acts, presidential

decrees, executive orders, administrative orders, rules and
regulations inconsistent with or contrary to the provisions of
this Act are deemed amended, modified or repealed accordingly.
SEC. II. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen

(15) days after completion of its publication in at least two (2)
Approved, February13, 1998.
295
AN ACT APPROPRIATING FUNDS FOR THE OPERATION OF

THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE
THIRTY-ONE, NINETEEN HUNDRED AND
NINETYEIGHT, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES


one to December thirty-one, nineteen hundred and ninety-eight,
SUMMARY OF FY 1998 NEW APPROPRIATIONS
(Amount, In thousand pesos)
XXX XXX XXX

bureaus, offices, agencies, state universities and colleges and
instrumentalities including government-owned and/or
controlled corporations shall set aside a minimum amount of
five percent (5%) out of their 1998 appropriations to be used for
projects designed to address gender issues in accordance with
R.A. No. 7192.
The concerned departments, bureaus, offices, agencies,

state universities and colleges and instrumentalities including
government-owned and/or controlled corporations shall
formulate their 1998 gender and development plan and submit
semestral reports to Congress, the Department of Budget and
296
Management and the National Commission on the Role of

Filipino Women, indicating the amounts utilized to implement
such gender-responsive projects and activities.

with the guidelines jointly issued by the National Economic and
Development Authority, the Department of Budget and
Management and the National Commission on the Role of
Filipino Women.
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 91. Separability Clause. – If for any reason any


take effect on January one, nineteen hundred and ninety-eight,
Approved, February 14, 1998
297
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE REFORM AND

REORGANIZATION OF THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL
POLICE AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES, AMENDING
CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT
NUMBERED SIXTY-NINE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-
FIVE ENTITLED, “AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE
PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE UNDER A
REORGANIZED DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES”

TITLE I
TITLE AND DECLARATION OF POLICY

“Philippine National Police Reform and Reorganization Act of
1998.”
XXX XXX XXX
D. PROMOTION SYSTEM
SEC. 31. Rationalized Promotion System. – Within six

(6) months after the effectivity of this Act, the Commission shall
establish a system of promotion for uniformed and non-
uniformed personnel of the PNP which shall be based on merits
and on the availability of vacant positions in the PNP staffing
pattern. Such system shall be gender fair and shall ensure that
women members of the PNP shall enjoy equal opportunity for
promotion as that of men.
XXX XXX XXX
298
TITLE VII
CREATION OF WOMEN’S DESKS IN ALL POLICE
STATIONS AND THE FORMULATION OF A GENDER
SENSITIVITY PROGRAM
SEC. 57. Creation and Functions . – The PNP shall

establish women’s desks in all police stations throughout the
country to administer and attend to cases involving crimes
against chastity, sexual harassment, abuses committed against
women and children and other similar offenses: Provided, That
municipalities and cities presently without policewomen will
have two (2) years upon the effectivity of this Act within which
to comply with the requirement of this provision.
SEC. 58. Prioritization of Women for Recruitment. –

Within the next five (5) years, the PNP shall prioritize the
recruitment and training of women who shall serve in the
women’s desk. Pursuant to this requirement, the PNP shall
reserve ten percent (10%) of its annual recruitment, training,
and education quota for women.
SEC. 59. Gender Sensitivity Program. – The Commission

shall formulate a gender sensitivity program within ninety (90)
days from the effectivity of this Act to include but not limited to
the establishment of equal opportunities for women in the PNP,
the prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace, and the
prohibition of discrimination on the basis of gender or sexual
orientation.
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 61. Non-Prohibition for Promotion. – Nothing in this

title shall be construed as a restriction on the assignment of
policewomen to other positions in the PNP nor shall any
provisions of this title be used for the non-promotion of a PNP
female personnel to higher position.
299
XXX XXX XXX
TITLE X
TRANSITORY PROVISIONS
SEC. 72. Transition . – The provisions on the

reorganization and the civilianization of the PNP and the
devolution of police capabilities to the local police forces shall
be effected within three (3) years after the effectivity of this
Act.
TITLE XI
FINAL PROVISIONS
SEC. 73. Rules and Regulations . – Unless otherwise

provided in this Act, the Commission in coordination with the
Philippine National Police and the Department of the Interior
and Local Government, shall promulgate rules and regulations
for the effective implementation of this Act. Such rules and
regulations shall take effect upon their publication in three (3)
SEC. 74. Appropriations. – The amount necessary to carry

out the provisions of this Act is hereby authorized to be
appropriated in the General Appropriations Act of the year
following its enactment into law and thereafter.

decrees, letters of instructions, executive orders, rules and
regulations insofar as they are inconsistent with this Act, are
hereby repealed or amended as the case may be.

this Act or any portion thereof is declared unconstitutional by a
competent court, other provisions shall not be affected thereby.
300

after its complete publication in at least three (3) newspapers
301

THIRTY-ONE, NINETEEN HUNDRED AND
NINETYNINE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES


one to December thirty-one, nineteen hundred and ninety-nine,
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 28. Programs/Projects Related to Gender and

Development (GAD) . – The National Economic and
Development Authority (NEDA) and the Department of Budget
and Management (DBM), in consultation with the National
Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW), shall
formulate a set of guidelines for the implementation of
programs/ projects related to GAD.
In consultation with the NCRFW, all departments,

offices, bureaus, agencies, state universities and colleges,
government owned and controlled corporations and other
instrumentalities, shall formulate a GAD plan, designed to
address gender issues, in accordance with RA 7192 and the
Philippine Plan for Gender- Responsive Development (PPGD),
1995-2005. The cost of implementation of the GAD plan shall be
302
at least five percent (5%) of the agency’s total 1999 budget

appropriation.
All concerned government entities shall submit their

GAD plan to the NCRFW for review. They shall likewise submit
annual reports to Congress, the DBM and the NCRFW,
indicating the accomplishments and amounts utilized to
implement GAD related programs/projects/activities.
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 89. Separability Clause. – If for any reason, any


take effect on January one, nineteen hundred and ninety-nine,
303

THIRTY-ONE, TWO THOUSAND, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES


one to December thirty-one, two thousand, except where
otherwise specifically provided herein:
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 27. Programs/Projects Related to Gender and

Development (GAD) . – In consultation with the National
Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW), all
departments including their attached agencies, offices, bureaus,
agencies, State universities and colleges, government-owned
and controlled corporations and other instrumentalities, shall
formulate a GAD Plan, designed to empower women and
address gender issues, in accordance with R.A. No. 7192 and
the Philippine Plan for Gender-Responsive Development
(PPGD), 1995-2025. The cost of implementation of the GAD Plan
shall be at least five percent (5%) of the agency’s total FY 2000
budget appropriations.
304
All concerned government entities shall submit their

GAD Plan to the NCRFW for review. They shall likewise submit
annual reports to Congress, the Department of Budget and
Management (DBM) and the NCRFW, indicating the
accomplishment and amounts utilized to implement programs/
projects/activities addressing gender issues and women
empowerment. The evaluation of agencies’ utilization of the
GAD budget shall be performance-based.
In addition to Joint Circular 99-4 issued by the National

Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the DBM and
NCRFW, additional sets of guidelines, as deemed necessary,
shall be formulated, for the implementation of GAD-related
programs/projects/activities.
XXX XXX XXX
VI. CLOSING STATEMENT
In closing, I would like to put on record my gratitude to

the leadership of both Houses of Congress, most especially to
the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate
Finance Committee for the extreme effort in the enactment of
this General Appropriations Act for FY 2000. The crafting of
this general appropriations measure has been difficult in view
of the tight fiscal situation facing us. But it is true that in
adversity, we find unity in spirit and cooperation of hearts and
minds to come up with what is best for the nation. In the past
one and a half years of my Administration, the coordination
between the Executive and the Legislative branches of
government in budgeting and fiscal management has
continuously improved. Therefore, I am confident that with the
high spirit and our strong commitment to public service, this
budget for “Angat Pinoy 2004” will finally lead us in building
305
and in installing a Government that puts in the highest priority

the concerns and welfare of the greatest number of our people
as well as of the poorest of our citizenry.
Very truly yours,
(Sgd.) JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA

Manila
306
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE BENEFITS AND PRIVILEGES

TO SOLO PARENTS AND THEIR CHILDREN,
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES

SECTION 1. Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Solo

Parents’ Welfare Act of 2000.”
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. – Whenever used in this Act,

the following terms shall mean as follows:
(a) “Solo parent” - any individual who falls under any of

the following categories:
(1) A woman who gives birth as a result of rape and other

crimes against chastity even without a final conviction of the
offender: Provided, That the mother keeps and raises the child;
XXX XXX XXX

orders, administrative orders or parts thereof inconsistent with
the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended or
modified accordingly.

Act is held invalid or unconstitutional, other provisions not
307

fifteen (15) days following its complete publication in the
Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general
circulation.
308
AN ACT PROMULGATING A COMPREHENSIVE POLICY

AND A NATIONAL SYSTEM FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD
CARE AND DEVELOPMENT (ECCD), PROVIDING
FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES


the “ECCD Act.”
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 3. Objectives. – The objectives of the National ECCD

System are:
(a) To achieve improved infant and child survival rates

by ensuring that adequate health and nutrition programs are
accessible to young children and their mothers from the pre-
natal period throughout the early childhood years;
(b) To enhance the physical, social, emotional, cognitive,

psychological, spiritual and language development of young
children;
(c) To enhance the role of parents and other caregivers

as the primary caregivers and educators of their children from
birth onwards;
(d) To facilitate a smooth transition from care and

education provided at home to community or school-based
setting and to primary school;
(e) To enhance the capabilities of service providers and

their supervisors to comply with quality standards for various
ECCD programs;
309
(f) To enhance and sustain the efforts of communities to

promote ECCD programs and ensure that special support is
provided for poor and disadvantaged communities;
(g) To ensure that young children are adequately prepared

for the formal learning system and that both public and private
schools are responsive to the developmental needs of these
children;
(h) To establish an efficient system for early

identification, prevention, referral and intervention for
developmental disorders and disabilities in early childhood; and
(i) To improve the quality standards of public and private

ECCD programs through, but not limited to, a registration and
credential system for ECCD service providers.
XXX XXX XXX

Act is declared unconstitutional, the same shall not affect the
validity and effectivity of the other provisions thereof.
SEC. 13. Repealing Clause. – Pertinent provisions of

Presidential Decree No. 603 and Executive Order No. 233, all
laws, decrees, executive orders, presidential proclamations,
rules and regulations or parts thereof contrary to or inconsistent
with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified
accordingly.

Council in consultation with all appropriate government
agencies and nongovernment organizations shall formulate and
issue the necessary rules and regulations for the implementation
of this Act within ninety (90) days after the effectivity of this
Act.
310

fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or
in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
311
AN ACT TO INSTITUTE POLICIES TO ELIMINATE

TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS ESPECIALLY WOMEN
AND CHILDREN, ESTABLISHING THE NECESSARY
INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS FOR THE
PROTECTION AND SUPPORT OF TRAFFICKED
PERSONS, PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR ITS
VIOLATIONS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

SECTION 1. Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Anti-

Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003”.
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is hereby declared that

the State values the dignity of every human person and
guarantees the respect of individual rights. In pursuit of this
policy, the State shall give highest priority to the enactment of
measures and development of programs that will promote
human dignity, protect the people from any threat of violence
and exploitation, eliminate trafficking in persons, and mitigate
pressures for involuntary migration and servitude of persons,
not only to support trafficked persons but more importantly, to
ensure their recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration into the
mainstream of society.
It shall be a State policy to recognize the equal rights

and inherent human dignity of women and men as enshrined in
the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights,
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, United
Nations Convention on the Protection of Migrant Workers and
their Families,United Nations Convention Against
Transnational Organized Crime Including its Protocol to
Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially
Women and Children and all other relevant and universally
312
accepted human rights instruments and other international

conventions to which the Philippines is a signatory.
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 16. Programs that Address Trafficking in Persons.

– The government shall establish and implement preventive,
protective and rehabilitative programs for trafficked persons.
For this purpose, the following agencies are hereby mandated
to implement the following programs.
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 20. Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking . –

There is hereby established an Inter-Agency Council Against
Trafficking, to be composed of the Secretary of the Department
of Justice as Chairperson and the Secretary of the Department
of Social Welfare and Development as Co-Chairperson and shall
have the following as members:
(a) Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs;
(b) Secretary, Department of Labor and Employment;
(c) Administrator, Philippine Overseas Employment

Administration;
(d) Commissioner, Bureau of Immigration;
(e) Director-General, Philippine National Police;
(f) Chairperson, National Commission on the Role of

Filipino Women; and
(g) Three (3) representatives from NGOs, who shall be

composed of one (1) representative each from among the sectors
representing women, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and
children, with a proven record of involvement in the prevention
and suppression of trafficking in persons. These representatives
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shall be nominated by the government agency representatives

of the Council, for appointment by the President for a term of
three (3) years.
The members of the Council may designate their

permanent representatives who shall have a rank not lower
than an assistant secretary or its equivalent to meetings, and
shall receive emoluments as may be determined by the Council
in accordance with existing budget and accounting, rules and
regulations.
XXX XXX XXX

section or provision of this Act is held unconstitutional or
invalid, the other sections or provisions hereof shall not be
affected thereby.
SEC. 32. Repealing clause. – All laws, presidential

decrees, executive orders and rules and regulations, or parts
thereof, inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby
repealed or modified accordingly: Provided, That this Act shall
not in any way amend or repeal the provision of Republic Act
No. 7610, otherwise known as the “Special Protection of Children
Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act”.

(15) days from the date of its complete publication in at least
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AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE PURIFICATION DOLAR

MONFORT NATIONAL SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL IN
BARAGAY P. D. MONFORT NORTH, MUNICIPALITY
OF DUMANGAS, PROVINCE OF ILOlLO,
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES

SECTION 1. There shall be established under the

supervision of the Department of ’ Education (DepEd) a national
science high school in Barangay P. D. Monfort North
Municipality of Dumangas. Province of Iloilo to be known as
the Purification Dolar Monfort National Science High School.
SEC. 2. The site of said national science high school shall

be Located within the compound of the Dolar State College P.
D. Monfort, South Dumangas, Iloilo.
SEC. 3. The DepEd shall issue such rules and regulation

as May be necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act.
SEC. 4. The Secretary of the DepEd shall immediately

include in its program the operationalization of the Purificacion
Dolar Monfort National High School the funding of which shall
be included in the annual General Appropriation Act.
315
AN ACT ALLOWING ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN TO USE

THE SURNAME OF THEIR FATHER, AMENDING FOR
THE PURPOSE ARTICLE 176 OF EXECUTIVE ORDER
NO. 209, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE “FAMILY
CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES”

SECTION 1. Article176 of Executive Order No.209,

otherwise known as the Family Code of the Philippines, is
hereby amended to read as follows:
“Article 176. Illegitimate children shall use the surname

and shall be under the parental authority of their mother, and
shall be entitled to support in conformity with this Code.
However, illegitimate children may use the surname of their
father if their filiation has been expressly recognized by the
father through the record of birth appearing in the civil register,
or when an admission in a public document or private
handwritten instrument is made by the father. Provided, the
father has the right to institute an action before the regular
courts to prove non-filiation during his lifetime. The legitime
of each illegitimate child shall consist of one-half of the legitime
of a legitimate child. “

decrees, executive orders, proclamations, rules and regulations,
which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby
repealed or modified accordingly.

fifteen (15) days from its publication in the Official Gazette or
in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
316
AN ACT DEFINING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND

THEIR CHILDREN, PROVIDING FOR PROTECTIVE
MEASURES FOR VICTIMS, PRESCRIBING
PENALTIES THEREFORE, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES

SECTION 1. Short Title.- This Act shall be known as the

“Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004”.
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy.- It is hereby declared that

the State values the dignity of women and children and
guarantees full respect for human rights. The State also
recognizes the need to protect the family and its members
particularly women and children, from violence and threats to
their personal safety and security.
Towards this end, the State shall exert efforts to address

violence committed against women and children in keeping with
the fundamental freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution
and the Provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, the convention on the Elimination of all forms of
discrimination Against Women, Convention on the Rights of the
Child and other international human rights instruments of
which the Philippines is a party.
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms.- As used in this Act,
(a) “Violence against women and their children” refers

to any act or a series of acts committed by any person against a
woman who is his wife, former wife, or against a woman with
whom the person has or had a sexual or dating relationship, or
with whom he has a common child, or against her child whether
legitimate or illegitimate, within or without the family abode,
317
which result in or is likely to result in physical, sexual,

psychological harm or suffering, or economic abuse including
threats of such acts, battery, assault, coercion, harassment or
arbitrary deprivation of liberty. It includes, but is not limited
to, the following acts:
A. “Physical Violence” refers to acts that include bodily

or physical harm;
B. “Sexual violence” refers to an act which is sexual in

nature, committed against a woman or her child. It includes,
but is not limited to:
a) rape, sexual harassment, acts of lasciviousness,

treating a woman or her child as a sex object, making demeaning
and sexually suggestive remarks, physically attacking the sexual
parts of the victim’s body, forcing her/him to watch obscene
publications and indecent shows or forcing the woman or her
child to do indecent acts and/or make films thereof, forcing the
wife and mistress/lover to live in the conjugal home or sleep
together in the same room with the abuser;
b) acts causing or attempting to cause the victim to

engage in any sexual activity by force, threat of force, physical
or other harm or threat of physical or other harm or coercion;
c) Prostituting the woman or child.
C. “Psychological violence” refers to acts or omissions

causing or likely to cause mental or emotional suffering of the
victim such as but not limited to intimidation, harassment,
stalking, damage to property, public ridicule or humiliation,
repeated verbal abuse and mental infidelity. It includes causing
or allowing the victim to witness the physical, sexual or
psychological abuse of a member of the family to which the victim
belongs, or to witness pornography in any form or to witness
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abusive injury to pets or to unlawful or unwanted deprivation

of the right to custody and/or visitation of common children.
D. “Economic abuse” refers to acts that make or attempt

to make a woman financially dependent which includes, but is
not limited to the following:
1. withdrawal of financial support or preventing the

victim from engaging in any legitimate profession, occupation,
business or activity, except in cases wherein the other spouse/
partner objects on valid, serious and moral grounds as defined
in Article 73 of the Family Code;
2. deprivation or threat of deprivation of financial

resources and the right to the use and enjoyment of the conjugal,
community or property owned in common;
3. destroying household property;
4. controlling the victims’ own money or properties or

solely controlling the conjugal money or properties.
(b) “Battery” refers to an act of inflicting physical harm

upon the woman or her child resulting to the physical and
psychological or emotional distress.
(c) “Battered Woman Syndrome” refers to a scientifically

defined pattern of psychological and behavioral symptoms found
in women living in battering relationships as a result of
cumulative abuse.
(d) “Stalking” refers to an intentional act committed by a

person who, knowingly and without lawful justification follows
the woman or her child or places the woman or her child under
surveillance directly or indirectly or a combination thereof.
(e) “Dating relationship” refers to a situation wherein

the parties live as husband and wife without the benefit of
319
marriage or are romantically involved over time and on a

continuing basis during the course of the relationship. A casual
acquaintance or ordinary socialization between two individuals
in a business or social context is not a dating relationship.
(f) “Sexual relations” refers to a single sexual act which

may or may not result in the bearing of a common child.
(g) “Safe place or shelter” refers to any home or

institution maintained or managed by the Department of Social
Welfare and Development (DSWD) or by any other agency or
voluntary organization accredited by the DSWD for the purposes
of this Act or any other suitable place the resident of which is
willing temporarily to receive the victim.
(h) “Children” refers to those below eighteen (18) years

of age or older but are incapable of taking care of themselves as
defined under Republic Act No. 7610. As used in this Act, it
includes the biological children of the victim and other children
under her care.
SEC. 4. Construction.– This Act shall be liberally

construed to promote the protection and safety of victims of
violence against women and their children.
SEC. 5. Acts of Violence Against Women and Their

Children.– The crime of violence against women and their
children is committed through any of the following acts:
(a) Causing physical harm to the woman or her child;
(b) Threatening to cause the woman or her child physical

harm;
(c) Attempting to cause the woman or her child physical

harm;
320
(d) Placing the woman or her child in fear of imminent

physical harm;
(e) Attempting to compel or compelling the woman or

her child to engage in conduct which the woman or her child
has the right to desist from or desist from conduct which the
woman or her child has the right to engage in, or attempting to
restrict or restricting the woman’s or her child’s freedom of
movement or conduct by force or threat of force, physical or
other harm or threat of physical or other harm, or intimidation
directed against the woman or child. This shall include, but not
limited to, the following acts committed with the purpose or
effect of controlling or restricting the woman’s or her child’s
movement or conduct:
(1) Threatening to deprive or actually depriving the

woman or her child of custody to her/his family;
(2) Depriving or threatening to deprive the woman or

her children of financial support legally due her or her family,
or deliberately providing the woman’s children insufficient
financial support;
(3) Depriving or threatening to deprive the woman or

her child of a legal right;
(4) Preventing the woman in engaging in any legitimate

profession, occupation, business or activity or controlling the
victim’s own mon4ey or properties, or solely controlling the
conjugal or common money, or properties;
(f) Inflicting or threatening to inflict physical harm on

oneself for the purpose of controlling her actions or decisions;
(g) Causing or attempting to cause the woman or her child

to engage in any sexual activity which does not constitute rape,
by force or threat of force, physical harm, or through intimidation
321
directed against the woman or her child or her/his immediate

family;
(h) Engaging in purposeful, knowing, or reckless conduct,

personally or through another that alarms or causes substantial
emotional or psychological distress to the woman or her child.
This shall include, but not be limited to, the following acts:
(1) Stalking or following the woman or her child in public

or private places;
(2) Peering in the window or lingering outside the

residence of the woman or her child;
(3) Entering or remaining in the dwelling or on the

property of the woman or her child against her/his will;
(4) Destroying the property and personal belongings or

inflicting harm to animals or pets of the woman or her child;
and
(5) Engaging in any form of harassment or violence;
(i) Causing mental or emotional anguish, public ridicule

or humiliation to the woman or her child, including, but not
limited to, repeated verbal and emotional abuse, and denial of
financial support or custody of minor children of access to the
woman’s child/children.
SEC. 6. Penalties.- The crime of violence against women

and their children, under Section 5 hereof shall be punished
according to the following rules:
(a) Acts falling under Section 5(a) constituting attempted,

frustrated or consummated parricide or murder or homicide
shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of the
Revised Penal Code.
322
If these acts resulted in mutilation, it shall be punishable

in accordance with the Revised Penal Code; those constituting
serious physical injuries shall have the penalty of prison mayor;
those constituting less serious physical injuries shall be punished
by prision correccional; and those constituting slight physical
injuries shall be punished by arresto mayor.
Acts falling under Section 5(b) shall be punished by

imprisonment of two degrees lower than the prescribed penalty
for the consummated crime as specified in the preceding
paragraph but shall in no case be lower than arresto mayor.
(b) Acts falling under Section 5(c) and 5(d) shall be

punished by arresto mayor;
(c) Acts falling under Section 5(e) shall be punished by

prision correccional;
(d) Acts falling under Section 5(f) shall be punished by

arresto mayor;
(e) Acts falling under Section 5(g) shall be punished by

prision mayor;
(f) Acts falling under Section 5(h) and Section 5(i) shall
be punished by prision mayor.
If the acts are committed while the woman or child is

pregnant or committed in the presence of her child, the penalty
to be applied shall be the maximum period of penalty prescribed
in the section.
In addition to imprisonment, the perpetrator shall (a)

pay a fine in the amount of not less than One hundred thousand
pesos (P100,000.00) but not more than three hundred thousand
pesos (300,000.00); (b) undergo mandatory psychological
counseling or psychiatric treatment and shall report compliance
to the court.
323
SEC. 7. Venue.- The Regional Trial Court designated as

a Family Court shall have original and exclusive jurisdiction
over cases of violence against women and their children under
this law. In the absence of such court in the place where the
offense was committed, the case shall be filed in the Regional
Trial Court where the crime or any of its elements was
committed at the option of the compliant.
SEC. 8. Protection Orders.- A protection order is an order

issued under this act for the purpose of preventing further acts
of violence against a woman or her child specified in Section 5
of this Act and granting other necessary relief. The relief
granted under a protection order serve the purpose of
safeguarding the victim from further harm, minimizing any
disruption in the victim’s daily life, and facilitating the
opportunity and ability of the victim to independently regain
control over her life. The provisions of the protection order shall
be enforced by law enforcement agencies. The protection orders
that may be issued under this Act are the barangay protection
order (BPO), temporary protection order (TPO) and permanent
protection order (PPO). The protection orders that may be
issued under this Act shall include any, some or all of the
following reliefs:
(a) Prohibition of the respondent from threatening to

commit or committing, personally or through another, any of
the acts mentioned in Section 5 of this Act;
(b) Prohibition of the respondent from harassing,

annoying, telephoning, contacting or otherwise communicating
with the petitioner, directly or indirectly;
(c) Removal and exclusion of the respondent from the

residence of the petitioner, regardless of ownership of the
residence, either temporarily for the purpose of protecting the
petitioner, or permanently where no property rights are
violated, and if respondent must remove personal effects from
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the residence, the court shall direct a law enforcement agent to

accompany the respondent has gathered his things and escort
respondent from the residence;
(d) Directing the respondent to stay away from petitioner

and designated family or household member at a distance
specified by the court, and to stay away from the residence,
school, place of employment, or any specified place frequented
by the petitioner and any designated family or household
member;
(e) Directing lawful possession and use by petitioner of

an automobile and other essential personal effects, regardless
of ownership, and directing the appropriate law enforcement
officer to accompany the petitioner to the residence of the
parties to ensure that the petitioner is safely restored to the
possession of the automobile and other essential personal
effects, or to supervise the petitioner’s or respondent’s removal
of personal belongings;
(f) Granting a temporary or permanent custody of a child/

children to the petitioner;
(g) Directing the respondent to provide support to the

woman and/or her child if entitled to legal support.
Notwithstanding other laws to the contrary, the court shall order
an appropriate percentage of the income or salary of the
respondent to be withheld regularly by the respondent’s
employer for the same to be automatically remitted directly to
the woman. Failure to remit and/or withhold or any delay in
the remittance of support to the woman and/or her child without
justifiable cause shall render the respondent or his employer
liable for indirect contempt of court;
(h) Prohibition of the respondent from any use or

possession of any firearm or deadly weapon and order him to
surrender the same to the court for appropriate disposition by
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the court, including revocation of license and disqualification

to apply for any license to use or possess a firearm. If the
offender is a law enforcement agent, the court shall order the
offender to surrender his firearm and shall direct the
appropriate authority to investigate on the offender and take
appropriate action on matter;
(i) Restitution for actual damages caused by the violence

inflicted, including, but not limited to, property damage, medical
expenses, childcare expenses and loss of income;
(j) Directing the DSWD or any appropriate agency to

provide petitioner may need; and
(k) Provision of such other forms of relief as the court

deems necessary to protect and provide for the safety of the
petitioner and any designated family or household member,
provided petitioner and any designated family or household
member consents to such relief.
Any of the reliefs provided under this section shall be

granted even in the absence of a decree of legal separation or
annulment or declaration of absolute nullity of marriage.
The issuance of a BPO or the pendency of an application

for BPO shall not preclude a petitioner from applying for, or
the court from granting a TPO or PPO.
SEC. 9. Who may file Petition for Protection Orders. – A

petition for protection order may be filed by any of the following:
(a) the offended party;
(b) parents or guardians of the offended party;
(c) ascendants, descendants or collateral relatives within

the fourth civil degree of consanguinity or affinity;
326
(d) officers or social workers of the DSWD or social

workers of local government units (LGUs);
(e) police officers, preferably those in charge of women

and children’s desks;
(f) Punong Barangay or Barangay Kagawad;
(g) lawyer, counselor, therapist or healthcare provider

of the petitioner;
(h) At least two (2) concerned responsible citizens of the

city or municipality where the violence against women and their
children occurred and who has personal knowledge of the offense
committed.
SEC. 10. Where to Apply for a Protection Order. –

Applications for BPOs shall follow the rules on venue under
Section 409 of the Local Government Code of 1991 and its
implementing rules and regulations. An application for a TPO
or PPO may be filed in the regional trial court, metropolitan
trial court, municipal trial court, municipal circuit trial court
with territorial jurisdiction over the place of residence of the
petitioner: Provided, however, That if a family court exists in
the place of residence of the petitioner, the application shall be
filed with that court.
SEC. 11. How to Apply for a Protection Order. – The

application for a protection order must be in writing, signed
and verified under oath by the applicant. It may be filed as an
independent action or as incidental relief in any civil or criminal
case the subject matter or issues thereof partakes of a violence
as described in this Act. A standard protection order application
form, written in English with translation to the major local
languages, shall be made available to facilitate applications for
protections order, and shall contain, among other, the following
information:
327
(a) names and addresses of petitioner and respondent;
(b) description of relationships between petitioner and

respondent;
(c) a statement of the circumstances of the abuse;
(d) description of the reliefs requested by petitioner as

specified in Section 8 herein;
(e) request for counsel and reasons for such;
(f) request for waiver of application fees until hearing;

and
(g) an attestation that there is no pending application

for a protection order in another court.
If the applicants is not the victim, the application must

be accompanied by an affidavit of the applicant attesting to (a)
the circumstances of the abuse suffered by the victim and (b)
the circumstances of consent given by the victim for the filling
of the application. When disclosure of the address of the victim
will pose danger to her life, it shall be so stated in the application.
In such a case, the applicant shall attest that the victim is
residing in the municipality or city over which court has
territorial jurisdiction, and shall provide a mailing address for
purpose of service processing.
An application for protection order filed with a court shall

be considered an application for both a TPO and PPO.
Barangay officials and court personnel shall assist

applicants in the preparation of the application. Law
enforcement agents shall also extend assistance in the
application for protection orders in cases brought to their
attention.
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SEC. 12. Enforceability of Protection Orders. – All TPOs

and PPOs issued under this Act shall be enforceable anywhere
in the Philippines and a violation thereof shall be punishable
with a fine ranging from Five Thousand Pesos (P5,000.00) to
Fifty Thousand Pesos (P50,000.00) and/or imprisonment of six
(6) months.
SEC. 13. Legal Representation of Petitioners for

Protection Order. – If the woman or her child requests in the
applications for a protection order for the appointment of
counsel because of lack of economic means to hire a counsel de
parte, the court shall immediately direct the Public Attorney’s
Office (PAO) to represent the petitioner in the hearing on the
application. If the PAO determines that the applicant can afford
to hire the services of a counsel de parte, it shall facilitate the
legal representation of the petitioner by a counsel de parte. The
lack of access to family or conjugal resources by the applicant,
such as when the same are controlled by the perpetrator, shall
qualify the petitioner to legal representation by the PAO.
However, a private counsel offering free legal service is

not barred from representing the petitioner.
SEC. 14. Barangay Protection Orders (BPOs); Who May

Issue and How. – Barangay Protection Orders (BPOs) refer to
the protection order issued by the Punong Barangay ordering
the perpetrator to desist from committing acts under Section 5
(a) and (b) of this Act. A Punong Barangay who receives
applications for a BPO shall issue the protection order to the
applicant on the date of filing after ex parte determination of
the basis of the application. If the Punong Barangay is
unavailable to act on the application for a BPO, the application
shall be acted upon by any available Barangay Kagawad. If the
BPO is issued by a Barangay Kagawad the order must be
accompanied by an attestation by the Barangay Kagawad that
the Punong Barangay was unavailable at the time for the
issuance of the BPO. BPOs shall be effective for fifteen (15) days.
329
Immediately after the issuance of an ex parte BPO, the Punong

Barangay or Barangay Kagawad shall personally serve a copy
of the same on the respondent, or direct any barangay official
to effect is personal service.
The parties may be accompanied by a non-lawyer advocate

in any proceeding before the Punong Barangay.
SEC. 15. Temporary Protection Orders. – Temporary

Protection Orders (TPOs) refers to the protection order issued
by the court on the date of filing of the application after ex parte
determination that such order should be issued. A court may
grant in a TPO any, some or all of the reliefs mentioned in this
Act and shall be effective for thirty (30) days. The court shall
schedule a hearing on the issuance of a PPO prior to or on the
date of the expiration of the TPO. The court shall order the
immediate personal service of the TPO on the respondent by
the court sheriff who may obtain the assistance of law
enforcement agents for the service. The TPO shall include notice
of the date of the hearing on the merits of the issuance of a
PPO.
SEC. 16. Permanent Protection Orders. – Permanent

Protection Order (PPO) refers to protection order issued by the
court after notice and hearing.
Respondent’s non-appearance despite proper notice, or

his lack of a lawyer, or the non-availability of his lawyer shall
not be a ground for rescheduling or postponing the hearing on
the merits of the issuance of a PPO. If the respondents appears
without counsel on the date of the hearing on the PPO, the court
shall appoint a lawyer for the respondent and immediately
proceed with the hearing. In case the respondent fails to appear
despite proper notice, the court shall allow ex parte
presentation of the evidence by the applicant and render
judgment on the basis of the evidence presented. The court shall
allow the introduction of any history of abusive conduct of a
330
respondent even if the same was not directed against the

applicant or the person for whom the applicant is made.
The court shall, to the extent possible, conduct the

hearing on the merits of the issuance of a PPO in one (1) day.
Where the court is unable to conduct the hearing within one (1)
day and the TPO issued is due to expire, the court shall
continuously extend or renew the TPO for a period of thirty
(30) days at each particular time until final judgment is issued.
The extended or renewed TPO may be modified by the court as
may be necessary or applicable to address the needs of the
applicant.
The court may grant any, some or all of the reliefs

specified in Section 8 hereof in a PPO. A PPO shall be effective
until revoked by a court upon application of the person in whose
favor the order was issued. The court shall ensure immediate
personal service of the PPO on respondent.
The court shall not deny the issuance of protection order

on the basis of the lapse of time between the act of violence and
the filing of the application.
Regardless of the conviction or acquittal of the

respondent, the Court must determine whether or not the PPO
shall become final. Even in a dismissal, a PPO shall be granted
as long as there is no clear showing that the act from which the
order might arise did not exist.
SEC. 17. Notice of Sanction in Protection Orders. – The

following statement must be printed in bold-faced type or in
capital letters on the protection order issued by the Punong
Barangay or court:
“VIOLATION OF THIS ORDER IS PUNISHABLE BY LAW.”
SEC. 18. Mandatory Period For Acting on Applications

For Protection Orders – Failure to act on an application for a
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protection order within the reglementary period specified in

the previous section without justifiable cause shall render the
official or judge administratively liable.
SEC. 19. Legal Separation Cases. – In cases of legal

separation, where violence as specified in this Act is alleged,
Article 58 of the Family Code shall not apply. The court shall
proceed on the main case and other incidents of the case as
soon as possible. The hearing on any application for a protection
order filed by the petitioner must be conducted within the
mandatory period specified in this Act.
SEC. 20. Priority of Application for a Protection Order. –

Ex parte and adversarial hearings to determine the basis of
applications for a protection order under this Act shall have
priority over all other proceedings. Barangay officials and the
courts shall schedule and conduct hearings on applications for
a protection order under this Act above all other business and,
if necessary, suspend other proceedings in order to hear
applications for a protection order.
SEC. 21. Violation of Protection Orders. – A complaint

for a violation of a BPO issued under this Act must be filed
directly with any municipal trial court, metropolitan trial court,
or municipal circuit trial court that has territorial jurisdiction
over the barangay that issued the BPO. Violation of a BPO shall
be punishable by imprisonment of thirty (30) days without
prejudice to any other criminal or civil action that the offended
party may file for any of the acts committed.
A judgement of violation of a BPO maybe appealed

according to the Rules of Court. During trial and upon judgment,
the trial court may motu proprio issue a protection order as it
deems necessary without need of an application.
Violation of any provision of a TPO or PPO issued under

this Act shall constitute contempt of court punishable under
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Rule 71 of the Rules of Court, without prejudice to any other

criminal or civil action that the offended party may file for any
of the acts committed.
SEC. 22. Applicability of Protection Orders to Criminal

Cases. – The foregoing provisions on protection orders shall be
applicable in impliedly instituted with the criminal actions
involving violence against women and their children.
SEC. 23. Bond to Keep the Peace. – The Court may order
any person against whom a protection order is issued to give a
bond to keep the peace, to present two sufficient sureties who
shall undertake that such person will not commit the violence
sought to be prevented.
Should the respondent fail to give the bond as required,

he shall be detained for a period which shall in no case exceed
six (6) months, if he shall have been prosecuted for acts
punishable under Section 5(a) to 5(f) and not exceeding thirty
(30) days, if for acts punishable under Section 5(g) to 5(I).
The protection orders referred to in this section are the

TPOs and the PPOs issued only by the courts.
SEC. 24. Prescriptive Period. – Acts falling under

Sections 5(a) to 5(f) shall prescribe in twenty (20) years. Acts
falling under Sections 5(g) to 5(I) shall prescribe in ten (10) years.
SEC. 25. Public Crime. – Violence against women and

their children shall be considered a public offense which may
be prosecuted upon the filing of a complaint by any citizen
having personal knowledge of the circumstances involving the
commission of the crime.
SEC. 26. Battered Woman Syndrome as a Defense. –

Victim-survivors who are found by the courts to be suffering
from battered woman syndrome do not incur any criminal and
civil liability notwithstanding the absence of any of the elements
333
for justifying circumstances of self-defense under the Revised

Penal Code.
In the determination of the state of mind of the woman

who was suffering from battered woman syndrome at the time
of the commission of the crime, the courts shall be assisted by
expert psychiatrists/ psychologists.
SEC. 27. Prohibited Defense. – Being under the influence

of alcohol, any illicit drug, or any other mind-altering substance
shall not be a defense under this Act.
SEC. 28. Custody of children. – The woman victim of

violence shall be entitled to the custody and support of her child/
children. Children below seven (7) years old older but with
mental or physical disabilities shall automatically be given to
the mother, with right to support, unless the court finds
compelling reasons to order otherwise.
A victim who is suffering from battered woman syndrome

shall not be disqualified from having custody of her children. In
no case shall custody of minor children be given to the
perpetrator of a woman who is suffering from Battered woman
syndrome.
SEC. 29. Duties of Prosecutors/Court Personnel. –

Prosecutors and court personnel should observe the following
duties when dealing with victims under this Act:
a) communicate with the victim in a language understood

by the woman or her child; and
b) inform the victim of her/his rights including legal

remedies available and procedure, and privileges for indigent
litigants.
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SEC. 30. Duties of Barangay Officials and Law Enforcers.

