List of Philippine laws explained

This article contains a partial list of Philippine laws.

Sources of Philippine laws

Governmental powerForms of lawVested to
ConstituentConstitution and Amendments
  • Congress of the Philippines (convening as Constituent Assembly)
  • Elected delegates (convening as Constitutional Convention)
  • People (through people's initiative and constitutional ratification)[1]
Electoral
  • Votes
  • Election returns
  • Certificates of canvass
  • Election proclamations
Commission on Elections[2]
Legislative
  • Statutes
  • Resolutions
  • Legal codes
  • Certificates of Confirmation
  • Legislation and Ordinances (local and international law)
Congress of the Philippines[3]
Executive
  • Treaties
  • Executive agreement
  • Executive orders
  • Proclamations
  • Administrative orders
  • Official decrees
  • Other executive issuances
President of the Philippines[4]
Judicial
  • Judgments and court decisions
  • Orders
  • Resolutions
  • Administrative matters and judicial rules
Supreme Court and in such lower courts as may be established by law.[5]
Administrative
  • Regulations
  • Administrative judgments
  • Orders
  • Ordinances
Bureaucracy
Notes[6]
  • *Customs may be considered as supplementary source of law, however, customs which are contrary to law, public order or public policy shall not be countenanced

    Abbreviations

    Philippine laws have had various nomenclature designations at different periods in the history of the Philippines, as shown in the following table:

    Nomenclature
    designation
    AbbreviationForm of governmentDates
    ActPhilippine government under United States sovereignty1900–1935
    Commonwealth ActPhilippine Commonwealth1935–1946
    Republic ActRepublic1946–72, 1987–present
    Presidential DecreeRepublic under Martial Law/Fourth Republic1972–1986
    Presidential Proclamation
    Batas PambansaModified semi-presidential republic1978–1985
    Executive Order

    Notable laws

    The following table lists Philippine laws which have been mentioned in Wikipedia, or are otherwise notable. Only laws passed by Congress and its preceding bodies are listed here; presidential decrees and other executive issuances which may otherwise carry the force of law are excluded for the purpose of this table.

    Designation! scope="col" style="width: 8em;" data-sort-type="date"
    Date passedResult
    Act 3815text-align="right" December 8, 1930The Revised Penal Code
    CA 1text-align="right" December 21, 1935The National Defense Act of 1935, which created the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
    RA 386August 30, 1950Civil Code of the Philippines
    RA 1425text-align="right" June 12, 1956The Rizal Act, which mandates the inclusion of courses on José Rizal in the curricula of all educational institutions in the Philippines.
    RA 1700June 20, 1957Anti-Subversion Act of 1957
    RA 4136June 20, 1964The Land Transportation and Traffic Code, which is the current traffic law governing Philippine land transportation.
    RA 5186text-align="right" September 16, 1967Investment Incentives Act
    RA 6135text-align="right" August 31, 1970Export Incentives Act of 1970
    BP 8text-align="right" December 2, 1978An Act Defining the Metric System and its Units, Providing for its Implementation and for Other Purposes
    RA 6955text-align="right" June 13, 1990The Anti-Mail Order Bride Act
    RA 7160text-align="right" October 10, 1991Local Government Code of 1991
    RA 8293text-align="right" June 6, 1997The Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines (the copyright law).
    RA 8353text-align="right" September 30, 1997The Anti-Rape Act of 1997
    RA 8485February 11, 1998The Animal Welfare Act of 1998
    RA 9184January 10, 2003Government Procurement Reform Act, establishes the creation of the Government Procurement Policy BoardGovernment Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) and the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS)
    RA 9208text-align="right" May 26, 2003Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003
    RA 9262text-align="right" March 8, 2004Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004[7]
    RA 9372text-align="right" March 6, 2007The Human Security Act of 2007
    RA 10066text-align="right" March 26, 2010National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, establishing the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property
    RA 10175text-align="right" September 12, 2012The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012
    RA 10349text-align="right" December 11, 2012The AFP Modernization Act of 2012
    RA 10354text-align="right" December 21, 2012The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012
    RA 10533text-align="right" May 15, 2013The Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013
    RA 10535text-align="right" May 15, 2013The Philippine Standard Time (PST) Act of 2013
    RA 10591text-align="right" May 29, 2013Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act
    RA 10667text-align="right" July 21, 2015Philippine Competition Act
    RA 10844text-align="right" May 23, 2016Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Act of 2015
    RA 10913text-align="right" July 21, 2016Anti-Distracted Driving Act of 2016
    RA 10931text-align="right" August 4, 2017Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act of 2017
    RA 10963text-align="right" December 19, 2017Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act of 2017
    RA 11054text-align="right" July 26, 2018Bangsamoro Organic Law
    RA 11055text-align="right" August 6, 2018Philippine Identification System Act[8]
    RA 11106text-align="right" October 30, 2018Filipino Sign Language Act of 2018
    RA 11201text-align="right" February 14, 2019Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Act of 2019
    RA 11469text-align="right" March 25, 2020Bayanihan to Heal as One Act of 2020
    RA 11479text-align="right" July 3, 2020Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020
    RA 11494text-align="right" September 11, 2020Bayanihan to Recover as One Act of 2020
    RA 11641text-align="right" December 30, 2021Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Act of 2021
    RA 11934text-align="right" October 10, 2022SIM Registration Act
    RA 11996text-align="right" May 24, 2024Eddie Garcia Law[9] [10]

