Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _______ 
INTRODUCED BY REP. PM VARGAS 
AN ACT 
PENALIZING PRANK CALLERS TO EMERGENCY HOTLINES 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Emergency situations are serious, unexpected, and often dangerous 
circumstances that require immediate attention and action. To address and 
improve the prompt delivery of emergency services to the public, Executive 
Order No. 56 was enacted by then President Rodrigo Duterte in 2018, 
institutionalizing the Emergency 911 hotline as the nationwide emergency 
hotline number which serves as a call and dispatch center connecting people 
in need of assistance to government emergency response resources such as 
the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Fire Protection, and other 
medical workers and rescue services. 
In 2019 however, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, 
reported that there was a total of 2.5 million fraudulent, hoax, or prank calls 
received by the government’s 911 emergency hotline1. 
       With limited government resources, to call on the Emergency 911 Hotline 
with the intent to malign and mischievously abuse these services not only 
undermine emergency response efforts but would also risk the lives and safety 
of those who are truly in need at any given time. 
      This bill seeks to discourage mischievous calls and ensure the proper 
operation of emergency services by prohibiting and penalizing prank callers 
to emergency hotlines. 
     In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly 
sought. 
REP. PM VARGAS 
Fifth District, Quezon City 
1 Philippine Daily Inquirer, March 4, 2020. DOI: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1236748/dilg-govts-911-hotline-
gets-2-54-million-prank-calls-in-2019 
April 26, 2023
2:24 pm
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Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _______ 
INTRODUCED BY REP. PM VARGAS 
AN ACT 
PENALIZING PRANK CALLERS TO EMERGENCY HOTLINES 
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 the "Anti-Prank 
Callers Act." 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is hereby declared the policy of the 
State promote the general welfare of the people. Towards this end, the State 
aims to prohibit malicious and improper use of telecommunication devices. 
SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. —As used in this Act: 
(a) Emergency — refers to a serious, unexpected, and often dangerous
situation requiring immediate attention and action;
(b) Hotline — refers to direct telecommunication set up for a specific
purpose; and
(c) Prank call — refers to a mischievous or malicious phone call made to
trick or fool someone with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, harass,
or solicit any comment, request, suggestion, or sound which are
obscene, lewd, lascivious, ﬁlthy or indecent, or a call intending to make
false requests or false alarm of an emergency, knowing the report or
information or alarm to be false.
SECTION 4. Prohibited Act. — Emergency hotlines established for the 
purpose of responding to emergency situations shall, at all times, be free from 
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receiving unnecessary calls. It shall be prohibited for any individual to make 
prank calls to any emergency hotline at any time. 
  
SECTION 5. Penalties. — Any person who violates this Act shall be penalized 
with: 
 
(a) Arresto menor and a ﬁne of Five Thousand Pesos (P5,000.00) for the 
ﬁrst offense; 
 
(b) Arresto mayor and a ﬁne of Ten Thousand Pesos (P10,000.00) for the 
second offense; 
 
(c) Prison correctional and a ﬁne of Fifteen Thousand Pesos (P15,000.00) 
for the third and succeeding offenses; 
  
Provided, That the foregoing penalties shall be imposed without prejudice to 
other liabilities under the Revised Penal Code or any special law arising out 
of the prohibited act herein. 
  
SECTION 6. Separability Clause. — Any portion or provision of this Act that 
is declared unconstitutional shall not have the effect of nullifying other 
portions or provisions hereof as long as such remaining portions can still 
subsist and be given effect in their entirety. 
 
SECTION 7. Repealing Clause. — All laws, ordinances, rules, regulations, 
other issuances, or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with this Act, are 
hereby repealed or modiﬁed accordingly. 
  
SECTION 8. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect ﬁfteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Ofﬁcial Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
  
Approved,