– Barangay officials and law enforcers shall have the following
duties:
(a) respond immediately to a call for help or request for

assistance or protection of the victim by entering the necessary
whether or not a protection order has been issued and ensure
the safety of the victim/s;
(b) confiscate any deadly weapon in the possession of the

perpetrator or within plain view;
(c) transport or escort the victim/s to a safe place of their

choice or to a clinic or hospital;
(d) assist the victim in removing personal belongs from

the house;
(e) assist the barangay officials and other government

officers and employees who respond to a call for help;
(f) ensure the enforcement of the Protection Orders

issued by the Punong Barangy or the courts;
(g) arrest the suspected perpetrator without a warrant

when any of the acts of violence defined by this Act is occurring,
or when he/she has personal knowledge that any act of abuse
has just been committed, and there is imminent danger to the
life or limb of the victim as defined in this Act; and
(h) immediately report the call for assessment or

assistance of the DSWD, social Welfare Department of LGUs
or accredited non-government organizations (NGOs).
Any barangay official or law enforcer who fails to report

the incident shall be liable for a fine not exceeding Ten Thousand
Pesos (P10,000.00) or whenever applicable criminal, civil or
administrative liability.
335
SEC. 31. Healthcare Provider Response to Abuse – Any

healthcare provider, including, but not limited to, an attending
physician, nurse, clinician, barangay health worker, therapist
or counselor who suspects abuse or has been informed by the
victim of violence shall:
(a) properly document any of the victim’s physical,

emotional or psychological injuries;
(b) properly record any of victim’s suspicions,

observations and circumstances of the examination or visit;
(c) automatically provide the victim free of charge a

medical certificate concerning the examination or visit;
(d) safeguard the records and make them available to

the victim upon request at actual cost; and
(e) provide the victim immediate and adequate notice of

rights and remedies provided under this Act, and services
available to them.
SEC. 32. Duties of Other Government Agencies and LGUs

– Other government agencies and LGUs shall establish
programs such as, but not limited to, education and information
campaign and seminars or symposia on the nature, causes,
incidence and consequences of such violence particularly
towards educating the public on its social impacts.
It shall be the duty of the concerned government agencies

and LGU’s to ensure the sustained education and training of
their officers and personnel on the prevention of violence against
women and their children under the Act.
SEC. 33. Prohibited Acts. – A Punong Barangay, Barangay

Kagawad or the court hearing an application for a protection
order shall not order, direct, force or in any way unduly
influence he applicant for a protection order to compromise or
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abandon any of the reliefs sought in the application for

protection under this Act. Section 7 of the Family Courts Act of
1997 and Sections 410, 411, 412 and 413 of the Local Government
Code of 1991 shall not apply in proceedings where relief is
sought under this Act.
Failure to comply with this Section shall render the

official or judge administratively liable.
SEC. 34. Persons Intervening Exempt from Liability. –

In every case of violence against women and their children as
herein defined, any person, private individual or police
authority or barangay official who, acting in accordance with
law, responds or intervenes without using violence or restraint
greater than necessary to ensure the safety of the victim, shall
not be liable for any criminal, civil or administrative liability
resulting therefrom.
SEC. 35. Rights of Victims. – In addition to their rights

under existing laws, victims of violence against women and their
children shall have the following rights:
(a) to be treated with respect and dignity;
(b) to avail of legal assistance from the PAO of the

Department of Justice (DOJ) or any public legal assistance office;
(c) To be entitled to support services form the DSWD

and LGUs’
(d) To be entitled to all legal remedies and support as

provided for under the Family Code; and
(e) To be informed of their rights and the services

available to them including their right to apply for a protection
order.
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SEC. 36. Damages. – Any victim of violence under this

Act shall be entitled to actual, compensatory, moral and
exemplary damages.
SEC. 37 . Hold Departure Order . – The court shall

expedite the process of issuance of a hold departure order in
cases prosecuted under this Act.
SEC. 38. Exemption from Payment of Docket Fee and

Other Expenses. – If the victim is an indigent or there is an
immediate necessity due to imminent danger or threat of danger
to act on an application for a protection order, the court shall
accept the application without payment of the filing fee and
other fees and of transcript of stenographic notes.
SEC. 39. Inter-Agency Council on Violence Against

Women and Their Children (IAC-VAWC). In pursuance of the
abovementioned policy, there is hereby established an Inter-
Agency Council on Violence Against Women and their children,
hereinafter known as the Council, which shall be composed of
the following agencies:
(a) Department of Social Welfare and Development

(DSWD);
(b) National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women

(NCRFW);
(c) Civil Service Commission (CSC);
(d) Commission on Human rights (CHR)
(e) Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC);
(f) Department of Justice (DOJ);
(g) Department of the Interior and Local Government

(DILG);
338
(h) Philippine National Police (PNP);
(i) Department of Health (DOH);
(j) Department of Education (DepEd);
(k) Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE); and
(l) National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
These agencies are tasked to formulate programs and

projects to eliminate VAW based on their mandates as well as
develop capability programs for their employees to become
more sensitive to the needs of their clients. The Council will
also serve as the monitoring body as regards to VAW initiatives.
The Council members may designate their duly

authorized representative who shall have a rank not lower than
an assistant secretary or its equivalent. These representatives
shall attend Council meetings in their behalf, and shall receive
emoluments as may be determined by the Council in accordance
with existing budget and accounting rules and regulations.
SEC. 40. Mandatory Programs and Services for Victims.

– The DSWD, and LGU’s shall provide the victims temporary
shelters, provide counseling, psycho-social services and /or,
recovery, rehabilitation programs and livelihood assistance.
The DOH shall provide medical assistance to victims.
SEC. 41. Counseling and Treatment of Offenders. – The

DSWD shall provide rehabilitative counseling and treatment
to perpetrators towards learning constructive ways of coping
with anger and emotional outbursts and reforming their ways.
When necessary, the offender shall be ordered by the Court to
submit to psychiatric treatment or confinement.
SEC. 42. Training of Persons Involved in Responding to

Violence Against Women and their Children Cases. – All
339
agencies involved in responding to violence against women and

their children cases shall be required to undergo education and
training to acquaint them with:
a. the nature, extend and causes of violence against

women and their children;
b. the legal rights of, and remedies available to, victims

of violence against women and their children;
c. the services and facilities available to victims or

survivors;
d. the legal duties imposed on police officers to make

arrest and to offer protection and assistance; and
e. techniques for handling incidents of violence against

women and their children that minimize the likelihood of injury
to the officer and promote the safety of the victim or survivor.
The PNP, in coordination with LGU’s shall establish an

education and training program for police officers and barangay
officials to enable them to properly handle cases of violence
against women and their children.
SEC. 43. Entitled to Leave. – Victims under this Act shall

be entitled to take a paid leave of absence up to ten (10) days in
addition to other paid leaves under the Labor Code and Civil
Service Rules and Regulations, extendible when the necessity
arises as specified in the protection order.
Any employer who shall prejudice the right of the person

under this section shall be penalized in accordance with the
provisions of the Labor Code and Civil Service Rules and
Regulations. Likewise, an employer who shall prejudice any
person for assisting a co-employee who is a victim under this
Act shall likewise be liable for discrimination.
340
SEC. 44. Confidentiality. – All records pertaining to cases

of violence against women and their children including those
in the barangay shall be confidential and all public officers and
employees and public or private clinics to hospitals shall respect
the right to privacy of the victim. Whoever publishes or causes
to be published, in any format, the name, address, telephone
number, school, business address, employer, or other identifying
information of a victim or an immediate family member, without
the latter’s consent, shall be liable to the contempt power of the
court.
Any person who violates this provision shall suffer the

penalty of one (1) year imprisonment and a fine of not more
than Five Hundred Thousand pesos (P500,000.00).
SEC. 45. Funding – The amount necessary to implement

the provisions of this Act shall be included in the annual General
Appropriations Act (GAA).
The Gender and Development (GAD) Budget of the

mandated agencies and LGU’s shall be used to implement
services for victim of violence against women and their children.

six (6) months from the approval of this Act, the DOJ, the
NCRFW, the DSWD, the DILG, the DOH, and the PNP, and three
(3) representatives from NGOs to be identified by the NCRFW,
shall promulgate the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR)
of this Act.
SEC. 47. Suppletory Application – For purposes of this

Act, the Revised Penal Code and other applicable laws, shall
have suppletory application.
SEC. 48. Separability Clause. – If any section or provision

of this Act is held unconstitutional or invalid, the other sections
or provisions shall not be affected.
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SEC. 49. Repealing Clause – All laws, Presidential

decrees, executive orders and rules and regulations, or parts
thereof, inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby
repealed or modified accordingly.
SEC. 50. Effectivity – This Act shall take effect fifteen

(15) days from the date of its complete publication in at least
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AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE COMPREHENSIVE

AGRARIAN REFORM PROGRAM (CARP),
EXTENDING THE ACQUISITION AND
DISTRIBUTION OF ALL AGRICULTURAL LANDS,
INSTITUTING NECESSARY REFORMS, AMENDING
FOR THE PURPOSE CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6657, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS
THE COMPREHENSIVE AGRARIAN REFORM LAW
OF 1988, AS AMENDED, AND APPROPRIATING
FUNDS THEREFOR

SECTION 1. Section 2 of Republic Act No. 6657, as

amended, otherwise known as the Comprehensive Agrarian
Reform Law of 1988, is hereby further amended to read as
follows:
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 2. Section 3 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended,

is hereby further amended to read as follows:
“SEC. 3. Definitions. – For the purpose of this Act, unless

the context indicates otherwise:
XXX XXX XXX
“(1) Rural women refer to women who are engaged

directly or indirectly in farming and/or fishing as their source
of livelihood, whether paid or unpaid, regular or seasonal, or in
food preparation, managing the household, caring for the
children, and other similar activities.”
XXX XXX XXX
343
SEC. 28. Periodic Reports. – The COCAR shall submit to

the Speaker of the House of Representatives and to the
President of the Senate of the Philippines periodic reports on
its findings and recommendations on actions to be undertaken
by both Houses of Congress, the DAR, and the PARC.
SEC. 29. Access to Information. – Notwithstanding the

provisions of Republic Act No. 1405 and other pertinent laws,
information on the amount of just compensation paid to any
landowner under Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, and other
agrarian reform laws shall be deemed public information.
SEC. 30. Resolution of Case. – Any case and/or proceeding

involving the implementation of the provisions of Republic Act
No. 6657, as amended, which may remain pending on June 30,
2014 shall be allowed to proceed to its finality and be executed
even beyond such date.

PARC and the DAR shall provide the necessary implementing
rules and regulations within thirty (30) days upon the approval
of this Act. Such rules and regulations shall take effect on July
1, 2009 and it shall be published in at least two (2) newspapers
SEC. 32. Repealing Clause. – Section 53 of Republic Act

No. 3844, otherwise known as the Agricultural Land Reform
Code, is hereby repealed and all other laws, decrees, executive
orders, issuances, rules and regulations, or parts thereof
inconsistent with this Act are hereby likewise repealed or
amended accordingly.

invalid, the other sections or provisions not affected thereby
shall remain in full force and effect.
344

on July 1, 2009 and it shall be published in at least two (2)
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AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE MAGNA CARTA OF

WOMEN

CHAPTER I
GENERAL PROVISIONS
SECTION. 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as

“The Magna Carta of Women”.
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. – Recognizing that the

economic, political, and sociocultural realities affect women’s
current condition, the State affirms the role of women in nation
building and ensures the substantive equality of women and
men. It shall promote empowerment of women and pursue equal
opportunities for women and men and ensure equal access to
resources and to development results and outcome. Further,
the State realizes that equality of men and women entails the
abolition of the unequal structures and practices that perpetuate
discrimination and inequality. To realize this, the State shall
endeavor to develop plans, policies, programs, measures, and
mechanisms to address discrimination and inequality in the
economic, political, social, and cultural life of women and men.
The State condemns discrimination against women in all

its forms and pursues by all appropriate means and without
delay the policy of eliminating discrimination against women
in keeping with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and other
international instruments consistent with Philippine law. The
State shall accord women the rights, protection, and
opportunities available to every member of society.
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The State affirms women’s rights as human rights and

shall intensify its efforts to fulfill its duties under international
and domestic law to recognize, respect, protect, fulfill, and
promote all human rights and fundamental freedoms of women,
especially marginalized women, in the economic, social, political,
cultural, and other fields without distinction or discrimination
on account of class, age, sex, gender, language, ethnicity, religion,
ideology, disability, education, and status. The State shall
provide the necessary mechanisms to enforce women’s rights
and adopt and undertake all legal measures necessary to foster
and promote the equal opportunity for women to participate in
and contribute to the development of the political, economic,
social, and cultural realms.
The State, in ensuring the full integration of women’s

concerns in the mainstream of development, shall provide ample
opportunities to enhance and develop their skills, acquire
productive employment and contribute to their families and
communities to the fullest of their capabilities.
In pursuance of this policy, the State reaffirms the right

of women in all sectors to participate in policy formulation,
planning, organization, implementation, management,
monitoring, and evaluation of all programs, projects, and
services. It shall support policies, researches, technology, and
training programs and other support services such as financing,
production, and marketing to encourage active participation of
women in national development.
SEC. 3. Principles of Human Rights of Women. – Human

rights are universal and inalienable. All people in the world
are entitled to them. The universality of human rights is
encompassed in the words of Article 1 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, which states that all human beings
are free and equal in dignity and rights.
347
Human rights are indivisible. Human rights are inherent

to the dignity of every human being whether they relate to civil,
cultural, economic, political, or social issues.
Human rights are interdependent and interrelated. The

fulfillment of one right often depends, wholly or in part, upon
the fulfillment of others.
All individuals are equal as human beings by virtue of

the inherent dignity of each human person. No one, therefore,
should suffer discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, gender,
age, language, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, political,
or other opinion, national, social, or geographical origin,
disability, property, birth, or other status as established by
human rights standards.
All people have the right to participate in and access

information relating to the decision- making processes that
affect their lives and well-being. Rights-based approaches
require a high degree of participation by communities, civil
society, minorities, women, young people, indigenous peoples,
and other identified groups.
States and other duty-bearers are answerable for the

observance of human rights. They have to comply with the legal
norms and standards enshrined in international human rights
instruments in accordance with the Philippine Constitution.
Where they fail to do so, aggrieved rights-holders are entitled
to institute proceedings for appropriate redress before a
competent court or other adjudicator in accordance with the
rules and procedures provided by law.
CHAPTER II
DEFINITION OF TERMS
SEC. 4. Definitions. – For purposes of this Act, the

following terms shall mean:
348
(a) “Women Empowerment” refers to the provision,

availability, and accessibility of opportunities, services, and
observance of human rights which enable women to actively
participate and contribute to the political, economic, social, and
cultural development of the nation as well as those which shall
provide them equal access to ownership, management, and
control of production, and of material and informational
resources and benefits in the family, community, and society.
(b) “Discrimination Against Women” refers to any gender-

based distinction, exclusion, or restriction which has the effect
or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment,
or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a
basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and
fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural,
civil, or any other field.
It includes any act or omission, including by law, policy,

administrative measure, or practice, that directly or indirectly
excludes or restricts women in the recognition and promotion
of their rights and their access to and enjoyment of
opportunities, benefits, or privileges.
A measure or practice of general application is

discrimination against women if it fails to provide for
mechanisms to offset or address sex or gender-based
disadvantages or limitations of women, as a result of which
women are denied or restricted in the recognition and protection
of their rights and in their access to and enjoyment of
opportunities, benefits, or privileges; or women, more than men,
are shown to have suffered the greater adverse effects of those
measures or practices.
Provided, finally, That discrimination compounded by or

intersecting with other grounds, status, or condition, such as
ethnicity, age, poverty, or religion shall be considered
discrimination against women under this Act.
349
(c) “Marginalization” refers to a condition where a whole

category of people is excluded from useful and meaningful
participation in political, economic, social, and cultural life.
(d) “Marginalized” refers to the basic, disadvantaged, or

vulnerable persons or groups who are mostly living in poverty
and have little or no access to land and other resources, basic
social and economic services such as health care, education,
water and sanitation, employment and livelihood opportunities,
housing, social security, physical infrastructure, and the justice
system.
These include, but are not limited to, women in the

following sectors and groups:
(1) “Small Farmers and Rural Workers” refers to those

who are engaged directly or indirectly in small farms and forest
areas, workers in commercial farms and plantations, whether
paid or unpaid, regular or season-bound. These shall include.
but are not limited to, (a) small farmers who own or are still
amortizing for lands that is not more than three (3) hectares,
tenants, leaseholders, and stewards; and (b) rural workers who
are either wage earners, self-employed, unpaid family workers
directly and personally engaged in agriculture, small-scale
mining, handicrafts, and other related farm and off-farm
activities;
(2) “Fisherfolk” refers to those directly or indirectly

engaged in taking, culturing, or processing fishery or aquatic
resources. These include, but are not to be limited to, women
engaged in fishing in municipal waters, coastal and marine
areas, women workers in commercial fishing and aquaculture,
vendors and processors of fish and coastal products, and
subsistence producers such as shell-gatherers, managers, and
producers of mangrove resources, and other related producers:
350
(3) “Urban Poor” refers to those residing in urban and

urbanizable slum or blighted areas, with or without the benefit
of security of abode, where the income of the head of the family
cannot afford in a sustained manner to provide for the family’s
basic needs of food, health, education, housing, and other
essentials in life;
(4) “Workers in the Formal Economy” refers to those who

are employed by any person acting directly or indirectly in the
interest of an employer in relation to an employee and shall
include the government and all its branches, subdivisions, and
instrumentalities, all government-owned and controlled
corporations and institutions, as well as non-profit private
institutions or organizations;
(5) “Workers in the Informal Economy” refers to self-

employed, occasionally or personally hired, subcontracted, paid
and unpaid family workers in household incorporated and
unincorporated enterprises, including home workers, micro-
entrepreneurs and producers, and operators of sari-sari stores
and all other categories who suffer from violation of workers’
rights;
(6) “Migrant Workers” refers to Filipinos who are to be

engaged, are engaged, or have been engaged in a remunerated
activity in a State of which they are not legal residents, whether
documented or undocumented;
(7) “Indigenous Peoples” refers to a group of people or

homogenous societies identified by self-ascription and ascription
by other, who have continuously lived as organized community
on communally bounded and defined territory, and who have,
under claims of ownership since time immemorial, occupied,
possessed customs, tradition, and other distinctive cultural
traits, or who have, through resistance to political, social, and
cultural inroads of colonization, non-indigenous religions and
culture, became historically differentiated from the majority of
351
Filipinos. They shall likewise include peoples who are regarded

as indigenous on account of their descent from the populations
which inhabited the country, at the time of conquest or
colonization, or at the time of inroads of non-indigenous religions
and cultures, or the establishment of present state boundaries,
who retain some or all of their own social, economic, cultural,
and political institutions, but who may have been displaced from
their traditional domains or who may have resettled outside
their ancestral domains as defined under Section 3(h), Chapter
II of Republic Act No. 8371, otherwise known as “The Indigenous
Peoples Rights Act of 1997” (IPRA of 1997);
(8) “Moro” refers to native peoples who have historically

inhabited Mindanao, Palawan, and Sulu, and who are largely of
the Islamic faith;
(9) “Children” refers to those who are below eighteen

(18) years of age or over but are unable to fully take care of
themselves or protect themselves from abuse, neglect, cruelty,
exploitation, or discrimination because of a physical or mental
disability or condition;
(10) “Senior Citizens” refers to those sixty (60) years of

age and above;
(11) “Persons with Disabilities” refers to those who are

suffering from restriction or different abilities, as a result of a
mental, physical, or sensory impairment to perform an activity
in the manner or within the range considered normal for a
human being; and
(12) “Solo Parents” refers to those who fall under the

category of a solo parent defined under Republic Act No. 8972,
otherwise known as the “Solo Parents Welfare Act of 2000”.
(e) “Substantive Equality” refers to the full and equal

enjoyment of rights and freedoms contemplated under this Act.
352
It encompasses de jure and de facto equality and also equality

in outcomes.
(f) “Gender Equality” refers to the principle asserting

the equality of men and women and their right to enjoy equal
conditions realizing their full human potentials to contribute
to and benefit from the results of development, and with the
State recognizing that all human beings are free and equal in
dignity and rights.
(g) “Gender Equity” refers to the policies, instruments,

programs, services, and actions that address the disadvantaged
position of women in society by providing preferential treatment
and affirmative action. Such temporary special measures aimed
at accelerating de facto equality between men and women shall
not be considered discriminatory but shall in no way entail as a
consequence the maintenance of unequal or separate standards.
These measures shall be discontinued when the objectives of
equality of opportunity and treatment have been achieved.
(h) “Gender and Development (GAD)” refers to the

development perspective and process that are participatory and
empowering, equitable, sustainable, free from violence,
respectful of human rights, supportive of self-determination and
actualization of human potentials. It seeks to achieve gender
equality as a fundamental value that should be reflected in
development choices; seeks to transform society’s social,
economic, and political structures and questions the validity of
the gender roles they ascribed to women and men; contends
that women are active agents of development and not just
passive recipients of development assistance; and stresses the
need of women to organize themselves and participate in
political processes to strengthen their legal rights.
(i) “Gender Mainstreaming” refers to the strategy for

making women’s as well as men’s concerns and experiences an
integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring,
353
and evaluation of policies and programs in all political,

economic, and societal spheres so that women and men benefit
equally and inequality is not perpetuated. It is the process of
assessing the implications for women and men of any planned
action, including legislation, policies, or programs in all areas
and at all levels.
(j) “Temporary Special Measures” refers to a variety of

legislative, executive, administrative, and regulatory
instruments, policies, and practices aimed at accelerating this
de facto equality of women in specific areas. These measures
shall not be considered discriminatory but shall in no way entail
as a consequence the maintenance of unequal or separate
standards. They shall be discontinued when their objectives
have been achieved.
(k) “Violence Against Women” refers to any act of gender-

based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical,
sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, including
threats of such acts, coercion, or arbitrary deprivation of liberty,
whether occurring in public or in private life. It shall be
understood to encompass, but not limited to, the following:
(1) Physical, sexual, psychological, and economic violence

occurring in the family, including battering, sexual abuse of
female children in the household, dowry-related violence,
marital rape, and other traditional practices harmful to women,
non-spousal violence, and violence related to exploitation;
(2) Physical, sexual, and psychological violence occurring

within the general community, including rape, sexual abuse,
sexual harassment, and intimidation at work, in educational
institutions and elsewhere, trafficking in women, and
prostitution; and
(3) Physical, sexual, and psychological violence

perpetrated or condoned by the State, wherever it occurs.
354
It also includes acts of violence against women as defined

in Republic Acts No. 9208 and 9262.
(l) “Women in the Military” refers to women employed

in the military, both in the major and technical services, who
are performing combat and/or noncombat functions, providing
security to the State, and protecting the people from various
forms of threat. It also includes women trainees in all military
training institutions.
(m) “Social Protection” refers to policies and programs

that seek to reduce poverty and vulnerability to risks and
enhance the social status and rights of all women, especially
the marginalized by promoting and protecting livelihood and
employment, protecting against hazards and sudden loss of
income, and improving people’s capacity to manage risk. Its
components are labor market programs, social insurance, social
welfare, and social safety nets.
CHAPTER III
DUTIES RELATED TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN
The State, private sector, society in general, and all

individuals shall contribute to the recognition, respect, and
promotion of the rights of women defined and guaranteed under
this Act.
SEC. 5. The State as the Primary Duty-Bearer. – The

State, as the primary duty-bearer, shall:
(a) Refrain from discriminating against women and

violating their rights;
(b) Protect women against discrimination and from

violation of their rights by private corporations, entities, and
individuals; and
355
(c) Promote and fulfill the rights of women in all spheres,

including their rights to substantive equality and non-
discrimination.
The State shall fulfill these duties through law, policy,

regulatory instruments, administrative guidelines, and other
appropriate measures, including temporary special measures.
Recognizing the interrelation of the human rights of

women, the State shall take measures and establish mechanisms
to promote the coherent and integrated implementation, and
enforcement of this Act and related laws, policies, or other
measures to effectively stop discrimination against and advance
the rights of women.
The State shall keep abreast with and be guided by

progressive developments in human rights of women under
international law and design of policies, laws, and other
measures to promote the objectives of this Act.
SEC. 6. Duties of the State Agencies and

Instrumentalities. - These duties of the State shall extend to all
state agencies, offices, and instrumentalities at all levels and
government-owned and -controlled corporations, subject to the
Constitution and pertinent laws, policies, or administrative
guidelines that define specific duties of state agencies and
entities concerned.
SEC. 7. Suppletory Effect. - This chapter shall be deemed

integrated into and be suppletory to other provisions of this
Act, particularly those that guarantee specific rights to women
and define specific roles and require specific conduct of state
organs.
CHAPTER IV
RIGHTS AND EMPOWERMENT
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SEC. 8. Human Rights of Women. – All rights in the

Constitution and those rights recognized under international
instruments duly signed and ratified by the Philippines, in
consonance with Philippine law, shall be rights of women under
this Act to be enjoyed without discrimination.
SEC. 9. Protection from Violence. – The State shall ensure

that all women shall be protected from all forms of violence as
provided for in existing laws. Agencies of government shall give
priority to the defense and protection of women against gender-
based offenses and help women attain justice and healing.
Towards this end, measures to prosecute and reform

offenders shall likewise be pursued.
(a) Within the next five (5) years, there shall be an

incremental increase in the recruitment and training of women
in the police force, forensics and medico-legal, legal services,
and social work services availed of by women who are victims
of gender-related offenses until fifty percent (50%) of the
personnel thereof shall be women.
(b) Women shall have the right to protection and security

in situations of armed conflict and militarization. Towards this
end, they shall be protected from all forms of gender-based
violence, particularly rape and other forms of sexual abuse, and
all forms of violence in situations of armed conflict. The State
shall observe international standards for the protection of
civilian population in circumstances of emergency and armed
conflict. It shall not force women, especially indigenous peoples,
to abandon their lands, territories, and means of subsistence,
or relocate them in special centers for military purposes under
any discriminatory condition.
(c) All government personnel involved in the protection

and defense of women against gender-based violence shall
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undergo a mandatory training on human rights and gender

sensitivity pursuant to this Act.
(d) All local government units shall establish a Violence

Against Women’s Desk in every barangay to ensure that violence
against women cases are fully addressed in a gender-responsive
manner.
SEC. 10. Women Affected by Disasters, Calamities, and

Other Crisis Situations. – Women have the right to protection
and security in times of disasters, calamities, and other crisis
situations especially in all phases of relief, recovery,
rehabilitation, and construction efforts. The State shall provide
for immediate humanitarian assistance, allocation of resources,
and early resettlement, if necessary. It shall also address the
particular needs of women from a gender perspective to ensure
their full protection from sexual exploitation and other sexual
and gender- based violence committed against them. Responses
to disaster situations shall include the provision of services,
such as psychosocial support, livelihood support, education,
psychological health, and comprehensive health services,
including protection during pregnancy.
SEC. 11. Participation and Representation. – The State

shall undertake temporary special measures to accelerate the
participation and equitable representation of women in all
spheres of society particularly in the decision-making and policy-
making processes in government and private entities to fully
realize their role as agents and beneficiaries of development.
The State shall institute the following affirmative action

mechanisms so that women can participate meaningfully in the
formulation, implementation, and evaluation of policies, plans,
and programs for national, regional, and local development:
(a) Empowerment within the Civil Service. - Within the

next five (5) years, the number of women in third (3rd) level
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positions in government shall be incrementally increased to

achieve a fifty-fifty (50-50) gender balance;
(b) Development Councils and Planning Bodies. - To

ensure the participation of women in all levels of development
planning and program implementation, at least forty percent
(40%) of membership of all development councils from the
regional, provincial, city, municipal and barangay levels shall
be composed of women;
(c) Other Policy and Decision-Making Bodies. - Women’s

groups shall also be represented in international, national, and
local special and decision-making bodies;
(d) International Bodies. - The State shall take all

appropriate measures to ensure the opportunity of women, on
equal terms with men and without any discrimination, to
represent their governments at the international level and to
participate in the work of international organizations;
(e) Integration of Women in Political Parties. - The State

shall provide incentives to political parties with women’s
agenda. It shall likewise encourage the integration of women
in their leadership hierarchy, internal policy-making structures,
appointive, and electoral nominating processes; and
(f) Private Sector. - The State shall take measures to

encourage women leadership in the private sector in the form
of incentives.
SEC. 12. Equal Treatment Before the Law. – The State

shall take steps to review and, when necessary, amend and/or
repeal existing laws that are discriminatory to women within
three (3) years from the effectivity of this Act.
SEC. 13. Equal Access and Elimination of Discrimination

in Education, Scholarships, and Training. – (a) The State shall
ensure that gender stereotypes and images in educational
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materials and curricula are adequately and appropriately

revised. Gender-sensitive language shall be used at all times.
Capacity-building on gender and development (GAD), peace and
human rights, education for teachers, and all those involved in
the education sector shall be pursued toward this end.
Partnerships between and among players of the education
sector, including the private sector, churches, and faith groups
shall be encouraged.
(b) Enrollment of women in non-traditional skills training

in vocational and tertiary levels shall be encouraged.
(c) Expulsion and non-readmission of women faculty due

to pregnancy outside of marriage shall be outlawed. No school
shall turn out or refuse admission to a female student solely on
the account of her having contracted pregnancy outside of
marriage during her term in school.
SEC. 14. Women in Sports. – The State shall develop,

establish, and strengthen programs for the participation of
women and girl-children in competitive and non-competitive
sports as a means to achieve excellence, promote physical and
social well-being, eliminate gender-role stereotyping, and
provide equal access to the full benefits of development for all
persons regardless of sex, gender identity, and other similar
factors.
For this purpose, all sports-related organizations shall

create guidelines that will establish and integrate affirmative
action as a strategy and gender equality as a framework in
planning and implementing their policies, budgets, programs,
and activities relating to the participation of women and girls
in sports.
The State will also provide material and nonmaterial

incentives to local government units, media organizations, and
the private sector for promoting, training, and preparing women
360
and girls for participation in competitive and non-competitive

sports, especially in local and international events, including,
but not limited to, the Palarong Pambansa, Southeast Asian
Games, Asian Games, and the Olympics.
No sports event or tournament will offer or award a

different sports prize, with respect to its amount or value, to
women and men winners in the same sports category: Provided,
That the said tournament, contest, race, match, event, or game
is open to both sexes: Provided, further, That the sports event
or tournament is divided into male or female divisions.
The State shall also ensure the safety and well-being of

all women and girls participating in sports, especially, but not
limited to, trainees, reserve members, members, coaches, and
mentors of national sports teams, whether in studying, training,
or performance phases, by providing them comprehensive
health and medical insurance coverage, as well as integrated
medical, nutritional, and healthcare services.
Schools, colleges, universities, or any other learning

institution shall take into account its total women student
population in granting athletic scholarship. There shall be a
pro rata representation of women in the athletic scholarship
program based on the percentage of women in the whole student
population.
SEC. 15. Women in the Military. – The State shall pursue

appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination of women in
the military, police, and other similar services, including revising
or abolishing policies and practices that restrict women from
availing of both combat and noncombat training that are open
to men, or from taking on functions other than administrative
tasks, such as engaging in combat, security-related, or field
operations. Women in the military shall be accorded the same
promotional privileges and opportunities as men, including pay
increases, additional remunerations and benefits, and awards
361
based on their competency and quality of performance. Towards

this end, the State shall ensure that the personal dignity of
women shall always be respected.
Women in the military, police, and other similar services

shall be provided with the same right to employment as men on
equal conditions. Equally, they shall be accorded the same
capacity as men to act in and enter into contracts, including
marriage.
Further, women in the military, police, and other similar

services shall be entitled to leave benefits such as maternity
leave, as provided for by existing laws.
SEC. 16. Non-discriminatory and No derogatory

Portrayal of Women in Media and Film. – The State shall
formulate policies and programs for the advancement of women
in collaboration with government and nongovernment media-
related organizations. It shall likewise endeavor to raise the
consciousness of the general public in recognizing the dignity
of women and the role and contribution of women in the family,
community, and the society through the strategic use of mass
media.
For this purpose, the State shall ensure allocation of

space, airtime, and resources, strengthen programming,
production, and image-making that appropriately present
women’s needs, issues, and concerns in all forms of media,
communication, information dissemination, and advertising.
The State, in cooperation with all schools of journalism,

information, and communication, as well as the national media
federations and associations, shall require all media
organizations and corporations to integrate into their human
resource development components regular training on gender
equality and gender-based discrimination, create and use gender
equality guidelines in all aspects of management, training,
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production, information, dissemination, communication, and

programming; and convene a gender equality committee that
will promote gender mainstreaming as a framework and
affirmative action as a strategy, and monitor and evaluate the
implementation of gender equality guidelines.
SEC. 17. Women’s Right to Health. – (a) Comprehensive

Health Services. – The State shall, at all times, provide for a
comprehensive, culture-sensitive, and gender-responsive health
services and programs covering all stages of a woman’s life cycle
and which addresses the major causes of women’s mortality and
morbidity: Provided, That in the provision for comprehensive
health services, due respect shall be accorded to women’s
religious convictions, the rights of the spouses to found a family
in accordance with their religious convictions, and the demands
of responsible parenthood, and the right of women to protection
from hazardous drugs, devices, interventions, and substances.
Access to the following services shall be ensured:
(1) Maternal care to include pre- and post-natal services

to address pregnancy and infant health and nutrition;
(2) Promotion of breastfeeding;
(3) Responsible, ethical, legal, safe, and effective methods

of family planning;
(4) Family and State collaboration in youth sexuality

education and health services without prejudice to the primary
right and duty of parents to educate their children;
(5) Prevention and management of reproductive tract

infections, including sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, and
AIDS;
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(6) Prevention and management of reproductive tract

cancers like breast and cervical cancers, and other gynecological
conditions and disorders;
(7) Prevention of abortion and management of pregnancy-

related complications;
(8) In cases of violence against women and children,

women and children victims and survivors shall be provided
with comprehensive health services that include psychosocial,
therapeutic, medical, and legal interventions and assistance
towards healing, recovery, and empowerment;
(9) Prevention and management of infertility and sexual

dysfunction pursuant to ethical norms and medical standards;
(10) Care of the elderly women beyond their child-bearing

years; and
(11) Management, treatment, and intervention of mental

health problems of women and girls.
In addition, healthy lifestyle activities are encouraged

and promoted through programs and projects as strategies in
the prevention of diseases.
(b) Comprehensive Health Information and Education. -

The State shall provide women in all sectors with appropriate,
timely, complete, and accurate information and education on
all the above-stated aspects of women’s health in government
education and training programs, with due regard to the
following:
(1) The natural and primary right and duty of parents in

the rearing of the youth and the development of moral character
and the right of children to be brought up in an atmosphere of
morality and rectitude for the enrichment and strengthening
of character;
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(2) The formation of a person’s sexuality that affirms

human dignity; and
(3) Ethical, legal, safe, and effective family planning

methods including fertility awareness.
SEC. 18. Special Leave Benefits for Women. – A woman

employee having rendered continuous aggregate employment
service of at least six (6) months for the last twelve (12) months
shall be entitled to a special leave benefit of two (2) months
with full pay based on her gross monthly compensation following
surgery caused by gynecological disorders.
SEC 19. Equal Rights in All Matters Relating to Marriage

and Family Relations. – The State shall take all appropriate
measures to eliminate discrimination against women in all
matters relating to marriage and family relations and shall
ensure:
(a) the same rights to enter into and leave marriages or

common law relationships referred to under the Family Code
without prejudice to personal or religious beliefs;
(b) the same rights to choose freely a spouse and to enter

into marriage only with their free and full consent. The betrothal
and the marriage of a child shall have no legal effect;
(c) the joint decision on the number and spacing of their

children and to have access to the information, education and
means to enable them to exercise these rights;
(d) the same personal rights between spouses or common

law spouses including the right to choose freely a profession
and an occupation;
(e) the same rights for both spouses or common law

spouses in respect of the ownership, acquisition, management,
administration, enjoyment, and disposition of property;
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(f) the same rights to properties and resources, whether

titled or not, and inheritance, whether formal or customary;
and
(g) women shall have equal rights with men to acquire,

change, or retain their nationality. The State shall ensure in
particular that neither marriage to an alien nor change of
nationality by the husband during marriage shall automatically
change the nationality of the wife, render her stateless or force
upon her the nationality of the husband. Various statutes of
other countries concerning dual citizenship that may be enjoyed
equally by women and men shall likewise be considered.
Customary laws shall be respected: Provided, however,

That they do not discriminate against women.
CHAPTER V
RIGHTS AND EMPOWERMENT OF MARGINALIZED
SECTORS
Women in marginalized sectors are hereby guaranteed

all civil, political, social, and economic rights recognized,
promoted, and protected under existing laws including, but not
limited to, the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act, the Urban
Development and Housing Act, the Comprehensive Agrarian
Reform Law, the Fisheries Code, the Labor Code, the Migrant
Workers Act, the Solo Parents Welfare Act, and the Social
Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act.
SEC. 20. Food Security and Productive Resources. – The

State recognizes the contribution of women to food production
and shall ensure its sustainability and sufficiency with the active
participation of women. Towards this end, the State shall
guarantee, at all times, the availability in the market of safe
and health-giving food to satisfy the dietary needs of the
population, giving particular attention to the specific needs of
poor girl-children and marginalized women, especially pregnant
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and lactating mothers and their young children. To further

address this, the State shall ensure:
(a) Right to Food. - The State shall guarantee the

availability of food in quantity and quality sufficient to satisfy
the dietary needs of individuals, the physical and economic
accessibility for everyone to adequate food that is culturally
acceptable and free from unsafe substances and culturally
accepted, and the accurate and substantial information to the
availability of food, including the right to full, accurate, and
truthful information about safe and health-giving foods and how
to produce and have regular and easy access to them;
(b) Right to Resources for Food Production. - The State

shall guarantee women a vital role in food production by giving
priority to their rights to land, credit, and infrastructure
support, technical training, and technological and marketing
assistance. The State shall promote women-friendly technology
as a high priority activity in agriculture and shall promote the
right to adequate food by proactively engaging in activities
intended to strengthen access to, utilization of, and receipt of
accurate and substantial information on resources and means
to ensure women’s livelihood, including food security:
(1) Equal status shall be given to women and men,

whether married or not, in the titling of the land and issuance
of stewardship contracts and patents;
2) Equal treatment shall be given to women and men

beneficiaries of the agrarian reform program, wherein the vested
right of a woman agrarian reform beneficiary is defined by a
woman’s relationship to tillage, i.e., her direct and indirect
contribution to the development of the land;
(3) Customary rights of women to the land, including

access to and control of the fruits and benefits shall be recognized
367
in circumstances where private ownership is not possible, such

as ancestral domain claims:
(4) Information and assistance in claiming rights to the

land shall be made available to women at all times;
(5) Equal rights to women to the enjoyment, use, and

management of land, water, and other natural resources within
their communities or ancestral domains;
(6) Equal access to the use and management of fisheries

and aquatic resources, and all the rights and benefits accruing
to stakeholders in the fishing industry;
(7) Equal status shall be given to women and men in the

issuance of stewardship or lease agreements and other fishery
rights that may be granted for the use and management of coastal
and aquatic resources. In the same manner, women’s
organizations shall be given equal treatment as with other
marginalized fishers organizations in the issuance of
stewardship or lease agreements or other fishery rights for the
use and management of such coastal and aquatic resources which
may include providing support to women-engaged coastal
resources;
(8) There shall be no discrimination against women in

the deputization of fish wardens;
(9) Women-friendly and sustainable agriculture

technology shall be designed based on accessibility and viability
in consultation with women’s organizations;
(10) Access to small farmer-based and controlled seeds

production and distribution shall be ensured and protected;
(11) Indigenous practices of women in seed storage and

cultivation shall be recognized, encouraged, and protected;
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(12) Equal rights shall be given to women to be members

of farmers’ organizations to ensure wider access to and control
of the means of production;
(13) Provide opportunities for empowering women

fishers to be involved in the control and management, not only
of the catch and production of aquamarine resources but also,
to engage in entrepreneurial activities which will add value to
production and marketing ventures; and
(14) Provide economic opportunities for the indigenous

women, particularly access to market for their produce.
In the enforcement of the foregoing, the requirements of

law shall be observed at all times.
SEC. 21. Right to Housing. – The State shall develop

housing programs for women that are localized, simple,
accessible, with potable water, and electricity, secure, with viable
employment opportunities and affordable amortization. In this
regard, the State shall consult women and involve them in
community planning and development, especially in matters
pertaining to land use, zoning, and relocation.
SEC. 22. Right to Decent Work. – The State shall

progressively realize and ensure decent work standards for
women that involve the creation of jobs of acceptable quality in
conditions of freedom, equity, security, and human dignity.
(a) Decent work involves opportunities for work that are

productive and fairly remunerative as family living wage,
security in the workplace, and social protection for families,
better prospects for personal development and social
integration, freedom for people to express their concerns
organize, participate in the decisions that affect their lives, and
equality of opportunity and treatment for all women and men.
(b) The State shall further ensure:
369
(1) Support services and gears to protect them from

occupational and health hazards taking into account women’s
maternal functions;
(2) Support services that will enable women to balance

their family obligations and work responsibilities including, but
not limited to, the establishment of day care centers and breast-
feeding stations at the workplace, and providing maternity leave
pursuant to the Labor Code and other pertinent laws;
(3) Membership in unions regardless of status of

employment and place of employment; and
(4) Respect for the observance of indigenous peoples’

cultural practices even in the workplace.
(c) In recognition of the temporary nature of overseas

work, the State shall exert all efforts to address the causes of
out-migration by developing local employment and other
economic opportunities for women and by introducing measures
to curb violence and forced and involuntary displacement of
local women. The State shall ensure the protection and
promotion of the rights and welfare of migrant women
regardless of their work status, and protect them against
discrimination in wages, conditions of work, and employment
opportunities in host countries.
SEC. 23. Right to Livelihood, Credit, Capital, and

Technology. – The State shall ensure that women are provided
with the following:
(a) Equal access to formal sources of credit and capital;
(b) Equal share to the produce of farms and aquatic

resources; and
(c) Employment opportunities for returning women

migrant workers taking into account their skills and
370
qualifications. Corollarily, the State shall also promote skills

and entrepreneurship development of returning women migrant
workers.
SEC. 24. Right to Education and Training. – The State

shall ensure the following:
(a) Women migrant workers have the opportunity to

undergo skills training, if they so desire, before taking on a
foreign job, and possible retraining upon return to the country:
(b) Gender-sensitive training and seminars; and
(c) Equal opportunities in scholarships based on merit

and fitness, especially to those interested in research and
development aimed towards women-friendly farm technology.
SEC. 25. Right to Representation and Participation. –

The State shall ensure women’s participation in policy-making
or decision-making bodies in the regional, national, and
international levels. It shall also ensure the participation of
grassroots women leaders in decision and policy-making bodies
in their respective sectors including, but not limited to, the
Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC) and its local
counterparts; community-based resource management bodies
or mechanisms on forest management and stewardship; the
National Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council
(NFARMC) and its local counterparts; the National Commission
on Indigenous Peoples; the Presidential Commission for the
Urban Poor; the National Anti-Poverty Commission; and, where
applicable, the local housing boards.
SEC. 26. Right to Information. – Access to information

regarding policies on women, including programs, projects, and
funding outlays that affect them, shall be ensured.
SEC. 27. Social Protection. –(a) The Social Security

System (SSS) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation
371
(PhilHealth) shall support indigenous and community-based

social protection schemes.
(b) The State shall institute policies and programs that

seek to reduce the poverty and vulnerability to risks and
enhance the social status and rights of the marginalized women
by promoting and protecting livelihood and employment,
protecting against hazards and sudden loss of income, and
improving people’s capacity to manage risks.
(c) The State shall endeavor to reduce and eventually

eliminate transfer costs of remittances from abroad through
appropriate bilateral and multilateral agreements. It shall
likewise provide access to investment opportunities for
remittances in line with national development efforts.
(d) The State shall establish a health insurance program

for senior citizens and indigents.
(e) The State shall support women with disabilities on a

community-based social protection scheme.
SEC. 28. Recognition and Preservation of Cultural

Identity and Integrity. – The State shall recognize and respect
the rights of Moro and indigenous women to practice, promote,
protect, and preserve their own culture, traditions, and
institutions and to consider these rights in the formulation and
implementation of national policies and programs. To this end,
the State shall adopt measures in consultation with the sectors
concerned to protect their rights to their indigenous knowledge
systems and practices, traditional livelihood, and other
manifestations of their cultures and ways of life: Provided, That
these cultural systems and practices are not discriminatory to
women.
SEC. 29. Peace and Development. – The peace process

shall be pursued with the following considerations:
372
(a) Increase the number of women participating in

discussions and decision-making in the peace process, including
membership in peace panels recognizing women’s role in conflict-
prevention and peace-making and in indigenous system of
conflict resolution;
(b) Ensure the development and inclusion of women’s

welfare and concerns in the peace agenda in the overall peace
strategy and women’s participation in the planning,
implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of rehabilitation
and rebuilding of conflict-affected areas;
(c) The institution of measures to ensure the protection

of civilians in conflict-affected communities with special
consideration for the specific needs of women and girls:
(d) Include the peace perspective in the education

curriculum and other educational undertakings; and
(e) The recognition and support for women’s role in

conflict-prevention, management, resolution and peacemaking,
and in indigenous systems of conflict resolution.
SEC. 30. Women in Especially Difficult Circumstances.

