RECEIVED
04 JUL 2013

Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF THE REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

eae 378

HOUSE BILL NO.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

“There is an urgent need for immediate revision of all existing substantive laws of the
Philippines and of codifying them in conformity with the customs, traditions, and idiosyncrasies of the
Filipino people and with modern trends in legislation and the progressive principles of law.”

— Executive Order no. 48, Creating the Code Commission,
signed by Former President Manuel Roxas

Signed in 1947, the aforementioned executive order created the Code Commission, which
paved the way for the passing of the Civil Code in 1952. More than half a century has passed, as well
as thousands of laws, and again we see the necessity of executing the heed of President Roxas in his
order.

‘The words of President Roxas sixty-three years ago are as relevant today as it was then.
President Benigno Aquino, Jr., in his State of the Nation Address in 2010, urged the Congress “to
begin a re-codification of our laws to ensure harmony in legislation and eliminate contradictions,”
keeping in mind the outdated and repealed provisions of some of our Codes that resulted from the
creation of succeeding laws.

This bill seeks to create the 2010 Civil Code Commission, which will perform the daunting
task of the codification of all existing civil laws of the Philippines, in line with the President's
platform of good government and efficient legislation, and to effectively remove contradictions,
redundancies and confusing provisions in our laws. The Civil Code Commission shall complete its
work not later than one (1) year from the date of approval of this bill, and shall submit to the
President a report of the work undertaken by it together with the corresponding drafts of the code
for submission to the Congress of the Philippines.

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CHRISXOPHER S. CO


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF THE REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

‘ne 378

HOUSE BILL NO.

AN ACT
CREATING A CIVIL CODE COMMISSION TO IMPLEMENT THE RE-CODIFICATION OF ALL
EXISTING CIVIL LAWS OF THE PHILIPPINES, DEFINING ITS COMPOSITION AND FUNCTIONS,
AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 1. Title ~ This Act shall be known as the “CIVIL CODE RE-CODIFICATION ACT OF
2013”,

SEC. 2. Creation - There shall be created, under the Office of the President of the Philippines,
a Civil Code Commission to implement the revision and re-codification of all existing civil
laws of the Philippines, and of codifying them in conformity with the customs and traditions
of the Filipino people, and modern trends in legislation and the progressive principles of
law.

SEC. 3. Composition and Structure - The chairman of the Civil Code Commission shall be an

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. The Law Center of the University of the Philippines

shall serve as the Secretariat. The Civil Code Commission shall be composed of the

Chairman, the Secretariat, and the following members:

(a) The President of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), or his representative;

(b) The Chief of the Public Attorney's Office (PAO), or his representative;

(c) The Solicitor General, or his representative;

(d) The president of a socio-civic organization with an advocacy relevant to the functions of
the Commission, representing the civil society who will be appointed by the President of
the Philippines;


(0 A member of the academe who is a civilist/noted expert in civil laws, practitioner
and or professor of Civil Law for at least ten (10) years who will likewise be appointed
by the President of the Philippines.

‘The Commission shall be under the executive control and supervision of the President of the
Philippines.

SEC. 4. Powers and Functions - The Commission shall have the following powers and

functions:

(a) To revise all the existing substantive civil laws of the Philippines and to codify them in
conformity with the customs and traditions of the Filipino people, and modern trends in
legislation and the progressive principles of law;

(b) To call on any official or employee of any bureau, office, branch, subdivision, agency, or
instrumentality of the Government to assist or otherwise extend his cooperation to the
Committee in connection with the performance of its functions to carry out the
provisions of this Act,

() To complete its work not later than one (1) year from the date of approval of this Act;

(d) To submit to the President of the Philippines a report of the work undertaken by it
together with the corresponding drafts of the Civil Code for submission to the Congress
of the Philippines; and

(e) To deliver to the National Library the records and documents and proceedings of the
Commission to the National Library for preservation or disposition by the latter office
according to law,

SEC. 5. Existence - Upon the completion of its work and the submission of its report, the
Commission shall cease to exist and the services of the Chairman and the Members of the
same and of all the employees working under it shall terminate. Properties, aside from the
records and documents and proceedings of the Commission, shall be disposed of in
accordance with generally accepted accounting rules and regulations. The unexpended
balances of its appropriations shall revert to the unappropriated general fund in the
Philippine Treasury.

SEC. 6. Compensation - The chairman and members of the Commission shall receive such
compensation as may be fixed by the President of the Philippines, but if they are at the same
time, government officials receiving regular salaries, they shall serve without additional
compensation. The Chairman may, subject to the approval of the President of the
Philippines and the provisions of civil service and other relevant laws, appoint such
assistants and other subordinate employees as may be necessary.

SEC. 7. Appropriations - To carry out the purpose of this Act, there is appropriated out of
any national funds not otherwise appropriated, the sum of Twenty Million Pesos
(Php20,000,000) for the necessary expenses of the Penal Code Commission.

SEC. 8, Effectivity Clause - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from its publication in
the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved.