EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE 
S.B. No. 1406
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20 MAR-9 P2'-47
INTRODUCED BY: SENATOR EMMANUEL D. PACQUIAO
AN ACT PROHIBITING THE ACT OF INDISCRIMINATE SPITTING AND 
EXPELLING NASAL MUCOUS IN PUBLIC PLACES, APPROPRIATING FUNDS 
THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Article II, Section 15 of the 1987 Constitution provides that the State shall protect and 
promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them. Further, 
Article XIII, Section 11 mandates that the State shall adopt an integrated and comprehensive 
approach to health development.
The Department of Health has recently raised “Code Red” as it confirmed local 
transmission and another case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country. The 
respiratory illness has spread in rapid pace. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
says the virus is thought to spread from person-to-person, most likely through droplets of saliva 
or mucus carried in the air for up to six feet or so when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
Considering the gravity of the situation, there is an urgent need to institute a concrete 
preventive measure to stop the spread of the disease that has become a global health emergency. 
This bill seeks to prohibit and penalize careless, intentional and indiscriminate spitting and 
expelling nasal mucous in public areas and other places which the public has access. This shall 
not only prevent the spread of the coronavirus and other contagious and airborne diseases.
Hence, approval of this measure is earnestly sought.
EMMANUEinrT^ACQUIAO


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE 
S.B. No. 1406
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20 HRR “9 P 2 -47
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INTRODUCED BY: SENATOR EMMANUEL D. PACQUIAO
AN ACT PROHIBITING THE ACT OF INDISCRIMINATE SPITTING AND 
EXPELLING NASAL MUCOUS IN PUBLIC PLACES, APPROPRIATING FUNDS 
THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled:
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Section 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as "Anti-Spitting Act of 2020."
Section 2. Declaration of Policy. It is a policy of the State to protect and promote the right 
to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them. Thus, it shall adopt an 
integrated and comprehensive approach to health development.
Section 3. Definition of Terms. For the purposes of this Act, these terms are defined as
follows:
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a. 
Spitting - the act of expectorating carelessly or intentionally saliva, phlegm, mucus
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or other substances
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b. 
Saliva - a clear, tasteless, odorless, slightly acidic (pH 6.8) viscid fluid, consisting
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of the secretion from the parotid, sublingual, and submandibular salivary glands and the mucous
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glands of the oral cavity
c. 
Phlegm - abnormal amounts of mucus, especially as expectorated from the mouth
d. 
Mucous -the clear viscid secretion of the mucous membranes, consisting of mucin.
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Nasal discharge - mucous coming out of one’s nose;


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f. 
other substances - those not included in the foregoing definitions but are
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determined by the Department of Health as in the same class like the above;
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g. 
Public places - generally an indoor or outdoor area, whether privately or publicly
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owned, to which the public have access by right or by invitation, expressed or implied, whether
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by payment of money or not. It shall include any highway, boulevard, avenue, road, street, bridge
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or other thoroughfare, park, plaza, square, and/or any open space of public ownership where the
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people are allowed access.
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Section 4. Prohibited Acts. No person or persons shall carelessly, intentionally or
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indiscriminately spit saliva or expel phlegm, mucous, or other substances from the mouth or from
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the nose in the city streets, alleys, sidewalks, parks, malls, markets, streets, public carriers, public
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halls, and buildings, banks, public squares, terminals, shopping and business centers, schools,
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churches, hospital, and other similar public places or any place to which the public has access.
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Section 5. Penalties. Any person caught spitting in public places shall be charged with the
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corresponding penalties, to wit:
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a. First Offense -A fine of five thousand pesos (P5,000.00)
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b. 
Second Offense - A fine of ten thousand pesos (PI 0,000.00)
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c. 
Third Offense - A fine of fifty thousand pesos (P50,000.00) and attendance in a
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health seminar conducted by the Department of Health in coordination with local health units or a
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subsidiary imprisonment not exceeding six months in case of insolvency, or both such fine and
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imprisonment at the discretion of the court.
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Section 6. Implementing and Monitoring Agency. Local government units shall lead in
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implementing the provisions of this Act, whereas the Department of Health (DOH) and if
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necessary, in coordination with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), shall conduct
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seminars and provide guidelines including the Implementing Rules and Regulations on how to go
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about the health hazards of spitting. The said agencies shall also conduct regular evaluation on the
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implementation of this Act.
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Section 7. Appropriations. Appropriations needed for the implementation of this Act shall
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be derived from the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) of the LGUs and from sources provided by
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the Department of Health (DOH) and other government agencies.
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Section 8. Repealing Clause. All laws, decrees, orders, ordinances, rules and regulations or
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parts thereof inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.


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Section 9. Separability Clause. If any provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional or
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otherwise invalid, the validity of the other provisions shall not be affected thereof
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Section 10. Effectivity. This shall take effect fifteen (15) days after publication in at least
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two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,