– For purposes of this Act, “Women in Especially Difficult
Circumstances” (WEDC) shall refer to victims and survivors of
sexual and physical abuse, illegal recruitment, prostitution,
trafficking, armed conflict, women in detention, victims and
survivors of rape and incest, and such other related
circumstances which have incapacitated them functionally. Local
government units are therefore mandated to deliver the
necessary services and interventions to WEDC under their
respective jurisdictions.
SEC. 31. Services and Interventions. – WEDC shall be

provided with services and interventions as necessary such as,
but not limited to, the following:
373
(a) Temporary and protective custody;
(b) Medical and dental services;
(c) Psychological evaluation;
(d) Counseling;
(e) Psychiatric evaluation;
(f) Legal services;
(g) Productivity skills capability building;
(h) Livelihood assistance;
(i) Job placement;
(j) Financial assistance: and
(k) Transportation assistance.
SEC. 32. Protection of Girl-Children. – (a) The State shall

pursue measures to eliminate all forms of discrimination against
girl-children in education, health and nutrition, and skills
development.
(b) Girl-children shall be protected from all forms of abuse

and exploitation.
(c) Equal access of Moro and indigenous girl-children in

the Madaris, schools of living culture and traditions, and the
regular schools shall be ensured.
(d) Gender-sensitive curriculum, including legal literacy,

books, and curriculum in the Madaris and schools of living
culture and traditions shall be developed.
(e) Sensitivity of regular schools to particular Moro and

indigenous practices, such as fasting in the month of Ramadan,
374
choice of clothing (including the wearing of hijab) , and

availability of halal food shall be ensured.
SEC. 33. Protection of Senior Citizens. – The State shall

protect women senior citizens from neglect, abandonment,
domestic violence, abuse, exploitation, and discrimination.
Towards this end, the State shall ensure special protective
mechanisms and support services against violence, sexual abuse,
exploitation, and discrimination of older women.
SEC. 34. Women are entitled to the recognition and

protection of their rights defined and guaranteed under this
Act including their right to non-discrimination.
SEC. 35. Discrimination Against Women is Prohibited. –

Public and private entities and individuals found to have
committed discrimination against women shall be subject to the
sanctions provided in Section 41 hereof. Violations of other
rights of women shall be subject to sanctions under pertinent
laws and regulations.
CHAPTER VI
INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS
SEC. 36. Gender Mainstreaming as a Strategy for

Implementing the Magna Carta of Women. – Within a period
prescribed in the implementing rules and regulations, the
National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW)
shall assess its gender mainstreaming program for consistency
with the standards under this Act. It shall modify the program
accordingly to ensure that it will be an effective strategy for
implementing this Act and attaining its objectives.
All departments, including their attached agencies,

offices, bureaus, state universities and colleges, government-
owned and -controlled corporations, local government units, and
other government instrumentalities shall adopt gender
375
mainstreaming as a strategy to promote women’s human rights

and eliminate gender discrimination in their systems, structures,
policies, programs, processes, and procedures which shall
include, but not limited to, the following:
(a) Planning, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation for

GAD. GAD programs addressing gender issues and concerns
shall be designed and implemented based on the mandate of
government agencies and local government units, Republic Act
No. 7192, gender equality agenda of the government and other
GAD-related legislation, policies, and commitments. The
development of GAD programs shall proceed from the conduct
of a gender audit of the agency or the local government unit
and a gender analysis of its policies, programs, services and the
situation of its clientele; the generation and review of sex-
disaggregated data; and consultation with gender/women’s rights
advocates and agency/women clientele. The cost of
implementing GAD programs shall be the agency’s or the local
government unit’s GAD budget which shall be at least five
percent (5%) of the agency’s or the local government unit’s total
budget appropriations.
Pursuant to Republic Act No. 7192, otherwise known as

the Women in Development and Nation Building Act, which
allocates five percent (5%) to thirty percent (30%) of overseas
development assistance to GAD, government agencies receiving
official development assistance should ensure the allocation and
proper utilization of such funds to gender-responsive programs
that complement the government GAD funds and annually
report accomplishments thereof to the National Economic and
Development Authority (NEDA) and the Philippine Commission
on Women (PCW).
The utilization and outcome of the GAD budget shall be

annually monitored and evaluated in terms of its success in
influencing the gender-responsive implementation of agency
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programs funded by the remaining ninety-five percent (95%)

budget.
The Commission on Audit (COA) shall conduct an annual

audit on the use of the GAD budget for the purpose of
determining its judicious use and the efficiency, and
effectiveness of interventions in addressing gender issues
towards the realization of the objectives of the country’s
commitments, plans, and policies on women empowerment,
gender equality, and GAD.
Local government units are also encouraged to develop

and pass a GAD Code based on the gender issues and concerns
in their respective localities based on consultation with their
women constituents and the women’s empowerment and gender
equality agenda of the government. The GAD Code shall also
serve as basis for identifying programs, activities, and projects
on GAD.
Where needed, temporary gender equity measures shall

be provided for in the plans of all departments, including their
attached agencies, offices, bureaus, state universities and
colleges, government-owned and -controlled corporations, local
government units, and other government instrumentalities.
To move towards a more sustainable, gender-responsive,

and performance-based planning and budgeting, gender issues
and concerns shall be integrated in, among others, the following
plans:
(1) Macro socioeconomic plans such as the Medium-Term

Philippine Development Plan and Medium-Term Philippine
Investment Plan;
(2) Annual plans of all departments, including their

attached agencies, offices, bureaus, state universities and
377
colleges, and government-owned and -controlled corporations;

and
(3) Local plans and agenda such as executive-legislative

agenda, comprehensive development plan (CDP),
comprehensive land use plan (CLUP), provincial development
and physical framework plan (PDPFP), and annual investment
plan.
(b) Creation and/or Strengthening of the GAD Focal

Points (GFP). All departments, including their attached
agencies, offices, bureaus, state universities and colleges,
government-owned and -controlled corporations, local
government units, and other government instrumentalities shall
establish or strengthen their GAD Focal Point System or similar
GAD mechanism to catalyze and accelerate gender
mainstreaming within the agency or local government unit.
The GAD Focal Point System shall be composed of the

agency head or local chief executive, an executive committee
with an Undersecretary (or its equivalent), local government
unit official, or office in a strategic decision-making position as
Chair; and a technical working group or secretariat which is
composed of representatives from various divisions or offices
within the agency or local government unit.
The tasks and functions of the members of the GFP shall

form part of their regular key result areas and shall be given
due consideration in their performance evaluation.
(c) Generation and Maintenance of GAD Database. All

departments, including their attached agencies, offices,
bureaus, state universities and colleges, government-owned and
- controlled corporations, local government units, and other
government instrumentalities shall develop and maintain a
GAD database containing gender statistics and sex
disaggregated data that have been systematically gathered,
regularly updated and subjected to gender analysis for planning,
programming, and policy formulation.
378
SEC. 37. Gender Focal Point Officer in Philippine

Embassies and Consulates. – An officer duly trained on GAD
shall be designated as the gender focal point in the consular
section of Philippine embassies or consulates. Said officer shall
be primarily responsible in handling gender concerns of women
migrant workers. Attached agencies shall cooperate in
strengthening the Philippine foreign posts’ programs for the
delivery of services to women migrant workers.
SEC. 38. National Commission on the Role of Filipino

Women (NCRFW). – The National Commission on the Role of
Filipino Women (NCRFW) shall be renamed as the Philippine
Commission on Women (PCW), the primary policymaking and
coordinating body of the women and gender equality concerns
under the Office of the President. The PCW shall be the overall
monitoring body and oversight to ensure the implementation
of this Act. In doing so, the PCW may direct any government
agency and instrumentality, as may be necessary, to report on
the implementation of this Act and for them to immediately
respond to the problems brought to their attention in relation
to this Act. The PCW shall also lead in ensuring that government
agencies are capacitated on the effective implementation of this
Act. The chairperson shall likewise report to the President in
Cabinet meetings on the implementation of this Act.
To the extent possible, the PCW shall influence the

systems, processes, and procedures of the executive, legislative,
and judicial branches of government vis-a-vis GAD to ensure
the implementation of this Act.
To effectively and efficiently undertake and accomplish

its functions, the PCW shall revise its structure and staffing
pattern with the assistance of the Department of Budget and
Management.
379
SEC. 39. Commission on Human Rights (CHR). – The

Commission, acting as the Gender and Development Embed,
consistent with its mandate, shall undertake measures such as
the following:
(a) Monitor with the PCW and other state agencies,

among others, in developing indicators and guidelines to comply
with their duties related to the human rights of women,
including their right to non-discrimination guaranteed under
this Act;
(b) Designate one (1) commissioner and/or its Women’s

Human Rights Center to be primarily responsible for
formulating and implementing programs and activities related
to the promotion and protection of the human rights of women,
including the investigations and complaints of discrimination
and violations of their rights brought under this Act and related
laws and regulations;
(c) Establish guidelines and mechanisms, among others,

that will facilitate access of women to legal remedies under this
Act and related laws, and enhance the protection and promotion
of the rights of women, especially marginalized women;
(d) Assist in the filing of cases against individuals,

agencies, institutions, or establishments that violate the
provisions of this Act; and
(e) Recommend to the President of the Philippines or

the Civil Service Commission any possible administrative action
based on noncompliance or failure to implement the provisions
of this Act.
SEC. 40. Monitoring Progress and Implementation and

Impact of this Act. – The PCW, in coordination with other state
agencies and the CHR, shall submit to Congress regular reports
on the progress of the implementation of this Act highlighting
the impact thereof on the status and human rights of women:
380
Provided, That the second report shall include an assessment

of the effectiveness of this Act and recommend amendments to
improve its provisions: Provided, finally, That these reports shall
be submitted to Congress every three (3) years or as determined
in the implementing rules and regulations.
SEC. 41. Penalties. – Upon finding of the CHR that a

department, agency, or instrumentality of government,
government-owned and -controlled corporation, or local
government unit has violated any provision of this Act and its
implementing rules and regulations, the sanctions under
administrative law, civil service, or other appropriate laws shall
be recommended to the Civil Service Commission and/or the
Department of the Interior and Local Government. The person
directly responsible for the violation as well as the head of the
agency or local chief executive shall be held liable under this
Act.
If the violation is committed by a private entity or

individual, the person directly responsible for the violation shall
be liable to pay damages.
Filing a complaint under this Act shall not preclude the

offended party from pursuing other remedies available under
the law and to invoke any of the provisions of existing laws
especially those recently enacted laws protecting women and
children, including the Women in Development and Nation
Building Act (Republic Act No. 7192), the Special Protection of
Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination
Act (Republic Act No. 7610), the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of
1995 (Republic Act No. 7877), the Anti-Rape Law of 1997
(Republic Act No. 8353), the Rape Victim Assistance and
Protection Act of 1998 (Republic Act No. 8505), the Anti-
Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 (Republic Act No. 9208) and
the Anti- Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of
2004 (Republic Act No. 9262). If violence has been proven to be
perpetrated by agents of the State including, but not limited to,
381
extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and

internal displacements, such shall be considered aggravating
offenses with corresponding penalties depending on the severity
of the offenses.
SEC. 42. Incentives and Awards. – There shall be

established an incentives and awards system which shall be
administered by a board under such rules and regulations as
may be promulgated by the PCW to deserving entities,
government agencies, and local government units for their
outstanding performance in upholding the rights of women and
effective implementation of gender-responsive programs.
SEC. 43. Funding. – The initial funding requirements for

the implementation of this Act shall be charged against the
current appropriations of the agencies concerned. Thereafter,
such sums as may be necessary for the implementation of this
Act shall be included in the agencies’ yearly budgets under the
General Appropriations Act.
The State shall prioritize allocation of all available

resources to effectively fulfill its obligations specified under this
Act. The State agencies’ GAD budgets, which shall be at least
five percent (5%) of their total budgetary allocation, shall also
be utilized for the programs and activities to implement this
Act.
SEC. 44. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – As the

lead agency, the PCW shall, in coordination with the Commission
on Human Rights and all concerned government departments
and agencies including, as observers, both Houses of Congress
through the Committee on Youth, Women and Family Relations
(Senate) and the Committee on Women and Gender Equality
(House of Representatives) and with the participation of
representatives from nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and
civil society groups with proven track record of involvement
and promotion of the rights and welfare of Filipino women and
382
girls identified by the PCW, formulate the implementing rules

and regulations (IRR) of this Act within one hundred eighty (180)
days after its effectivity.
SEC. 45. Separability Clause. – If any provision or part

hereof is held invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder of the
law or the provisions not otherwise affected shall remain valid
and subsisting.
SEC. 46. Repealing Clause. – Any law, presidential decree

or issuance, executive order, letter of instruction,
administrative order, rule, or regulation contrary to, or
inconsistent with, the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed,
modified, or amended accordingly.

fifteen (15) days after its publication in at least two (2)
383
AN ACT EXPANDING THE PROMOTION OF

BREASTFEEDING, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7600, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS
“AN ACT PROVIDING INCENTIVES TO ALL
GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE HEALTH
INSTITUTIONS WITH ROOMING-IN AND
BREASTFEEDING PRACTICES AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES”


the “Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009”.
SEC. 2. Section 2 of Republic Act No. 7600 is hereby

“SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. – The State adopts

rooming-in as a national policy to encourage, protect and support
the practice of breastfeeding. It shall create an environment
where basic physical, emotional, and psychological needs of
mothers and infants are fulfilled through the practice of
rooming-in and breastfeeding.
“The State shall likewise protect working women by

providing safe and healthful working conditions, taking into
account their maternal functions, and such facilities and
opportunities that will enhance their welfare and enable them
to realize their full potential in the service of the nation. This is
consistent with international treaties and conventions to which
the Philippines is a signatory such as the Convention on the
Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which
emphasizes provision of necessary supporting social services
to enable parents to combine family obligations with work
384
responsibilities; the Beijing Platform for Action and Strategic

Objective, which promotes harmonization of work and family
responsibilities for women and men; and the Convention on the
Rights of the Child, which recognizes a child’s inherent right to
life and the State’s obligations to ensure the child’s survival and
development.
“Breastfeeding has distinct advantages which benefit the

infant and the mother, including the hospital and the country
that adopt its practice. It is the first preventive health measure
that can be given to the child at birth. It also enhances mother-
infant relationship. Furthermore, the practice of breastfeeding
could save the country valuable foreign exchange that may
otherwise be used for milk importation.
“Breastmilk is the best food since it contains essential

nutrients completely suitable for the infant’s needs. It is also
nature’s first immunization, enabling the infant to fight potential
serious infection. It contains growth factors that enhance the
maturation of an infant’s organ systems.
“Towards this end, the State shall promote and encourage

breastfeeding and provide the specific measures that would
present opportunities for mothers to continue expressing their
milk and/or breastfeeding their infant or young child.”
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 17. Funding. – Government agencies, including their

subdivisions and instrumentalities, shall use their respective
budget for gender and development or their budgets for repairs,
maintenance and materials acquisition to comply with Section
6 hereof.
SEC. 18. Rules and Regulations. – The Department of

Health, as the lead agency, in coordination with the Department
of Labor and Employment, the Department of Trade and
385
Industry, the Department of Justice, the Department of Social

Welfare and Development, the Department of Education, the
Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Civil
Service Commission, the Commission on Higher Education, the
technical Education and Skills Development Authority and
professional and nongovernmental organizations concerned,
shall issue within one hundred and twenty (120) days upon its
effectivity the rules and regulations necessary to carry out the
provisions of this Act.
SEC. 19. Separability Clause. – If any clause, sentence,

paragraph or part of this Act shall be declared to be invalid, the
remainder of this Act or any provision not affected thereby shall
remain in force and effect.

decrees, executive orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof
which are not consistent with this Act are hereby repealed,
amended or modified accordingly.

fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or
in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation, whichever
comes earlier.
386
AN ACT ALLOWING THE EMPLOYMENT OF NIGHT

WORKERS, THEREBY REPEALING ARTICLES 130
AND 131 OF PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NUMBER
FOUR HUNDRED FORTY-TWO, AS AMENDED,
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE LABOR CODE OF THE
PHILIPPINES

SECTION 1. Article 130 of the Labor Code is hereby

repealed.
SEC. 2. Article 131 of the Labor Code is hereby repealed.
SEC. 3. The subsequent articles in Boot Three, Title III,

Chapter I to Chapter IV of Presidential Decree No. 442 are
hereby renumbered accordingly.
SEC. 4. A new chapter is hereby inserted after Book

Three, Title III of Presidential Decree No. 442, to read as follows:
“Chapter V
“Employment of Night Workers
XXX XXX XXX
“Art. 158. Women Night Workers.— Measures shall be

taken to ensure thatan alternative to night work is available to
women workers who would otherwise be called upon to perform
such work:
“(a) Before and after childbirth, for a period of at least

sixteen (16) weeks, which shall be divided between the time
before and after childbirth;
387
“(b) For additional periods, in respect of which a medical

certificate is produced stating that said additional periods are
necessary for the health of the mother or child:
“(1) During pregnancy;
“(2) During a specified time beyond the period, after

childbirth is fixed pursuant to subparagraph (a) above, the length
of which shall be determined by the DOLE after consulting the
labor organizations and employers.
“During the periods referred to in this article:
“(i) A woman worker shall not be dismissed or given

notice of dismissal, except for just or authorised causes
provided for in this Code that are not connected with pregnancy,
childbirth and childcare responsibilities.
“(ii) A woman worker shall not lose the benefits regarding

her status, seniority, and access to promotion which may attach
to her regular night work position.
‘Pregnant women and nursing mothers may he allowed

to work at night only if a competent physician, other than the
company physician, shall certify their fitness to render night
work, and specify, in the ease of pregnant employees, the period
of the pregnancy that they can safely work.
“The measures referred to in this article may include

transfer to day work where this is possible, the provision of
social security benefits or an extension of maternity leave.
“The provisions of this article shall not have the effect of

reducing the protection and benefits connected with maternity
leave under existing laws.”
388
“Art. 159. Compensation. – The compensation for night

workers in the form of working time, pay or similar benefits
shall recognize the exceptional nature of night work.”
“Art. 160. Social Services. – Appropriate social services

shall be provided for night workers and, where necessary, for
workers performing night work.”
“Art. 161. Night Work Schedules. – Before introducing

work schedules requiring the services of night workers, the
employer shall consult the workers’ representatives/labor
organizations concerned on the details of such schedules and
the forms of organization of night work that are best adapted
to the establishment and its personnel, as well as on the
occupational health measures and social services which are
required. In establishments employing night workers,
consultation shall take place regularly.”
SEC. 5. The subsequent articles starting from Book Four,

Title I, Chapter I of Presidential Decree No. 442 are hereby
renumbered accordingly.
SEC. 6. Application. – The measures referred to in this

chapter shall be applied not later than six (G) months from the
effectivity of this Act.
SEC. 7. Guidelines. – The DOLE shah promulgate

appropriate regulations in addition to existing ones to ensure
protection, safety and welfare of night workers.
SEC. 8. Penalties. – Any violation of this Act, and the

rules and regulations issued pursuant hereof shall be punished
with a fine of not less than Thirty thousand pesos (P30,000.00)
nor more than Fifty thousand pesos (P50,000.00) or imprisonment
of not less than six (6) months, or both, at the discretion of the
court. If the offense is committed by a corporation, trust, firm,
partnership or association, or other entity, the penalty shall be
389
imposed upon the guilty officer or officers of such corporation,

trust, firm, partnership or association, or entity.
SEC. 9. Separability Clause. – If any portion of this Act

is declared unconstitutional, the same shall not affect the validity
and effectivity of the other provisions not affected thereby.
SEC. 10. Repealing Clause. – All laws, acts, decrees,

executive orders, rules and regulations or other issuances or
parts thereof, which are inconsistent with this Act, are hereby
modified and repealed.
SEC. 11 Effectivity Clause.– This Act shall take effect

after fifteen (15) days following its publication in two (2) national
390
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
PART II
Executive Issuances
391
392
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
MALACAÑANG
Manila
PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 148
AMENDING FURTHER CERTAIN SECTIONS OF REPUBLIC

ACT NUMBERED SIX HUNDRED SEVENTY NINE, AS
AMENDED, COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE WOMAN
AND CHILD LABOR LAW.
WHEREAS, under Section 9, Article II of the New

Constitution, the State shall among other policies, afford
protection to labor, promote full employment and equality in
employment, ensure equal work opportunities regardless of sex,
race or creed, and regulate the relations between workers and
employers;
WHEREAS, there is an urgent need to translate these

policies into meaningful reality consistent with the demands
of national development particularly in so far as the
employment of women and minors is concerned;
WHEREAS, to effect these objectives, it is necessary to

amend further Republic Act No. 679, commonly known as the
Woman and Child Labor Law;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINANCE E. MARCOS,

President of the Philippines by virtue of the powers vested in
me under the Constitution as Commander-in-Chief of all the
Armed Forces of the Philippines, and pursuant to Proclamation
No. 1081 dated September 21, 1972, General Order No. 1, dated
September 22, 1972 as amended, do hereby amend certain
sections or provisions of R.A. No. 679, as amended to wit:
393
SECTION 1. Section one of the Republic Act Numbered

six hundred and seventy-nine, as amended, is further amended
to read as follows:
“SECTION 1. Minimum Employable Age. – No child

below 14 years of age shall be employed by any employer, except
where the child works directly under the sole responsibility of
his parent or guardian, involving activities which are not
hazardous in nature and which do not in any way interfere with
his schooling.”
SEC. 2. Section two of the same Act is repealed, and in

lieu thereof, a new section is inserted to read as follows:
“SECTION 2. Age of Eligibility for Employment. – Any

person between 14 and 18 years of age may be employed in any
non-hazardous undertaking as determined by the Secretary of
Labor. The employer shall not discriminate against any such
person in respect to terms and conditions of employment on
account of his age.”
SEC.3. Section 3 of the same Act is repealed and in lieu

thereof, a new Section is inserted to read as follows:
“SECTION 3. Additional Coverage. Any woman who is

permitted or suffered to work, with or without compensation
in any nightclubs, cocktail lounges bars, massage clinics, or in
any similar places, shall be considered as employees of such
establishments for purposes of this and other existing labor
and social legislation.”
SEC. 4. Section 7 of the same Act is further amended by

amending paragraph (b) to read as follows:
“(b) No woman, regardless of age, shall be allowed to

work, with or without compensation, in any industrial
undertaking or branch thereof between ten o’clock at night and
394
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
six o’clock in the morning of the following day, except for

activities which may be allowed by the Secretary of Labor
through implementing rules and regulations..”
SEC. 5. Section 8. Of the same Act is further amended

to read as follows:
“SEC. 8. Maternity Leave Benefits. –
(a) Every employer shall grant to any pregnant woman

employee who has rendered an aggregate service of at least six
months for the last twelve months, maternity leave of at least
two weeks prior to the expected date of delivery and another
four weeks after normal delivery or abortion, with full pay based
on her regular or average weekly wages. The employer may
require from any woman employee applying for maternity leave
the production of a medical certificate stating that delivery will
probably take place within two weeks.
(b) He maternity leave shall be extended without pay

on account of illness medically certified to arise out of the
pregnancy, delivery, abortion or miscarriage, which renders the
woman unfit for work, unless she has earned unused leave
credits from which such extended leave may be charged.
(c) The maternity leave provided in the preceding

paragraph shall be paid by the employer only for the first four
deliveries by a woman employee after the effectivity of this
Decree.
(d) The Secretary of Labor may by regulation require

an employer to establish a nursery in his workplace for the
benefit of his women employees.
(e) Establishments which are required b law to maintain

a clinic or infirmary shall provide free family planning services
395
to their employees which shall include, but not limited to, the
application or use of contraceptive and/or intra-uterine devices.
(f) In coordination with the other agencies of the

Government engaged in the promotion of family planning, the
Department of Labor shall develop and prescribe incentive
bonus schemes to encourage family planning among the married
workers in any establishment or enterprise.”
SEC. 6. Section 9 of the same Act is further amended by

amending paragraph (b) and by adding thereto paragraph (c) to
read as follows:
“(b) It shall be the duty of every employer to give his

employees not less than sixty minutes time-off for their regular
meals, unless otherwise prescribed by the Secretary of Labor.”
“(c) The Secretary of Labor shall also establish standards

that will insure the health and safety of women employees.”
SEC. 7. Section 10 of the same Act is hereby repealed.
SEC. 8. Section 12 of the same Act as amended, is further

amended by amending paragraph (c) to read as follows:
“(c) It shall be unlawful for an employer to require as a

condition of employment or continuation of employment that a
woman employee shall not get married, or to stipulate expressly
or tacitly that upon getting married a woman employee shall
be deemed resigned or separated, or to actually dismiss;
discharge, discriminate or otherwise prejudice to woman
employee merely by reason of her marriage.”
396
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
SEC.9. Repealing Clause. – All laws, decrees, orders and

regulations or parts thereof, which are contrary to or
inconsistent with this Decree are hereby repealed.
SEC. 10. Effectivity . – This Decree shall take effect

immediately.
Done in the City of Manila, this 13th day of March,

nineteen hundred and seventy-three.
(Sgd.) FERDINAND E. MARCOS

President of the Philippines
By the President:
(Sgd.) ROBERTO V. REYES

Assistant Executive Secretary
397
A DECREE INSTITUTING A LABOR CODE, THEREBY

REVISING AND CONSOLIDATING LABOR AND
SOCIAL LAWS TO AFFORD PORTECTION TO
LABOR, PROMOTE EMPLOYMENT AND HUMAN
RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT AND INSURE
INDUSTRIAL PEACE BASED ON SOCIAL JUSTICE.
PRELIMINARY TITLE
Chapter 1
General Provisions
ARTICLE 1. Name of Decree. – This Decree shall be

known as the “Labor Code of the Philippines.”
ART. 2. Date of Effectivity. – This Code shall take effect

six months after its promulgation.
ART. 3. Declaration of Basic Policy. – The State shall

afford protection to labor, promote full employment, ensure
equal work opportunities regardless of sex, race or creed, and
regulate the relations between workers and employers. The
State shall assure the rights of workers to self-organization,
collective bargaining, security of tenure and just and humane
conditions of work.
ART. 4. Construction in Favor of Labor. – All doubts in

the implementation and interpretation of the provisions of this
Code, including its implementing rules and regulations, shall
be resolved in favor of labor.
ART. 5. Rules and Regulations-. – The Department of

Labor and other government agencies charged with the
398
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
administration and enforcement of this Code or any of its parts

shall promulgate the necessary implementing rules and
regulations. Such rules and regulations shall become effective
fifteen (15) days after announcement of their adoption in
ART. 6. Applicability to Agricultural Workers. – In

addition to the rights conferred upon them by Republic Act
Numbered Thirty-eight Hundred and Forty-four, as amended,
otherwise known as the Code of Agrarian Reforms of the
Philippines, agricultural workers shall enjoy the rights and
benefits granted by this Code to non-agricultural workers.
XXX XXX XXX
BOOK I
PRE-EMPLOYMENT
XXX XXX XXX
BOOK II
HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT
XXX XXX XXX
BOOK III
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
Title I
WORKING CONDITIONS AND REST PERIODS
XXX XXX XXX
Title II
WAGES
399
XXX XXX XXX
Title III
WORKING CONDITIONS FOR SPECIAL GROUPS OF
EMPLOYEES
Chapter I
Employment of Women
ART. 128. Night Work Prohibition. – No woman,

regardless of age, shall be employed or permitted or suffered
to work, with or without compensation:
(a) In any industrial undertaking or branch thereof

between ten o’clock at night and six o’clock in the
morning of the following day; or
(b) In any commercial or non-industrial undertaking or

branch thereof, other than agricultural, between
midnight and six o’clock in the morning of the
following day; or
(c) In any agricultural undertaking at nighttime unless

she is given a period of rest of not less than nine (9)
consecutive hours.
ART. 129. Exceptions. – The prohibitions prescribed by

the preceeding Article shall not apply in any of the following
cases:
(a) In cases of actual or impending emergencies caused

by serious accident, fire, flood, typhoon, earthquake,
epidemic or other disasters or calamity, to prevent
loss of life or property, or in cases of force majeure or
imminent danger to public safety;
400
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
(b) In case of urgent work to be performed on

machineries, equipment or installation, to avoid
serious loss which the employer would otherwise
suffer;
(c) Where the work is necessary to prevent serious loss

of perishable goods;
(d) Where the woman employee holds a responsible

position of managerial or technical nature, or where
the woman employee has been engaged to provide
health and welfare services;
(e) Where the nature of the work requires the manual

skill and dexterity of women workers and the same
cannot be performed with equal efficiency by male
workers;
(f) Where the women employees are immediate

members of the family operating the establishment
or undertaking.
(g) Under other analogous cases exempted by the

Secretary of Labor in appropriate regulations,
ART. 130. Facilities for Women. – The Secretary of Labor

shall establish standards that will insure the safety and health
of women employees. In appropriate cases, he shall by
regulations require any employer to:
(a) Provide seats proper for women and permit them to

use such seats when they are free from work and
during working hours, provided they can perform
their duties in this position without detriment to
efficiency;
401
(b) Establish separate toilet rooms and lavatories for men

and women and provide at least a dressing room for
women;
(c) Establish a nursery in a workplace for the benefit of

the women employees therein; and
(d) Determine appropriate minimum age and other

standards for retirement or termination in special
occupations such as those of flight attendants and the
like.
ART. 131. Maternity Leave Benefits. –
(a) Every employer shall grant to any pregnant women

employee who has rendered an aggregate service of
at least six (6) months for the last twelve (12) months,
maternity leave of at least two (2) weeks prior to the
expected date of delivery and another four (4) weeks
after normal delivery or abortion, with full pay based
on her regular or average weekly wages. The
employer may require from any woman employee
applying for maternity leave the production of a
medical certificate stating that delivery will probably
take place within two (2) weeks.
(b) The maternity leave shall be extended without pay

on account of illness medically certified to arise out
of the pregnancy, delivery, abortion, or miscarriage,
which renders the woman unfit for work, unless she
has earned unused leave credits from which such
extended leave may be charged.
(c) The maternity leave provided in this Article shall be

paid by the employer only for the first four (4)
402
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
deliveries by a woman employee after the effectivity

of this Code.
ART. 132. Family Planning Services; Incentives for

Family Planning. –
(a) Establishments which are required by law to maintain

a clinic or infirmary shall provide free family planning
services to their employees which shall include, but
not limited to, the application or use of contraceptive
pills and intrauterine devices.
(b) In coordination with other agencies of the

Government engaged in the promotion of family
planning, the Department of Labor shall develop and
prescribe incentive bonus schemes to encourage
family planning among female workers in any
establishment or enterprise.
ART. 133. Discrimination Prohibited. – No employer

shall discriminate against any woman with respect to terms
and conditions of employment on account of her sex. Equal
remuneration shall be paid to both men and women for work of
equal value.
ART. 134. Stipulation Against Marriage. – It shall be

unlawful for an employer to require as a condition of
employment or continuation of employment that a woman
employee shall not get married, or to stipulate expressly or
tacitly that upon getting married a woman employee shall be
deemed resigned or separated, or to actually dismiss, discharge,
discriminate or otherwise prejudice a woman employee merely
by reason of her marriage.
ART. 135. Prohibited Acts. – (a) It shall be unlawful for

any employer:
403
(1) To deny any woman employee the benefits provided

for in this Chapter or to discharge any woman
employed by him for the purpose of preventing her
from enjoying any of the benefits provided for under
this Code;
(2) To discharge such woman on account of her

pregnancy, or while on leave or in confinement due
to her pregnancy; or
(3) To discharge or refuse the admission of such woman

upon returning to her work for fear that she may again
be pregnant.
ART. 136. Classification of Certain Women Workers. –

Any woman who is permitted or suffered to work, for a
substantial period of time under the effective control or
supervision of the employer, with or without compensation, in
any night club, cocktail lounge, bar, massage clinic, or any
similar place, shall be considered as an employee of such
establishment for purposes of existing labor and social
legislations.
XXX XXX XXX
ART. 340. Severability Provisions. – If any provisions or

part of this Code, or the application thereof to any person or
circumstance, is held invalid, the remainder of this Code, or
the application of such provision or part to other persons or
circumstances, shall not be affected thereby.
ART. 341. Repealing Clause. – All provisions of existing

laws, orders, decrees, rules and regulations inconsistent
herewith are hereby repealed.
404
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
Done in the City of Manila, this 1st day of May, in the

year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-four.

President
405
EXEMPTING FROM TAX PRIZES OF MISS UNIVERSE

CONTESTANTS AND CERTAIN EQUIPMENT AND
FACILITIES TO BE USED IN CONNECTION WITH
THE MISS UNIVERSE BEAUTY PAGEANT.
WHEREAS, the Philippines will play host to the 1974

Miss Universe Beauty Pageant to be held in Manila; and
WHEREAS, as a gesture of courtesy and good will to

the various beauty representatives of the nations participating
therein;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS,

President of the Philippines, by virtue of the authority vested
in me by the Constitution, do hereby order and decree:
SECTION 1. All prizes in cash or in kind, including

talent fees and gifts given to the winning candidates and the
participants in the Miss Universe Beauty Pageant during and
in connection with the said Pageant shall be exempt from any
and all taxes due to the Philippine Government.
SEC. 2. Television and movie equipment and facilities

brought to the country by the technical crew of Miss Universe
Inc. to be used for the coverage of the Pageant shall be exempt
from all customs duties and taxes or bonds in lieu thereof;
Provided, That the listing, specifications and details of said
equipment and facilities shall be furnished to the Commissioner
of Customs and the Department of Tourism; and provided,
further, that none of said equipment and facilities shall remain
in the Philippines after the Pageant otherwise full customs
duties shall be levied and collected on them.
SEC 3. All necessary rules and regulations to implement

this Decree shall be promulgated by the Secretary of Finance.
406
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
SEC. 4. This Decree shall take effect immediately.
DONE in the City of Manila, this 19th day of June, in

the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-four.