    Lists of laws by year

    2020

    2018 (10967–11166)

    2017 (10925–10966)

    2016 (10740–10924)

    2015 (10653–10739)

    2014 (10635–10652)

    2013 (10355–10634)

    2012 (10157–10354)

    2011 (10148–10156)

    2010 (9903–10146)

    2009 (9519–9999)

    2008 (9496–9518)

    2007 (9366–9495)

    2006 (9342–9365)

    2005 (9335–9341)

    2004 (9233–9334)

    2003 (9183–9232)

    2002 (9163–9182)

    2001 (8990–9162)

    2000 (8759–8989)

    1999 (8746–8758)

    1998 (8446–8745)

    1997 (8248–8445)

    1996 (8177–8247)

    1995 (7854–8176)

    1994 (7667–7853)

    1993 (7645-7666)

    1967 (4865-5190)

    See also

    External links

    The text of many Philippine laws can be found on the following sites:

    Notes and References

    1. Article XVII: Amendment and Revisions of the Constitution.
    2. Article IX-C: Commission on Elections
    3. Article VI: Legislative Department
    4. Article VII: Executive Department
    5. Article VIII: Judicial Department
    6. Fernandez . Perfecto V. . September 1992 . The Philippine Legal System and Its Adjuncts: Pathways to Development . University of the Philippines College of Law, University of the Philippines Diliman . . First quarter . 67 . 21–52 . 0031-7721 . July 13, 2018 . December 15, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171215190205/http://plj.upd.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/plj/PLJ%20volume%2067/PLJ%20volume%2067%20first%20quarter/PLJ%20volume%2067%20first%20quarter%20-02-%20Perfecto%20V.%20Fernandez%20-%20The%20Philippine%20Legal%20System%20and%20its%20Adjuncts.pdf . dead .
    7. Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004. RA. 9262. 2004-03-08. Official Gazette. 2024-07-24.
    8. Philippine Identification System Act. RA. 11055. 2018-08-06. Senate of the Philippines. 2024-07-24.
    9. Eddie Garcia Law. RA. 11996. 2023-07-24. Official Gazette. 2024-07-24.
    10. News: De Leon. Dwight. The Philippines now has an ‘Eddie Garcia Law’, 5 years after workplace accident. May 28, 2024 . . May 28, 2024.