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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ______ 
Introduced by Representatives Bryan B. Revilla, Lani Mercado-Revilla, and Ramon 
Jolo B. Revilla III 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to work cannot be understated. To this day, 
it continues to transform the way traditional workspaces are regulated and navigated 
by employers and employees alike. Like the rest of the world, remote work has 
emerged as a popular trend in the Philippines in recent years, ranking in the top 10 
fastest growing remote hubs globally in 2023 and 2024.1  
To facilitate this ongoing surge for remote work, there is a need to broaden public 
access to high-speed and reliable internet connectivity. According to recent data from 
Ookla, a global connectivity intelligence firm, the Philippines ranks 65th globally for 
mobile internet speeds and 58th for fixed broadband as of February 2025.2 While our 
internet performance has steadily improved over the past two years, it still lags in 
comparison to regional leaders in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.3 
For its part, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), 
is implementing the National Broadband Plan (NBP), a large-scale initiative to expand 
broadband access. The program focuses on deploying fiber broadband networks and 
wireless technology to improve internet speed and affordability.4 
This bill aims to protect consumers from sudden and prolonged disruptions and 
outages in internet service and further incentivize internet service providers to improve 
their services by mandating them to provide refunds to customers who were adversely 
affected by an internet service outage or interruption for an aggregate period of twenty-
four (24) hours or more, within a month, except when the reason for such outage is 
due to scheduled maintenance. 
In view of the foregoing, passage of this measure - which was approved on Third and 
final reading in the 19th Congress - is earnestly sought. 
1 https://remotify.ph/remote-work-statistics-2025/  
2 https://www.bworldonline.com/special-features/2025/04/09/665138/the-philippines-sees-steady-gains-in-internet-connectivity/  
3 Ibid. 
4 Ibid. 
September 8, 2025
9:17 am
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     REP. BRYAN B. REVILLA 
   REP. LANI MERCADO-REVILLA 
Representative, AGIMAT Partylist  
Representative, 2nd District of Cavite  
REP. RAMON JOLO B. REVILLA III 
Representative, 1st District of Cavite 


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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ______ 
Introduced by Representatives Bryan B. Revilla, Lani Mercado-Revilla, and Ramon 
Jolo B. Revilla III 
AN ACT 
MANDATING PUBLIC TELECOMMUNICATIONS ENTITIES AND INTERNET 
SERVICE PROVIDERS TO INSTITUTE A REFUND MECHANISM FOR 
SERVICE OUTAGES AND DISRUPTIONS, PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR 
VIOLATIONS THEREOF 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as “Refund for Internet and 
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Telecommunications Services Outages and Disruptions Act.” 
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SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. – The State recognizes the vital role of information 
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and communications technology in nation building. The State shall implement 
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measures to provide for regulations on internet and telecommunications services 
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offered by public telecommunications entities (PTEs) and internet service providers 
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(ISPs) and ensure that the interest and welfare of its people and the consuming public 
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are protected and upheld. 
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SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. – As used in this Act: 
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(a) Fortuitous event refers to either an “act of God” or natural occurrences, such as
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floods, typhoons, storms, earthquakes and the likes; or an “act of man”, such
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as riots, strikes, wars, governmental prohibitions, robbery, theft, sabotage,
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cyberattacks, 
deliberate 
destruction, 
or 
accidental 
damage 
to
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telecommunications facilities by third parties and the likes;
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(b) Internet refers to the biggest global computer network providing a wide variety
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of information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected
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networks using standardized communication protocols;
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(c) Internet Access refers to the process of connecting to the internet using
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personal computers, laptops, or mobile devices by users;
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(d) Internet Service Provider (ISP) refers to a public telecommunications entity
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(PTE) or value-added service (VAS) provider duly authorized by or registered
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with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) that provides users
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or other entities with data connection allowing internet access through physical
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transport infrastructure, and such access is necessary for internet users to
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access content and service on the internet, and for content providers to publish 
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or distribute materials online; 
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(e) Network maintenance refers to any process, whether minor or major, that is 
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deemed necessary to sustain or update the services. This is further categorized 
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as “scheduled” and “emergency”. The services provided may not be available 
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during periods of maintenance, thus: 
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(i) 
Scheduled network maintenance refers to planned repairs and 
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improvements carried out from time to time by PTEs and ISPs and shall 
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not be deemed as service outage or disruption; and 
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(ii) 
Emergency network maintenance refers to unscheduled maintenance 
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where a repair is needed to an internet equipment or facility that suffered 
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from unexpected breakdown or change in condition. 
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(f) Public Telecommunications Entity or PTE refers to any person, firm, partnership 
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or corporation, government or private, engaged in the provision of 
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telecommunications services to the public for a fee; and 
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(g) Scheduled network maintenance refers to planned repairs and improvements, 
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carried out from time to time by PTEs and ISPs, which are notified at least 48 
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hours in advance and which shall not exceed a cumulative duration of 48 hours 
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per month, shall not be deemed as service outage. 
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SEC. 4. Coverage. – All Public Telecommunication Entities (PTEs), including internet 
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service providers (ISPs) in the Philippines shall be covered by this Act. 
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SEC. 5. Refunds for Internet and Telecommunications Service Outages and 
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Interruptions. – PTEs, including ISPs, shall, on a pro-rated basis, provide a refund 
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credit to a customer, or adjust a customer’s bill, who was adversely affected by an 
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internet service outage or interruption for an aggregate period of twenty-four (24) hours 
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or more, within a month, except when the reason for such outage is due to scheduled 
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maintenance which should be notified 48 hours prior to the scheduled maintenance 
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and should not exceed 48 hours in a month, a fortuitous event, or acts of third party or 
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subscriber. 
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The PTEs and ISPs concerned shall apply a bill adjustment, automatically, without 
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need of demand from the subscriber, after a standard process but shall not preclude 
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the consumer from filing a complaint to the appropriate administrative or quasi-judicial 
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agency for disputes regarding refund or bill adjustment amount. 
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The refund credit granted under the circumstances mentioned supra, shall likewise be 
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granted to customers subscribing to a service on a pre-paid basis. 
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SEC. 6. Penalties. – The NTC may, motu proprio or upon complaint of any interested 
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party, in the appropriate administrative or quasi-judicial process, and in accordance 
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with due process: 
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(a) Impose a fine of not less than Fifty thousand pesos (₱50,000.00) but not more 
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than Two hundred thousand pesos (₱200,000.00) for each count of violation; 
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and 
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(b) For repeated violations, aside from fine, revocation or cancellation of the 
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license, registration or franchise of the PTEs or ISPs, whichever applies, 
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including the waving of any pre-termination fees of affected subscribers and 
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timely disbursement of any remaining credits from excessive downtime. 
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SEC. 7. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within sixty (60) days from the 
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effectivity of this Act, the NTC shall, in coordination with the Department of Information 
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and Communications Technology, and other concerned agencies, promulgate the 
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rules and regulations necessary to ensure the effective implementation of this Act. 
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SEC. 8. Repealing Clause. – All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, 
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proclamations, rules and regulations, or any part thereof, which are inconsistent with 
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the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
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SEC. 9. Separability Clause. – If any provisions or part of this Act, or the application 
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thereof to any person or circumstance, is held unconstitutional or invalid, the 
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remainder of this Act shall not be affected thereby. 
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SEC. 10. Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from its 
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publications in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
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Approved, 
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