FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
1 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
Second Regular Session 
) 
S E N A T E  
S.B. No. 
4 
8 
SEF' -3 
Introduced by Senator Loren Legarda 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Philippines being a group of islands houses a variety of religious and ethnic 
groups. This diversity, however, gave way to a number of incidences on racial and 
religious discrimination. There exists profiling, a police and criminology term that 
follows the basic sociological science method of understanding the complexities of 
human society by breaking down members of a population into groups that share 
common characteristics. Certain crimes, such as terrorism, murder and kidnapping, are 
deliberately attributed to a religious affiliation. Profiling has resulted in stereotyping, 
causing minority groups to be treated unjustly in restaurants, department stores or 
shopping malls and even in employment. An obvious prejudice against these groups 
has sprouted, running counter to our country's policy in promoting equality and justice. 
In recognition of the abovementioned problems, the bill seeks to promote a 
society that values the dignity of every human person and guarantees full respect for 
human rights, regardless of race, religion and ethnicity. It therefore prohibits religious 
and racial profiling, effectively penalizing those who commit profiling acts enumerated 
as follows: 
l 
, 
Subjecting a person to unnecessary, unjustified, illegal and degrading search 
because of his manner of clothing, religion, color, creed or ethnic identity; 
Discriminating a person who is applying for a job because of his name, religion 
or ethnic background; 
Disallowing the entry of a person to establishment such as restaurants, shopping 
malls, hotels and similar nature because of his manner of clothing, religion, color, 
creed or ethnic identity; and 
Employing religious characterization as words of religious import in print and 
broadcast media when geographic, political, socio-economic or other distinction 
might be more accurate. 
The Constitution clearly provides for the freedom of every Filipino to religion 
and racial identity. No Filipino is excluded; even tribes and indigent people of ethnic 
background, as citizens of our country, should be accorded with such rights. Through 
this proposed measure, we should be able to reduce the discriminatibn that causes a 


different kind of terrorism - the kind that fuels hatred, thereby instigating deeper 
disunity among the people in our country. 
In view of the foregoing, the passage of the bill is earnestly sou& 
Senator 


FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
1 
Second Regular Session 
) 
) 
8 
SEI] -3 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
S E N A T E  
~~~~~~~~~~ 
FW 
S.B. No. 
Introduced by Senator Loren Legarda 
AN ACT 
PROHIBITING RELIGIOUS OR RACIAL PROFILING AGAINST INDIGENOUS 
CULTURAL COMMUNITIES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assern bled: 
SECTION I. Title - This act shall be known as the Anti- Religious and Racial 
Profiling Act of 2008. 
SECTION 2. Declaration ofpolicy. It is hereby declared as the policy of the State 
to value the dignity of every human person and to guarantee full respect for human 
rights. 
SECTION 3. Racial Profiling, as defined. The term means the practice of relying 
to any degree, on race, ethnicity, and religious affiliations in selecting individuals to 
subject to routine or spontaneous investigatory activities, except when there is 
trustworthy information, relevant to the locality and timeframe, that links persons of a 
particular race, ethnicity, religion or national origin to an identified criminal incident or 
scheme and such other prohibited acts as enumerated in this Act. 
SECTION 4. Prohibited Acts. The following shall constitute religious and racial 
profiling and shall be deemed punishable under this Act: 
(a) To subject a person to unnecessary, unjustified, illegal and degrading search 
because of his manner of clothing or by reason of his religion, color, creed or 
ethnic identity; 
(b) To discriminate a person who is applying for a job just because of his name, 
religion or ethnic background; 
(c) To disallow an individual from entering any establishment such as 
restaurants, hotels, shopping malls and other places of similar nature or to 
subject him to discrimination or harassment in relation to other passengers in 
buses, taxis, ship or airplanes because he happens to don a peculiar attire 
such as wearing of veil, turban or any other traditional costumes or because 
of his color, creed, belief and ethnicity; 
(d) To employ religious characterization such as words of religious import in 
print and broadcast media when geographic, political, socio- economic or 
other distinction might be more accurate; and 
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(e) To mimic or imitate a person’s way of speaking particularly his peculiar 
accent and diction in an insulting and degrading manner. 
SECTION 5. Penalties - The penalty of arresto mayor minimum to prison 
correctional minimum or a fine of ten thousand (10,000) to thirty thousand (30,000) 
pesos, or both shall be imposed upon any person who shall commit any of the acts 
which constitute religious and racial profiling. 
SECTION 6. Repealing Clause. - All laws, executive orders, rules and 
regulations, or parts thereof, inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby 
repealed or amended accordingly. 
SECTION 7. Separability Clause. - If for any reason any section or provision of 
this Act, or any portion thereof, or the application of such section, provision or portion 
thereof to any person, group or circumstance is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the 
remainder of this Act shall not be affected by such declaration. 
SECTION 8. 
Effectivity. This act shall take effect after fifteen days (15) 
following its complete publication in at least two national newspapers of general 
circulation. The publication shall not be later than seven (7) days after approval hereof. 
Approved, 
2