List of Philippine laws

This article contains a partial list of Philippine laws. Philippine laws have had various nomenclature designations at different periods in the history of the Philippines, as shown in the following table:

Designations used for Philippine lawsNomenclatureDesignation

Abbreviation Form of government Dates

Act Act United States Occupation 1900-1935Commonwealth Act CA Philippine Commonwealth 1935-1946Batas Pambansa BP Modified Parliamentary Republic 1978-1985

Presidential Decree PDRepublic under martial law/Republic

1972-1986

Presidential Proclamation PP Republic under martial law 1972-1986

Executive Order EORepublic under 1986 Provisional Constitution

1986-1987

Presidential Proclamation PPRepublic under 1986 Provisional Constitution

1986-1987

Republic Act RA Republic 1946-present

The following table lists of Philippine laws which have been mentioned in Wikipedia, or which are otherwise notable.

Designation Date Passed What it DidAct 1696 September 6, 1907 Known as the Flag Law, this law proscribed the

Philippine flag and banned the use of the Philippine national anthem. The law was repealed in 1919.

Act 1790 October 12, 1907 Permitted the Banco Español-Filipino to change its name. The name change took place on January 1, 1912 into today's Bank of the Philippine Islands.

Act 1876 August 18, 1908 Mountain Province was established with Amburayan, Apayao, Benguet, Bontoc, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Lepanto as sub-provinces.

Act 1952 The province of Batanes was reestablished.Act 2280 February 21, 1920 Marinduque was reestablished as a separate province.Act 2711 March 10, 1917 Established most of the modern-day provinces of the

Philippines: the province of Camarines was split into Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur and the province of Bohol was created.

Act 2871 October 22, 1919 Repealed the Flag Law and legalized the use of the Philippine flag and national anthem.

Act 3436 November 28, 1928 Established the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) with the bill granting it a 50-year

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charter.Act 3815 December 8, 1930 The Revised Penal Code.Act 3827 October 28, 1931 Declared the last Sunday of August as National

Heroes' Day.CA 1 December 21, 1935 The National Defense Act of 1935, which created an

independent Philippine army.CA 39 October 21, 1936 Established Zamboanga City.CA 63 October 21, 1936 An act providing for the ways in which Philippine

citizenship may be lost or reacquired.CA 382 December 5, 1938 The English words to the Philippine national anthem

were made official.CA 473 June 17, 1939 Revised Naturalization Law.CA 502 October 22, 1939 Established Quezon City.RA 14 September 7, 1946 Changed the name of the province of Tayabas to

Quezon.RA 85 Charter of the Development Bank of the Philippines.RA 265 Established the Central Bank of the Philippines.RA 305 December 15, 1948 Declared Naga City a chartered city.RA 333 July 17, 1948 Declared Quezon City the capital of the Philippines.RA 387 June 18, 1949 Petroleum Act of 1949RA 537 June 16, 1950 Extended the area of Quezon City.RA 711 June 6, 1952 The province of Zamboanga is split into Zamboanga

del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur.RA 1414 April 25, 1956 Separated Aklan from CapizRA 2141 April 8, 1959 Made Biliran a sub-province of Leyte.RA 2786 June 19, 1960 The province of Surigao is split into Surigao del Norte

and Surigao del Sur.RA 3518 June 18, 1963 Established the Philippine Veterans BankRA 3844 August 8, 1963 Established the pace for land reform in the

Philippines. Landbank was formed from this law.RA 4200 June 19, 1965 The anti-wiretapping law.RA 4695 June 18, 1966 Formed the provinces of Kalinga-Apayao, Benguet,

Ifugao, and Mountain Province from the earlier Mountain Province

RA 4979 Divided Agusan into Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur

RA 6134 August 30, 1970 Converted the town of Surigao, Surigao del Norte into a city

RA 6173 Oil Industry Commission ActRA 6395 Charter of the National Power CorporationRA 6396 September 17, 1971 Made Siquijor an independent province.RA 6430 June 17, 1972 Changed the name of the province of Davao del Norte

to Davao.

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BP 8 December 2, 1978 Defined the metric system and set the basis for the implementation of the metric system in the Philippines. Modern Philippine Standard Time was also instituted under this law.

BP 54 December 22, 1979 Set the date of January 30, 1980 as the date for a plebiscite to ratify the 1976 amendments to the 1973 Constitution of the Philippines.

BP 122 March 10, 1981 Set the date of April 7, 1981 as the date for a plebiscite to ratify the 1981 amendments to the 1973 Constitution of the Philippines.

BP 880 December 3, 1985 Public Assembly Act of 1985BP 881 December 3, 1985 Omnibus Election Code of the PhilippinesBP 883 December 3, 1985 Set the date of February 7, 1986 as the date for a

SNAP Election for President and Vice-President. Ferdinand Marcos and Arturo Tolentino win the election, but are overthrown by the EDSA Revolution, bringing Corazon Aquino and Salvador Laurel to power.

RA 6639 November 27, 1987 Changed the name of Manila International Airport to Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

RA 6645 December 28, 1987 Prescribes the manner in how to fill a vacancy in the Congress of the Philippines.

RA 6709 February 10, 1989 Declared November 5 as a non-working holiday for the province of Negros Occidental to commemorate Cinco de Noviembre, the day Negros became free.

RA 6734 August 1, 1989 Created the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), which was officially inaugurated on November 6, 1990 in Cotabato City.