BY THE PRESIDENT:
(Sgd.) ALEJANDRO MELCHOR

Executive Secretary
407
THE CHILD AND YOUTH WELFARE CODE
I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the

Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the
Constitution, do hereby order and decree the following:
TITLE I – GENERAL PRINCIPLES
ARTICLE 1. Declaration of Policy. – The Child is one of

the most important assets of the nation. Every effort should be
exerted to promote his welfare and enhance his opportunities
for a useful and happy life.
The child is not a mere creature of the State. Hence, his

individual traits and aptitudes should be cultivated to the
utmost insofar as they do not conflict with the general welfare.
The molding of the character of the child starts at the

home. Consequently, every member of the family should strive
to make the home a wholesome and harmonious place as its
atmosphere and conditions will greatly influence the child’s
development.
Attachment to the home and strong family ties should

be encouraged but not to the extent of making the home isolated
and exclusive and unconcerned with the interests of the
community and the country.
The natural right and duty of parents in the rearing of

the child for civic efficiency should receive the aid and support
of the government.
Other institutions, like the school, the church, the guild,

and the community in general, should assist the home and the
408
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
State in the endeavor to prepare the child for the

responsibilities of adulthood.
ART. 2. Title and scope of code. - The Code shall be

known as the Child and Youth Welfare Code. It shall apply to
persons below twenty-one years of age except those
emancipated in accordance with law. “Child” or “minor” or
“youth” as used in this Code, shall refer to such persons.
XXX XXX XXX
TITLE II. CHILD AND YOUTH WELFARE AND THE

HOME
CHAPTER 1. – Parental Authority
SECTION A. In General
XXX XXX XXX
ART. 64. Assistance to Widowed or Abandoned Parent

and Her Minor Dependents. – The State shall give assistance
to widowed or abandoned parent or where other spouse is on
prolonged absence due to illness, imprisonment, etc. and who
is unable to support his/her children. Financial and other
essential social services shall be given by the National
Government or other duly licensed agencies with similar
functions to help such parent acquire the necessary knowledge
or skill needed for the proper care and maintenance of the
family.
XXX XXX XXX
ART. 66. Assistance to Unmarried Mothers and Their

Children. – Any unmarried mother may, before and after the
birth of her child, seek the assistance and advice of the
Department of Social Welfare or any duly licensed child
409
placement agency. The said agencies shall offer specialized

professional services which include confidential help and
protection to such mother and her child, including placement
of the child for adoption whenever warranted, and enforcement
of such mother’s rights, if any, against the father of such child.
TITLE VII.
CHILD AND YOUTH WELFARE AND THE STATE
CHAPTER I. – Regulation of Child and Youth Welfare

Services
ART. 117. Classifications of Child and Youth Welfare

Agencies. - Public and private child welfare agencies providing
encouragement, care, and protection to any category of children
and youth whether mentally gifted, dependent, abandoned,
neglected, abused, handicapped, disturbed, or youthful
offenders, classified and defined as follows, shall be coordinated
by the Department of Social Welfare:
1. An institution, whose primary purpose is education,

is deemed to be a child-caring institution when nine or more of
its pupils or wards in the ordinary course of events do not return
annually to the homes of their parents or guardians for at least
two months of summer vacation.
2. A detention home is a twenty-four hour child-caring

institution providing short term resident care for youthful
offenders who are awaiting court disposition of their cases or
transfer to other agencies or jurisdiction.
3. A shelter-care institution is one that provides

temporary protection and care to children requiring emergency
reception as a result of fortuitous events, abandonment by
parents, dangerous conditions of neglect or cruelty in the home,
410
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
being without adult care because of crisis in the family, or a

court order holding them as material witnesses.
4. Receiving homes are family-type homes which

provides temporary shelter from ten to twenty days for children
who shall during this period be under observation and study
for eventual placement by the Department of Social Welfare.
The number of children in a receiving home shall not at any
time exceed nine: Provided, That no more than two of them
shall be under three years of age.
5. A nursery is a child-caring institution that provides

care for six or more children below six years of age for all or
part of a twenty-four hour day, except those duly licensed to
offer primarily medical and educational services.
6. A maternity home is an institution or place of residence

whose primary function is to give shelter and care to pregnant
women and their infants before, during and after delivery.
7. A rehabilitation center is an institution that receives

and rehabilitates youthful offenders or other disturbed children.
8. A reception and study center is an institution that

receives for study, diagnosis, and temporary treatment, children
who have behavioral problems for the purpose of determining
the appropriate care for them or recommending their
permanent treatment or rehabilitation in other child welfare
agencies.
9. A child-placing agency is an institution or person

assuming the care, custody, protection and maintenance of
children for placement in any child-caring institution or home
or under the care and custody of any person or persons for
purposes of adoption, guardianship or foster care. The relatives
411
of such child or children within the sixth degree of

consanguinity or affinity are excluded from this definition.
XXX XXX XXX
CHAPTER 3. – Implementation of Code and Rule-Making

Authority
ART. 209. Implementation of this Code and Rule-Making

Authority. - The enforcement and implementation of this Code
shall be the primary responsibility of the Council for the Welfare
of Children. Said Council shall have authority to promulgate
the necessary rules and regulations for the purpose of carrying
into effect the provisions of this Code.
FINAL PROVISIONS
ART. 210. General Penalty. – Violations of any provisions

of this Code for which no penalty is specifically provided shall
be punished by imprisonment not exceeding one month or a
fine not exceeding two hundred pesos, or both such fine and
imprisonment at the discretion of the court, unless a higher
penalty is provided for in the Revised Penal Code or special
laws.
ART. 211. Repealing Clause. – All laws or parts of any

laws inconsistent with the provisions of this Code are hereby
repealed or modified accordingly: Provided, That the provisions
of the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1972 and amendments thereto
shall continue to be in force and shall not be deemed modified
or repealed by any provision of this Code.
ART. 212. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this

Code is held invalid, the other provisions not affected thereby
shall continue in operation.
412
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
ART. 213. Effectivity Clause. - This Code shall take effect

six months after its approval.
Done in the City of Manila, this 10th day of December,

in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-four.

BY THE PRESIDENT:

Executive Secretary
413
CREATING A NATIONAL COMMISSION ON

THE ROLE OF FILIPINO WOMEN
WHEREAS, the General Assembly of the United Nations

has designated 1975 as International Women’s Year with its
central theme of “Equality, Development and Peace”;
WHEREAS, the United Nations will convene during

International Women’s Year an International Conference in
which, inter alia, will be launched an international action-
program including short and long term measures aimed at
achieving the integration of women as full and equal partners
with men in the total development effort;
WHEREAS, the Government of the Republic of the

Philippines recognizes the significant contribution of Filipino
women as citizens, homemakers, workers, volunteers, as well
as their increasing participation in the development of friendly
relations and cooperation among nations, and the promotion of
world peace; and
WHEREAS, there is a need for a body to review, evaluate

and recommend measures, including priorities, to ensure the
full integration of women for economic, social, and cultural
development at national, regional and international levels and
to ensure further equality between men and women;

President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in
me by the Constitution, do hereby create under the Office of
the President a National Commission on the Role of the Filipino
Women. The membership shall be as follows:
Chairman – Mrs. Imelda Romualdez Marcos
414
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
Members:
(1) Members of the Cabinet whose

respective departments directly or
indirectly affect the participation of
Women in national development and their
integration therein;
(2) The heads of women’s organizations as

the President may designate;
(3) The heads of the different chambers of

commerce and industry;
(4) Representatives of government and

private sectors as the President may
designate who would be in a position to
help implement the aims of International
Women’s Year;
(5) Others as may be deemed necessary by

the Commission.
The members of the Commission may designate qualified

and competent representatives to act in their stead. The
Commission may create such committee as it may deem
necessary to carry out its functions:
The Commission shall have the following functions:
(1) To advice the President in formulating policies and

implementing programs on increased contribution by women
in national development;
(2) To ensure that the gains which Filipino women have

achieved because of Philippine culture and tradition will be
preserved and enhanced in the process of modernization;
415
(3) To continuously review and evaluate the extent to

which women are integrated in all sectors of economic and social
life at all levels on a basis of equality with men;
(4) To make recommendations which would guarantee

the enjoyment by women and men of full equality before the
law in all fields where it does not exist;
(5) To prepare a national program for International

Women’s Year which can be implemented throughout the
Philippines.
This Decree shall take effect immediately.
Done in the City of Manila, this 7th day of January, in

the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-five.

BY THE PRESIDENT:

Executive Secretary
416
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
PROVIDING FOR REPATRIATION OF FILIPINO WOMEN

WHO HAD LOST THEIR PHILIPPINE CITIZENSHIP
BY MARRIAGE TO ALIENS AN OF NATURAL BORN
FILIPINOS
WHEREAS, there are many Filipino women who had

lost their Philippine Citizenship by marriage to aliens;
WHEREAS, while the new Constitution allows a Filipino

woman who marries an alien to retain her Philippine citizenship
unless by her act or omission, she is deemed under the law to
have renounced her Philippine citizenship, such provision of
the new Constitution does not apply to Filipino women who
had married aliens before said Constitution took effect;
WHEREAS, the existing law (C.A. Nos. 63, as amended)

allows the repatriation of Filipino women who lost their
citizenship by reason of their marriage to aliens only after the
death of their husbands or the termination of their marital
status; and
WHEREAS, there are natural born Filipinos who have

lost their Philippine citizenship but now desire to re-acquire
Philippine citizenship;

President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers in me
vested by the Constitution, do hereby decree and order that: 1)
Filipino women who lost their Philippine citizenship by
marriage to aliens; and (2) natural born Filipinos who have lost
their Philippine citizenship may require Philippine citizenship
through repatriation by applying with the Special Committee
on Naturalization created by Letter of Instruction No. 270, and,
if their applications are approved, taking the necessary oath of
allegiance to the Republic of the Philippines, after which they
417
shall be deemed to have reacquired Philippine citizenship. The

Commission on Immigration and Deportation shall thereupon
cancel their certificate of registration.
The aforesaid Special Committee is hereby authorized

to promulgate rules and regulations and prescribe the
appropriate forms and the required fees for the effective
implementation of this Decree.
Done in the City of Manila, this 5th day of June, in the

year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-five.

President
By the President:

Executive Secretary
418
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
AMENDING PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 198 ENTITLED

“DECLARING A NATIONAL POLICY FAVORING
LOCAL OPERATION AND CONTROL OF WATER
SYSTEMS; AUTHORIZING THE FORMATION OF
LOCAL WATER DISTRICTS AND PROVIDING FOR
THE GOVENRMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF
SUCH DISTRICT; CHARTERING A NATIONAL
ADMINISTRATION TO FACILITATE IMPROVEMENT
OF LOCAL WATER FACILITIES; GRANTING SAID
ADMINISTRATION SUCH POWERS AS ARE
NECESSARY TO OPTIMIZE PUBLIC SERVICE FROM
WATER UTILITY OPERATIONS, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES.”
WHEREAS, it is the primary concern of the government

to develop an orderly and effective system of local water
utilities, particularly in the area of water supply and sewerage
services;
WHEREAS, under Presidential Decree No. 198, the

Government declared as a national policy the local operation
and control of water systems; authorized the formation of local
water districts provided for the administration of such districts,
and chartered a national administration to facilitate
improvement of local water utilities.
WHEREAS, there is need to amend certain provisions

of Presidential Decree No. 198 in order to hasten and make
more effective the implementation and administration of the
program of total development and expansion of domestic water
systems;

me by the Constitution, do hereby amended to read as follows:
419
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 4. Section 8 of the same decree is hereby amended

to read as follows:
“Sec. 8 Number and Qualifications.– The Board of

Directors of a district shall be composed of five citizens of the
Philippines who are of voting age and residents within the
district. One member shall be a representative of civic-oriented
service clubs, one member a representative of professional
associations, one member a representative of business,
commercial, or financial institutions and one member a
representative of women’s organizations. No public officials
shall serve as director.”
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 39. Sections 73 and 74 of the same decree are hereby

amended to read as Sections 77 and 78, respectively.
Done in the City of Manila, this 15th day of August, in


President
By the President:

Executive Secretary
420
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
EXTENDING FRANKING PRIVILEGE TO THE ARMED

FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES LADIES CLUB
STEERING COMMITTEE FOR MAILING MONTHLY
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE ONLY TO ORPHANS OF
PERSONNEL OF THE AFP WHO DIED IN COMBAT.
WHEREAS, the Armed Forces of the Philippines Ladies

Club Steering Committee launched project “Sandigan” for the
purpose of raising funds to be given as financial assistance to
orphans of personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
who died in combat;
WHEREAS, the aforesaid Committee does not have

enough funds for mailing the monthly financial assistance to
the aforesaid orphans as in fact it is still campaigning for
contribution for the purpose mentioned above;

President of the Philippines, by virtue of the power vested in
me by the Constitution as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines and pursuant to Proclamation No.
1081 dated September 21, 1972, do hereby order and decree as
part of the law of the land that:
1. The Armed Forces of the Philippines Ladies Club

Steering Committee may transmit in the mail, free of charge,
monthly financial assistance intended for orphans of personnel
of the Armed Forces of the Philippines who died in combat.
2. The envelope or wrapper of the privilege mail matter

shall bear on the left upper corner the name, official designation
and station of the official sending such mail matter and on the
right upper corner the words: “Private or unauthorized use to
avoid payment of postage is penalized by fine or imprisonment
or both.”
421
3. That any person who uses the privilege granted

hereunder for private or unauthorized purpose shall be
punished by a fine of five hundred pesos or imprisonment of
not more than three (3) years or both.
Done in the City of Manila this 11th day of September in

the year of Our Lord nineteen hundred and seventy-five.

President
By the President:
(Sgd.) ROBERTO V. REYES

Assistant Executive Secretary
422
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
GRANTING CITIZENSHIP TO DESERVING ALIENS

WHEREAS, in order that aliens residing in this country

and deserving of Philippine citizenship may, through a less
expensive and more expeditious procedure, become Philippine
citizens, Letter of Instructions No. 270 constituted a Special
Committee on Naturalization to receive and process
applications for naturalization by decree from aliens with the
qualifications and none of the disqualifications specified therein
and submit recommendations thereon to the President of the
Philippines; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to said Letter of Instructions, the

aforesaid Special Committee has recommended to the President
of the Philippines the grant of Philippine citizenship by decree
to certain applicants;

vested by the Constitution, do hereby grant Philippine
citizenship to the individuals of foreign nationality whose names
appear in Annex “A” of this Decree, with all the rights,
privileges, duties, and obligations appurtenant to such grant,
and with the following effects and subject to the following
conditions:
1. The grant of Philippine citizenship to the aforesaid

aliens under this Decree shall be effective upon their taking
the oath of allegiance as Philippine citizens and the issuance
to them of certificate of naturalization by the Special
Committee. The Commission on Immigration and Deportation
shall thereupon cancel their certificate of registration as aliens
423
and issue to them the corresponding identification certificates

as citizens;
2. If the naturalized alien should die before taking the

oath of allegiance as Filipino citizens and the issuance to him
of the certificate of naturalization, his widow, if residing in the
Philippines and found by the Special Committee to have none
of the disqualifications specified in said LOI 270, may take the
oath of allegiance as Filipino citizen, after which the minor
children of said deceased alien and his wife, subject to the
provisos of the next succeeding section, shall follow the acquired
Filipino citizenship of their mother;
3. Alien wives and minor children of persons

naturalization under this Decree shall be deemed Philippine
citizens provided that:
(a) The alien wife shall, in all cases, not suffer from any
of the disqualifications for naturalization under Letter of
Instructions No. 270;
(b) The alien wife and minor children of persons

naturalized under this Decree reside permanently in the
Philippines at the time of his naturalization;
(c) If the alien wife does not reside in the Philippines at

the time of the naturalization of her husband, she shall come to
the Philippines and reside in this country in good faith within
one year from the naturalization of her husband;
(d) If minor children do not reside in the Philippines at

the time of the naturalization of their father thay shall, within
one (1) year from the naturalization of their father, in good faith
reside in this country and, if of school age, enroll in Philippine
schools. The fact that any such minor child of school age fails to
graduate from a Philippine school, except for valid reasons
424
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
shown, shall be considered prima facie evidence of failure to

bona fide enroll in Philippine schools.
4. In case the alien naturalized under this Decree is a

woman, her minor children shall continue to follow the
citizenship of their alien father during their minority, but may
elect Philippine citizenship pursuant to existing law upon
reaching the age of majority.
5. The Special Committee may cancel certificates of

naturalization issued under this decree in the following cases:
(a) If it finds that the naturalized person or his duly

authorized representative made any false statement or
misrepresentation or committed any violation of law, rules and
regulations in connection with the petition for naturalization,
or if he otherwise obtains Philippine citizenship fraudulently
or illegally, the certificate of naturalization shall be cancelled;
(b) If the naturalized person or his wife, or any of his

minor children who acquire Filipino citizenship by virtue of
his naturalization shall, within five (5) years next following the
grant of Philippine citizenship, establish permanent residence
in a foreign country, that individual’s certificate of
naturalization or acquired citizenship shall be cancelled or
revoked; provided that the fact of such person’s remaining for
more than one year in his country of origin, or two years in any
other foreign country, shall be considered prima facie evidence
of intent to permanently reside therein;
(c) If the naturalized person or his wife or child with

acquired citizenship allows himself or herself to be used as a
dummy in violation of any constitutional or legal provision
requiring Philippine citizenship as a condition for the exercise,
use, or enjoyment of a right, franchise, or privilege, the
425
certificate of naturalization or acquired citizenship shall be

cancelled or revoked;
(d) If the naturalized person or his wife or child with

acquired citizenship commits any act inimical to national
security, the certificate of naturalization or acquired citizenship
shall be cancelled or revoked.
6. In case the naturalized person holds any hereditary

title, or belongs to any order of nobility, he shall make an express
renunciation of his title or membership in this order of nobility
before the Special Committee or its duly authorized
representative, and such renunciation shall be included in the
records of his application for citizenship; and
7. The Special Committee is authorized to promulgate

rules and regulations for the effective and expeditious
implementation of the provision of this Decree.
8. Any person who shall fraudulently make, falsify, forge,

change, alter, or cause or aid any person to do the same, or who
shall purposely aid and assist in falsely making, forging,
falsifying, changing or altering a naturalization certificate
issued under this Decree for the purpose of making use thereof,
or in order that the same may be used by another person or
persons, and any person who shall purposely aid and assist
another in obtaining a naturalization certificate in violation of
this Decree, shall be punished by a fine of not more than Five
Thousand Pesos (P5,000.00) and by imprisonment for not more
than five years, and in the case that the person convicted is a
naturalized citizen his certificate of naturalization shall, if not
earlier cancelled by the Special Committee, be ordered
cancelled.
9. This Decree shall take effect immediately.
426
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
Done in the City of Manila, this 3rd day of December in

the year of our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-five.

By the President:
(Sgd.) JACOBO C. CLAVE

Presidential Executive Assistant
427
AMENDING CERTAIN ARTICLES OF PD 442 ENTITLED

“LABOR CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES”
WHEREAS,, PD 442, as amended, otherwise known as

the Labor Code of the Philippines, is designed to be a dynamic
and growing body of laws which will reflect continuously the
demands of development and the lessons of experience;
WHEREAS, in order to fully orient the Code towards

economic development and justice, the department of Labor
has been conducting studies and discussions on the Labor Code
with responsible public officials, labor organizations, employers’
organizations, civic, professional and technical associations,
educational institutions, and other knowledgeable groups
representing various sectors of the economy;
WHEREAS, as a result of these discussions and

consultations, especially the National Tripartite Conference on
the Labor Code at the Development Academy of the Philippines
last 24-26 October 1975, as well as the experience of the
Department of Labor, it has been found necessary to make
adjustments in the text of the Labor Code in order to fully align
it with the overriding priority of development and justice;

me by the Constitution, do hereby order and decree:
SECTION 1. Article 13 to 39 of Title I, Book One of the

Labor Code, except Articles 14, 26, 29, 32, 34 and 35 thereof,
are hereby amended to read as follows:
XXX XXX XXX
428
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
“CHAPTER III HOLIDAYS AND SERVICE LEAVES”
SECTION 6. Article 99 of the Code is hereby amended

to read as follows:
“Art. 99. Prohibition against elimination or

diminution of benefits. Nothing in this Book shall be
construed to eliminate or in any way diminish
supplements or other employee benefits being enjoyed
at the time of the promulgation of this Code.”
XXX XXX XXX
SECTION 11. Article 137 of the Code is hereby amended

to read as follows:
“Art. 137. Classification of certain women

workers. – Any woman who is permitted or suffered to
work with or without compensation, in any night club,
cocktail lounge, massage clinic, bar or similar
establishment, under the effective control or supervision
of the employer for a substantial period of time as
determined by the Secretary of Labor, shall be
considered as an employee of such establishments for
purposes of labor and social legislation.”
XXX XXX XXX
SECTION 35. If any provision or part of this Decree, or

the application thereof to any person or circumstance, is held
invalid, the remainder of this Decree, or the application of such
provision or part to other persons or circumstances, shall not
be affected thereby.
SECTION 36. All provisions of existing laws, orders,

decrees, rules and regulations inconsistent herewith are hereby
repealed.
429
Done in the City of Manila, this 6th day of December, in

FERDINAND E. MARCOS
President of the
430
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 3835 ESTABLISHING

THE WOMEN’S AUXILIARY CORPS IN THE ARMED
FORCE OF THE PHILIPPINES TO PROVIDE FOR
THE PROCUREMENT OF ITS OFFICERS AND
ENLISTED PERSONNEL AND OTHER PURPOSES
Section 1. Section 1 of the Act is hereby amended to read

as follows:
“Sec. 1. There is established in the Armed Forces

of the Philippines a Women’s Auxiliary Corps which shall
perform non-combat/administrative duties and such
other functions and service as may be prescribed by the
Secretary of National Defense. It shall composed of
officers and enlisted women, the full complement of
which shall be as determined annually by the Chief of
Staff, AFP, subject to the approval of the Secretary of
National Defense; Provided, that the ratio of officers to
enlisted women shall be one officer for every twenty
enlisted women; and Provided, further, that the number
of officers in each grade shall be considered within the
total authorized strength of the AFP for each grade in
accordance with Republic Act No. 291, as amended by
Presidential Decree No. 360.”

as follows:
“Sec. 2. Officers of the Women’s Auxiliary Corps

shall be commissioned in the Regular and Reserved
Forces of the AFP by the President of the Philippines
upon the recommendation of the Secretary of National
Defense. All persons appointed officers in the Regular
Force pursuant to this Section shall be unmarried female
native-born citizens of the Philippines between the ages
431
of twenty-one and twenty-six years who are holders of

Bachelor’s degrees from any school, college or university
recognized by the government and who possess such
additional qualifications as may be prescribed by the
Secretary of National Defense; Provided, however, that
all initial commission in the Regular Force shall be in
the rank of Second Lieutenant; Provided, further, that,
the President, under such rules and regulations as he
may prescribe, is hereby authorized to commission
officers in the Regular Component of the Corps in ranks
above Second Lieutenant but not higher than Captain
from among the officers in the active service within one
year from the effectivity of this Decree.”

as follows:
“Sec. 3. Any unmarried and without dependent

female citizen of the Philippines, between the ages of
eighteen and twenty-six years, able-bodied, physically
and mentally fit, of good moral character and habits and
who has completed the second year of any course from a
college or university recognized by the government may
be enlisted in the Women’s Auxiliary Corps for a term of
three years; Provided, that, insofar as practicable,
enlistments shall be apportioned among the various
provinces of the Philippines; Provided further, that high
school graduates who possess technical or special skills
necessary in the performance of non-combatant/
administrative duties and other functions and services
as may be determined by the Secretary of National
Defense may be enlisted in the Women’s Auxiliary Corps.”

as follows:
432
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
“Sec. 4. The names of all commissioned officers of

the Women’s Auxiliary Corps shall be contained in
separate Promotion Lists, which shall be known as the
Women’s Auxiliary Corps Promotion Lists, similar to but
separate and distinct from those prescribed by law and
regulations for the other Major and Technical Services
of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. These officers of
the Women’s Auxiliary Corps shall be promoted in the
same manner as other commissioned officers of the
Armed Forces of the Philippines. Enlisted women of the
Corps shall likewise be promoted in the same manner
as enlisted men of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.”

as follows:
“Sec. 5. Except as otherwise specifically provided,

all laws and regulations now or hereafter applicable to
commissioned officers and enlisted men of the AFP shall
likewise be applicable respectively to commissioned
officers and enlisted women of the Women’s Auxiliary
Corps: Provided, that any commissioned officer or
enlisted woman who contracts marriage while in the
active service shall be automatically separated from the
service, unless she has, at the time of said marriage,
already completed at least five (5) years of continuous
active military service in the AFP; Provided further, that
all laws and regulations on maternity leave now or
hereafter applicable to female employees of the
government shall be applicable to married members of
the Corps, and provided finally that members of the
Women’s Auxiliary Corps who were previously separated
or discharged honorably by reason of marriage may be
called to active duty subject to the conditions
aforementioned and in accordance with rules and
regulations as the Secretary of National Defense, upon
433
recommendation by the Chief of Staff, AFP may

prescribe.”
This Decree takes effect upon approval.
DONE in the City of Manila, this 25th day of October, in

the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-six.

By the President:
(Sgd.) JUAN C. TUVERA

Presidential Assistant
434
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
A DECREE TO ORDAIN AND PROMULGATE A CODE

RECOGNIZING THE SYSTEM OF FILIPINO MUSLIM
LAWS, CODIFYING MUSLIM PERSONAL LAWS, AND
PROVIDING FOR ITS ADMINISTRATION AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES
WHEREAS, pursuant to the spirit of the provision of

the Constitution of the Philippines that, in order to promote
the advancement and effective participation of the National
Cultural Communities in the building of the New Society, the
State shall consider their customs, traditions, beliefs and
interests in the formulation and implementation of its policies;
WHEREAS, Islamic law and its principles of equity and

justice, to which the Filipino Muslim communities adhere,
provide an essential basis for the fuller development of said
communities in relation to the search for harmonious relations
of all segments of the Filipino nation to enhance national unity;
WHEREAS, the enforcement, with the full sanction of

the State, of the legal system of the Filipino Muslims shall
redound to the attainment of a more ordered life amongst them;
WHEREAS, it is the intense desire of the New Society

to strengthen all the ethno-linguistic communities in the
Philippines within the context of their respective ways of life
in order to bring about a cumulative result satisfying the
requirements of national solidarity and social justice;

President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the
powers vested in me by the Constitution of the Philippines, do
hereby ordain and promulgate the “Code of Muslim Personal
Laws of the Philippines” as part of the law of the land hereby
decree:
435
BOOK ONE
GENERAL PROVISIONS
TITLE I
TITLE AND PURPOSES OF CODE
Article 1. Title. This decree shall be known as the “Code

of Muslim Personal Laws of the Philippines.”
XXX XXX XXX
BOOK TWO
PERSONS AND FAMILY RELATIONS
XXX XXX XXX
TITLE II
MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE
Chapter One
APPLICABILITY CLAUSE
Article 13. Application.
(1) The provisions of this Title shall apply to marriage

and divorce wherein both parties are Muslims, or
wherein only the male party is a Muslim and the
marriage is solemnized in accordance with Muslim law
or this Code in any part of the Philippines.
(2) In case of marriage between a Muslim and a non-

Muslim, solemnized not in accordance with Muslim law
or this Code, the Civil Code of the Philippines shall apply.
(3) Subject to the provisions of the preceding paragraphs,

the essential requisites and legal impediments to
marriage, divorce, paternity and filiation, guardianship
and custody of minors, support and maintenance, claims
for customary dower (mahr), betrothal, breach of contract
436
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
to marry, solemnization and registration of marriage and

divorce, rights and obligations between husband and wife
parental authority, and the properly relations between
husband and wife shall be governed by this Code and
other applicable Muslim laws.
Chapter Two
MARRIAGE (NIKAH)
XXX XXX XXX
Article 16. Capacity to contract marriage.
(1) Any Muslim male at least fifteen years of age and any
Muslim female of the age of puberty or upwards and not
suffering from any impediment under the provisions of
this Code may contract marriage. A female is presumed
to have attained puberty upon reaching the age of fifteen.
(2) However, the Shari’a District Court may, upon

petition of a proper wali, order the solemnization of the
marriage of a female who though less than fifteen but
not below twelve years of age, has attained puberty.
(3) Marriage through a wali by a minor below the

prescribed ages shall be regarded as betrothal and may
be annulled upon the petition of either party within four
years after attaining the age of puberty, provided no
voluntary cohabitation has taken place and the wali who
contracted the marriage was other than the father or
paternal grandfather.
XXX XXX XXX
Article 18. Authority to solemnize marriage. Marriage

may be solemnized:
(a) By the proper wali of the woman to be wedded;
437
(b) Upon authority of the proper wali, by any person who

is competent under Muslim law to solemnize marriage;
or
(c) By the judge of the Shari’a District Court of Shari’a

Circuit Court or any person designated by the judge,
should the proper wali refuse without justifiable reason,
to authorize the solemnization.
Article 19. Place of solemnization. Marriage shall be

solemnized publicly in any mosque, office of the Shari’a judge,
office of the District or Circuit Registrar, residence of the bride
or her wali, or at any other suitable place agreed upon by the
parties.
Article 20. Specification of dower. The amount or value

of dower may be fixed by the contracting parties (marh-
musamma) before, during, or after the celebration of the
marriage. If the amount or the value thereof has not been so
fixed, a proper dower (mahr-mithl) shall, upon petition of the
wife, be determined by the court according to the social standing
of the parties.
XXX XXX XXX
Article 26. Prohibition due to fosterage (tahrim-bir-

rada’a).
(1) No person may validly contract marriage with any

woman who breastfed him for at least five times within
two years after his birth.
(2) The prohibition on marriage by reason of

consanguinity shall likewise apply to persons related by
fosterage within the same degrees, subject to exception
recognized by Muslim law.
Section 3. Subsequent Marriages
438
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
Article 27. By a husband. Notwithstanding the rule of

Islamic law permitting a Muslim to have more than one wife
but one wife unless he can deal with them with equal
companionship and just treatment as enjoined by Islamic law
and only in exceptional cases.
Article 28. By widow. No widow shall contract a

subsequent marriage unless she has observed an ‘idda of four
months and ten days counted from the date of the death of her
husband. If at that time the widow is pregnant, she may remarry
within a reasonable time after delivery. In such case, she shall
produce the corresponding death certificate.
Article 29. By divorcee.
(1) No woman shall contract a subsequent marriage

unless she has observed an ‘idda of three monthly courses
counted from the date of divorce. However, if she is
pregnant at the time of the divorce, she may remarry
only after delivery.
(2) Should a repudiated woman and her husband

reconcile during her ‘idda, he shall have a better right
to take her back without need of a new marriage
contract.
(3) Where it is indubitable that the marriage has not been

consummated when the divorce was affected, no ‘idda
shall be required.
Article 30. Marriage after three talaq.
(1) Where a wife has been thrice repudiated (talaq bain

lubra) on three different occasions by her husband, he
cannot remarry her unless she shall have married
another person who divorces her after consummation of
the intervening marriage and the expiration of the ‘idda.
439
(2) No solemnizing officer shall perform the subsequent

marriage mentioned in the preceding paragraph unless
he has ascertained that there was no collusion among
the parties.
Section 4. Batil and Fasi Marriages
XXX XXX XXX
Article 32. Fasid marriages. The following marriages

shall be irregular (fasid) from their performance:
(a) Those contracted with a female observing ‘idda;
(b) Those contracted contrary to Article 30;
(c) Those wherein the consent of either party is vitiated

by violence, intimidation, fraud, deceit or
misrepresentation;
(d) Those contracted by a party in a condition of death-

illness (marad-ul-mault) without the same being
consummated;
(e) Those contracted by a party in a state of ihram; and
(f) Mixed marriages not allowed under Islamic law.
Article 33. Validation of irregular marriages. (1)

Irregular marriages may be made regular by a new marriage
contract in the following cases:
(a) Those referred to in Article 32(a), after the

impediment has been removed;
(b) Those referred to in Article 32(b), upon compliance

with the requirement of Article 30;
440
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
(c) Those referred to in Article 32(c), after the causes

vitiating consent have ceased;
(d) Those referred to in Article 32(d), in case the party

recovers.
(e) Those referred to in Article 32(e), when the party is

no longer in a state of ihram; and
(f) Those referred to in Article 32(f), after conversion to

a faith that could have made the marriage valid.
(2) The effects of the new marriage under the first

paragraph shall retroact to the date of the celebration
of the irregular marriage.
Section 5. Rights and Obligations Between Spouses
Article 34. Mutual rights and obligations.
(1) The husband and the wife are obliged to live together,
observe mutual respect and fidelity, and render mutual
help and support in accordance with this Code.
(2) When one of the spouses neglects his or her duties to

the conjugal union or brings danger, dishonor or material
injury upon the other, the injured party may petition the
court for relief. The court may counsel the offender to
comply with his or her duties, and take such measures
as may be proper.
(3) The husband and the wife shall inherit from each
other in accordance with this Code.
(4) The husband and the wife shall have the right to
divorce in accordance with this Code.
Article 35. Rights and obligations of the husband. The

husband shall fix the residence of the family. The court may
441
exempt the wife from living with her husband on any of the
following grounds:
(a) Her dower is not satisfied in accordance with the

stipulations; or
(b) The conjugal dwelling is not in keeping with her social

standing or is, for any reason, not safe for the members
of the family or her property.
Article 36. Rights and obligations of the wife.
(1) The wife shall dutifully manage the affairs of the

household. She may purchase things necessary for the
maintenance of the family, and the husband shall be
bound to reimburse the expenses, if he has not delivered
the proper sum.
(2) The wife cannot, without the husband’s consent,

acquire any property by gratuitous title, except from her
relatives who are within the prohibited degrees in
marriage.
(3) The wife may, with her husband’s consent, exercise

any profession or occupation or engage in lawful business
which is in keeping with Islamic modesty and virtue.
However, if the husband refuses to give his consent on
the ground that his income is sufficient for the family
according to its social standing or his opposition is based
on serious and valid grounds, the matter shall be referred
to the Agama Arbitration Council.
(4) The wife shall have the right to demand the

satisfaction of her mahr.
442
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
(5) Unless otherwise stipulated in the marriage

settlements, the wife retain ownership and
administration of her exclusive property.
(6) The wife shall be entitled to an equal and just

treatment by the husband.
XXX XXX XXX
Article 40. Ante-nuptial property. The wife shall not lose

ownership and administration of all properties brought by her
to the marriage in the absence of any written agreement to the
contrary, and she may dispose of the same by deed or otherwise
even without the consent of her husband.
Article 41. Exclusive property of each spouse. The

following shall be the exclusive property of either spouse:
(a) Properties brought to the marriage by the husband

or the wife;
(b) All income derived by either spouse from any

employment, occupation or trade;
(c) Any money or property acquired by either spouse

during marriage by lucrative title;
(d) The dower (mahr) of the wife and nuptial gifts to each
spouse;
(e) Properties acquired by right of redemption, purchase

or exchange of the exclusive property of either; and
(f) All fruits of properties in the foregoing paragraphs.
Article 42. Ownership and administration. Each spouse

shall own, possess, administer, enjoy and dispose of his or her
own exclusive estate even without the consent of the other.
443
However, the court may, upon petition of either spouse, grant

to the other the administration of such property.
Article 43. Household property. Household property

which customarily pertains to or is used by either spouse shall
be prima facie presumed to be the property of said spouse.
Article 44. Right to sue and be sued. The wife may,

independently of the husband, sue or be sued in the following
cases:
(a) When the litigation is between husband and wife;
(b) If the suit concerns her exclusive property;
(c) If the litigation is incidental to her profession,

occupation or business;
(d) If the litigation concerns the exclusive property of

the husband, the administration of which has been
transferred to her; or
(e) Such other appropriate cases as may be followed by

the general principles of Islamic law and other laws.
Chapter Three
DIVORCE (TALAQ)
Section 1. Nature and Form
Article 45. Definition and forms. Divorce is the formal

dissolution of the marriage bond in accordance with this Code
to be granted only after the exhaustion of all possible means of
reconciliation between the spouses. It may be effected by:
(a) Repudiation of the wife by the husband (talaq);
(b) Vow of continence by the husband (ila);
444
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
(c) Injurious assanilation of the wife by the husband

