Designations used for Philippine laws

Nomenclature Designation

Abbreviation

Form of government

Dates

Act

Act

Philippine Government under U.S. Rule

1900-1935

Commonwealth Act

CA

Philippine Commonwealth

1935-1946

Batas Pambansa

BP

Modified Parliamentary Republic

1978-1985

Presidential Decree

PD

Republic under martial law/Republic

1972-1986

Presidential Proclamation

PP

Republic under martial law

1972-1986

Executive Order

EO

Republic under 1986 Provisional Constitution

1986-1987

Presidential Proclamation

PP

Republic under 1986 Provisional Constitution

1986-1987

Republic Act

RA

Republic

1946-72, 1987present

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

Designation

Date Passed

Result

Act 1696

September 6, 1907

Known as the Flag Law, this law proscribed 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 The law was repealed in 1919.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 Espaol-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Repealed the Flag Law and legalized the use of the Philippine flag and national anthem.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 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.

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.

RA 14

September 7, 1946

Changed the name of the province of Tayabas to Quezon.

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 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 1949

RA 521

June 15, 1950

An act converting Cagayan de Misamis into the City of Cagayan de Oro.

RA 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 Capiz

RA 1425

June 12, 1956

The Rizal Law, which mandates the inclusion of courses on Jos Rizal in the curricula of all educational institutions in the Philippines.

RA 2141

April 8, 1959

Made Biliran a sub-province of Leyte.

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 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 Bank

RA 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 5000

June 17, 1967

Creation of Barrio Claro M. Recto, Odiongan, Romblon

RA 6134

August 30, 1970

Converted the town of Surigao, Surigao del Norte into a city

RA 6173

Oil Industry Commission Act

RA 6395

Charter of the National Power Corporation

RA 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.

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 185

March 16, 1982

Provides that a natural-born citizen of the Philippines who has lost his 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

BP 883

December 3, 1985

Set February 7, 1986 as the date for presidential and vicepresidential snap elections.

RA 6635

October 23, 1972

Revision of the Tariffs and Customs Code of the Philippines

RA 6636

November 6, 1987

Resetting the Local Elections from November 9, 1987 to January 18, 1988.

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 7042

June 13, 1991

Foreign Investments Act of 1991

RA 7104

August 14, 1991

Commission on the Filipino Language Act

RA 7156

September 12, 1991

Mini-Hydro Law

RA 7160

October 10, 1991

"Local Government Code of 1991."

RA 7653

June 14, 1993

The New Central Bank Act

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 7878

February 14, 1995

Divided Kalinga-Apayao into Kalinga and Apayao provinces.

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 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 andCarmen.

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, coatof-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 ofQuezon 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 8797

September 10, 2000

Converted the municipality of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan into a city. Became the First City of Bulacan

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.

RA 9136

June 8, 2001

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

RA 9139

June 8, 2001

"The Administrative Naturalization Law of 2000"

RA 9160

September 29, 2001

"Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001". Subsequent foreign pressure by the FATF and by other nations resulted in this act being amended.

RA 9164

March 19, 2002

"Synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections"

RA 9165

June 7, 2002

"Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002"

RA 9178

November 13, 2002

"Barangay Micro Business Enterprises (BMBE's) Act of 2002."

RA 9189

February 13, 2003

"Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003" / An act providing for a system of overseas absentee voting by qualified citizens of the Philippines abroad, appropriating funds therefor, and for other purposes

RA 9208

May 26, 2003

"Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003" / An act providing for policies to eliminate and punishhuman 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 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 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 reclusin perpetua.

RA 9367

January 12, 2007

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

RA 9369

January 23, 2007

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

RA 9371

February 22, 2007

An act dividing the Lone District of Cagayan de Oro City into two districts, with the Cagayan de Oro River as a natural

boundary.

RA 9372

March 6, 2007

The Human Security Act of 2007

RA 9492

July 25, 2007

The act that mandates the celebration of certain 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 9999

February 23, 2010

Free Legal Assistance Act

RA 10000

February 23, 2010

The Agri-Agra Reform Credit Act.

RA 10066

March 26, 2010

National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009. It established the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property