RA 6735 August 4, 1989 Set up a system of initiative and referendum.RA 6766 October 23, 1989 Provided for an Organic Act for the Cordillera

Administrative Region (CAR). It mandates the creation of an autonomous government to be headed by a Regional Governor. It creates a Regional Assembly that will enact laws of regional application and a regional judiciary composed of a supreme court and lower courts.

RA 7156 September 12, 1991 Mini-Hydro LawRA 7160 May 11, 1992 Made Biliran an independent province. Biliran was

previously a sub-province of Leyte.RA 7653 June 14, 1993 The New Central Bank ActRA 7638 December 9, 1994 Charter of the Department of EnergyRA 7648 April 5, 1993 Electric Power Crisis ActRA 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

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power transmission lines/materials, rationalizing system losses by phasing out pilferage losses as a component thereof, and for other purposes.

RA 7878 February 14, 1995 Divided Kalinga-Apayao into Kalinga and Apayao provinces.

RA 8223 December 8, 1996 Converted the municipality of Marikina, Metro Manila into a city.

RA 8293 June 6, 1997 The Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines (Philippine copyright law).

RA 8353 September 30, 1997 The Anti-Rape Law of 1997.RA 8438 December 22, 1997 Created the Cordillera Autonomous Region. A

plebiscite, held on March 9, 1998 to ratify the bill, was held and invalidated the act. See Cordillera Administrative Region.

RA 8470 January 31, 1998 Split the province of Davao into two, creating the province of Compostela Valley.

RA 8471 January 31, 1998 Created the Island Garden City of Samal in Davao province by combining the municipalities of Samal, Babak, and Kaputian.

RA 8472 January 31, 1998 Converted the municipality of Tagum, the capital of Davao, into a city.

RA 8473 January 31, 1998 Created the municipality of Braulio E. Dujali, Davao out of several barangays in Panabo and Carmen.

RA 8479 February 10, 1998 "Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Act of 1998" / An act deregulating the downstream oil industry and for other purposes

RA 8491 February 12, 1998 Prescribed the code of the national flag, anthem, motto, coat-of-arms and other heraldic items and devices of the Philippines.

RA 8535 February 23, 1998 Provided for the creation of the City of Novaliches comprising the 15 northernmost barangays of Quezon City. However, in the succeeding plebiscite on October 23, 1999, an overwhelming majority of Quezon City residents voted “no” to the bill.

RA 8749 June 23, 1999 "Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999" / An act providing for a Comprehensive Air Pollution Control Policy and for Other Purposes

RA 8981 December 5, 2000 "PRC Modernization Act Of 2000" / An act providing for the modernization of the Professional Regulation Commission.

RA 9006 February 12, 2001 "Fair Election Act of 2001" / An act to enhance the holding of free, orderly, honest, peaceful and credible elections through fair election practices.

RA 9015 March 5, 2001 Converted the municipality of Panabo, Davao into a city.

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RA 9136 June 8, 2001 "Electric Power Industry Reforms Act of 2001" / An act ordaining reforms in the electric power industry, amending for the purpose certain laws and for other purposes

RA 9139 June 8, 2001 "The Administrative Naturalization Law of 2000"RA 9160 September 29, 2001 "Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001". Subsequent

foreign pressure by the FATF and by other nations resulted in this act being amended.

RA 9164 March 19, 2002 "Synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections"

RA 9165 June 7, 2002 "Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002"RA 9179 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 9225 August 29, 2003 "Citizenship Retention and Re-Acquisition Act of 2003" / An act making the citizenship of Philippine citizens who acquire foreign citizenship permanent, amending for the purpose Commonwealth Act No. 63, as amended, and for other purposes.

RA 9262 March 8, 2004 Inspired by the life of Dolores Lorenzo, this act gives the protection of the law to women and children suffering from domestic abuse.

RA 9334 December 21, 2004 An act increasing the excise tax rates imposed on alcohol and tobacco products, amending for the purpose sections 131, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, and 288 of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended. Also known as the "sin tax" law.

RA 9335 January 25, 2005 "Lateral Attrition Act of 2005" / an act to improve the revenue collection performance of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) through the creation of a rewards and incentives fund and of a revenue performance evaluation board and for other purposes

RA 9337 May 24, 2005 An act amending sections 27, 28, 34, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 116, 117, 119, 121, 148, 151, 236, 237 and 288 of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended, and for other purposes. Also known as the "expanded value-added tax" or the "E-VAT" law.

RA 9340 May 25, 2005 "Synchronized Barangay and Sangguiniang Kabataan Elections Resetting" / An act resetting the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections, extending the

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term of officeof Barangay and Sangguiniang Kabataan Officials and for other purposes.

RA 9346 June 24, 2006 The act repealing the death penalty, replacing the sentence with the sentence of life imprisonment and reclusion perpetua.

RA 9367 January 12, 2007 "Biofuels Act of 2006" / An act to direct the use of Biofuels, establishing for this purpose the Biofuel Program, appropriating funds therefor, and for other purposes.

RA 9369 January 23, 2007 "Amending the Election Modernization Act" / An act amending Republic Act No. 8436, Entitled "An Act Authorizing The Commission on Elections to use an Automated Election System in the May 11, 1998 National or Local Elections and in Subsequent National and Local Electoral Exercises, to Encourage Transparency, Credibility, Fairness and Accuracy of Elections, amending for the purpose Batas Pambansa Blg. 881, as amemded, Republic Act No. 7166 and other related elections laws, providing funds therefor and for other purposes

RA 9372 March 6, 2007 "Human Security Act of 2007" / An act to secure the state and protect from terrorism.

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