(zihar);
(d) Acts of imprecation (li’an);
(e) Redemption by the wife (khul’);
(f) Exercise by the wife of the delegated right to

repudiate (tafwld); or
(g) Judicial decree (faskh).
Article 46. Divorce by talaq.
(1) A divorce by talaq may be affected by the husband in

a single repudiation of his wife during her non-menstrual
period (tuhr) within which he has totally abstained from
carnal relation with her. Any number of repudiations
made during one tuhr shall constitute only one
repudiation and shall become irrevocable after the
expiration of the prescribed ‘idda.
(2) A husband who repudiates his wife, either for the first
or second time, shall have the right to take her back (ruju)
within the prescribed ‘idda by resumption of
cohabitation without need of a new contract of marriage.
Should he fail to do so, the repudiation shall become
irrevocable (Talaq bain sugra).
Article 47. Divorce by Ila. Where a husband makes a vow

to abstain from any carnal relations (ila) with his wife and keeps
such ila for a period of not less than four months, she may be
granted a decree of divorce by the court after due notice and
hearing.
Article 48. Divorce by zihar. Where the husband has

injuriously assimilated (zihar) his wife to any of his relatives
within the prohibited degrees of marriage, they shall mutually
445
refrain from having carnal relation until he shall have

performed the prescribed expiation. The wife may ask the court
to require her husband to perform the expiationor to pronounce
the a regular talaq should he fail or refuse to do so, without
prejudice to her right of seeking other appropriate remedies.
Article 49. Divorce by li’an. Where the husband accuses

his wife in court of adultery, a decree of perpetual divorce may
be granted by the court after due hearing and after the parties
shall have performed the prescribed acts of imprecation (li’an).
Article 50. Divorce by khul’. The wife may, after having

offered to return or renounce her dower or to pay any other
lawful consideration for her release (khul’) from the marriage
bond, petition the court for divorce. The court shall, in
meritorious cases and after fixing the consideration, issue the
corresponding decree.
Article 51. Divorce by tafwid. If the husband has

delegated (tafwid) to the wife the right to effect a talaq at the
time of the celebration of the marriage or thereafter, she may
repudiate the marriage and the repudiation would have the
same effect as if it were pronounced by the husband himself.
Article 52. Divorce by faskh. The court may, upon petition

of the wife, decree a divorce by faskh on any of the following
grounds :
(a) Neglect or failure of the husband to provide support

for the family for at least six consecutive months;
(b) Conviction of the husband by final judgment

sentencing him to imprisonment for at least one year;
(c) Failure of the husband to perform for six months

without reasonable cause his marital obligation in
accordance with this code;
446
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
(d) Impotency of the husband;
(e) Insanity or affliction of the husband with an incurable

disease which would make the continuance of the
marriage relationship injurious to the family;
(f) Unusual cruelty of the husband as defined under the

next succeeding article; or
(g) Any other cause recognized under Muslim law for the
dissolution of marriage by faskh either at the instance
of the wife or the proper wali.
Article 53. Faskh on the ground of unusual cruelty. A

decree of faskh on the ground of unusual cruelty may be granted
by the court upon petition of the wife if the husband:
(a)Habitually assaults her or makes her life miserable

by cruel conduct even if this does not result in physical
injury;
(b) Associates with persons of ill-repute or leads an

infamous life or attempts to force the wife to live an
immoral life;
(c) Compels her to dispose of her exclusive property or

prevents her from exercising her legal rights over it;
(d) Obstructs her in the observance of her religious

practices; or
(e) Does not treat her justly and equitably as enjoined

by Islamic law.
Article 54. Effects of irrevocable talaq or faskh. A talaq

or faskh, as soon as it becomes irrevocable, shall have the
following effects:
447
(a) The marriage bond shall be severed and the spouses

may contract another marriage in accordance with this
Code;
(b) The spouses shall lose their mutual rights of

inheritance;
(c) The custody of children shall be determined in

accordance with Article 78 of this code;
(d) The wife shall be entitled to recover from the husband

her whole dower in case the talaq has been affected after
the consummation of the marriage, or one-half thereof if
effected before its consummation;
(e) The husband shall not be discharged from his

obligation to give support in accordance with Article 67;
and
(f) The conjugal partnership, if stipulated in the marriage

settlements, shall be dissolved and liquidated.
Article 55. Effects of other kinds of divorce. The

provisions of the article immediately preceding shall apply to
the dissolution, of marriage by ila, zihar, li’an and khul’, subject
to the effects of compliance with the requirements of the Islamic
law relative to such divorces.
Section 2. ‘Idda
Article 56. ‘Idda defined. ‘Idda is the period of waiting

prescribed for a woman whose marriage has been dissolved by
death or by divorce the completion of which shall enable her to
contract a new marriage.
Article 57. Period.
(1) Every wife shall be obliged to observe ‘idda as follows:
448
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
(a) In case of dissolution of marriage by death, four

months and ten days counted from the death of her
husband;
(b) In case of termination of marriage by divorce, for three

monthly courses; or
(c) In case of a pregnant women, for a period extending

until her delivery.
(2) Should the husband die while the wife is observing

‘idda for divorce, another ‘idda for death shall be
observed in accordance with paragraph 1(a).
XXX XXX XXX
TITLE III
PATERNITY AND FILIATION
Article 58. Legitimacy, how established. Legitimacy of

filiation is established by evidence of valid marriage between
the father and the mother at the time of the conception of the
child.
Article 59. Legitimate children.
(1) Children conceived in lawful wedlock shall be

presumed to be legitimate. Whoever claims illegitimacy of or
impugns such filiation must prove his allegation.
(2) Children born after six months following the

consummation of marriage or with two years after the
dissolution of the marriage shall be presumed to be legitimate.
Against this presumption no evidence shall be admitted other
than that of the physical impossibility of access between the
parents at or about the time of the conception of the child.
Article 60. Children of subsequent marriage. Should the

marriage be dissolved and the wife contracts another marriage
449
after the expiration of her ‘IDDA, the child born within six
months from the dissolution of the prior marriage shall be
presumed to have been conceived during the former marriage,
and if born thereafter, during the later.
Article 61. Pregnancy after dissolution. If, after the

dissolution of marriage, the wife believes that she is pregnant
by her former husband, she shall, within thirty days from the
time she became aware of her pregnancy, notify the former
husband or his heirs of that fact. The husband or his heirs may
ask the court to take measures to prevent a simulation of birth.
TITLE IV
SUPPORT (NAFAQA)
Article 65. Support defined. Support (nafaqa) includes

everything that is indispensable for sustenance, dwelling,
clothing and medical attendance according to the social standing
of the person obliged to give it, and the education of the person
entitled to the support until he completes his education,
training, or vocation even beyond the age of majority.
Article 66. Amount. The amount of support shall be in

proportion to the resources of the giver and to the needs of the
recipient.
Article 67. Support for wife and infant.
(1) The wife shall be entitled to support during the

marriage. In cases of divorce, (talaq), her right shall be
extended up to the expiration of the ‘idda. However, in
case the wife is pregnant at the time of the separation,
she shall be entitled to support until delivery.
(2) Any divorced nursing mother who continues to

breastfeed her child for two years shall be entitled to
support until the time of weaning.
450
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
Article 68. Support between ascendants and

descendants. The ascendants and descendants shall be obliged
to support each other in the order in which they are called to
succeed by intestacy the person who has a right to claim
support.
Article 69. Payment.
(1) The obligation to support shall be demandable from

the time the recipient needs it for maintenance, but it
shall not be paid except from the date it is extrajudicially
demanded.
(2) Payment shall be made daily, weekly or monthly in

advance, and when the recipient dies, his heirs shall not
be obliged to return what he had received in advance.
(3) If the recipient is the wife, the rule established in

the foregoing paragraph shall apply even though the
marriage is dissolved.
Article 70. Extinguishment of support. The obligation to

support shall cease:
(a) Upon the death of the recipient;
(b) When the resources of the obligor have been so

reduced that he cannot give the support without
neglecting his own need and those of his family, except
that in the case of the spouses, the husband, though
needy, is obliged to support the wife; or
(c) When the recipient commits any act which would give
rise to disqualification to inherit or denial of support
under Muslim law.
451
TITLE V
PARENTAL AUTHORITY
Chapter One
NATURE AND EFFECTS
Article 71. Who exercises.
(1) The father and the mother shall jointly exercise just
and reasonable parental authority and fulfill their
responsibility over their legitimate and acknowledged
children. In case of disagreement, the father’s decision
shall prevail unless there is a judicial order to the
contrary.
(2) The mother shall exercise parental authority over

her children born out of wedlock, but the court may,
when the best interests of the children so require,
appoint a general guardian.
Article 72. Duty to parents.
(1) Children shall respect, revere, and obey their parents

always unless the latter cast them into disbelief.
(2) Grandparents are likewise entitled to respect and

reverence, and shall be consulted whenever practicable
by all members of the family on all important questions.
Article 73. Duty to children. Every parent and every

person exercising parental authority shall see to it that the
rights of the children are respected, and their duties complied
with, and shall particularly by precept and example, imbue them
with religious and civic attachment to the ideal of permanent
world peace.
Article 74. Effects upon person of children. The parents

have, with respect to their unemancipated children:
452
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
(a) The duty to support them, have them in their

company, educate and instruct them in keeping with
their means and represent them in all actions which shall
redound to their benefits; and
(b) The power to correct, discipline, and punish them

moderately.
Article 75. Effects upon property of children.
(1) The father, or in his absence the mother, shall be the

legal administrator of the property of the child under
parental authority. If the property is worth more than
five thousand pesos, the father or the mother shall give
a bond to be approved by the court.
(2) The court may appoint a guardian (wasi) in the

absence of one who is natural or testamentary.
Article 76. Parental authority non-transferable. Parental

authority can neither be renounced nor transferred except as
otherwise provided in this Code and the general principles of
Islamic law.
Article 77. Extinguishment of parental authority.
(1) Parental authority terminates upon the death of the

parents or the child, or upon emancipation.
(2) Subject to Article 78, the widowed mother who

contracts a subsequent marriage shall lose parental
authority and custody over all children by the deceased
husband, unless the second husband is related to them
within the prohibited degrees of consanguinity.
(3) The court may deprive a person of parental authority

or suspend the exercise thereof if he treats his children
453
with excessive harshness, gives then corrupting or

immoral orders and counsel, or abandons them.
Chapter Two
CUSTODY AND GUARDIANSHIP
Article 78. Care and custody.
(1) The care and custody of children below seven years

of age whose parents are divorced shall belong to the
mother or, in her absence, to the maternal grandmother,
the paternal grandmother, the sister and aunts. In their
default, it shall devolve upon the father and the nearest
paternal relatives. The minor above seven years of age
but below the age of puberty may choose the parent with
whom he wants to stay.
(2) The unmarried daughter who has reached the age of

puberty shall stay with the father; the son, under the
same circumstances, shall stay with the mother.
Article 79. Guardian for marriage (wali). The following

persons shall have authority to act as guardian for marriage
(wali) in the order of precedence:
(a) Father
(b) Paternal grandfather;
(c) Brother and other paternal relatives;
(d) Paternal grandfather’s executor or nominee; or
(e) The court.
Article 80. Guardian of minor’s property. The following

persons shall exercise guardianship over the property of minors
in the order of precedence:
454
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
(a) Father;
(b) Father’s executor or nominee;
(c) Paternal grandfather;
(d) Paternal grandfather’s nominee; or
(e) The court.
XXX XXX XXX
BOOK THREE
SUCCESSION
XXX XXX XXX
TITLE III
LEGAL SUCCESSION
Chapter One
SHARES
Article 110. Who are sharers. The following persons shall

be entitled to the inheritance as sharers to the extent set forth
in the succeeding articles:
(a) The husband, the wife;
(b) The father, the mother, the grandfather, the

grandmother;
(c) The daughter and the son’s daughter in the direct

line;
(d) The full sister, the consanguine sister, the uterine

sister and the uterine brother.
XXX XXX XXX
455
Article 112. Share of surviving wife. The wife surviving

together with a legitimate child or a child of the decedent’s son
shall be entitled to one-eight of the hereditary estate; in the
absence of such descendants, she shall inherit one-fourth of the
estate.
XXX XXX XXX
Article 114. Share of surviving mother. The mother

succeeding as sharer together with a child or a child of the
decedent’s son, or with two or more brothers or sisters of the
decedent, shall be entitled to one-sixth of the hereditary estate.
Should she survive without any such descendant or with only
one brother or sister, she shall inherit one-third of the estate.
XXX XXX XXX
Article 116. Share of paternal grandmother. The paternal

grandmother succeeding in default of the mother, father, or
intermediate grandfather of the decedent shall be entitled, as
sharer, to one-sixth of the hereditary estate.
Article 117. Share of surviving daughter.
(1) If the decedent leaves no son but one daughter, the

latter shall be entitled to inherit, as sharer, one-half of
the hereditary estate. Two or more daughters shall share
equally two-thirds thereof. Should one or more daughters
survive with one or more sons of the decedent, the latter
shall be entitled to double the share of the former.
(2) Should a lone daughter of the decedent survive

together with his son’s daughter, the two-thirds share
shall be divided between them, one-half thereof to
pertain to the former and one-sixth of the latter.
456
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
Article 118. Share of son’s daughter. The son’s daughter

shall, in the absence of any child of the decedent, be entitled to
one-half of the hereditary estate. Two or more daughters of the
decedent’s son shall share the two-thirds of the estate per capita.
Article 119. Share of full sister. Should the decedent

leave neither descendant, father, nor full brother, the full sister,
shall be entitled as sharer to the extent of one-half of the
hereditary estate. Two or more full sisters shall inherit two-
thirds of the estate per capita.
Article 120. Share of consanguine sister. Should the

decedent leave neither descendent, full brother, nor full sister,
the consanguine sister shall be entitled to one-half of the
hereditary estate. Two or more consanguine sisters shall inherit
two-thirds of the estate per capita.
Article 121. Share of uterine brother or sister. The share

of a uterine brother or sister shall be one-sixth of the hereditary
estate should there be no surviving descendant, father, paternal
grandfather, or full brother and sister of the decedent. Two or
more uterine brothers or sisters shall inherit one-third of the
estate per capita.
XXX XXX XXX
Chapter Two
RESIDUARY HEIRS
Article 124. Residuaries. Any residue left after the

distribution of the shares shall be partitioned among the
residuaries in accordance with the following articles. An heir
may succeed as residuary in his own right (asaba-bin-nafs), in
another’s right (asaba-bil-ghair), or together with another
(asaba-ma’al-ghair).
Article 125. Residuaries in their own right. The following

persons are residuaries in their own right:
457
(a) Male descendants of the decedent in the direct line,

however, distant in degree;
(b) Male ascendants of the decedent in the direct line,

however distant in degree;
(c) Full-blood or consanguine brothers of the decedent

and their male descendants, however, distant in degree;
and
(d) Full-blood or consanguine paternal uncles of the

decedent and their male descendants, however distant
in degree.
Article 126. Residuaries in another’s right. The following

persons shall succeed as residuaries in another’s right:
(a) Daughters surviving with the son of the decedent;
(b) Son’s daughters surviving with their own brothers;
(c) Full sisters surviving with their full brothers; and
(d) Consanguine sisters surviving with their consanguine

brothers.
Article 127. Residuaries together with another. Full-

blood or consanguine sisters, surviving with daughters of the
decedent or with the son’s daughters, however, distant in degree
from the decedent, are residuaries together with another.
Article 128. Preference among residuaries. Preference

among residuaries shall be governed by the following rules:
(a) The residuary nearer in degree shall be preferred to

the more remote of the same class.
458
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
(b) The residuary with full-blood relationship shall be

preferred to those of the half-blood of the same degree
of relationship in the same class.
(c) The residuaries of the same class, degree and blood

relationship shall share equally, subject to the rule of
the male having a share double that of the female in
proper cases.
Article 129. Reduction of shares. If the totality of all the

shares assigned to each of the sharers exceeds the whole
inheritance, the shares shall be reduced proportionately.
Article 130. Reversion of residue. If, after distributing

the portions of the sharers, a residue is left in the inheritance
and there is no surviving residuary heir, the same shall revert
in its entirety to the lone sharer or to all the sharers in
proportion to their respective shares. However, the husband
or the wife shall not be entitled to any part of the reverted
portion as long as there are other sharers or distant kindred.
Chapter Three
DISTANT KINDRED (DHAW-UL-ARHAM)
Article 131. Relatives included. Distant kindred

includes the following :
(a) The daughter’s children and the children of the son’s

daughter and their descendants;
(b) The excluded grandfather and the excluded

grandmother;
(c) The sister’s children, the brother’s daughters, the sons

of the uterine brother, and their descendants; and
(d) The paternal aunts, the uterine uncles and the

maternal aunts and uncles.
459
Article 132. Extent and distribution of shares. In default

of all sharers and residuaries, the distant kindred shall inherit
the entire hereditary estate, the same to be distributed among
them in accordance with Articles 123 and 128.
BOOK FIVE
MISCELLANEOUS AND TRANSITORY PROVISIONS
XXX XXX XXX
TITLE VI
TRANSITORY AND FINAL PROVISIONS
Article 186. Effect of code on past acts. (1) Acts executed

prior to the effectivity of this Code shall be governed by the
laws in force at the time of their execution, and nothing herein
except as otherwise specifically provided, shall affect their
validity or legality or operate to extinguish any right acquired
or liability incurred thereby.
(2) A marriage contracted by a Muslim male prior to the

effectivity of this Code in accordance with non-Muslim
law shall be considered as one contracted under Muslim
law provided the spouses register their mutual desire
to this effect.
Article 187. Applicability Clause. The Civil Code of the

Philippines, the Rules of Court and other existing laws, insofar
as they are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Code,
shall be applied suppletorily.
Article 188. Separability clause. If, for any reason, any

article or provision of this Code is held to be invalid, the same
shall not affect the other articles or provisions hereof.
Article 189. Repealing clause. All laws, proclamations,

executive orders, rules and regulations, or any part thereof,
460
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
inconsistent with provisions of this Code are hereby

correspondingly modified or repealed.
Article 190. Effectivity. This Code shall take effect

immediately.
DONE in the City of Manila this 4th day of February in

the year of Our Lord nineteen hundred and seventy-seven.

By the President:

461
FURTHER AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1161

OTHERWISE KNOWN AS SOCIAL SECURITY LAW
WHEREAS, under Article II, Section 7 of the

Constitution of the Philippines, it is the declared policy of the
State to “establish, maintain and ensure adequate social services
in the field of . . . social security to guarantee the enjoyment by
the people of a decent standard of living.”
WHEREAS, in view of the increased membership of

judicious management of funds by the Social Security System,
it is now possible for the SSS to further increase benefits to its
members without any new additional contribution therefor;
WHEREAS, it is likewise necessary to integrate

maternity leave benefits into the SSS for the better protection
of the health and welfare of the female members of our working
population;

Section 1. Section 3(a) Republic Act No. 1161 is hereby

“Sec. 3. Social Security System (a) To carry out the

purposes of this Act, the Social Security System with
principal place of business in Metro-Manila, Philippines,
is hereby created. The SSS shall be under the general
supervision of a Social Security Commission composed
of the Secretary of Labor, the SSS Administrator and six
appointive members, two of whom shall represent the
labor group, two, the management group and two, the
general public, to be appointed by the President of the
462
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
Philippines. The Chairman of the Commission shall be

designated by the President from among its members.
The term of the appointive members shall be three years:
Provided, That the terms of the six appointive members
shall be one, two, and three years for every two members,
respectively. All vacancies, except through the expiration
of the term, shall be filled for the unexpired term only.
The appointive members of the Commission shall receive
two hundred pesos per diem for each meeting actually
attended by them: Provided, That no compensation shall
be paid for more than eight meetings a month.”
XXX XXX XXX
Section 7. Republic Act No. 1161 is hereby amended by

adding a new section after Section 14 thereof, to read as follows:
“Sec. 14-A. Maternity Leave Benefits Any female

employee covered under this Act for whom at least three
monthly maternity contributions in the twelve-month
period immediately preceding the semester of her
childbirth, abortion, or miscarriage have been paid in
accordance with section eighteen (a) hereof and who is
currently employed shall be paid a daily maternity
benefit equivalent to one hundred per cent of her average
daily salary credit for forty-five days subject to the
following conditions:
(1) That the employee shall have notified her employer

of her pregnancy and the probable date of her childbirth
which notice shall be transmitted to the SSS in
accordance with the rules and regulations it may provide.
(2) That payment shall be advanced by the employer in

two equal installments within thirty days from the filing
of the maternity leave application;
463
(3) That payment of daily maternity benefits shall be a

bar to the recovery of sickness benefits provided by this
Act for the same compensable period of forty-five days
for the same childbirth, abortion, or miscarriage;
(4) That the maternity benefits provided under this

Section shall be paid only for the first four deliveries
after March 13, 1973;
(5) That the SSS shall immediately reimburse the

employer of one hundred per centum of the amount of
maternity benefits advanced to the employee by the
employer upon receipt of satisfactory proof of such
payment and legality thereof;
(6) That if an employee should give birth or suffer

abortion or miscarriage without the required
contributions having been remitted for her by her
employer to the SSS, or without the latter having been
previously notified by the employer of time of the
pregnancy, the employer shall pay to the SSS damages
equivalent to the benefits which said employee would
otherwise have been entitled to, and the SSS shall in
turn pay such amount to the employee concerned.
“Provided, however, That for contingencies occurring

during the period from January 1, 1978 to June 30, 1978,
the payment of social security contributions shall instead
be required for entitlement to maternity benefits.”
XXX XXX XXX
Section 10. Republic Act No. 1161 is hereby amended by

Adding a new section after Section 18 thereof, to read as follows:
“Sec. 18-A. Additional Contributions for Maternity

Benefits. The employer shall remit to the SSS an
additional contribution equivalent to 0.4% of the monthly
464
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
salary credit of all his employees and if any contribution

is not paid to the SSS as herein prescribed, he shall pay,
besides the contribution, a penalty of 3% per month from
the date the contribution falls due until paid.
“The contribution provided hereunder shall be collected,

administered and disbursed in the same manner,
conditions, requirements and safeguards as those
provided for other funds collected and kept by the SSS
in accordance with this Act and shall be kept separate
and distinct from all such other funds of the SSS.”
XXX XXX XXX
Section 14. Effectivity This Decree shall take effect on

January 1, 1978.
DONE in the City of Manila, this 27th day of September,

in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-seven.

By the President:

465
GRANTING CITIZENSHIP TO DESERVING ALIENS WHO

HAVE APPLIED FOR NATURALIZATION AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES.
WHEREAS, pursuant to Letters of Instructions Nos. 260

and 491 applications for naturalization by decree were received
by the Special Committee on Naturalization created under LOI
270 for processing and evaluation;
WHEREAS, while a substantial number of application

thus filed have already been passed upon resulting in the
naturalization of 16,399 alien applicants, there remain 22,4539
more applicants whose applications are still pending
consideration;
WHEREAS, on the basis of its performance resulting in

the approval of its recommendation with respect to alien
applicants whose application for naturalization should be
granted there is ground to entrust the approval of the remaining
applications for naturalization to the Special Committee on
Naturalization under the guidelines provided in LOI 270 and
491;
WHEREAS, it is necessary to grant naturalization to such

alien applicants as may be found by the Special Committee on
Naturalization to possess the qualifications and not suffering
from any disqualifications to obviate the need of approving
separate recommendations by the committee and promulgating
the corresponding decree as has heretofore been done.

me by the Constitution, do hereby provide as follows:
466
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
SECTION 1. The Special Committee on Naturalization

created under Letter of Instruction No. 270, as amended by LOI
Nos. 283, and 491, shall from time to time determine who of the
individuals of foreign nationality, who have pending
applications for naturalizations by decree, possess the
qualifications and do not suffer from any of the disqualifications
provided in LOI 270, as amended by LOI Nos. 283, and 491,
until all applications for naturalization filed with it shall have
been disposed of.
SEC. 2. Philippine citizenship is hereby granted to such

individuals of foreign nationality who have pending applications
for naturalization by decree as may be determined by the Special
Committee on Naturalization to have all the qualifications and
none of the disqualifications, as provided in section 1.
Citizenship granted under this Decree shall take effect

upon the applicant taking the oath of allegiance as Philippine
citizen and the issuance to him of the corresponding certificate
of naturalization by the Special Committee. The Commission
on Immigration and Deportation shall thereupon cancel his
certificates of registration as alien and issue to him the
corresponding identification certificate as citizen.
SEC. 3. If an applicant is granted naturalization but dies

before taking the oath of allegiance as Filipino citizen and the
issuance to him of the certificate of naturalization, his widow,
if residing in the Philippines and found by the Special
Committee to have none of the disqualifications specified in
said LOI 270, may take the oath of allegiance, as Filipino citizen,
after which the minor children of said deceased alien and his
wife, subject to the provisos of the next succeeding section, shall
follow the required Filipino citizenship of their mother.
SEC. 4. Alien wives and minor children of persons

naturalized under this Decree shall be deemed Philippine
citizens provided that:
467
(a) The alien wife shall, in all cases, not suffer

from any of the disqualifications for naturalization under
Letter of Instructions No. 270.
(b) The alien wife and minor children of persons

naturalized under this Decree reside permanently in the
Philippines at the time of his naturalization;
(c) If the alien wife does not reside in the

Philippines at the time of the naturalization of her
husband, she shall come to the Philippines and reside in
this country in good faith within one year from the
naturalization of her husband.
(d) If minor children do not reside in the

Philippines at the time of the naturalization of their
father they shall, within one (1) year from the
naturalization of their father, in good faith reside in this
country and, if of school age, enroll in Philippine schools.
The fact that any such minor child of school age fails to
graduate from a Philippine school, except for valid
reasons shown, shall be considered prima facie evidence
of failure in good faith enroll in Philippine schools.
SEC. 5. In case the alien naturalized under this Decree

is a women, her minor children may elect Philippine citizenship
pursuant to existing law upon reaching the age of majority.
SEC. 6. The Special Committee may cancel certificates

of naturalization issued under this Decree in the following
cases;
(a) If it finds that the naturalized persons or his

duly authorized representatives made any false
statement or misrepresentation or committed any
violation of law, rules and regulation in connection with
the petition for naturalization, or if he otherwise
468
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
obtained Philippine citizenship, fraudulently or illegally,

the certificate of naturalization shall be canceled;
(b) If the naturalized persons or his wife, or any

of his minor children who acquire Filipino citizenship
by virtue of his naturalization shall, within five (5) years
next following the grant of Philippine citizenship,
establish permanent residence in a foreign country, that
individual’s certificate of naturalization or acquired
citizenship shall be cancelled or revoked, provided that
the fact of such person’s remaining for more than one
year in his country of origin, or two years in any other
foreign country, shall be considered prima facie evidence
of intent to permanently reside therein;
(c) If the naturalized persons or his wife or child

with acquired citizenship allows himself or herself to be
used as a dummy in violation of any constitutional or
legal provision requiring Philippine Citizenship as a
condition for the exercise, use, or enjoyment of a right,
franchise, or privilege, the certificate of naturalization
or acquired citizenship shall be cancelled or revoked;
(d) If the naturalized person of his wife or child

with acquired citizenship commits any act inimical to
national security, the certificate of naturalized or
acquired citizenship shall be cancelled or revoked.
SEC. 7. In case the naturalized person holds any

hereditary title, or belongs to any order of nobility, he shall
make an express renunciation of his title or membership in this
order of nobility before the Special Committee or its duly
authorized representative, and such renunciation shall be
included in the records of his application for citizenship; and
469
SEC. 8. The Special Committee shall promulgate such

rules and regulations as may be necessary for the effective and
expeditious implementation of the provisions of this Decree.
SEC. 9. Any person who shall fraudulently make, falsity,

forge, change, alter, or cause or aid any person to do the same,
who shall purposely aid and assist in falsely making, forging,
falsifying, changing or altering an application of naturalization
under LOI 270 and its amendments, or a naturalization
certificate issued under this Decree for the purpose of making
use thereof, or in order that the same may be used by another
person or persons any person who shall purposely aid and assist
another in obtaining a naturalization certificate in violation of
this Decree, shall be punished by a fine of not more than Five
Thousand Pesos, (5,000.00) and by imprisonment for not more
than five years, and in the case that the person convicted is a
naturalized citizen his certificate of naturalization shall, if not
earlier canceled by the Special Committee, be order cancelled.
SEC. 10. All laws, decrees and instructions inconsistent

with this Decree shall be deemed repealed.
Done in the City of Manila, this 17th day of May, in the

year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-eight.
FERDINAND E. MARCOS
By the President:
JUAN C. TUVERA
470
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
FURTHER AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1161

OTHERWISE KNOWN AS SOCIAL SECURITY LAW
WHEREAS, under Article II Section 7 of the Constitution

of the Philippines, it is the declared policy of the State to
“establish, maintain and ensure adequate social services in the
field of . . . social security to guarantee the enjoyment by the
people of a decent standard of living”;
WHEREAS, under Sec. 2 of the Social Security Law, it is

the declared policy of the Republic of the Philippines to
“establish, develop, promote and perfect a sound and viable tax-
exempt social security service suitable to the needs of the
people throughout the Philippines. . with a view to promote
their well-being in the spirit of social justice”;
WHEREAS, in view of the increased membership and

judicious management of funds by the Social Security System,
it is now again feasible for the SSS to further increase benefits
to cushion the rising cost of living of its members in the light of
changing economic conditions;

SECTION 1. Paragraph (c) of Section 4 of Republic Act

No. 1161 is hereby amended to read as follows:
“Sec. 4. Powers and Duties of the Commission. —
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 11. Section 14-A of Republic Act No. 1161 is hereby

471
“Sec. 14-A. Maternity leave benefit. — A covered female

employee who has paid at least three monthly contributions in
the twelve-month period immediately preceding the semester
of her childbirth, abortion, or miscarriage and who is currently
employed shall be paid a daily maternity benefit equivalent to
one hundred percent of her average daily salary credit for forty-
five days subject to the following conditions:
“(a) That the employee shall have notified her employer

of her pregnancy and the probable date of her childbirth which
notice shall be transmitted to the SSS in accordance with the
rules and regulations it may provide;
“(b) That payment shall be advanced by the employer in

two equal installments within thirty days from the filing of the
maternity leave application;
“(c) That payment of daily maternity benefits shall be a

bar to the recovery of sickness benefits provided by this Act for
the same compensable period of forty-five days for the same
childbirth, abortion, or miscarriage;
“(d) That the maternity benefits provided under this

Section shall be paid only for the first four deliveries after
March 13, 1973;
“(e) That the SSS shall immediately reimburse the

employer of one hundred percent of the amount of maternity
benefits advanced to the employee by the employer upon receipt
of satisfactory proof of such payment and legality thereof;
“(f) That if an employee should give birth or suffer

abortion or miscarriage without the required contributions
having been remitted for her by her employer to the SSS, or
without the latter having been previously notified by the
employer of time of the pregnancy, the employer shall pay to
the SSS damages equivalent to the benefits which said employee
472
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
would otherwise have been entitled to, and the SSS shall in
turn pay such amount to the employee concerned.
XXX XXX XXX
SEC. 20. Paragraph (e) of Section 28 of Republic Act No.

1161 is hereby amended to read as follows:
“Sec. 28. Penal Clause. —
“(e) Whoever fails or refuses to comply with the

provisions of this Act or with the rules and regulations
promulgated by the Commission, shall be punished by a fine of
not less than five hundred pesos nor more than five thousand
pesos, or imprisonment for not less than six months nor more
than one year, or both, at the discretion of the court: Provided,
That where the violation consists in failure or refusal to register
employees or himself, in case of the covered self-employed or
to deduct contributions from employee’s compensation and
remit the same to the SSS, the penalty shall be fine of not less
than five hundred pesos nor more than five thousand pesos and
imprisonment for not less than six months nor more than one
year.”
SEC. 21. Effectivity. — This decree shall take effect on

January 1, 1980.
Done in the City of Manila, this 7th day of September, in

the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-nine.

By the President:

473
AN ACT AMENDING SECTION FOUR OF THE CHARTER

OF THE PHILIPPINE VETERANS BANK
WHEREAS, the Philippine Veterans Bank was created

pursuant to its Charter (Republic Act No. 3518), as amended,
for the benefit solely of the veterans of World War II;
WHEREAS, the term “veteran or veterans under

paragraph (a), Section 4 of the PVB Charter include any person
or persons who served in the regularly constitutedr, land or
naval services or arms, or in such non-regularly organized
military units in the Philippines during World War II, and whose
services with such units are duly recognized by the Republic of
the Philippines or by the Government of the United States;
WHEREAS, Section 3 of Republic Act No. 2640, otherwise

known as the Charter of the Veterans Federation of the
Philippines, the umbrella of all accredited veterans
organizations, provides that the members of the said Federation
are not only veterans of World War II, but also those who served
in the Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea (PEPTOK) or
in any armed conflict in which the Philippines may be involved
in the future, and the retirees of the Armed Forces of the
Philippines who served in the military service after World War
II for ten years or more;
WHEREAS, if only World War II veterans and their

widows, orphans and compulsory heirs shall remain the
stockholders of the PVB, there will come a time in the near
future that the number of stockholders will be greatly reduced
because of their inevitable death, taking into account that for
purposes of the PVB Charter, only the heirs of the veterans in
474
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
the direct ascending line and direct descending line (excluding

their grandchildren) are qualified to succeed to the shares of
stock upon the death of the stockholders;
WHEREAS, in order to insure the perpetuity of the

Philippine Veterans Bank, there is an urgent necessity of
including in the definition of the term “veteran or veterans”
those who served in the Philippine Expeditionary Force to
Korea or in any armed conflict in which the Philippines may be
involved in the future, and the retirees of the Armed Forces of
the Philippines.

vested by the Constitution, do hereby decree and make the
following as part of the law of the land:
SECTION 1. Section four of Republic Act No. 3518 is

“Sec. 4. Determination of veterans entitled to benefit

from this Act. — (a) The term “veteran or veterans” shall include
any person or persons who served in the regularly constituted,
land or naval services or arms, or in such non-regularly
organized military units in the Philippines during World War
II and whose services with such units are duly recognized by
the Republic of the Philippines or by the Government of the
United States, those who serve in the Philippine Expeditionary
Force to Korea during the Korean Campaign, or in any armed
conflict in which the Philippines may be involved in the future,
and the retirees of the Armed Forces of the Philippines who
served in the post World War II military service for at least ten
years: Provided, That, the said veterans or retirees have been
honorably discharged or separated from the service or continue
in the active military service or are carried in the military roster
475
on inactive reserve: Provided, further, That for purposes of this

Act, the term “veteran or veterans” shall also include the
widows, orphans and compulsory heirs of deceased veterans in
the direct ascending line and direct descending line, excluding
their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
(b) The term “organized or acknowledged veterans

organizations” as used in this Act shall mean a veteran
organization duly recognized or acknowledged as such by the
Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, and Armed Forces of the
Philippines which shall keep official rosters of such veterans
organizations;
(c) On the basis of the acknowledged or duly established

official records and data from the Treasury of the Philippines
and any other record or evidence admissible under the rules of
evidence, such as the records of the Philippine Veterans Affairs
Office and of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the said
government entities shall determine immediately after the
approval of this Act who and how many are the veterans of the
Philippines as enumerated in Paragraph (a) of this section, who
are entitled to the benefits of this Act. The decision of the
Philippine Veterans Affairs Office and the Armed Forces of the
Philippines on the matter shall be final, unless appeal for review
within fifteen days from notice thereof, is made to the President
of the Philippines or to the Supreme Court whose decision shall
be final. The appeal shall be perfected in the same manner as
in other proceedings and it may be prosecuted by the interested
party or by the head of any acknowledged veteran organization;
(d) The reckoning date for determining the status and

number of such veterans, their widows, orphans or compulsory
heirs shall be the date of approval of this Act.
(e) The share of each beneficiary, war veteran or widow,

orphan or compulsory heir of a deceased veteran, in the
476
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
distribution of the benefits accruing to the Republic of the

Philippines, shall be equal regardless of rank and services
rendered; Provided, That in case of orphan or orphans of a
deceased veteran, they shall be counted as one unit only and
the share of all of them regardless of their number shall be the
same or equal to that of a surviving war veteran or surviving
widow;
(f) Notice of the decision of the Philippine Veterans

Affairs Office and the Armed Forces of the Philippines on the
question of who are entitled to participate in the benefits
accruing to the Veterans Trust Fund shall immediately be served
on the interested parties, either directly or thru the
organization to which they belong in writing and by registered
mail. In addition, the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office and
the Armed Forces of the Philippines shall publish for three
consecutive weeks a notice in two newspapers of general
circulation in the Philippines to the effect that the Philippine
Veterans Affairs Office and the Armed Forces of the Philippines
have already completed their work of determining the number
and the identity of those entitled to participate in the trust
fund and advising any party interested who has not received
yet the notice of the decision served upon him that he may verify
his inclusion or exclusion from the official register in the
Philippine Veterans Affairs Office and the Armed Forces of the
Philippines. These offices shall keep complete lists and official
register of those included and excluded from the enjoyment of
the benefit, which lists shall be available for inspection during
office hours. The official registry books shall constitute as
irrevocable public record, certified true copies of which may be
released by the custodian of records for official purpose only.”
Section 2. This decree shall take effect immediately.
477
Done in the City of Manila, this 26th day of December,

in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and eighty-two.

By the President:
(Sgd.) JOAQUIN T. VENUS

Deputy Presidential Executive Assistant
478
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
AUTHORIZING FEMALE MILITARY MEMBERS OF THE

ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES TO MARRY
UPON COMPLETION OF THREE YEARS ACTIVE
SERVICE
WHEREAS, Section 5 of Republic Act Number 3835

provides that officers and enlisted personnel of the Women’s
Auxiliary Corps who contract marriage shall be automatically
separated or discharged from the service;
WHEREAS, Presidential Decree Number 1043 modifies

the restriction by setting five years of continuous active service
as a prerequisite before any member of the Women’s Auxiliary
Corps can marry without being separated or discharged from
the service;
WHEREAS, similar current AFP regulations governing

members of the Nurse Corps, contain the same restriction
applied to the officers and enlisted women of the Women’s
Auxiliary Corps;
WHEREAS, this restriction causes demoralization

especially among those who honestly feel that their rights are
violated by such laws and regulations which limit their solemn
and inherent prerogative to contract marriage anytime and that
such restriction is prejudicial to their welfare since it is not
applied to their civilian counterparts in other government
service.

President of the Philippines by virtue of the powers vested in
me by the Constitution, do hereby order and decree that:
SECTION 1. Any female commissioned officer or enlisted

woman whose contract marriage on or after the approval of
this Act while in the active service shall be automatically
479
separated unless she has, at that time of said marriage, already

completed at least three (3) years of continuous active military
service in the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Provided, that
any female member of the AFP who was previously separated
or discharged honorably by reason of marriage may be called to
active duty or reinstated subject to the above condition and in
accordance with rules and regulations as the Chief of Staff, AFP
may prescribe.
SEC. 2. Any law, decree, letters of instructions,

presidential or executive orders, rules and regulations
inconsistent with this decree are hereby repealed or modified
accordingly.
Section 3. This decree shall take effect upon its approval.
Done in the City of Manila, this 22nd day of March, in

the Year of our Lord, Nineteen hundred and eighty-four.

