1. Background of Philippine Laws
Constitution
Legislature A legislature is a decision-making organization, usually associated with
national government, that has the power to enact, amend and repeal laws.
Executive The executive is the part of government that has
sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state.The
executive branch executes or enforces the law.
Judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system or court system) is the system
of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state.
Elections The president, vice-president, and the senators are elected for a six-year term,
while the members of the House of Representatives, governors, vice-
governors, members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial board
members), mayors, vice-mayors, members of the Sangguniang
Panlungsod/members of the Sangguniang Bayan (city/municipal
councilors), barangay officials, and the members of the Sangguniang
Kabataan (youth councilors) are elected to serve for a three-year term.
Political Parties The Philippines has a multi-party system with numerous political parties, in which
no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work
with each other to form coalition governments for political expediency and
convenience. There are three types of parties in the Philippines and these are:
major parties, who correspond typically to traditional political parties, minor parties
or party-list organizations, who rely on the party-list system to win Congressional
seats and regional or provincial parties, who corresponds to a region-wide or
province-wide organization, respectively.
Administrative
Divisions The Philippines has four main classes of elected administrative divisions, often
lumped together as local government units (LGUs). They are, from the highest to
the lowest division:
1. Autonomous regions
2. Provinces (lalawigan, probinsiya) and independent cities (lungsod,
siyudad/ciudad, dakbayan, lakanbalen)
3. Municipalities (bayan, balen, bungto, banwa) and component cities
(lungsod, siyudad/ciudad, dakbayan, lakanbalen)
4. Barangays (also known as barrio)
Philippine laws have had various nomenclature designations at different periods in the history of
the Philippines, as shown in the following table:

2. Dates
Nomenclature
Designation
Abbreviation Form of government
1900-1935 Act Act
Philippine government under United States
sovereignty
1935-1946 Commonwealth Act CA Philippine Commonwealth
1978-1985 Batas Pambansa BP Modified parliamentary republic
1972-1986 Presidential Decree PD Republic under Martial Law/Fourth Republic
1972-1986
Presidential
Proclamation
PP Republic under Martial Law
1986-1987 Executive Order EO Republic under Provisional Constitution
1986-1987
Presidential
Proclamation
PP Republic under Provisional Constitution
1946-72,
1987-present
Republic Act RA Republic
Notable Laws
Designation Date Passed Result
Act 1696 September 6, 1907 Known as the Flag Law, this law proscribed display of "any
flag, banner, emblem, or device used during the late

3. insurrection in the Philippine Islands to designate or identify
those in armed rebellion against the United States, or any
flag, banner, emblem, or device used or adopted at any time
by the public enemies of the United States in the Philippine
Islands for the purposes of public disorder or of rebellion or
insurrection against the authority of the United States in the
Philippine Islands, or any flag, banner, emblem, or device of
the Katipunan Society or which is commonly known as
such.[1]" This law was repealed in 1919.
Act 2871 October 24, 1919 [2] Repealed the Flag Law and legalised the use of the National
Flag and the National Anthem.
Act 3436 November 28, 1928 Established the Philippine Long Distance Telephone
Company (PLDT) with the bill granting it a 50-year charter.
Act 3815 December 8, 1930 The Revised Penal Code.
Act 3827 October 28, 1931 Declared the last Sunday of August as National Heroes' Day.
CA 1 December 21, 1935 The National Defense Act of 1935, which created the Armed
Forces of the Philippines.
CA 63 October 21, 1936 An act providing for the ways in which Philippine
citizenship may be lost or reacquired.
CA 111 October 31, 1936 The act that created the Boy Scouts of the
Philippines by President Manuel L. Quezon.
CA 382 December 5, 1938 The English lyrics to the National Anthem were made official.