By the President:
gd.) JUAN C. TUVERA

Presidential Executive Assistant
480
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF THE

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
MANILA, January 31, 1922
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 5

Executive Order Numbered Two, series of nineteen
hundred and thirteen, as amended by Executive Orders
Numbered Seven and Seventy-nine, series of nineteen hundred
and thirteen and nineteen hundred and fourteen, respectively,
and Executive Orders Numbered Thirteen and Forty-three,
series of nineteen hundred and twenty-one, appointing the
officers and members of the Playground and Recreation
Commission of the City of Manila, is hereby further amended
by appointing Miss Trinidad Fernandez as an additional
member of the Commission and Messrs. E. S. Turner and C. E.
Zeininger, members, to take the positions left vacant by the
resignation of Messrs. H. W. Love and R. C. Bennet, respectively.
LEONARD WOOD
Governor-General
481

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
MANILA, March 23, 1921

“The following are appointed officers and members of

the Playground and Recreation Commission of the City of
Manila:
“Honorable Ramon Fernandez, Chairman.
“Milton E. Springer, Vice-Chairman.
“Camilo Osias, Treasurer.
“Fred O. Engalnd, Secretary.
“Mrs. Concepcion Calderon, Member.
“Mrs. C. G. Wrentmore, Member.
“Mrs. F. A. Delgado, Member.
“Dr. Guy P. Benton, Member.
“Dr. Alejandro Albert, Member.
“Luther P. Bewley, Member.
“Dr. Ramon Papa, Member.
482
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
“H. A. Bordner, Member.
“R. McCollough Dick, Member.
“Bienvenido A. Tan, Member.
“Teodoro R. Yangco, Member.
“W. N. Bartholomew, Member.
“Conrado Benitez, Member.
“George Seaver, Member.
“Dr. Regino R. Ylanan, Member.
“H. W. Love, Member.
“Jorge B. Vargas, Member.
“James C. Rockwell, Member.
“Miss Librada Avelino, Member.
“Major J. H. Reynolds, Member.
“Hon. Manuel Earnshaw, Member.
“Michael O’Malley, Member.
“Dr. Jose Fabella, Member.
“R. C. Bennett, Member.
“R. M. Hall, Member.
“The purpose of the Playground and Recreation

Commission shall be to promote wholesome play and recreation
for children and adults of Manila, in pursuance of which it will
seek: (1) To secure an athletic stadium to be used as a public
483
playground and athletic field with seating facilities for 30,000

people; (2) to make a survey of the recreational needs of the
city of Manila and to adopt a definite plan of recreational
development after the survey has been completed and use its
influence and its efforts toward the realization of such a plan;
(3) to secure the provision of adequate facilities for athletics,
swimming and other forms of physical and social recreation for
the community; (4) to secure adequate and appropriate
playground in connection with all schools, and the organization
of play and physical activities at all suitable times thereon; and
(5) to devise ways and means of securing the necessary funds
for the realization of recreational projects undertaken by the
commission.
“The first meeting is hereby called to be held in the office

of the Mayor at five p.m. on Wednesday, April six, nineteen
hundred and twenty-one.”
CHARLES E. YEATER,
Acting Governor-General
484
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES

PHILIPPINES ISLANDS
MANILA, June 18, 1923

The following are hereby appointed to constitute a
Pardon Board to go over all cases in the Cebu jail and to submit
recommendations as to pardon or reduction of sentence to the
Board of Pardons created by Executive Order Numbered Forty-
seven, series of 1922:
Hon. Adolph Wislizenus, Judge of the Court of First

Instance of Cebu, Chairman,
The Provincial Commander of Constabulary, and
The Division Superintendent of Schools,
Mrs. Filemon Sotto and
Mrs. Adolph Wislizenus will sit with the board of all cases
of juvenile offenders under sixteen years of age.
LEONARD WOOD
Governor-General
485

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
Manila, April 18, 1925

Executive Order Numbered Nineteen, series of nineteen
hundred and twenty-three, is hereby amended to read as
follows:
“The following are hereby appointed to constitute a

Pardon Board to go over all cases in the Cebu Jail and to submit
recommendations as to pardon or reduction of sentence to the
Board of Pardons created by Executive Order Numbered Forty-
seven, series of nineteen hundred and twenty-two.
“Honorable Adolph Wislizenus, Judge of the Court of

First Instance of Cebu, Chairman; District Inspector of
Constabulary, and the Division Superintendent of Schools, Mrs.
Filemon Soto and Mrs. Adolph Wislizenus will sit with the board
in all cases of juvenile offenders under sixteen years of age.”
LEONARD WOOD
Governor-General
486
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
Manila, May 7, 1925

Executive Order Numbered Twenty-six, series of
nineteen hundred and twenty-two as amended by Executive
Order Numbered Twenty-nine, same series, and Executive
Orders Numbered Twenty-seven and Sixty-four, both series of
nineteen hundred and twenty-four, is hereby further amended
to read as follows:
“Dr. William H. Brown, Chairman; Dr. Fernando

Calderon, Dr. Jacobo Fajardo, Dr. R. Abriol, Miss Socorro
Salamanca, Dr. Frank Milam, Dr. Otto Schobl, Lieut.-Col. Joseph
F. Siler, and Lieut.-Col. J. L. Shepard, are hereby appointed a
board to select candidates for Rockefeller Foundation
fellowships.
“All communications pertaining thereto should be

addressed to the chairman of the board.”
LEONARD WOOD
Governor-General
487

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

Dr. Elmer D. Merrill, Dr. Vicente de Jesus, Dr. Fernando
Calderon, and Miss Anastacia Giron are hereby appointed a
board to select candidates for ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION
fellowships.
All communications pertaining thereto should be

addressed to Dr. Elmer D. Merrill, Chairman of the board.
LEONARD WOOD
Governor-General
488
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
MANILA, May 8, 1924

nineteen hundred and twenty-two, as amended by Executive
Order Numbered Twenty-nine, same series, is hereby further
“Doctor William H. Brown, Chairman; Dr. Fernando

Calderon, Dr. Vicente de Jesus, Dr. R. Abriol, Miss Socorro
Salamanca, Dr. George R. Lacy, Dr. Otto Schobl, and Lt. Col.
Joseph F. Siler, are hereby appointed a board to select
candidates for Rockfeller Foundation fellowships.

LEONARD WOOD
Governor-General
489

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

Executive Order Numbered Twenty-six, current series,
is hereby amended to read as follows:
“Dr. Elmer D. Merrill, Dr. Vicente de Jesus, Dr. C. N.

Leach, Dr. W. S. Carter, Dr. Fernando Calderon, and Miss
Anastacia Giron are hereby appointed a board to select
candidates for Rockefeller Foundation fellowships.

addressed to Dr. Elmer D. Merrill, Chairman of the board.”
LEONARD WOOD
Governor-General
490
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
MANILA, April 4, 1917

Numbered Seven, of the same series, and No. 79, series of 1914,
“Justo Lukban, Mayor of the City of Manila, Mrs. Horace

G. Reed, Mrs. Concepcion Calderon, the Director of Education,
the City Engineer, George Seaver, the City Superintendent of
Schools, and Elwood S. Brown are hereby appointed a
playground committee for the city of Manila, of which the first
named shall be chairman and the last named, secretary, to act
in an advisory capacity to the present Park Board; to foster
public interest in the playground movement, to arrange for the
training of the supervisors, to adopt a comprehensive plan of
operation, to suggest the type of equipment necessary, to decide
where equipment secured shall be located, to plan and conduct
play festivals, and to develop such other activities as may be
necessary in connection with the work of securing and operating
playgrounds and play fields.”
“Any action of the committee requiring and expenditure

of money should be presented to the Municipal Board of the
city of Manila.”
FRANCIS BURTON HARRISON,

Governor-General
491
PROMULGATING RULES AND REGULATIONS TO

CARRY OUT THE PROVISIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT
NUMBERED THIRTY ENTITLED “AN ACT
AUTHORIZING THE PAYMENT, UNDER CERTAIN
CONDITIONS, OF A GRATUITY TO THE WIDOW AND/
OR CHILDREN, AND IN THEIR ABSENCE TO THE
OTHER HEIRS, OF A DECEASED OFFICER OR
MEMBER OF ANY POLICE FORCE OR SIMILAR
GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION ENGAGED IN
THE MAINTENANCE OF PEACE AND ORDER,
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR.”
Pursuant to the provisions of section 2 of Republic Act

No. 30, I, Manuel Roxas, President of the Philippines, do hereby
promulgate the following rules and regulations to carry out the
provisions of the aforesaid Act:
1. Claims under the aforesaid Act shall be paid only after

a Committee composed of the Secretary of the Interior as
chairman and the Undersecretary of Justice and the Provost
Marshal General as members has determined that they come
within or that they fully satisfy the requirements of Republic
Act No. 30.
2. For the purpose of said determination, the papers of

each case shall include, among other pertinent supporting
information and documents, the following:
(a) Evidence of employment, such as certified true copies

of last appointment or commission, and transcript of service
record.
(b) The circumstances, in full, showing that the deceased

was engaged in the performance of his duties in connection with
the campaign for the maintenance of peace and order and that
492
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
he met death in said campaign or that his death was a direct

consequence of his participation therein.
(c) Satisfactory evidence of death and of its cause, such

as death certificate and certificate of the physician who attended
the deceased during his last illness or autopsy report if cause
of death cannot be determined by ordinary means.
3. Until provision is made otherwise, the benefits

afforded in Republic Act No. 30 shall accrue only in cases of
death occurring on or after January 1, 1946: Provided, That such
sums out of the appropriation provided in said Act remaining
unexpended at the close of the present fiscal year may be paid
as benefits to cases of death occurring after June 30, 1947, if
the cause thereof be participation in a campaign conducted
before July 1, 1947.
4. The Auditor General, with the concurrence of the

Secretary of the Interior, shall issue the necessary instructions
for the proper and expeditious identification of the beneficiary
or beneficiaries as authorized by Republic Act No. 30. Said
instructions should tend to eliminate unnecessary
requirements and delay so that the beneficiary or beneficiaries,
once identified, may promptly receive the amount or amounts
due to them under said Act. Whenever there will be no
confusion, actual payment of the gratuity should be made to
only one of the rightful claimants who may have been duly
authorized by the others to receive the amount for all of them.
5. All officers and employees, be they National or of the

local governments, who participate in the perfection of the
claim or in the preparation of the necessary papers to support
the claim, are directed to assist in every possible way, any
applicant for gratuity under said Act.
6. All claims for gratuity shall be given preferential

attention and to expedite the movement from office to office of
493
the claim papers, each of said papers should be prepared

originally with sufficient number of copies.
7. The offices or bureaus concerned shall not deal with

intermediaries or persons who represent themselves as acting
in behalf of claimants.
8. No warrant covering the payment of gratuities shall

be delivered to any person other than the payee. In case a payee
cannot personally take delivery of such warrant, it should be
mailed without delay.
9. Documents and other papers relating to claims for

gratuities shall be considered confidential.
Done at the City of Manila, this 27th day of December,

in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and forty-six, and of
the Independence of the Philippines, the first.
MANUEL ROXAS
By the President:
EMILIO ABELLO
Chief of the Executive Office
494
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES

PHILIPPINES ISLANDS
MANILA, November 21, 1923

and Executive Order Numbered Thirteen and Forty-three,
series of nineteen hundred and twenty-one, and Executive
Order Numbered Five, series of nineteen hundred and twenty-
two, appointing the officers and members of the Playground
and Recreation Commission of the City of Manila, is hereby
further amended by appointing the mayor, City of Manila, the
Chairman of the Commission, the President of the University
of the Philippines, the Director of Education, and the President
of the Municipal Board, Manila, as members of the Commission,
Mrs. Jamie C. de Veyra, Mr. Arsenio N. Luz, and Mr C. C. Lim
as additional members of the Commission, and Col. John P.
Wade, member to take the position left vacant by the resignation
of Maj. J. H. Reynolds. The Commission is hereby authorized
to appoint individuals as honorary members of the
Commissions.
LEONARD WOOD
Governor-General
495
ADOPTING A NATIONAL CODE OF MARKETING OF

BREASTMILK SUBSTITUTES, BREASTMILK
SUPPLEMENTS AND RELATED P R O D U C T S ,
PENALIZING VIOLATIONS THEREOF, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES
WHEREAS, in order to ensure that safe and adequate

nutrition for infants is provided, there is a need to protect and
promote breastfeeding and to inform the public about the proper
use of breastmilk substitutes and supplements and related
products through adequate, consistent and objective
information and appropriate regulation of the marketing and
distribution of the said substitutes, supplements and related
products;
WHEREAS, consistent with Article 11 of the

International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, the
present government should adopt appropriate legislation to give
effect to the principles and aim of the aforesaid International
Code;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, CORAZON C. AQUINO,

President of the Philippines, do hereby order:
SECTION 1. Title. — This Code shall be known and cited

as the “National Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes,
Breastmilk Supplements and Other Related Products”.
SEC. 2. Aim of the Code. — The aim of the Code is to

contribute to the provision of safe and adequate nutrition for
infants by the protection and promotion of breastfeeding and
by ensuring the proper use of breastmilk substitutes and
breastmilk supplements when these are necessary, on the basis
of adequate information and through appropriate marketing
and distribution.
496
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
SEC. 3. Scope of the Code. — The Code applies to the

marketing, and practices related thereto, of the following
products: breastmilk substitutes, including infant formula; other
milk products, foods and beverages, including bottle-fed
complementary foods, when marketed or otherwise
represented to be suitable, with or without modification, for
use as a partial or total replacement of breastmilk; feeding
bottles and teats. It also applies to their quality and availability,
and to information concerning their use.
SEC. 4. Definition of Terms. — For the purposes of this

Code, the following definition of terms shall govern:
(a) “Breastmilk Substitute” means any food being

marketed or otherwise represented as a partial or total
replacement for breastmilk, whether or not suitable for that
purpose.
(b) “Complementary Food” means any food, whether

manufactured or locally prepared, suitable as a complement to
breastmilk or to infant formula, when either becomes
insufficient to satisfy the nutritional requirements of the infant.
Such food is also commonly called “weaning food” or “breastmilk
supplement.”
(c) “Container” means any form of packaging of products

for sale as a normal retail unit, including wrappers.
(d) “Distributor” means a person, corporation or any

other entity in the public or private sector engaged in the
business (whether directly or indirectly) of marketing at the
wholesale or retail level a product within the scope of this Code.
A “primary distributor” is a manufacturer ’s sales agent,
representative, national distributor or broker.
(e) “Infant” means a person falling within the age bracket

of 0-12 months.
497
(f) “Health care system” means governmental, non-

governmental or private institutions or organizations engaged,
directly or indirectly, in health care for mothers, infants and
pregnant women; and nurseries or child care institutions. It
also includes health workers in private practice. For the purpose
of this Code, the health care system does not include pharmacies
or other established sales outlets.
(g) “Health Worker” means a person working in a

component of such health care system, whether professional
or non-professional, including volunteer workers.
(h) “Infant Formula” means a breastmilk substitute

formulated industrially in accordance with applicable Codex
Alimentarius standards to satisfy the normal nutritional
requirements of infants up to between four to six months of
age, and adapted to their physiological characteristics. Infant
formula may also be prepared at home in which case it is
described as “home-prepared”.
(i) “Label” means any tag, brand, mark, pictorial or other

descriptive matter, written, printed, stenciled, marked,
embossed or impressed on, or attached to, a container of any
product within the scope of this Code.
(j) “Manufacturer” means a corporation or other entity

in the public or private sector engaged in the business or
function (whether directly or through an agent or an entity
controlled by or under contract with it) of manufacturing a
product within the scope of this Code.
(k) “Marketing” means product promotion, distribution,

selling, advertising, product public relations, and information
services.
(l) “Marketing personnel” means any person whose

functions involve the marketing of a product or products coming
within the scope of this Code.
498
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
(m) “Sample” means single or small quantities of a

product provided without cost.
(n) “Supplies” means quantities of a product provided

for use over an extended period, free or at a low price, for social
purpose, including those provided to families in need.
SEC. 5. Information and Education. —
(a) The government shall ensure that objective and

consistent information is provided on infant feeding, for use by
families and those involved in the field of infant nutrition. This
responsibility shall cover the planning, provision, design and
dissemination of information, and the control thereof, on infant
nutrition.
(b) Informational and educational materials, whether

written, audio, or visual, dealing with the feeding of infants
and intended to reach pregnant women and mothers of infants,
shall include clear information on all the following points: (1)
the benefits and superiority of breastfeeding; (2) maternal
nutrition, and the preparation for and maintenance of
breastfeeding; (3) the negative effect on breastfeeding of
introducing partial bottle-feeding; (4) the difficulty of reversing
the decision not to breastfeed; and (5) where needed, the proper
use of infant formula, whether manufactured industrially or
home-prepared. When such materials contain information about
the use of infant formula, they shall include the social and
financial implications of its use; the health hazards of
inappropriate foods or feeding methods; and, in particular, the
health hazards of unnecessary or improper use of infant formula
and other breastmilk substitutes. Such materials shall not use
any picture or text which may idealize the use of breastmilk
substitutes.
SEC. 6. The General Public and Mothers. —
499
(a) No advertising, promotion or other marketing

materials, whether written, audio or visual, for product, within
the scope of this Code shall be printed, published, distributed,
exhibited and broadcast unless such materials are duly
authorized and approved by an inter-agency committee created
herein pursuant to the applicable standards provided for in
this Code.
(b) Manufacturers and distributors shall not be

permitted to give, directly or indirectly, samples and supplies
of products within the scope of this Code or gifts of any sort to
any member of the general public, including members of their
families, to hospitals and other health institutions, as well as
to personnel within the health care system, save as otherwise
provided in this Code.
(c) There shall be no point-of-sale advertising, giving of

samples or any other promotion devices to induce sales directly
to the consumers at the retail level, such as special displays,
discount coupons, premiums, special sales, bonus and tie-in
sales for the products within the scope of this Code. This
provision shall not restrict the establishment of pricing policies
and practices intended to provide products at lower prices on
a long term basis.
(d) Manufacturers and distributors shall not distribute

to pregnant women or mothers of infants any gifts or articles
or utensils which may promote the use of breastmilk substitutes
or bottle feeding, nor shall any other groups, institutions or
individuals distribute such gifts, utensils or products to the
general public and mothers.
(e) Marketing personnel shall be prohibited from

advertising or promoting in any other manner the products
covered by this Code, either directly or indirectly, to pregnant
women or with mother of infants, except as otherwise provided
by this Code.
500
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
(f) Nothing herein contained shall prevent donations

from manufacturers and distributors of products within the
scope of this Code upon request by or with the approval of the
Ministry of Health.
SEC. 7. Health Care System. —
(a) The Ministry of Health shall take appropriate

measures to encourage and promote breastfeeding. It shall
provide objective and consistent information, training and
advice to health workers on infant nutrition, and on their
obligations under this Code.
(b) No facility of the health care system shall be used for

the purpose of promoting infant formula or other products
within the scope of this Code. This Code does not, however,
preclude the dissemination of information to health
professionals as provided in Section 8(b).
(c) Facilities of the health care system shall not be used

for the display of products within the scope of this Code, or for
placards or posters concerning such products.
(d) The use by the health care system of “professional

service” representatives, “mothercraft nurses” or similar
personnel, provided or paid for by manufacturers or
distributors, shall not be permitted.
(e) In health education classes for mothers and the

general public, health workers and community workers shall
emphasize the hazards and risks of the improper use of
breastmilk substitutes particularly infant formula. Feeding
with infant formula shall be demonstrated only to mothers who
may not be able to breastfeed for medical or other legitimate
reasons.
SEC. 8. Health Workers. —
501
(a) Health workers shall encourage and promote

breastfeeding and shall make themselves familiar with objective
and consistent information on maternal and infant nutrition,
and with their responsibilities under this Code.
(b) Information provided by manufacturers and

distributors to health professionals regarding products within
the scope of this Code shall be restricted to scientific and factual
matters and such information shall not imply or create a belief
that bottlefeeding is equivalent or superior to breastfeeding. It
shall also include the information specified in Section 5(b).
(c) No financial or material inducements to promote

products within the scope of this Code shall be offered by
manufacturers or distributors to health workers or members
of their families, nor shall these be accepted by the health
workers or members of their families, except as otherwise
provided in Section 8(e).
(d) Samples of infant formula or other products within

the scope of this Code, or of equipment or utensils for their
preparation or use, shall not be provided to health workers
except when necessary for the purpose of professional
evaluation or research in accordance with the rules and
regulations promulgated by the Ministry of Health. No health
workers shall give samples of infant formula to pregnant women
and mothers of infants or members of their families.
(e) Manufacturers and distributors of products within

the scope of this Code may assist in the research, scholarships
and continuing education, of health professionals, in accordance
with the rules and regulations promulgated by the Ministry of
Health.
SEC. 9. Persons Employed by Manufacturers and

Distributors. — Personnel employed in marketing products
502
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
within the scope of this Code shall not, as part of their job
responsibilities, perform educational functions in relation to
pregnant women or mothers of infants.
SEC. 10. Containers/Label. —
(a) Containers and/or labels shall be designed to provide

the necessary information about the appropriate use of the
products, and in such a way as not to discourage breastfeeding.
(b) Each container shall have a clear, conspicuous and

easily readable and understandable message in Pilipino or
English printed on it, or on a label, which message can not
readily become separated from it, and which shall include the
following points:
(i) the words “Important Notice” or their equivalent;
(ii) a statement of the superiority of breastfeeding;
(iii) a statement that the product shall be used only on

the advice of a health worker as to the need for its use and the
proper methods of use; and
(iv) instructions for appropriate preparation, and a

warning against the health hazards of inappropriate
preparation.
(c) Neither the container nor the label shall have pictures
or texts which may idealize the use of infant formula. They may,
however, have graphics for easy identification of the product
and for illustrating methods of preparation.
(d) The term “humanized”, “maternalized” or similar

terms shall not be used.
(e) Food products within the scope of this Code marketed

for infant feeding, which do not meet all the requirements of
503
an infant formula but which can be modified to do so, shall carry

on the label a warning that the unmodified product should not
be the sole source of nourishment of an infant.
(f) The labels of food products within the scope of this

Code shall, in addition to the requirements in the preceding
paragraphs, conform with the rules and regulations of the
Bureau of Food and Drugs.
SEC. 11. Quality. —
(a) The quality of products is an essential element for

the protection of the health of infants, and therefore shall be of
high recognized standard.
(b) Food products within the scope of this Code shall,

when sold or otherwise distributed, meet applicable standards
recommended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and also
the Codex Code of Hygienic Practice for Foods for Infants and
Children.
(c) To prevent quality deterioration, adulteration or

contamination of food products within the scope of this Code,
distribution outlets, including the smallest sari-sari store, shall
not be allowed to open cans and boxes for the purpose of
retailing them by the cup, bag or in any other form.
SEC. 12. Implementation and Monitoring. — (a) For

purposes of Section 6(a) of this Code, an inter-agency committee
composed of the following members is hereby created:
Minister of Health Chairman
Minister of Trade and Industry Member
Minister of Justice Member
Minister of Social Services Member

and Development
504
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
The members may designate their duly authorized

representative to every meeting of the Committee.
The Committee shall have the following powers and

functions:
(1) To review and examine all advertising, promotion or

other marketing materials, whether written, audio or visual,
on products within the scope of this Code;
(2) To approve or disapprove, delete objectionable

portions from and prohibit the printing, publication,
distribution, exhibition and broadcast of, all advertising
promotion or other marketing materials, whether written,
audio or visual, on products within the scope of this Code;
(3) To prescribe the internal and operational procedure

for the exercise of its powers and functions as well as the
performance of its duties and responsibilities; and
(4) To promulgate such rules and regulations as are

necessary or proper for the implementation of Section 6(a) of
this Code.
(b) The Ministry of Health shall be principally

responsible for the implementation and enforcement of the
provisions of this Code. For this purpose, the Ministry of Health
shall have the following powers and functions:
(1) To promulgate such rules and regulations as are

necessary or proper for the implementation of this Code and
the accomplishment of its purposes and objectives.
(2) To call the assistance of government agencies and the

private sector to ensure the implementation and enforcement
of, and strict compliance with, the provisions of this Code and
the rules and regulations promulgated in accordance herewith.
505
(3) To cause the prosecution of the violators of this Code

and other pertinent laws on products covered by this Code.
(4) To exercise such other powers and functions as may

be necessary for or incidental to the attainment of the purposes
and objectives of this Code.
SEC. 13. Sanctions. —
(a) Any person who violates the provisions of this Code

or the rules and regulations issued pursuant to this Code shall,
upon conviction, be punished by a penalty of two (2) months to
one (1) year imprisonment or a fine of not less than One
Thousand Pesos (P1,000.00) nor more than Thirty Thousand
Pesos (P30,000.00) or both. Should the offense be committed by
a juridical person, the chairman of the Board of Directors, the
president, general manager, or the partners and/or the persons
directly responsible therefor, shall be penalized.
(b) Any license, permit or authority issued by any

government agency to any health worker, distributor,
manufacturer, or marketing firm or personnel for the practice
of their profession or occupation, or for the pursuit of their
business, may, upon recommendation of the Ministry of Health,
be suspended or revoked in the event of repeated violations of
this Code, or of the rules and regulations issued pursuant to
this Code.
SEC. 14. Repealing Clause. — All laws, orders, issuances,

and rules and regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with
this Executive Order are hereby repealed or modified
accordingly.
SEC. 15. Separability Clause. — The provisions of this

Executive Order are hereby deemed separable. If any provision
thereof be declared invalid or unconstitutional, such invalidity
506
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
or unconstitutionality shall not affect the other provisions

which shall remain in full force and effect.
SEC. 16. Effectivity — This Executive Order shall take

effect thirty (30) days following its publication in the Official
Gazette.
Done in the City of Manila, this 20th day of October, in

the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and eighty-six.
507

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
Manila, December 22, 1925

nineteen hundred and twenty-two as amended by Executive
Order Numbered Twenty-nine, same series, and Executive
Orders Numbered Twenty-seven and Sixty-four, both series of
nineteen hundred and twenty-four, and Executive Order
Numbered Twenty-four, current series, is hereby further
“Dr. William H. Brown, Chairman; Dr. Fernando

Calderon, Dr. Jacobo Fajardo, Dr. R. Abriol, Miss Socorro
Salamanca, Dr. Frank Milam, Dr. Otto Schobl, Lieut.-Col. E. B.
Vedder, and Maj. Arthur P. Hitchens, are hereby appointed a
board to select candidates for Rockefeller Foundation
fellowships.

LEONARD WOOD
Governor-General
508
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE FRAMEWORK PLAN

FOR WOMEN [2001-2004] AND INTENSIFYING THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 5% BUDGET
PROVISION FOR GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS
WHEREAS, Section 14, Article II of the Constitution

provides “The State recognizes the role of women in nation-
building, and shall ensure the fundamental equality before the
law of women and men”;
WHEREAS, Republic Act No. 7192 entitled “Women in

Development and Nation Building Act” mandating agencies to
ensure that women benefit equally and participate directly in
the development programs and projects of government, and
Executive Order No. 273 series of 1995 entitled “Philippine Plan
for Gender-Responsive Development (PPGD) 1995-2025” were
signed pursuant to the Constitutional proviso;
WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 273 mandates and

authorizes the National Commission on the Role of Filipino
Women (NCRFW) to coordinate and monitor the
implementation of the PPGD;
WHEREAS, the General Appropriations Act from 1995

to the present, mandates all departments including their
attached agencies, offices, bureaus, agencies, state universities
and colleges, government-owned and controlled corporations
(GOCCs), and other government instrumentalities, to formulate
a Gender and Development (GAD) Plan, the cost of which shall
be at least five percent (5%) of the agency’s total budget
appropriations;
WHEREAS, NCRFW was directed by the President to

formulate a Framework Plan for Women to advance and
509
guarantee the concretization of the policy on women and

development women’s empowerment and gender equality and
equity;
WHEREAS, the Framework Plan for Women is a time-

slice of the Philippine Plan for Gender-Responsive
Development (PPGD), 1995-2025 and shall serve as a guide for
national government agencies and Local Government Units in
the formulation of their respective GAD Plans and budgets;
WHEREAS, the Framework Plan for Women, 2001-2004

was formulated after a series of consultations, coordination and
cooperation with various government agencies, non-government
organizations, local government units, and members of the
academe.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-

ARROYO, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers
vested in me by law, do hereby order and direct the following:
SECTION 1. Framework Plan for Women. – There shall

be a Framework Plan for Women, 2001-2004 as finalized by the
NCRFW, to be implemented by all government agencies,
departments, bureaus, offices, and instrumentalities including
government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), at the
national, sub-national levels and local government units through
specific programs and projects;
SEC. 2. Coordination and Reportorial Requirements. –

The government agencies and instrumentalities as earlier
enumerated, shall submit their GAD Plan to NCRFW for review
and endorsement to the Department of Budget and Management
(DBM);
They shall likewise submit their annual reports on the

implementation of the GAD Plan to the DBM, Congress, and
510
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
the NCRFW indicating the accomplishments and amounts

utilized/disbursed for the projects and programs;
SEC. 3. Lead Agency. – The NCRFW in collaboration with

concerned agencies of government shall undertake activities
for its dissemination, overseeing, monitoring and assessment
on the implementation of the Framework Plan for Women, 2001-
2004 and shall monitor agency compliance with the GAD Budget
Policy. For this purpose, the NCRFW shall be provided with
the necessary resources and organizational capability to carry
out these functions.
SEC. 4. Role of Oversight Agencies. – The NCRFW, in

close coordination with:
4.1 The National Economic and Development

Authority (NEDA) shall strengthen the implementation
of the Framework Plan for Women by incorporating its
concerns in the formulation of the Medium-Term
Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) Planning
Guidelines;
4.2 The Department of Budget and Management

(DBM) shall institutionalize the GAD Budget policy in
the yearly National Expenditure Program and Local
Budget Circular and other budgetary guidelines;
4.3 The Department of the Interior and Local

Government (DILG) shall:
a) adopt the Framework Plan for Women

provisions in the issuance of planning guidelines/
directives to Local Government Units (LGUs);
b) provide necessary technical assistance to

facilitate mainstreaming efforts and;
511
c) monitor the compliance of LGUs with the GAD

Budget policy through their GAD Plan and annual
accomplishment reports.
SEC. 5. Participation of the Civil Society and the Private

Sector – Non-government organizations, Peoples Organizations
and other Civil Society Organizations and the Private Sector
are urged to assist and support the implementation, monitoring
and assessment of the Framework Plan for Women.
SEC. 6. Funding. – The amount necessary for the

implementation of the Framework Plan for Women shall be
primarily charged against the 5% GAD Budget of government
agencies and local government units including those sourced
from bilateral/multilateral agencies/organizations or those from
the official development assistance (ODA).
SEC. 7. Effectivity. – This Executive Order shall take

effect immediately.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have set my hand and caused

the seal of the Republic of the Philippines, to be affixed.
Done in the City of Manila, this 6th day of March, in the

year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Two.
512
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
FURTHER DEFINING THE COMPOSITION, POWERS AND

FUNCTIONS OF THE NATIONAL COMMISSION ON
THE ROLE OF FILIPINO WOMEN
WHEREAS, Sec. 14 of Art. XIII of the Philippine

Constitution provides for the protection of women by providing
such facilities and opportunities that will enhance their welfare
and enable them to realize their full potential in the service of
the nation ;
WHEREAS, Presidential Decree No. 633 dated 7 January

1975 created the National Commission on the Role of Filipino
Women, to ensure the full integration of women for economic,
social and cultural development at the national, regional and
international levels and to ensure further the equality between
men and women ;
WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 348 dated 17 February

1989 approved and adopted the Philippine Development Plan
for Women for 1989-1992, as prepared by the National
Commission on the Role of Filipino Women, in coordination
with the National Economic and Development Authority; and
tasked the said agencies to monitor the implementation of the
Plan ;
WHEREAS, with the completion of the Philippine

Development Plan for Women in 1992, there is a need to
strengthen the mandate of the National Commission on the Role
of Filipino Women, pursuant to Republic Act 7192 or the Women
in Development and Nation Building Act, which tasks the
Commission to provide assistance in ensuring the formulation
and nationwide implementation of gender-responsive
government policies, programs and projects ; and,
513
WHEREAS, Section 20, Book III of Executive Order No.

292 (Revised Administrative Code), and Section 60 of the
General Provisions of R.A. No. 7663 empower the President to
direct changes in the organization and key positions in any
department, bureau, or agency in the Executive Branch.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, FIDEL V. RAMOS, President of

the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested
in me by law, do hereby order the further definition of the
composition, powers and functions of the National Commission
on the Role of Filipino Women.
SECTION 1. Composition of the Commission. — The

National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women,
hereinafter referred to as the “Commission”, shall be composed
of twenty one (21) members, as follows:
1.1 A Chairperson who shall be appointed by the

President ;
1.2 Ten (10) representatives from the Government,

who are heads of the following Departments :
Labor and Employment (DOLE) ; National
Economic Development Authority (NEDA) ; Social
Welfare and Development (DSWD) ; Agriculture
(DA) ; Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) ;
Health (DOH) ; Foreign Affairs (DFA) ; Interior
and Local Government (DILG); Trade and
Industry (DTI) ; and, Budget and Management
(DBM) ; and,
1.3. Ten (10) members from the non-governmental

organizations representing the following: Labor;
Business and Industry; Science and Health;
Education or Academe; Urban Poor; Indigenous
Peoples; Peasants and Fisherfolks, Elderly and
Disabled; Media and Arts; Youth; and, a
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EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
representative of the National Council of Women

in the Philippines.
SEC. 2. Status of the Commission. — The Commission

shall have the same status as that of a government agency
attached to the office of the President.
SEC. 3. Nature of the Commission. — The Commission

shall be the primary policy-making and coordinating body of
all women development programs and institutions in the
Philippines: Provided, That in case of women development
programs of various line departments, the same shall be
formulated and implemented by the respective Departments
with the assistance of the Commission within the framework
of the Philippine development plans for women that will be
adopted thereafter.
SEC. 4. Objectives of the Commission. — The objectives

of the Commission are:
4.1 To promote women’s empowerment through the

policies and programs for women’s effective
participation and as full and equal partners of
men in the social, economic and political
development as well as in nation building ; and,
4.2 To enable Government agencies to effectively

address gender concerns in development
processes from planning, programming,
budgeting, implementation, monitoring and
evaluation in the national and local levels.
SEC. 5. Functions of the Commission. — The functions

of the Commission are hereby re-focused as follows :
5.1 Institute the gender responsiveness of national

developments plans and coordinate the
preparation, assessment and updating of the
515
National Plan for Women, ensure its

implementation and monitor the performance of
government agencies in the implementation of the
Plan at all levels ;
5.2 Undertake continuing advocacy to promote

women economic, social and political
empowerment and provide technical assistance
in the setting-up and strengthening of
mechanisms on gender mainstreaming ; and,
5.3 Ensure that the gains achieved by Filipino women

due to Philippine culture and tradition shall be
preserved and enhanced in the process of
modernization.
SEC. 6. Effectivity. — This Executive Order shall take

effect immediately.
Done in the city of Manila, this 10th day of October in

the Year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and ninety four.
(Sgd) FIDEL V. RAMOS

By the President:
(Sgd) Teofisto T. Guingona, Jr.

Executive Secretary
516
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
THE FAMILY CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES
WHEREAS, almost four decades have passed since the

adoption of the Civil Code of the Philippines;
WHEREAS, experience under said Code as well as

pervasive changes and developments have necessitated
revision of its provisions on marriage and family relations to
bring them closer to Filipino customs, values and ideals and
reflect contemporary trends and conditions;
WHEREAS, there is need to implement policies

embodied in the new Constitution that strengthen marriage
and the family as basic social institutions and ensure equality
between men and women;

me by the Constitution, do hereby order and promulgate the
Family Code of the Philippines, as follows:
TITLE I
Marriage
CHAPTER 1
Requisites of Marriage
ARTICLE 1. Marriage is a special contract of permanent

union between a man and a woman entered into in accordance
with law for the establishment of conjugal and family life. It is
the foundation of the family and an inviolable social institution
whose nature, consequences, and incidents are governed by law
and not subject to stipulation, except that marriage settlements
may fix the property relations during the marriage within the
limits provided by this Code. (52a)
517
ARTICLE 2. No marriage shall be valid, unless these

essential requisites are present:
(1) Legal capacity of the contracting parties who must

be a male and a female; and
(2) Consent freely given in the presence of the

solemnizing officer. (53a)
XXX XXX XXX
ARTICLE 5. Any male or female of the age of eighteen

years or upwards not under any of the impediments mentioned
in Articles 37 and 38, may contract marriage. (54a)
XXX XXX XXX
CHAPTER 2
Marriages Exempt from the License Requirement
ARTICLE 34. No license shall be necessary for the

marriage of a man and a woman who have lived together as
husband and wife for at least five years and without any legal
impediment to marry each other. The contracting parties shall
state the foregoing facts in an affidavit before any person
authorized by law to administer oaths. The solemnizing officer
shall also state under oath that he ascertained the
qualifications of the contracting parties and found no legal
impediment to the marriage. (76a)
CHAPTER 3
Void and Voidable Marriages
ARTICLE 45. A marriage may be annulled for any of the

following causes, existing at the time of the marriage:
(1) That the party in whose behalf it is sought to have

the marriage annulled was eighteen years of age or over
518
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
but below twenty-one, and the marriage was solemnized

without the consent of the parents, guardian or person
having substitute parental authority over the party, in
that order, unless after attaining the age of twenty-one,
such party freely cohabited with the other and both lived
together as husband and wife;
(2) That either party was of unsound mind, unless such

party after coming to reason, freely cohabited with the
other as husband and wife;
(3) That the consent of either party was obtained by fraud,

unless such party afterwards, with full knowledge of the
facts constituting the fraud, freely cohabited with the
other as husband and wife;
(4) That the consent of either party was obtained by force,

intimidation or undue influence, unless the same having
disappeared or ceased, such party thereafter freely
cohabited with the other as husband and wife;
(5) That either party was physically incapable of

consummating the marriage with the other, and such
incapacity continues and appears to be incurable; or
(6) That either party was afflicted with a sexually-

transmissible disease found to be serious and appears
to be incurable. (85a)
ARTICLE 46. Any of the following circumstances shall

constitute fraud referred to in Number 3 of the preceding
Article:
(1) Non-disclosure of a previous conviction by final

judgment of the other party of a crime involving moral
turpitude;
519
(2) Concealment by the wife of the fact that at the time

of the marriage, she was pregnant by a man other than
her husband;
(3) Concealment of sexually transmissible disease,

regardless of its nature, existing at the time of the
marriage; or
(4) Concealment of drug addiction, habitual alcoholism

or homosexuality or lesbianism existing at the time of
the marriage.
No other misrepresentation or deceit as to character,

health, rank, fortune or chastity shall constitute such fraud as
will give grounds for action for the annulment of marriage.
(86a)
XXX XXX XXX
TITLE VI
Paternity and Filiation
CHAPTER 1
Legitimate Children
ARTICLE 167. The child shall be considered legitimate

although the mother may have declared against its legitimacy
or may have been sentenced as an adulteress. (256a)
ARTICLE 168. If the marriage is terminated and the

mother contracted another marriage within three hundred days
after such termination of the former marriage, these rules shall
govern in the absence of proof to the contrary:
(1) A child born before one hundred eighty days after

the solemnization of the subsequent marriage is
considered to have been conceived during the former
marriage, provided it be born within three hundred days
after the termination of the former marriage;
520
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
(2) A child born after one hundred eighty days following

the celebration of the subsequent marriage is considered
to have been conceived during such marriage, even
though it be born within the three hundred days after
the termination of the former marriage. (259a)
ARTICLE 169. The legitimacy or illegitimacy of a child

born after three hundred days following the termination of the
marriage shall be proved by whoever alleges such legitimacy
or illegitimacy. (261a)
ARTICLE 170. The action to impugn the legitimacy of

the child shall be brought within one year from the knowledge
of the birth or its recording in the civil register, if the husband
or, in a proper case, any of his heirs, should reside in the city or
municipality where the birth took place or was recorded.
If the husband or, in his default, all of his heirs do not

reside at the place of birth as defined in the first paragraph or
where it was recorded, the period shall be two years if they
should reside in the Philippines; and three years if abroad. If
the birth of the child has been concealed from or was unknown
to the husband or his heirs, the period shall be counted from
the discovery or knowledge of the birth of the child or of the
fact of registration of said birth, whichever is earlier. (263a)
ARTICLE 171. The heirs of the husband may impugn the

filiation of the child within the period prescribed in the
preceding article only in the following cases:
(1) If the husband should die before the expiration of

the period fixed for bringing his action;
(2) If he should die after the filing of the complaint

without having desisted therefrom; or
(3) If the child was born after the death of the husband.
(262a)
521
XXX XXX XXX
CHAPTER 3
Illegitimate Children
ARTICLE 175. Illegitimate children may establish their

illegitimate filiation in the same way and on the same evidence
as legitimate children.
The action must be brought within the same period

specified in Article 173, except when the action is based on the
second paragraph of Article 172, in which case the action may
be brought during the lifetime of the alleged parent. (289a)
ARTICLE 176. Illegitimate children shall use the surname and

shall be under the parental authority of their mother, and shall
be entitled to support in conformity with this Code. The
legitime of each illegitimate child shall consist of one-half of
the legitime of a legitimate child. Except for this modification,
all other provisions in the Civil Code governing successional
rights shall remain in force. (287a)
XXX XXX XXX
TITLE XII
Final Provisions
ARTICLE 254. Titles III, IV, V, VI, VIII, IX, XI, and XV
of Book 1 of Republic Act No. 386, otherwise known as the Civil
Code of the Philippines, as amended, and Articles 17, 18, 19,
27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 39, 40, 41, and 42 of Presidential Decree No.
603, otherwise known as the Child and Youth Welfare Code, as
amended, and all laws, decrees, executive orders,
proclamations, rules and regulations, or parts thereof,
inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed.
ARTICLE 255. If any provision of this Code is held

invalid, all the other provisions not affected thereby shall
remain valid.
522
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
ARTICLE 256. This Code shall have retroactive effect

insofar as it does not prejudice or impair vested or acquired
rights in accordance with the Civil Code or other laws.
ARTICLE 257. This Code shall take effect one year after
the completion of its publication in a newspaper of general
circulation, as certified by the Executive Secretary, Office of
the President.
Publication shall likewise be made in the Official

Gazette.
Done in the City of Manila, this 6th day of July, in the

year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and eighty-seven.
(SGD.) CORAZON C. AQUINO

President
By the President:
(SGD.) JOKER P. ARROYO

Executive Secretary
523
CREATING AN EXECUTIVE COUNCIL TO SUPPRESS

TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS, PARTICULARLY
WOMEN AND CHILDREN
WHEREAS, the Philippines upholds the human rights

of people including their rights to travel;
WHEREAS, trafficking in persons, particularly women

and children has emerged as a major global issue owing to the
involvement of transnational organized criminal groups who
take advantage of the vulnerable conditions of migrants;
WHEREAS, in their desire to seek employment abroad,

a significant number of Filipinos have become victims of
unscrupulous individuals and entities who entice them to obtain
entry to destination countries at whatever costs and means;
WHEREAS, victims of trafficking, particularly women

and children, have been exposed to situations of abuse,
exploitation, violence, and the violation of their human rights,
thereby rendering them even more vulnerable to the adverse
effects of poverty;
WHEREAS, the Philippines as a founding member of the

UN, has actively participated in global efforts, including UN
initiatives, to suppress trafficking in persons, in particular the
UN Resolutions on the Traffic of Women and Girls;
WHEREAS, global efforts to suppress trafficking in

persons, particularly women and children, have been pursued
and have progressed through various inter-governmental and
multilateral initiatives;
WHEREAS, in support of these global efforts, the

Philippines has taken an active role in evolving a regional
approach to suppress trafficking in persons, particularly women
524
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
and children, as exemplified by inter alia its leadership in the

Manila Process and the Asian Regional Initiative Against
Trafficking (ARIAT);
WHEREAS, there is a need for a body that will ensure

an integrated approach for the review, consideration, approval,
management and monitoring of bilateral, regional and
multilateral initiatives to suppress trafficking in persons,
particularly women and children;
WHEREAS, concerned Philippine government agencies

undertake programs and activities to suppress trafficking in
persons, particularly women and children, based on their
respective mandates;
WHEREAS, there is a need to institutionalize the

process of coordination and collaboration among concerned
agencies in the implementation of these programs to achieve
greater efficiency.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA,

President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the
powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:
SECTION 1. Creation of the Executive Council. — An

Executive Council on the Suppression of Trafficking in Persons,
particularly Women and Children, is hereby created.
SEC. 2. Composition. — The Executive Council shall be

chaired by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and co-chaired by
the Secretary of Interior and Local Government. It shall have
for its members, the Secretaries of the following departments:
1) Department of Justice (DOJ)
2) Department of National Defense (DND)
3) Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)
525
4) Department of Social Welfare and Development

(DSWD)
5) Department of Tourism (DOT)
6) Office of the Executive Secretary, Office of the

President (OP)
The Executive Council shall be supported by the

Technical Coordinating Committee (TCC) to be composed of the
above agencies and the following
1) Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force

(PAOCTF)
2) Philippine Center on Transnational Crime (PCTC)
3) National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM)
4) Philippine National Police (PNP)
5) National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)
6) Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO)
7) National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women

(NCRFW)
8) Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA)
9) Philippines Overseas Employment Administration

(POEA)
10) Commission on Human Rights (CHR)
11) National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC)
For this purpose, the TCC shall coordinate with the civil
society particularly non-government organizations (NGOs),
private business sector, academe and other interest groups in
526
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
the formulation of policies and the implementation of

government initiatives to suppress trafficking in persons,
particularly women and children.
The Department of Foreign Affairs shall serve as Chair

of the TCC. The TCC shall elect from among themselves a Co-
Chair and a Vice-Chair.
SEC. 3. Secretariat. — The Philippine Center on

Transnational Crime (PCTC), being the Presidential agency
tasked to formulate and implement a concerted program of
action of all law enforcement, intelligence and other agencies
for the prevention and control of transnational crime, as
mandated by Section 1 of Executive Order No. 62, shall serve
as the Secretariat of the Executive Council.
SEC. 4. Functions. — The Executive Council shall assist

the President in the formulation of policies and in their
implementation in order to suppress trafficking in persons,
particularly women and children. Specifically, the Executive
Council, through the TCC, shall undertake appropriate
programs and activities on the following key areas:
• Advocacy, Education, Training and Other Preventive

Measures;
• Law Enforcement and Legislative Initiatives;
• Criminal Justice Management;
• Institutional and Intelligence Build-up and

Networking;
• National Assistance Program, particularly

Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Victims;
• Bilateral, Regional and International Cooperation;

and
527
• Other areas relevant to the suppression of trafficking

in persons, particularly women and children.
SEC. 5. Data/Information Sharing. — The Executive

Council shall ensure the effective exchange of data, information,
or any pertinent report between and among member-agencies
and support agencies.
SEC. 6. Security and Confidentiality of Data/

Information. — Data and information acquired from agencies
shall be treated as confidential and shall be used only for lawful
and official purposes.
The TCC shall formulate the necessary guidelines that

will define the levels of access security guidelines for this
purpose.
SEC. 7. Support Agencies. — The Executive Council may

seek the assistance and support of any Department, Bureau,
Office, or any government agency, and engage civil society in
the attainment of its objectives.
SEC. 8. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — The

Executive Council shall convene within 30 days after the
effectivity of this Order to consider and approve necessary rules
and regulations for the implementation of this Order.
SEC. 9. Meetings. — The Executive Council shall meet

at least once every quarter or as often as necessary. The TCC,
on the other hand, shall meet regularly on a monthly basis.
SEC. 10. Funding. — Initially for the current year, a

funding of not less P5 million shall be sourced from the
Presidential Contingency Fund/PAGCOR. Member-agencies
can also draw from the current budget, including but not limited
to savings and unprogrammed funds. For the succeeding years,
funding requirements shall be included in the regular
appropriation of said agencies.
528
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
SEC. 11. Reporting. — The Executive Council shall

submit appropriate reports and recommendations to the
President at least once a year or as often as may be deemed
necessary.
SEC. 12. Effectivity. — This Order shall take effect

immediately.
DONE in the City of Manila, this 23rd day of March, in

the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand.
(Sgd.) JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA

By the President:
(Sgd.) RONALDO B. ZAMORA

Executive Secretary
529
Malacanang Palace
Manila
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES
ORGANIZATION OF THE PHILIPPINE ARMY NURSE

CORPS RESERVE
Pursuant to the provisions of section twenty-ûve (e) of

the National Defense Act, as amended by Commonwealth Act
Numbered Three hundred eighty-ûve, creating the Nurse Corps
as a component part of the Medical Service, Philippine Army,
the following rules and regulations for the organization of the
Nurse Corps Reserve are hereby prescribed:
1. PROCUREMENT:
(a) The Chief of Staff of the Army shall request of the

Board of Examiners for Nurses a list of qualiûed nurses which
shall be kept up-to-date from year to year, and shall furnish
said Board with questionnaires and registration forms which
the Board shall require all successful female candidates who
are citizens of the Philippines passing the examination for
nurses to be accomplished or ûlled out and submitted to the
Chief of Staff.
(b) Registrants shall immediately notify the Chief of Staff

of any change of address subsequent to registration for proper
notation in their registration papers.
(c) The Chief of Staff shall obtain from the Red Cross
and local duly registered and recognized nursing associations
the names and addresses of qualiûed nurses available for
mobilization assignment in each Military District, and shall
make the necessary arrangements with said associations for
530
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
the enrolment and assignment of such qualiûed nurses to the

Nurse Corps Reserve in case of mobilization.
(d) The Chief of Staff shall encourage voluntary

applications for appointment in the Nurse Corps Reserve to
ûll up the mobilization requirement for each Military District.
Should there be more applicants than may be necessary, the
Secretary of National Defense may direct the Chief of Staff to
hold competitive examinations to determine the relative merits
of applicants. Only in case the number of voluntary applications
falls short of mobilization requirements should compulsory
draft be’ resorted to. In the latter case assignment will be made
by the drawing of lots from among the names listed in the
register of qualiûed nurses.
2. QUALIFICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP.
An applicant for membership in the Nurse Corps

Reserve must possess the following qualiûcations:
(a) She must be a citizen of the Philippines, not less than

21 nor more than 45 years of age.
(b) She must be unmarried, of good moral character and

excellent reputation, and physically ût for military service.
(c) She must have graduated from a duly accredited

three years’ course of training in at general hospital with a daily
average of 50 patients or more, including men, women, and
children, during the applicant’s training period: Provided, That
graduates of special hospitals, and those of hospitals caring for
women only may be eligible for appointment if their experience
shall include at least nine months’ training in a general hospital
for the care of men, women and children, either during their
course of training or subsequent thereto; and Provided, further,
That subsequent post-graduate training or hospital experience
which supplements deûciencies of training may be accepted as
531
equivalent under such rules and regulations as may be

prescribed by the Chief of Staff with the approval of the
Secretary of National Defense.
(d) She must have passed the examination prescribed by

law for the practice of nursing in the Philippines and possess
the corresponding certiûcate of registration issued by the Board
of Examiners for Nurses.
3. APPOINTMENT AND PROMOTION:
Appointments to, and promotions in, the Nurse Corps

Reserve will follow the same general policy as in other branches
of the Medical Service.
4. CLASSIFICATION AND COMPENSATION:
Members of the Nurse Corps Reserve shall be classiûed,

and their rates of pay during their period of active service, shall
be as follows:
Rate per annum
(a) Nurse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P1,200.00
(b) Head Nurse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,500.00
(c) Chief Nurse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,000.00
(d) Superintendent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,100.00
(e) In addition to the compensation provided in

paragraphs (a) to (d), nurses will be furnished with quarters tin
kind whenever available, or in cash, corresponding to their
relative ranks in accordance with Army Regulations governing
this matter issued with the approval of the President of the
Philippines.
532
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
5. MOBILIZATION:
(a) Members of the Nurse Corps Reserve may be assigned

for service in general hospitals, evacuation hospitals and
surgical hospitals in the proportion of three nurses every ûfty-
patient capacity or major fraction thereof.
(b) Reserve Nurses _must serve in time of threatened or

actual hostilities and hold themselves in readiness to join for
duty on the day the unit to which they are assigned begins to
mobilize for active service, under such rules and regulations as
may be prescribed by the Chief of Staff with the approval of the
Secretary of National Defense.
Done at the City of Manila, this ûfteenth day of April, in

the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and forty, and of the
Commonwealth of the Philippines, the ûfth.
MANUEL L. QUEZON
By the President:
JORGE B. VARGAS
Secretary to the President
533
AMENDING EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 208 (S. 1995)

ENTITLED “FURTHER DEFINING THE
COMPOSITION, POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF THE
NATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE ROLE OF
FILIPINO WOMEN”
SECTION 1. Section 1 of Executive order No. 208 (S. 1995)

is hereby amended to read as follows:
“SECTION 1. Composition of the Commission. Consistent

with P.D. No. 633, and until otherwise directed by the President,
the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women,
hereinafter referred to as the ‘Commission’, shall be composed
of the following members:
“1.1 A Chairperson who shall be appointed by the

President.
“1.2 The Secretaries of the following Departments who

shall sit in the Commission as ex-officio members : Labor and
Employment (DOLE ); National Economic Development
Authority (NEDA) ; Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) ;
Agriculture (DA); Education, Culture and Sports (DECS);
Health (DOH) ; Foreign Affairs (DFA) ; Interior and Local
Government (DILG) ; Trade and Industry (DTI) ; and Budget
and Management (DBM).
The Secretaries mentioned are authorized to designate

an Undersecretary to represent them.
“1.3. Twelve (12) private sector representatives : eleven

(11) of whom shall be selected from the following sectors — (a)
534
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
Labor, (b) Business and Industry, (c) Science and Health, (d)
Education or Academe, (e) Urban Poor, (f) Indigenous Peoples,
(g) Peasants and Fisherfolks (h) Elderly and Disabled, (i) Media
and Arts, (j) culture, (k) youth, and one (l) representative of the
National Council of Women in the Philippines.
The incumbent members of the Commission, however,

shall continue in office unless replaced or removed from office
by the President.”
SECTION. 2. Two (2) new sections between Sections 5

and 6 of Executive Order No. 208 are hereby inserted as follows:
“SEC. 6. New Staffing Pattern.—The Commission is

hereby authorized to review, and with the approval of the
Department of Budget and Management, revise its staffing
pattern to effectively and efficiently undertake and accomplish
its functions.
“SEC. 7. Funding.—The initial funding requirements for

the implementation of this Order shall be charged
against the current appropriations of the Commission.
The Department of Budget and Management is directed
to coordinate and assist the Commission in identifying
and determining the appropriate sources and amounts
of the funds to cover deficiencies in the Commission’s
requirements. Thereafter, funding requirements of the
Commission shall be incorporated in the General
Appropriations Act.”
SECTION. 3. Section 6 of Executive Order No. 208 is

redenominated as Section 8.
535
DONE in the City of Manila, this 4th day of August, in

the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and ninety-five.

By the President:
(Sgd) Ruben D. Torres

Executive Secretary
536
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE PHILIPPINE PLAN FOR

GENDER-RESPONSIVE DEVELOPMENT, 1995 TO
2025
WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 14, Article II of the

Constitution that provides “The State recognizes the role of
women in nation-building, and shall ensure the fundamental
equality before the law of women and men,” Executive Order
No. 348, series of 1989, approving and adopting the “Philippine
Development Plan for Women (PDPW) for 1989-1992” was
promulgated ;
WHEREAS, the passage of Republic Act No. 7192

otherwise known as the “Women in Development and Nation-
Building Act” on February 12, 1992 and the expiration of the
PDPW time frame in the same year, calls for a successor plan
that shall address and provide direction for mainstreaming
gender concerns in development ;
WHEREAS, the National Plan for Women shall serve as

the main vehicle for implementing in the Philippines the action
commitments during the Fourth World Conference on Women
in Beijing, China ;
WHEREAS, through the concerted efforts of various

government agencies and non-governmental organizations, a
plan has been formulated for the purpose;

the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do
hereby approve and adopt the “Philippine Plan for Gender-
Responsive Development, 1995-2025,” hereinafter referred to
as the Plan, and order that:
537
1. All government agencies, departments, bureaus,

offices, and instrumentalities, including government-owned
and-controlled corporations, at the national, sub-national and
local levels, are directed:
1.1 To take appropriate steps to ensure the full

implementation of the policies/strategies and programs/projects
outlined in the Plan;
1.2 To institutionalize Gender and Development (GAD)

efforts in government by incorporating GAD concerns, as
spelled out in the Plan; in their planning, programming and
budgeting processes, but more specifically to:
1.2.1 Include/incorporate GAD concerns in the:
a) formulation, assessment and updating of their annual

agency plans;
b) formulation, assessment and updating of their inputs

to the medium/long-term, development plans; and
c) preparation of their inputs to sectoral performance

assessment reports, public investment plans and other similar
documents.
1.2.2 Incorporate and reflect GAD concerns in their:
a) agency performance commitment contracts indicating

key result areas for GAD as well as in their annual performance
report to the President; and
b) annual agency budget proposals and work and financial

plans.
2. The National Commission on the Role of Filipino

Women (NCRFW), in coordination with the National Economic
and Development Authority (NEDA), shall:
538
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
2.1. Monitor the implementation of the Plan by various

government agencies; and
2.2. Conduct the periodic assessment and updating of

the Plan every six years or upon every change in national
leadership.
In pursuance of the foregoing, the NCRFW may call upon

the assistance of any government agency or instrumentality,
including government-owned and-controlled corporations as
well as existing inter-agency structures, as may be necessary.
Non-governmental organizations and private entities are urged
to assist and support in the implementation, monitoring,
assessment and updating of the Plan.
3. The NCRFW is hereby authorized, in consultation

with the President and concerned government agencies, to issue
orders, circulars or guidelines, as may be necessary, for the
implementation, coordination, monitoring, assessment and
updating of the Plan, as well as in the implementation of the
provisions of this Executive Order. For these purposes, the
NCRFW may constitute appropriate inter-agency committees.
4. In view of the Plan’s long-term goal of fully integrating

GAD concerns into the whole development process, the
mainstreaming of GAD in various government agencies shall
be the responsibility of the heads of concerned agencies and
their respective offices, with the assistance of their Women in
Development (WID)/GAD Focal Points, if any, to ensure
institutionalization thereof.
5. The initial amount necessary for the implementation

of the Plan shall be charged against the appropriations of
government agencies authorized to be set aside for the purpose
under Republic Act No. 7845, including those sources from
bilateral/multilateral agencies/organizations or those from the
official development assistance (ODA) pursuant to Republic Act
539
No. 7192. Thereafter, budgetary requirements for the succeeding

years shall be incorporated in General Appropriations Bills to
be submitted to Congress.
6. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately.
DONE in the City of Manila, this 8th day of September,

in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and ninety-five.

By the President:
LEONARDO A. QUISUMBING
Senior Deputy Executive Secretary
Officer-In-Charge, OES
540
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
Manila, October 17, 1930

For the purpose of studying the now existing laws and
regulations governing the erection of billboards, sky-signs, and
other forms of advertising, and of recommending such
modifications as may seem desirable, and of proposing such
legislation as may be considered appropriate and necessary to
restrict and prohibit the exhibition of advertisements in such a
way as to disfigure or injuriously affect the natural beauty of a
landscape; to mar the appearance of residential districts,
boulevards and important thoroughfares in cities and to
safeguard historic or public building or monuments or any place
frequented by the public solely or chiefly because of its historic
interest, the following committee is hereby appointed:
Judge A. D. Gibbs, Chairman; Mr. Juan M. Arellano, Mr.

Samuel F. Gaches, Mr. John Mears, Mrs. Jose P. Melencio, Mrs,
C. D. Evans, Mr. Vicente Fernandez, Mr. I. Barza, and Mr. T.
Arguelles, members.
(1) To recommend the means of regulating billboards,

sky-signs, and similar forms of advertising in the residential
districts in cities and municipalities, including the best means
of beautifying the important thoroughfares and boulevards
passing through them;
(2) To recommend the best means of prohibiting,

regulating, and restricting the exhibition of advertisements in
any places outside the cities so as to prevent the disfigurement
of the natural beauty of the landscape;
541
(3) To recommend the best means of regulating

advertisement on public ways and public places and on private
property within public view;
(4) To recommend the practicability of erecting standard

guide and warning signs on Insular and provincial roads and
the possible prohibition of the erection of objectionable signs
including billboards and traffic signals upon such roads or within
five hundred yards thereof;
(5) To recommend the best means of regulating the

appearance of gasoline filling stations, roadside refreshment
houses or stands and of prohibiting their establishment in
certain situations;
(6) To recommend the best means of enforcing such

proposed measures after legislation has been adopted following
the report of the committee.
The committee will meet at the call of the Chairman at

such times and places as he may designate. Such assistance
and information as may be desired by this committee will be
furnished by all Government officials upon request.
DWIGHT F. DAVIS
Governor-General
542
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

Upon the recommendation of the Secretary of Justice,
the following Board of Pardons is hereby appointed to serve
without compensation:
Hon. Luis P. Torres, Chairman; Col. Clarence H. Bowers,

member; Dr. Jose Fabella, member; Mrs. Jamie C. de Veyra,
member; Prof. Francisco Benitez, member.
It shall be the duty of the Board to examine the records

of all Insular prisoners with a view to making recommendations
as to who are deserving of executive clemency.
Executive Order Numbered Forty-seven, series of

nineteen hundred and twenty-two, is hereby revoked.
DWIGHT F. DAVIS
Governor-General
543
DESIGNATING THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF WOMEN OF

THE PHILIPPINES (NCWP) AS ONE OF THE LEAD
MONITORING ARM OF N O N - G O V E R N M E N TA L
ORGANIZATIONS (NGOS) FOR THE EFFECTIVE
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GLOBAL PLATFORM
FOR ACTION AND THE PHILIPPINE PLAN FOR
GENDER-RESPONSIVE DEVELOPMENT IN THE
NGO AND PRIVATE SECTOR

provides that the State shall encourage non-governmental,
community-based or sectoral organizations that promote the
welfare of the nation;
WHEREAS, the government is committed to women’s

advancement and to gender equality in all aspects and at all
levels, as enshrined in the Philippine Plan for Gender-
Responsive Development (PPGD) and in conjunction with the
Global Platform for Action of the Beijing UN Conference on
Women;
WHEREAS, the executive branch, through the National

Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW),
spearheaded the formulation of the national agenda for the
protection of women’s rights, improvement of their social and
economic conditions, promotion of their participation in political
decision making and the coordination and monitoring of the
implementation of the government’s policy on gender and
development that are primarily undertaken by the Focal Points;
WHEREAS, to realize these commitments, the NCRFW

and the Women Focal Points in the different governmental
departments and bureaus have been mandated to implement
the policy of mainstreaming gender and development agenda
through various policy actions and executive programs;
544
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
WHEREAS, the government recognizes the vital roles

that women non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play in
achieving complementation of commitments for higher impact
to women nationwide and across sectors and affirms its
partnership with NGOs in ensuring that the national agenda
for women’s advancement is implemented and accomplished;
WHEREAS, the National Council of Women of the

Philippines (NCWP), now in its 50th year in operation as an
umbrella women’s organization of 151 national networks and
3,081 councils, continues to play its role as a constant and
dynamic NGO partner of the government in the forefront of
national development programs for women’s empowerment;
WHEREAS, the NCWP, since its founding by Francisca

Tirona-Benitez has been implementing gender-focused policy
action agenda and programs/projects in its crusade to raise the
status of Filipino women, protect their rights and welfare and
enhance their roles and capacities as vital change agents in
nation-building and development;
WHEREAS, the NCWP, with the continuing professional

and technical assistance of the Philippine Women’s University
- Development Institute for Women in Asia-Pacific (PWU-
DIWA), is further committed to promote leadership education
of women for nation-building and foster increased awareness
and participation among women in achieving the goals of the
Philippine Centennial Celebration;
WHEREAS, the NCWP has recently crafted a blueprint

of action agenda on 31 issue-based areas of concern in order to
complement the effective implementation of the Global
Platform for Action on Women and the Philippine Plan for a
Gender-Responsive Development among the NGOs at the
national and local levels, in close collaboration with the NCRFW
and the Focal Points in government, as well as other major non-
governmental women’s networks and the private sector;
545
WHEREAS, a corresponding non-governmental

mechanism and system-wide structures are necessary to
coordinate, mobilize, and monitor the wide participation among
women organizations, educational institutions and the private
sector in implementing gender education and development.

in me by law, do hereby order:
SECTION 1. The affirmation of partnership among the

NCRFW/Women’s Focal Points and other women’s networks
with the National Council of Women of the Philippines (NCWP)
as one of the lead implementing and monitoring arm of NGOs
for non-governmental gender and development processes and
initiatives nationwide, is hereby approved.
SEC. 2. The NCWP shall be one of the lead NGO in

mobilizing wider participation among interested women’s
networks and organizations, consolidating and promoting the
issues of women in the country, working in partnership with
the government in the implementation of the Beijing Platform
for Action and the Philippine Plan for Gender-Responsive
Development nationwide, and subsequently in monitoring their
effective implementation at all levels and across sectors. The
NCWP shall be assisted by the PWU-DIWA as secretariat and
technical arm in providing professional services, training and
continuing education for women and work in partnership with
concerned women’s networks and organizations, such as the
Congressional Spouses Foundation, Incorporated and the
Philippine Centennial Commission-Women Sector.
SEC. 3. In line with the framework and objectives set

for achieving the foregoing development agenda, there shall be
a monitoring system established using gender-sensitive
indicators and guidelines to be defined in consultation with
546
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
NCRFW and other interested and concerned women’s networks

and organizations.
SEC. 4. This Executive Order shall take effect

immediately.
DONE, in the City of Manila, this 7th day of May in the

year of Our Lord Nineteen Hundred and Ninety Six.

By the President:
(Sgd) Ruben D. Torres

Executive Secretary
547
DIRECTING NATIONAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND

GOVERNMENT-OWNED AND -CONTROLLED
CORPORATIONS TO PROVIDE DAY CARE SERVICES
FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES’ CHILDREN UNDER FIVE
YEARS OF AGE

provides that the State recognizes the sanctity of the family as
a basic autonomous social institution and shall support the
natural and primary right and duty of parents in the rearing of
the youth for civic efficiency and development of moral
character;
WHEREAS, in July 1990, the Philippines ratified the

Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 18(2) and (3) of
which provides that State Parties shall render appropriate
assistance to parents and legal guardians in the performance
of their child-rearing responsibilities, ensure the development
of institutions, facilities and services for the care of children
and take appropriate measures to ensure that children of
working parents have the right to benefit from the child care
services and facilities for which they are eligible;
WHEREAS, Section 31, Chapter 5, Subtitle A, Title 1,

Book V of Executive Order 292, otherwise known as the
Administrative Code of 1987, requires that provisions for
employees welfare be established in each government entity to
be integrated into the agency’s career and personnel
development plan;
WHEREAS, the provision of child care services will not

only be beneficial to the children and their mothers but also to
government with the eventual improved performance and
minimal absenteeism of employees due to problems related to
child care.
548
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES

the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do
hereby order and direct the following:
SECTION 1. Day Care Services and Their Coverage. —

All National Government Agencies and Government-Owned
and-Controlled Corporations shall provide day care services
to children of their employees under five years of age. These
services shall be provided either within their office facilities
or in the areas accessible and/or acceptable to the parents. Such
services shall accommodate children, aged 5 years and below,
of employees with no competent household help.
SEC. 2. Objectives of the Services. — To ensure that the

employee’s children shall enjoy the following opportunities and
benefits:
1. Proper care and nutrition to become physically fit;
2. Development of social, mental, intellectual skills;
3. Spiritual, socio-cultural and nationalistic values as

well as the development of strong positive attitudes towards
God, the family, the environment and the society in general;
and
4. Substitute parenting and protection from all forms

of neglect. abuse and exploitation while the parent is at work.
SEC. 3. Lead Agency. — In view of the agency’s expertise

in the establishment of day care service, the Department of
Social Welfare and Development is hereby tasked to:
1. Formulate the implementing guidelines for this

Executive Order;
2. Disseminate the guidelines to all government offices

concerned within one (1) month from approval of this Order;
549
3. Provide technical assistance in collaboration with

relevant government and non-government agencies through
training, assessment and monitoring visits; and
4. License and accredit the services, facilities and day

care workers.
SEC. 4. Source of Funding. — National Government

Agencies and Government-owned and -Controlled Corporations
(GOCCs) shall charge their expenses for the provision and
maintenance of day care centers, including manpower
requirements and materials, to the Gender and Development
(GAD) funds from their Employees’ Suggestions and Incentives
Awards System (ESIAS) funds for human resource development.
These offices may mobilize the resources of non-government,
private and international agencies in the development of
materials, improvement of facilities and enrichment of the
curriculum in coordination with the Department of Social
Welfare and Development.
SEC. 5. Effectivity. — This Executive Order shall take

effect immediately.
DONE in the City of Manila, this 5th day of February in

the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Seven.
550
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE PHILIPPINE

DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR WOMEN FOR 1989 TO 1992
WHEREAS, Article II, Section 14, of the 1987

Constitution provides that “The State recognizes the role of
women in nation-building, and shall ensure the fundamental
equality before the law of women and men;”
WHEREAS, the Philippine Development Plan for

Women for 1989 to 1992 was formulated through the efforts of
various government agencies and non-governmental
organizations;

President of the Philippines, do hereby approve and adopt the
“Philippine Development Plan for Women for 1989 to 1992,”
hereinafter referred to as the Plan, and order that:
1. All government departments, bureaus, offices,

agencies and instrumentalities, including government-owned
or controlled corporations, are enjoined to take appropriate
steps to ensure the full implementation of the programs and
projects outlined in the Plan.
2. The National Commission on the Role of Filipino

Women (NCRFW), in coordination with the National Economic
and Development Authority (NEDA), shall monitor the
implementation of the plan by various government agencies. It
shall likewise monitor the plan’s periodic assessment and
updating and, for this purpose, the NCRFW may call upon the
assistance of any department, bureau, office, agency, or
instrumentality of the government, including government-
owned or controlled corporations. Non-governmental
organizations and private entities are urged to assist in the
551
monitoring of the implementation, assessment and updating of

the Plan.
3. An appropriate focal point for women’s concerns or

any other similar mechanism shall be constituted in each
department, bureau, office, agency, or instrumentality of the
government, including government-owned or controlled
corporations, to ensure the implementation, and monitoring of
implementation, review and updating of programs and projects
identified for each sector.
4. The NCRFW is hereby authorized, upon consultation

with the President, to issue orders, circulars or guidelines as
may be necessary in the implementation, coordination and
monitoring of the Plan, as well as in its assessment and
updating. For these purposes, the NCRFW may constitute the
appropriate inter-agency committees.
5. The initial amount necessary to implement the Plan

for Calendar Year 1989 shall be charged against the appropriate
funds of the government agencies concerned and from any
available lump sum fund under Republic Act No. 6688 as may
be determined by the Department of Budget and Management.
Appropriations for succeeding years shall be incorporated in
the budget proposals for Congressional action.
6. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately.
DONE in the City of Manila, this 17th day of February,

in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and eighty-nine.
CORAZON C. AQUINO
By the President:
CATALINO MACARAIG, JR.

Executive Secretary
552
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
AMENDING EXECUTIVE ORDER 356 DATED 12 AUGUST

1996 WHICH PROVIDES FOR THE IMPLEMENTING
GUIDELINES ON THE INSTITUTIONAL
ARRANGEMENTS TO FASTTRACK SRA
LOCALIZATION, TO INCLUDE THE NATIONAL
COUNCIL ON THE ROLE OF THE FILIPINO WOMEN
IN THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE SOCIAL REFORM
COUNCIL
WHEREAS, Executive Order 356 dated 12 August 1996

provides for the expanded membership of the Social Reform
Council and implementing guidelines on the institutional
arrangements to fasttrack SRA Localization;
WHEREAS, there is a need to mainstream gender

concerns in all SRA flagship programs as affirmed during the
National Anti-Poverty Summit held last 19-20 March 1996;
WHEREAS, the President instructed the Social Reform

Council to monitor the implementation of the commitment of
the Philippine Government in the United Nations Fourth World
Conference on Women relative to the Beijing Platform of Action;
WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 208 dated 10 October

1994, as amended by Executive Order No. 268 dated 04 August
1995, strengthened and reconstituted the National Commission
on the Role of the Filipino Women to be the primary policy
making and coordinating body of all women development
programs and institutions;
NOW THEREFORE, I, FIDEL V. RAMOS, President of

in me by law, do hereby amend Executive Order No. 356 to
include the National Council on the Role of Filipino Women in
the membership of the Social Reform Council.
553
This Executive Order shall take effect immediately.
DONE in the city of Manila, this 5th day of September

in the Year of Our Lord Nineteen Hundred and Ninety Six.
554
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
DIRECTING THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE

AND DEVELOPMENT (DSWD) TO EXERCISE OVERSIGHT
FUNCTION OVER THE NATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE
ROLE OF FILIPINO WOMEN (NCRFW)
WHEREAS, the Development of Social and Welfare

Development (DSWD) is the principal government agency that
implements the State’s commitment to the care, protection and
rehabilitation of the individuals, families, and communities by
providing a balanced approach to welfare;
WHEREAS, the National Commission on the Role of

Filipino Women (NRFW), established by virtue of President
Decree No. 633, dated January 7, 1975, under the Office of the
President, is an advisory body of the President and the Cabinet
on policies and programs for the advancement of women in their
diversified roles of citizens, homemakers, workers, volunteers,
participants in the development of friendly relations and
cooperation among nations, and in the promotion of world
peace;
WHEREAS, there is a need for the DSWD to exercise

oversight function over the NCRFW facilitate coordination of
policies and programs; to advocate women issues and concerns
at the Executive Level and other ministerial level for a; to
sustain inter-agency and multi-sectoral concerns at all levels;
and to ensure gender mainstreaming in policy making, planning
and programming, all affecting the advancement of the Filipino
women;
WHEREAS, Section 31, Chapter 10, Title III, Book III of

Exercise Order 292, otherwise known as the “Administrative
Code of 1987”, grants to the President continuing authority to
recognize the administrative structure of the Office of the
President;
555

ARROYO, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the power
vested in me by law, do hereby order:
Section 1. The DSWD shall exercise oversight function

over the NCRFW without prejudice to the undertaking of their
respective functions.
SEC. 2. All orders, issuances, rules and regulations or

parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Executive
Order are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
SEC. 3. This Executive Order shall take effect

immediately.
Done in the City of Manila, this 10th day of May, in the

year of our Lord, Two Thousand and Five.
(Sgd.) GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO

By the President:
(Sgd.) EDUARDO R. ERMITA

Executive Secretary
556
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
IMPLEMENTING THE NATIONAL COMMITMENT FOR

“BAKUNA ANG UNA SA SANGGOL AT INA”,
ATTAINING WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS
GOALS TO ELIMINATE MEASLES AND NEONATAL
TETANUS, ERADICATE POLIO, CONTROL
HEPATITIS B AND OTHER VACCINE-PREVENTABLE
DISEASES
WHEREAS, the Philippines has set as one of its goals in

the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) reduction of child
mortality by two-thirds (2/3) by year 2015.
WHEREAS, the government already ratified the

Conventions on the Rights of the Child (CRC) for children to
attain the highest possible attainable level of health, survival
and protection; and supported the World Health Assembly
resolutions for improving child health and survival;
WHEREAS, the government has committed to the World

Health Organization Regional Committee for the Western
Pacific resolutions to eliminate/eradicate measles, neonatal
tetanus, polio, and control diphtheria, hepatitis B, pertussis,
and childhood tuberculosis by year 2008;
WHEREAS, since the year 2000, the country has already

eradicated polio nationwide and has been sustaining its polio-
free status;
WHEREAS, the mass measles vaccination campaign in

2004, otherwise known as the “Ligtas Tigdas 2004”,
demonstrated a 96% unprecedented decline of measles cases
and deaths and also led to institutionalization of safe injection
practices, through the use of the auto-disabled needles and
syringes in immunizations, and established an appropriate
557
immunization waste disposal in support of the “Philippine

Clean Air Act 1999” and “Solid Waste Management Act 2003”;
WHEREAS, elimination, eradication, control of the

childhood vaccine-preventable diseases requires that at least
95% of our child population be fully immunized annually, that
80% of our pregnant mothers be vaccinated with tetanus toxoid
to protect the newborn from neonatal tetanus and that all
vaccine-preventable disease cases be detected, investigated and
reported on a timely basis;
WHEREAS, low and unequally distributed routine

immunization coverage in the country causes about 500,000
infants/children annually to remain unprotected, thus,
rendering them susceptible to vaccine-preventable diseases and
thereby threatens the country to outbreaks/epidemics despite
of the national purchases of a free, potent, and high-quality
vaccines for all infants/children and mothers;
WHEREAS, another mass measles vaccination campaign

will reduce the number of children at risk of getting measles
infections;
WHEREAS, achieving 95% fully immunized children and

mothers will require unified commitments of the national
government, local chief executives, health workers,
communities and all sectors of society;

ARROYO, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue
of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:
SECTION 1. Declaration of Objectives. – This Executive

Order shall have the following objectives:
a) Implement the national commitment for “Bakuna ang

Una sa Sanggol at Ina ”, Attaining World Health
Organization’s Goals to Eliminate Measles and Neonatal
558
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
Tetanus, Eradicate Polio, Control Hepatitis B and other

Vaccine-preventable Diseases;
b) Mobilize the national government, its agencies,

instrumentalities, local government units, and other
sectors of society in support of this national
commitments.
SEC. 2. Implementing Agencies,
A. Lead Agency: Department of Health (DOH)
The DOH, as lead agency, shall implement the “Bakuna

and Una sa Sanggol at Ina” to strengthen the routine reaching
of all mothers and infants with safe and effective vaccines; and
to identify, investigate and report vaccine-preventable disease
cases.
It shall embark on a mass measles vaccination campaign

for all children ages 9 months to 48 months old nationwide.
The DOH shall formulate, disseminate guidelines and

procedures on implementing the “Bakuna and Una sa Sanggol
at Ina”, including the introduction of new vaccines based on
analysis conducted by a technical working group; provide
technical assistance to Local Government Units (LGUs); conduct
national/regional advocacy and social mobilization activities;
provide, allocate and distribute in a timely manner all the
necessary vaccines; and monitor submission of required reports
of all LGU health system activities.
Jointly with Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC),

it shall compile, disseminate and publish semi-annual reports
of progress and performance on this immunization program.
B. Department of the Interior and Local Government

(DILG)
559
The DILG shall advocate to all LGUs to achieve and

maintain minimum standards of staffing, financial support,
supplies and communication/advocacy to community
representatives to achieve this goal. It shall submit quarterly
reports of LGUs’ compliance to DOH.
C. Department of Education (DepEd)
The DepEd shall ensure the complete vaccination status

of all children entering primary school. It shall further ensure
that mothers of all children with incomplete immunization shall
be informed of the immunization program being provided by
the government. It shall coordinate with the local government
health units for the complete vaccination of these children. It
shall identify and report any case of suspected vaccine-
preventable disease, which has met the standard case
definitions, to the concerned local health units. It shall annually
monitor the school entry lists to ensure compliance by all schools
and submit annual reports of schools’ compliance to DOH.
D. Department of Social Welfare and Development

(DSWD)
The DSWD shall ensure the complete vaccination status

of all children in day care centers and pre-schools during the
first week of school. It shall further ensure that mothers of all
children with incomplete immunization shall be informed of
the immunization program being provided by government. It
shall coordinate with the local government health units for
complete vaccination of these children. It shall identify and
report any case of suspected vaccine-preventable disease, which
has met the standard case definitions to the concerned local
health units. It shall annually monitor daycare centers/pre-
schools entry lists to ensure compliance of these schools and
submit annual reports of schools’ compliance to DOH.
560
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
E. Council for the Welfare for Children (CWC)
The CWC shall coordinate with DepEd, DSWD, DILG

and LGUs, to ensure that all incompletely vaccinated children
in schools, day-care centers, pre-schools, and other places, to
be fully vaccinated and correspondingly reported to DOH. It
shall coordinate reporting of suspect vaccine-preventable
disease cases among DOH, LGUs, DepEd and DSWD.
Jointly with DOH, it shall compile, disseminate and

publish semi-annual reports of progress and performance on
this immunization program.
F. Local Government Units (LGUs)
The LGUs shall ensure that every pregnant mother and

infant are given complete immunization FREE OF CHARGE.
Aside from the weekly health center-based vaccination sessions,
it shall provide systematic outreach services to ensure full
immunization of infants/children/mothers and other
intervention that can save children’s/mother’s lives. They shall
organize regular immunization outreach services and other
essential maternal and child health package of services. They
shall maintain the standards set by DOH for staffing, provide
adequate needles and syringes; finance traveling expenses of
BHWs to carry-out the follow-up on the immunization services.
They shall conduct vigorous social mobilization activities.
All health workers, including doctors, nurses and

midwives, shall fully participate in providing free immunization,
regardless of route - intramuscular, oral, subcutaneous,
intradermal. All LGUs shall submit accomplishment reports of
the immunization coverage and activities as follows: provinces
and chartered cities to report quarterly vaccine coverage to
regions; municipalities and component cities to report monthly
vaccine coverage to provinces.
561
The LGUs shall identify and report all suspected vaccine-

preventable disease cases that meet the standard case
definitions to the next higher level epidemiologic surveillance
unit. They shall still submit weekly “zero reporting” even if
there were no identified vaccine-preventable disease cases.
The LGUs shall conduct regular Supplemental

Immunization Activities (SIAs) and/or “Child Health Days”, as
determined by, and according to the guidelines of DOH.
G. Civil Society
All members of the civil society, non-government

organizations, professional organizations, and other concerned
groups, are encouraged to support this national commitment
for “Bakuna and Una sa Sanggol at Ina”, through issuances of
resolutions, letters, and other mechanisms of information
dissemination and social mobilization, to all members of their
organizations.
Any children vaccinated outside the public health system

should be reported to the local government unit. They shall
identify and report any suspected vaccine-preventable disease
cases meeting the standard case definitions to local government
health units.
SEC. 3. Funding.– The Department of Health (DOH)

shall provide funds for the procurement of quality vaccines for
all eligible population. The Local Government Units (LGUs)
shall provide funds for the procurement and disposal of auto-
disabled needles and syringes for immunizations; traveling
expenses for the mobilization of health staffs to reach and
immunize all the infants/children and mothers and for other
related activities.
SEC. 4. Repealing Clause.– All other rules, regulations

and issuances or parts thereof which are inconsistent with this
Executive Order are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
562
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
SEC. 5. Effectivity. – The Executive Order shall take

effect immediately.
DONE in the City of Manila, this 21st day of September

in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Seven.