4. CA 473 June 17, 1939 Revised Naturalization Law.
CA 638 June 14, 1941 Provided for the publication and distribution of the Official
Gazette.
RA 1 July 15, 1946 Act appropriating funds for the operation of the Government of
the Philippines. The first legislation passed by the Congress
of the Philippines upon independence.
RA 53 October 5, 1946 Press Freedom Law (now known as the Sotto Law).
RA 85 October 29, 1946 Charter of the Development Bank of the Philippines.
RA 265 June 15, 1948 Established the Central Bank of the Philippines.
RA 333 July 17, 1948 Declared Quezon City the national capital.
RA 387 June 18, 1949 Petroleum Act of 1949
RA 1425 June 12, 1956 The Rizal Law, which mandates the inclusion of courses
on José Rizal in the curricula of all educational institutions in
the Philippines.
RA 2733 June 10, 1960 Assert that the first mass in the Philippines took place at a site
on Limasawa, Southern Leyte; declare the site a national
shrine.
RA 3518 June 18, 1963 Established the Philippine Veterans Bank

5. RA 3844 August 8, 1963 Established the pace for land reform and the formation
of Landbank.
RA 4200 June 19, 1965 The anti-wiretapping law.
RA 6173 Oil Industry Commission Act
BP 8 December 2, 1978 Defined the metric system and set the basis for its
implementation in the country. Modern Philippine Standard
Time was also instituted under this law.
BP 185 March 16, 1982 Provides that a natural-born citizen of the Philippines who has
lost Philippine citizenship may be a transferee of private land,
"for use by him as his residence, subject to the provisions of
this Act."
BP 880 December 3, 1985 Public Assembly Act of 1985
BP 881 December 3, 1985 Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines
RA 6635 October 23, 1972 Revision of the Tariffs and Customs Code of the Philippines
RA 6639 November 27, 1987 Changed the name of the Manila International Airport to Ninoy
Aquino International Airport.
RA 6645 December 28, 1987 Prescribes the manner in how to fill a vacancy in Congress.

6. RA 6734 August 1, 1989 Created the Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (ARMM), which was officially inaugurated on 6
November 1990 in Cotabato City.
RA 6735 August 4, 1989 Set up a system of initiative and referendum.
RA 6766 October 23, 1989 Provided for an Organic Act for the Cordillera Administrative
Region (CAR). It mandates the creation of an autonomous
government, headed by a Regional Governor. It creates a
Regional Assembly that will enact laws of regional application
and a regional judiciary composed of a supreme court and
lower courts.
RA 6955 June 13, 1990 The Anti-Mail Order Bride Law
RA 6975 December 13, 1990 Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of 1990.
Created or re-organized under the DILG the National Police
Commission, the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of
Fire Protection, the Bureau of Jail Management and
Penology, and the Philippine Public Safety College.
RA 7042 June 13, 1991 Foreign Investments Act of 1991
RA 7104 August 14, 1991 Commission on the Filipino Language Act
RA 7156 September 12, 1991 Mini-Hydro Law
RA 7160 October 10, 1991 Local Government Code of 1991

7. RA 7610 June 17, 1992 Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation
and Discrimination Act
RA 7653 June 14, 1993 The New Central Bank Act; Establishes the Bangko Sentral
ng Pilipinas
RA 7638 December 9, 1994 Charter of the Department of Energy
RA 7648 April 5, 1993 Electric Power Crisis Act
RA 7832 December 8, 1994 "Anti-electricity and Electric Transmission Lines/Materials
Pilferage Act of 1994" / an act penalizing the pilferage of
electricity and theft of power transmission lines/materials,
rationalizing system losses by phasing out pilferage losses as
a component thereof, and for other purposes.
RA 8171 October 23, 1995 "An act providing for the repatriation of Filipino women who
have lost their Philippine citizenship by marriage to aliens and
natural-born Filipinos."
RA 8179 March 28, 1996 "An act further liberalizing foreign investments, amending for
the purpose Republic Act No. 7042, and for other purposes."
RA 8293 June 6, 1997 The Intellectual Property Code of the
Philippines (the copyright law).
RA 8353 September 30, 1997 The Anti-Rape Law of 1997.

8. RA 8438 December 22, 1997 Created the Cordillera Autonomous Region. A plebiscite on 9
March 1998 to ratify the bill invalidated the act. See Cordillera
Administrative Region.
RA 8479 February 10, 1998 "Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Act of 1998" / An act
deregulating the downstream oil industry and for other
purposes
RA 8491 February 12, 1998 Prescribed the code of the National Flag, Anthem,
motto, coat-of-arms and other heraldic items and devices of
the Philippines.
RA 8749 June 23, 1999 "Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999" / An act providing for a
Comprehensive Air Pollution Control Policy and for Other
Purposes
RA 8981 December 5, 2000 "PRC Modernization Act Of 2000" / An act providing for the
modernization of theProfessional Regulation Commission.
RA 9006 February 12, 2001 "Fair Election Act of 2001" / An act to enhance the holding of
free, orderly, honest, peaceful and credible elections through
fair election practices.
RA 9136 June 8, 2001 "Electric Power Industry Reforms Act of 2001" / An act
ordaining reforms in the electric power industry, amending for
the purpose certain laws and for other purposes
RA 9139 June 8, 2001 "The Administrative Naturalization Law of 2000"

9. RA 9160 September 29, 2001 "Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001". Subsequent foreign
pressure by the FATFand by other nations resulted in this act
being amended.
RA 9164 March 19, 2002 "Synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan
Elections"
RA 9165 June 7, 2002 "Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002"
RA 9178 November 13, 2002 "Barangay Micro Business Enterprises (BMBE's) Act of 2002."
RA 9189 February 13, 2003 "Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003" / An act providing for
a system of overseas absentee voting by qualified citizens of
the Philippines abroad, appropriating funds therefor, and for
other purposes
RA 9208 May 26, 2003 "Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003" / An act providing for
policies to eliminate and punish human trafficking,
especially women and children, establishing the necessary
institutional mechanisms for the protection and support of
trafficked persons.
RA 9225 August 29, 2003 "Citizenship Retention and Re-Acquisition Act of 2003" / An
act making the citizenship of Philippine citizens who acquire
foreign citizenship permanent, amending for the purpose
Commonwealth Act No. 63, as amended, and for other
purposes.
RA 9262 March 8, 2004 Inspired by the life of Dolores Lorenzo, this act gives
protection of the law to women and children suffering
from domestic abuse.

10. RA 9334 December 21, 2004 An act increasing the excise tax rates imposed on alcohol and
tobacco products, amending for the purpose sections 131,
141, 142, 143, 144, 145, and 288 of the National Internal
Revenue Code of 1997, as amended. Also known as the "Sin
Tax Law".
RA 9335 January 25, 2005 "Lateral Attrition Act of 2005" / an act to improve the revenue
collection performance of the Bureau of Internal
Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) through the
creation of a rewards and incentives fund and of a revenue
performance evaluation board and for other purposes
RA 9337 May 24, 2005 An act amending sections 27, 28, 34, 106, 107, 108, 109,
110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 116, 117, 119, 121, 148, 151, 236,
237 and 288 of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997,
as amended, and for other purposes. Also known as the
"expanded value-added tax" or the "E-VAT" law.
RA 9340 May 25, 2005 "Synchronized Barangay and Sangguiniang Kabataan
Elections Resetting" / An act resetting the Barangay and
Sangguniang Kabataan Elections, extending the term of
officeof Barangay and Sangguiniang Kabataan Officials and
for other purposes.
RA 9346 June 24, 2006 The act repealing the death penalty and granting universal
commutation to life imprisonment and reclusión perpetua.
RA 9367 January 12, 2007 "Biofuels Act of 2006" / An act to direct the use of Biofuels,
establishing for this purpose the Biofuel Program,
appropriating funds therefor, and for other purposes.

11. RA 9369 January 23, 2007 "Amending the Election Modernization Act" / An act amending
Republic Act No. 8436, Entitled "An Act Authorizing The
Commission on Elections to use an Automated Election
System in the May 11, 1998 National or Local Elections and in
Subsequent National and Local Electoral Exercises, to
Encourage Transparency, Credibility, Fairness and Accuracy
of Elections, amending for the purpose Batas Pambansa Blg.
881, as amended, Republic Act No. 7166 and other related
elections laws, providing funds therefor and for other
purposes
RA 9371 February 22, 2007 An act splitting the Lone District of Cagayan de Oro City into
two, with theCagayan de Oro River as a natural boundary.
RA 9372 March 6, 2007 The Human Security Act of 2007
RA 9492 July 25, 2007 Mandates the observance of some public holidays to the
nearest weekday. Also known as the "Holiday
Economics Law".
RA 9500 April 29, 2008 The University of the Philippines Charter of 2008 declaring it
as the national university.
RA 9522 March 1, 2009 Defined the archipelagic baselines of the Philippines and
described the Kalayaan Island Group and Panatag Shoal as a
"Regime of Islands".
RA 9999 February 23, 2010 Free Legal Assistance Act
RA 10000 February 23, 2010 The Agri-Agra Reform Credit Act.

12. RA 10066 March 26, 2010 National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, establishing
the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property
RA 10175 September 12, 2012 The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012
RA 10354 December 21, 2012 The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of
2012