By the President:

Executive Secretary
563
CREATION OF A NATIONAL STEERING COMMITTEE ON

WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY (NSCWPS) TO
IMPLEMENT UN SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS 1325
AND 1820 AND PROVIDING FUNDS THEREOF
WHEREAS, the 1987 Philippine Constitution recognizes

the role of women in nation-building, provides for the
fundamental equality before the law of women and men, and
mandates the government to pursue a policy of peace;
WHEREAS, the Magna Carta of Women calls for

intensification efforts to respect, protect, and fulfill all human
rights and fundamental freedoms of women, including the right
to protection and security in situation of armed conflict and
the right to participate in policy making and decision making
in the peace process;
WHEREAS, as a member state of the United Nations,

the Philippines is mandated to implement United Nations
Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 (October 2000) on
Women, Peace and Security, calling for gender balance at all
levels of decision making in peace processes, the protection of
and respect for human rights of women and girls, and the
integration of gender perspective in post-conflict and in peace
keeping; and, UNSCR 1820 (June 2008) calling for the protection
of women from sexual violence in situations of armed conflict;
WHEREAS, The Office of the Presidential Adviser on

the Peace Process (OPAPP) is mandated under Executive Order
No. 3 (2001) to ensure that the comprehensive peace process is
successfully pursued; and, the Philippine Commission on
Women (PCW) is mandated through Republic Act (RA) No. 9710
the Magna Carta of Women to ensure the advancement of
women’s empowerment and gender equality;
564
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
WHEREAS, the goals of gender, peace, human rights and

development are better served with the active participation of
civil society;
WHEREAS, the OPAPP and PCW in partnership with

civil society organizations has formulated a National Action Plan
on Women, Peace and Security in consultation with national
and regional agencies, local government units and citizen’s
organizations.

ARROYO, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue
of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order and direct
the following:
SEC. 1. Creation. A body to be known as the National

Steering Committee on Women, Peace and Security (NSCWPS),
is hereby created to spearhead the implementation of the
national action plan on women, peace and security.
SEC. 2. Composition . The members of the National

Steering Committee shall be the following agencies:
Chairman : Presidential Adviser on the

Peace Process
Vice-Chairman : Chairperson of the Philippine

Commission on Women,
as Vice-Chairman
Members : Secretary of National Defense; Secretary

of Social Welfare and Development;
Secretary of Justice;
Secretary of Interior and Local

Government;
565
Secretary of Foreign Affairs;
Chairperson of the National Commission

on Indigenous Peoples; and,
Head of the Office on Muslim Affairs.
SEC. 3. Additional members and Assistance . The

Committee shall call upon any government agency to assist the
Committee in the performance of its mandate.
SEC. 4.Partnership with Civil Society. The Committee

shall partner with civil-society organizations particularly with
women and peace groups in the implementation, monitoring,
and evaluation of the National Action Plan (NAP).
Section 5.Mandate. The Committee shall exercise the

following mandate:
a. Update and/or revise the NAP as necessary;
b. Provide over-all policy direction, as well as manage,

coordinate, monitor, evaluate, and report on the
implementation of the NAP;
c. Tap domestic and international donor agencies and

non-government organizations for technical
assistance and financial support to facilitate the
implementation of the NAP; and,
d. Perform such other functions and powers as may be

deemed necessary, incidental or proper to its
mandate.
SEC. 6. Secretariat. The OPAPP shall provide technical

and administrative support to the Committee.
SEC. 7. Funding. To implement the provisions of this

order, the Committee shall be provided with an initial allocation
566
EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES
of FIVE MILLION PESOS (Php 5,000,000.00) to be drawn from

the President’s Contingency Fund. Regular funds for the
succeeding years shall be sourced from the OPAPP budget.
Moreover, additional funds necessary for the

implementation of the provisions herein may be taken by
government agencies from their Gender and Development
(GAD) budget, as provided for by the provisions of the GAA.
SEC. 8. Repealing/Amendatory Clause. All orders, rules,

regulations, and issuances, or parts thereof, which are
inconsistent with this Executive Order, are hereby repealed or
modified accordingly.
SEC. 9. Effectivity. This Executive Order shall take effect

immediately.
DONE in the City of Manila, this 1st day of March, in

the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Ten.

By the President:

Executive Secretary
567
*Bibliography
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Filipina_1900.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Philippino_women_washing.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pinayavatar.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Water_carriers_in_Iloilo,_1899.jpg
http://en.wikipilipinas.org/images/thumb/5/53/Filipina_farmers.jpg/
250px-Filipina_farmers.jpg
* Images in the collage [for the cover photo] were sourced from the
abovementioned web links that were retrieved on February 15, 2012.
568
INDEX
Appendix
569
570
INDEX
Index
A Armed Forces Retirement Act

Amendments RA 6025, p. 163
Abortion ACT 3815, pp. 50-56 Aurea Belonia Memorial High School
Abused children RA 9262, pp. 317-342 Schools, Secondary RA 7382, p. 223
Abused women RA 9262, pp. 317-342 Avelino, Librada
Adela Serra Ty Memorial Hospital Appointments EO 13, s.1921, pp. 482-
Hospitals RA 7433, p. 228 484)
Adultery ACT 3815, pp. 50-56
Advertising laws EO 275, s. 1930, pp. 541- B
542
Advertising, Outdoor EO 275, s. 1930,
pp. 541-542 Bakuna ang Una sa Sanggol at Ina
Age of employment ACT 3071, EO 663, s. 2007, pp. 557-563
pp. 34-37; PD 148, pp. 393-397; RA 856, Barangay-Level Total Development and
pp. 121-123; RA 1131, 127-129; RA 6237 Protection of Children Act RA 6972,
§ 4, pp. 170-172 pp. 201-205
Aliens CA 613, pp. 70-77; PD 836, Barangays
pp. 423-427 Petra Pimentel RA 6674, pp. 188
Amparado, Natalia RA 5011, p. 135 Barrios
Angelina Dumajel Elementary School Crispina Marcos RA 6223, p. 169
Schools, Elementary RA 7708, p. 241 Beatriz D. Tupaz Elementary School
Anti-Rape Law of 1997 RA 8353, Schools, Elementary RA 6262, pp. 187
pp. 277-279 Beauty contests
Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of Prizes
2003 RA 9208, pp. 312-314 Tax exemption PD 486, pp. 406-407,
Anti-Violence against Women and their RA 4909, p. 134
Children Act of 2004 RA 9262, pp. 317- Beijing Platform for Action EO 329, s.
342) 1996, pp. 544-547
Antonia Manuel Magcase Elementary Board of Midwifery RA 7392, pp. 224-
School 225
Schools, Elementary RA 6791, p. 195 Creation RA 7392, pp. 224-225
Anunciacion H. Reyes Bottle feeding EO 51, s. 1986, pp. 496-
Licenses RA 5738, pp. 150-152 507
Armed Forces of the Philippines Breastfeeding EO 51, s. 1986, pp. 496-
Ladies Club Steering Committee 507; RA 7600, pp. 230-236
PD 799, pp. 421-422 Laws and regulations RA 10028,
Women’s Auxiliary Corps PD 1043, pp. 384-386
pp. 431-434 Breastfeeding Awareness Month
RA 10028, pp. 384-386
571
Breast milk RA 7600, pp. 230-236 Child Welfare Center EO 57, s. 1921,
Breast milk substitute SEE Infant p. 508)
formulas Citizen Armed Force or Armed Forces of
Businesswomen RA 7882, pp. 254-256 the Philippines Reservist Act
RA 7077, pp. 206-210
C Citizenship CA 473, pp. 67-69; CA 625,
p. 78; PD 725, pp. 417-418; PD 836,
pp. 423-427; PD 1379, pp. 466-470;
Calderon, Concepcion RA 8171, pp. 268-269
Appointments EO 30, s. 1917, p. 491 Claims RA 21, p. 85
Catalina Vda. De Jalon Memorial School Laws and regulations EO 33, s. 1946,
Schools, Elementary RA 6695, p. 189 pp. 492-494
Certificates of recognition Code of Muslim Personal Laws of the
Armed Forces of the Philippines Philippines PD 1083, pp. 435-461
RA 1070, pp. 125-126 Committees
Child abuse RA 9262, pp. 317-342 Creation EO 275, s. 1930, pp. 541-542
Child and Youth Welfare Code PD 603, Compensation SEE Pensions
pp. 408-413 Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of
Child care services ACT 1438, pp. 14-16, 1988
RA 6972, pp. 201-205 Amendments RA 9700, § 3, pp. 343-345
Government-Owned and Controlled Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program
Corporations EO 340, s. 1997, pp. 548- (CARP) RA 9700, § 3, pp. 343-345
550) Congressional Commission on Health
National Government Agencies EO (HEALTHCOM) RA 7305, pp. 217-
340, s. 1997, pp. 548-550 219)
Child health services CA 701, pp. 81-82; Consuelo De Borja
EO 663, s. 2007, pp. 557-563 Licenses RA 8148, pp. 266-267
Child labor ACT 3071, pp. 34-37; Council for the Welfare of Children
PD 148, pp. 393-397; RA 679, pp. 116- EO 663, s. 2007, pp. 557-563
120; RA 856, pp. 121-123; RA 1131, Crispina Marcos
pp. 127-129; RA 6237, § 4, pp. 170-172 Barrios RA 6223, p. 169
Children Crispina Marcos-Valdez National High
Employment SEE Child labor School
Hospitals Creation RA 8390, p. 289
Marcos Maternity and Children’s Schools, Secondary RA 8390, p. 289
Hospital RA 5238, p. 136 Cristina B. Gonzales Memorial High School
Institutional care ACT 1438, pp. 14-16 Schools, Secondary RA 7702, p. 240
Children of immigrants CA 625, p. 78 Cruz, Gemma
Children’s rights RA 679, pp. 116-120 Miss International Pageant RA 4909,
Child trafficking EO 220, s. 2000, pp. p. 134
524-529) Custody of Children ACT 4091, pp. 59-
Government policy RA 9208, pp. 312- 60)
314)
Child Welfare ACT 1438, pp. 14-16;
ACT 3200, pp. 41-42; PD 603, pp. 408-
413
572
INDEX
D Employment—Women SEE Women—

Employment
Employment in other countries
Damiana De Leon Elementary School Laws and regulations RA 8042,
Schools, Elementary RA 6820, p. 196 pp. 264-265
Day Care Centers ACT 3200, pp. 41-42, Equality before the law ACT 1918, p. 17;
EO 340, s. 1997, pp. 548-550 PD 148, pp. 393-397; PD 442, pp. 398-
Barangays RA 6972, pp. 201-205 405; PD 633, pp. 414-416; RA 856,
Delgado, F. A. pp. 121-123; RA 7192, pp. 211-215;
Appointments EO 13, s. 1921, pp. 482- RA 8371, pp. 284-288; RA 9710, pp. 346-
484) 383
Dependent Children, Bureau of Equal opportunities for Women SEE
ACT 2988, pp. 31-33 Equality before the law
De Veyra, Jamie C. Erica M. Reyes Garcia
Officials and employees EO 35, s. 1923, Licenses RA 5997, pp. 155-157
p. 495, EO 297, s. 1931, p. 543 Erna P. Cruz
Discrimination in employment Licenses RA 6423, pp. 178-181
Amendments RA 6725, pp. 190-191 Esperanza Lazaro
Divorce Licenses RA 6008, pp. 161-162
Laws and regulations ACT 2710, Eva J. Montilla National High School
pp. 28-29 Schools, Secondary RA 8311, pp. 275-
Doña Aurora Aragon Quezon Day 276
RA 7285, p. 216 Evans, C.D.
Doña Carmen Denia City High School Appointments EO 275, s. 1930,
Schools, Secondary RA 6746, p. 193 pp. 541-542
Executive Council on the Suppression of
E Trafficking in Persons, particularly
Women and Children
Early Childhood Care and Development Act Creation EO 220, s. 2000, pp. 524-529
(ECCD Act) RA 8980, pp. 309-311 Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of
ECCD Coordinating Committee 2009 RA 10028, pp. 384-386
Creation RA 8980, pp. 309-311
Elections F
Party-list representatives RA 7941,
pp. 261-263 Family Code of the Philippines
Emigration and immigration law Amendments RA 9255, p. 316
CA 613, pp. 70-77 Family Court RA 8369 § 5, p. 281
Emilia Macalino Family courts SEE Family Court
Licenses RA 5305, pp. 139-140 Family Courts Act of 1997 RA 8369 § 5,
Employee fringe benefits ACT 1924, p. 281
p. 18, PD 1202, pp. 462-465 Family violence RA 9262, pp. 317-342
Laws and regulations PD 442, pp. 398- Fernandez, Trinidad
405, PD 850, pp. 428-430, RA 6725, Appointments EO 5, s. 1922, p. 481
pp. 190-191
573
Florentina Batoampo Degala Memorial Hospitals

High School RA 7490, p. 229 Adela Serra Ty Memorial Hospital
Framework Plan for Women, 2001-2004 RA 7433, p. 228
EO 77, s. 2002, pp. 509-512 Hours of labor RA 679, pp. 116-120
Adoption EO 77, s. 2002, pp. 509-512 Laws and regulations ACT 3071,
Fringe benefits SEE Employee fringe pp. 34-37; PD 442, pp. 398-405;
benefits—Laws and regulations RA 6237, § 4, pp. 170-172; RA 10151, §
4, art. 158, pp. 387-390
G Human trafficking EO 220, s. 2000, pp.
524-529
Gender and Development (GAD) Government policy RA 9208, pp. 312-
EO 77, s. 2002, pp. 509-512; EO 273, s. 314
1995, pp. 537-540; RA 8745, pp. 302-
303; RA 9710, pp. 353, 360, 376-379, I
382
Gender and Development Plan Illegitimate children RA 9255 (p. 316)
EO 77, s. 2002, pp. 509-512 Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICC)
Gender and Development (GAD) Plan RA 8371, pp. 284-288
RA 8522, pp. 296-297; RA 8760, § 27, Indigenous Peoples (IP) RA 8371,
pp. 304-306 pp. 284-288
Gender-Responsive Projects Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997
Appropriations and expenditures RA 8371, pp. 284-288
RA 8522, pp. 296-297; RA 8760, § 27 Indigenous women RA 8371, pp. 284-288
pp. 304-306 Infant formulas EO 51, s. 1986, pp. 496-
Giron, Anastacia 507
Appointments EO 26, s. 1922, p. 488 Infants
Global Platform for Action of the Beijing Care CA 701, pp. 81-82
UN Conference on Women EO 329, s. Nutrition CA 701, pp. 81-82; EO 51, s.
1996, pp. 544-547 1986, pp. 496-507
Guardian ACT 4091, pp. 59-60 Institutional care ACT 3071, pp. 34-37
Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking
H RA 9208, pp. 312-314
Health, Department of
J
Functions EO 663, s. 2007, pp. 557-
563) Job security RA 856, pp. 121-123;
Health services RA 7875, pp. 249-253 RA 1131, pp. 127-129
Holidays Josefina B. Ramos
Doña Aurora Aragon Quezon Day Licenses RA 6109, pp. 166-167
RA 7285, p. 216 Josefina H. Cerilles National High School
National Women’s Day RA 6949, Schools, Secondary RA 7895, pp. 259-
p. 197 260
574
INDEX
Josefina H. Cerilles Polytechnic College Lourdes E. Bengzon RA 5419, pp. 144-

Universities and Colleges RA 7895, 145
pp. 259-260 Lynda Feleciano RA 5904, pp. 153-154
Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1980 Marcelina S. Aquino RA 5685, p. 149;
Amendments RA 8369 § 5, p. 281 RA 6098, pp. 164-165
Juvenile justice, Administration PD 603; Natalia Amparado RA 5011, p. 135
pp. 408-413 Natividad R. Ortega RA 6005, pp. 158-
160
L Radio broadcasting station RA 5738,
pp. 150-152; RA 5997, pp. 155-157
Labor contract RA 856, pp. 121-123 Sylvia G. Gumabao RA 5384, pp. 141-
Labor laws and legislations 143
PD 442, pp. 398-405; RA 10151, § 4, art. Telephone RA 5685, p. 149
158, pp. 387-390 Teresita Tirol Gargantiel RA 5453,
Ladies Club Steering Committee pp. 146-148
Armed Forces of the Philippines Lourdes E. Bengzon
PD 799, pp. 421-422 Licenses RA 5419, pp. 144-145
Licenses Lynda Feleciano
Aeronautical and radio broadcasting and Licenses RA 5904, pp. 153-154
television stations RA 6423, pp. 178-
181 M
Anunciacion H. Reyes RA 5738,
pp. 150-152 Magna Carta of Public Health Workers
Consuelo De Borja RA 8148, pp. 266- RA 7305, pp. 217-219
267 Magna Carta of Women EO 865, s. 2010,
Electric light, heat and power system pp. 564-567; RA 9710, pp. 346-383
RA 5011, p. 135; RA 6005, pp. 158-160 Mail order brides RA 6955, pp. 198-200
Emilia Macalino RA 5305, pp. 139- Marcelina S. Aquino
140 Licenses RA 5685, p. 149; RA 6098;
Erica M. Reyes Garcia RA 5997, pp. 164-165
pp. 155-157 Marcos Maternity and Children’s Hospital
Erna P. Cruz RA 6423, pp. 178-181 Hospitals RA 5238, p. 136
Esperanza Lazaro RA 6008, pp. 161- Marital property ACT 3922, p. 57
162 Marital property (Islamic law) PD 1083,
Ice plant and cold storage RA 5305, pp. 435-461
pp. 139-140; RA 5384, pp. 141-143; Marriage
RA 5419, pp. 144-145; RA 5453, pp. 146- Annulment ACT 2710, pp. 28-29
148; RA 5904, pp. 153-154; RA 6008, Marriage (Islamic Law) PD 1083,
pp. 161-162; RA 6109, pp. 166-167 pp. 435-461
Iligan Light and Power, Inc. RA 8148, Marriage Law ACT 3815, pp. 50-56
pp. 266-267 Amendments PD 725, pp. 417-418;
Josefina B. Ramos RA 6109, pp. 166- RA 8171, pp. 268-269
167 Married women ACT 3922, p. 57
Nationality PD 836, pp. 423-427
575
Maternal health services CA 701, pp. 81- N

82; CA 704, pp. 83-84
Maternal nutrition SEE Mothers’ Natalia Amparado
nutrition Licenses RA 5011, p. 135
Maternity homes EO 57, s. 1921, p. 508 National Anti-Poverty Commission
Maternity houses SEE Maternity homes Appropriations RA 8425, pp. 290-293
Maternity Leave PD 1202, pp. 462- Creation RA 8425, pp. 290-293
465; RA 7305, pp. 217-219 Functions RA 8425, pp. 290-293
Amendments PD 148, pp. 393-397; National Code of Marketing of Breastmilk
PD 1636, pp. 471-473; RA 7322, Substitutes, Breastmilk Supplements and
pp. 221-222 Other Related Products EO 51, s. 1986.
Laws and regulations CA 647, pp. 79- pp. 496-507
80; PD 442, pp. 398-405 National Commission on the Role of
Medical care RA 7875, pp. 249-253 Filipino Women (NCRFW) EO 77, s.
Medical personnel RA 7305, pp. 217-219 2002, p. 509-512; EO 268, s. 1995,
Medina Lacson De Leon National School p. 534-536; EO 273, s.1995; pp. 537-540;
of Arts and Trades EO 329, s. 1996, pp. 544-547; EO 348,
Schools, Vocational RA 6742, p. 192 s. 1989, pp. 551-552; EO 368, s. 1996,
Midwifery p. 553-554; EO 425, s. 2005, pp. 555-
Government policy ACT 4081, p. 58 556; RA 8745, pp. 302-303
Midwives Amendments EO 268, s. 1995, pp. 534-
Government policy ACT 4081, p. 58 536)
Migrant labor RA 8042, pp. 264-265 Creation PD 633, pp. 414-416
Migrant workers SEE Migrant labor Functions EO 208, s. 1994, pp. 513-
Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act 516; EO 268, s. 1995, pp. 534-536;
of 1995 RA 8042, pp. 264-265 PD 633, pp. 414-416
Military pension ACT 3157 § 874, Operations RA 8745, pp. 302-303
p. 39; PD 799, pp. 421-422; PD 1855, National Council of Women of the
pp. 474-478; RA 6025, p. 163 Philippines (NCWP) EO 329, s. 1996,
Miss International Pageant RA 4909, pp. 544-547
p. 134 Non-governmental organizations
Miss Universe Pageant PD 486, pp. 406- National Dairy Authority
407 Creation RA 7884, pp. 257-258
Mothers’ nutrition EO 51, s. 1986, National Dairy Development Act of 1995
pp. 496-507 RA 7884, pp. 257-258
Mother’s pension ACT 342, p. 6; ACT National ECCD Coordinating Council
348, p. 7; ACT 349, p. 8; ACT 350, Creation RA 8980, pp. 309-311
p. 9; ACT 351, p. 10; ACT 3799, p. 48; National Health Insurance Act of 1995
PD 603, pp. 408-413; RA 208, p. 86; RA 7875, pp. 249-253
RA 1883, p. 130; RA 6025, p. 163 National Steering Committee on Women,
Laws and regulations ACT 3205, Peace and Security (NSCWPS)
pp. 43-46 Creation EO 865, s. 2010, pp. 564-567
Municipal maternity and charity clinics National Women’s Day RA 6949, p. 197
CA 704, pp. 83-84
576
INDEX
Natividad R. Ortega Party-List System Act RA 7941, § 5,

Licenses RA 6005, pp. 158-160 pp. 261-262
Naturalization CA 473, pp. 67-69; Pensions PD 1202, pp. 462-465
CA 625, p. 78; PD 1379, pp. 466-470 Pension trusts ACT 3157 § 874, p. 39
Nightwork PD 148, pp. 393-397 People’s Development Trust Fund (PDTF)
Laws and legislations PD 442, pp. 398- RA 8425, pp. 290-293
405; PD 850, pp. 428-430; RA 10151 § Petra Pimentel
4, art. 158, pp. 387-390 Barangay RA 6674, p. 188
Nightwork prohibition SEE Hours of Philippine Commission on Women (PCW)
labor—Laws and regulations RA 9710, pp. 376, 379-380, 382-383
Nurse Corps Reserve Philippine Dairy Corporation
Classification EO 267, s. 1940, Abolition RA 7884, pp. 257-258
pp. 530-533 Philippine Development Plan for Women
Organization EO 267, s. 1940, pp. 530- for 1989 to 1992
533 Adoption EO 348, s. 1989, pp. 551-552
Nurses Philippine General Hospital School of
In-service training UF Nurses— Nursing ACT 2467, pp. 25-27
Training ACT 1975, pp. 19-22; Philippine Health Insurance Corporation
ACT 2138, p. 23; ACT 2161, p. 24 RA 7875, pp. 249-253
Training SEE Nurses—In-service Philippine Midwifery Act
training Amendments RA 7392, pp. 224-225
Nursing Philippine Midwifery Act of 1992
Study and teaching ACT 1975, pp. 19- RA 7392, pp. 224-225
22; ACT 2138, p. 23; ACT 2161, Philippine National Police Reform and
p. 24; ACT 2467, pp. 25 – 27 Reorganization Act of 1998 RA 8551,
pp. 298-301
O Reorganization RA 8551, pp. 298-301
Philippine Plan for Gender-Responsive
Old age pensions RA 7432, pp. 226-227 Development, 1995-2025 EO 77, s.
Older people RA 7432, pp. 226-227 2002, pp. 509-512; EO 273, s. 1995,
Medical care RA 7432, pp. 226-227 pp. 537-540
Services for RA 7432, pp. 226-227 Adoption EO 273, s.1995, pp. 537-540
Orphans Philippine Plan for Gender-Responsive
Pension PD 799, pp. 421-422 Development (PPGD) EO 329, s. 1996,
Overseas employment SEE Employment pp. 544-547
in other countries Philippine Training School for Nurses
ACT 2467, pp. 25-27
Playground and Recreation Commission
P Amendments EO 13, s. 1921, pp. 482-
484; EO 30, s. 1917, p. 491
Pardons, Board of Officials and employees EO 5, s. 1922,
Officials and employees EO 22, s. 1925, p. 481; EO 13, s. 1921, pp. 482-484;
p. 486; EO 297, s. 1931, pp. 543 EO 30, s. 1917, p. 491; EO 35, s. 1923
Party-List System ACT 4091, pp. 59-60; p. 495
RA 7941, § 5, pp. 261-262
577
Policewomen UF Women —Police Rooming-In and Breastfeeding Act of 1992

RA 8551, pp. 298-301 RA 7600, pp. 230-236
Pregnant women—Care SEE Prenatal Rockefeller Foundation
Care Officials and employees EO 24, s. 1925,
Prenatal Care RA 6972, pp. 201-205 p. 487; EO 26, s. 1922, p. 488; EO 27, s.
Preventive health services for children 1924, p. 489; EO 57, s. 1925, p. 508
EO 663, s. 2007, pp. 557-563 Rosario C. Valdivia Elementary School
Price Control Council Schools, Elementary RA 7314, p. 220
Creation RA 6361 § 2, p. 173 Rosario V. Maramba Elementary School
Private Employment Agency Law Schools, Elementary RA 6202, pp. 168
Amendments RA 856, pp. 121-123 Rural women RA 9700, § 3, pp. 343-345
Prostitution ACT 3815, p. 54; RA 9710,
pp. 354, 373 S
Public health personnel RA 7305, pp. 217-
219 Salamanca, Socorro
Public Welfare Board Appointments EO 24, s. 1925, p. 487;
Abolition ACT 2988, pp. 31-33 EO 27, s. 1924 , p. 489; EO 57, s. 1925,
Public Welfare Commissioner, Office of the p. 508
Creation ACT 2988, pp. 31-33 Schools, Elementary
Puericulture Centers CA 701, pp. 81-82 Angelina Dumajel Elementary School
Government policy ACT 3200, pp. 41- RA 7708, p. 241
42 Antonia Manuel Magcase Elementary
Purification Dolar Monfort National School RA 6791, p. 195
Science High School Beatriz D. Tupaz Elementary School
Establishment RA 9254, p. 315 RA 6262, pp. 187
Schools, Secondary RA 9254, p. 315 Catalina Vda. De Jalon Memorial School
RA 6695, pp. 189
Q Damiana De Leon Elementary School
RA 6820, pp. 196
Quezon, Aurora Aragon Rosario C. Valdivia Elementary School
Philippine National Red Cross, RA 7314, pp. 220
President RA 7285, p. 216 Rosario V. Maramba Elementary School
RA 6202, pp. 168
R Soledad Marasigan Elementary School
RA 6790, pp. 194
Rape RA 8353, pp. 277-279; RA 8505, Sta. Ana Elementary School RA 7314,
pp. 294-295 pp. 220
Rape Victim Assistance and Protection Act Sta. Isabel Elementary School
of 1998 RA 8505, pp. 294-295; RA 6791, p. 195
RA 9710, p. 381 Susana Madrigal Memorial Elementary
Repatriation PD 725, pp. 417-418; School RA 7615, pp. 237
RA 8171, pp. 268-269 Tiburcia Carpio Malvar Elementary
Revised Naturalization Law CA 473, School RA 8272, p. 274
pp. 67-69
578
INDEX
Schools, Secondary Social work with children PD 603,

Aurea Belonia Memorial High School pp. 408-413
RA 7382, p. 223 Social work with youth PD 603, pp. 408-
Crispina Marcos-Valdez National High 413
School RA 8390, p. 289 Soledad Marasigan Elementary School
Cristina B. Gonzales Memorial High Schools, Elementary RA 6790, pp. 194
School RA 7702, p. 240 Solo Parents Welfare Act of 2000
Doña Carmen Denia City High School RA 8972, pp. 307-308
RA 6746, p. 193 Soto, Filemon
Eva J. Montilla National High School Appointments EO 22, s. 1925, p. 486
RA 8311, pp. 275-276 Special Committee on Naturalization
Florentina Batoampo Degala Memorial Functions PD 1379, pp. 466-470
High School RA 7490, p. 229 Spouse’s share EO 33, s. 1946, pp. 492-
Josefina H. Cerilles Polytechnic College 494; PD 1855, pp. 474-478; RA 21,
RA 7895, pp. 259-260 p. 85; RA 1883, p. 130
Purification Dolar Monfort National Sta. Ana Elementary School
Science High School RA 9254, p. 315 Schools, Elementary RA 7314, p. 220
Schools, Vocational Sta. Isabel Elementary School
Medina Lacson De Leon National School Schools, Elementary RA 6791, p. 195
of Arts and Trades RA 6742, p. 192 Survivors’ benefits ACT 342, p. 6;
Senior citizens SEE Older people ACT 348, p. 7; ACT 349, p. 8; ACT 350,
Sex discrimination against women p. 9; ACT 351, p. 10; ACT 1041, pp. 11-
RA 9710, pp. 346-383 13; ACT 3205, pp. 43-46; ACT 3799,
Sexual Harassment RA 8551, p. 299; p. 48; PD 799, pp. 421-422; RA 208,
RA 9262, p. 318; RA 9710, p. 354, 381 p. 86; RA 1883, p. 130; RA 6025, p. 163
Single mothers RA 8972, pp. 307-308 Laws and regulations ACT 51, p. 5;
Single parents RA 8972, pp. 307-308 EO 33, s. 1946, pp. 492-494
Single women RA 8972, pp. 307-308 Susana Madrigal Memorial Elementary
Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), School
Department of Schools, Elementary RA 7615, pp. 237
Functions EO 340, s. 1997, pp. 548- Sylvia G. Gumabao
550; EO 425, s. 2005, pp. 555-556 Licenses RA 5384, pp. 141-143
Social Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act
RA 8425, pp. 290-293 T
Social Reform Council EO 368, s. 1996,
pp. 553-554 Teachers
Social Security Commission PD 1202, Salaries, etc. ACT 1924, p. 18
pp. 462-465; RA 7688, p. 238 Technical Education and Skills
Social Security Law Development Act of 1994 RA 7796,
Amendments PD 1202, pp. 462-465 pp. 242-245
Social Security System PD 1636, pp. 471- Technical Education and Skills
473; RA 7688, p. 238 Development Authority
Amendments PD 1202, pp. 462-465; Creation RA 7796, pp. 242-245
PD 1636, pp. 471-473 Technical Education and Skills
579
Development Board RA 7796, pp. 242- Widows pensions SEE Survivors’

245 benefits; Mothers’ pensions
Teresita Tirol Gargantiel Widow’s share SEE Spouse’s share
Licenses RA 5453, p. 146-148 Women EO 208, s. 1994, pp. 513-516
TESDA Act of 1994 SEE Technical Appointments EO 13, s. 1921, pp. 482-
Education and Skills Development Act of 484)
1994 Armed Forces of the Philippines
Tiburcia Carpio Malvar Elementary School RA 7077, pp. 206-210; PD 1202, pp. 462-
Schools, Elementary RA 8272, p. 274 465; PD 1910, pp. 479-480
Trafficking of Women SEE Human Board of Directors ACT 1918,
trafficking p. 17); PD 768, pp. 419-420
Education ACT 1975, pp. 19-22
U Emigration and immigration PD 725,
pp. 417-418; RA 8171, pp. 268-269
United Nations Security Council Resolution Employment ACT 3071; pp. 34-37;
(UNSCR) 1325 EO 865, s. 2010, PD 148, pp. 393-397; PD 442, pp. 398-
pp. 564-567 405; PD 850, pp. 428-430; PD 1202,
United Nations Security Council Resolution pp. 462-465; RA 679, pp. 116-120;
(UNSCR) 1820 EO 865, s. 2010, RA 1131, pp. 127-129; RA 6237, § 4,
pp. 564-567 pp. 170-172, RA 6725, pp. 190-191;
Universities and colleges RA 7305, pp. 217-219; RA 10151, § 4,
Josefina H. Cerilles Polytechnic art. 158, pp. 387-390
College RA 7895, pp. 259-260 Health and welfare RA 10151 § 4, art.
158, pp. 387-390
Legal status, laws, etc. RA 8171,
V pp. 268-269
Officials and employees PD 768,
Vaccination of children EO 663, s. 2007, pp. 419-420
pp. 557-563 Police SEE Policewomen RA 8551,
Violence in children RA 9208, pp. 312- pp. 298-301
314 Societies and clubs PD 768, pp. 419-
Violence in women RA 9208, pp. 312- 420; RA 6361 § 2, p. 173
314; RA 9262, pp. 317-342; RA 9710, Suffrage CA 34, pp. 63-66
pp. 346-383 Amendments ACT 4112, pp. 61-62
Women educators ACT 1924, p. 18
W Women employees PD 850, pp. 428-430
Women farmers RA 9700 § 3, pp. 343-345
Welfareville ACT 4112, p. 47 Women in business SEE Businesswomen
White slavery SEE Prostitution Women in development EO 77, s. 2002,
Widows pp. 509-512; EO 208, s. 1994, pp. 513-
Armed Forces of the Philippines 516; EO 273, s.1995, pp. 537-540;
ACT 51, p. 5 EO 348, s. 1989, pp. 551-552; EO 368,
Certificates of recognition RA 1070, s. 1996, pp. 553-554; PD 633, pp. 414-
pp. 125-126 416; RA 7192, pp. 211-215; RA 9710,
pp. 346-383
580
INDEX
Women in Development and Nation Amendments PD 1202, pp. 462-465;

Building Act EO 77, s. 2002, pp. 509- PD 1910, pp. 479-480
512; EO 348, s. 1989, pp. 551-552; Laws and regulations PD 1202,
RA 7192, pp. 211-215 pp. 462-465; PD 1910, pp. 479-480
Women in the profession ACT 1918, Women’s hospitals
p. 17; RA 7688, pp. 238-239 Marcos Maternity and Children’s
Women officials SEE Women public Hospital RA 5238, p. 136
officers Women’s organization SEE Women—
Women-owned business enterprises Societies and clubs
RA 7882, pp. 254-256 Women’s rights CA 34, pp. 63-66; PD
Women police SEE Policewomen 148, pp. 393-397; PD 836, pp. 423-427;
Women prisoners ACT 4112, p. 47 RA 679, pp. 116-120; RA 9208, pp. 312-
Women public officers ACT 1918, 314; RA 9710, pp. 346-383
p. 17; EO 13, s. 1921, pp. 482-484; Women teachers ACT 1924, p. 18; ACT
EO 30, s. 1917, p. 491; RA 7688, p. 238 4112, pp. 61-62
Women reservists SEE Women soldiers Workers’ compensation ACT 1924,
Women soldiers RA 7077, pp. 206-210 p. 18; RA 6725, pp. 190-191
Women’s Auxiliary Corps PD 1043, World Health Organization EO 663, s.
pp. 431-434 2007, pp. 557-563
581

Laws & Executive Issuances (1900-2011) : Women's Rights and Welfare

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g

w omen in the Philippines have

This compendium of Philippine laws and executive issuances

This is the third book in a series of topical compilation of

I acknowledge the tireless efforts devoted to the production

FELICIANO BELMONTE, JR.

LAWS AND EXECUTIVE ISSUANCES ON

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 3

ACT NO. 342 6

ACT NO. 348 7

PUBLIC LAWS PAGE

ACT NO. 349 8

ACT NO. 350 9

ACT NO. 351 10

ACT NO. 1041 11

PUBLIC LAWS PAGE

ACT NO. 1438 14

ACT NO. 1918 17

ACT NO. 1924 18

ACT NO. 1975 19

ACT NO. 2138 23

PUBLIC LAWS PAGE

ACT NO. 2161 24

ACT NO. 2467 25

ACT NO. 2710 28

ACT NO. 2988 31

ACT NO. 3071 34

PUBLIC LAWS PAGE

ACT NO. 3157 38

ACT NO. 3200 41

ACT NO. 3205 43

ACT NO. 3579 47

ACT NO. 3799 48

PUBLIC LAWS PAGE

ACT NO. 3810 49

ACT NO. 3815 50

ACT NO. 3922 57

ACT NO. 4081 58

ACT NO. 4091 59

ACT NO. 4112 61

COMMONWEALTH ACTS PAGE

COMMONWEALTH ACT NO. 34 63

COMMONWEALTH ACT No. 473 67

COMMONWEALTH ACT NO. 613 70

COMMONWEALTH ACT No. 625 78

COMMONWEALTH ACT NO. 647 79

COMMONWEALTH ACT NO. 701 81

COMMONWEALTH ACT NO. 704 83

REPUBLIC ACTS PAGE

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 21 85

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 208 86

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 386 87

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 679 116

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 856 121

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 988 124

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1070 125

REPUBLIC ACTS PAGE

PARENTS AND NEXT OF KIN OF MEMBERS OF THE ARMED

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1131 127

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1883 130

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 3835 131

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 4909 134

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 5011 135