NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
ot tOf
72 AUG-1 PI 58
S. No.
SENATE
973
RECEIVED BY;
Introduced by Senator Manuel "Lito" M. Lapid
AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR A MORATORIUM ON RENTAL PAYMENT AND EVICTION 
DURING DISASTERS AND OTHER EMERGENCIES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Disasters and calamities usually cause disruptions to the economic life of our 
people-temporary closure of businesses, suspension of work, interruption of banking 
transactions and financial services, among others. These disruptions may cause 
temporary cash-flow difficulties, especially for minimum wage earners, small business 
owners, and blue-collar workers, which in turn may lead to delays or temporary 
inability to meet daily and monthly expenses. During the existence of a disaster or 
emergency, some may have no capacity to timely meet their obligations on utilities, 
medical expenses, rental payments, etc. For these times of hardship and difficulty, the 
government must ensure that adequate protection and assistance are afforded to the 
poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged sectors of our society. This bill seeks to 
institutionalize one such form of assistance.
This proposed measure will provide for a moratorium on the enforcement of 
payment of all fees, charges, and costs relating to rental of residential units, whether 
covered by a lease or sublease contract, for the entire duration of a national or local 
state of calamity or emergency and for thirty (30) days from the termination of said 
State of Calamity of Emergency. There shall also be a moratorium on evictions for the 
same period regardless of cause, except when a lessee/sublessee perpetrates a 
criminal act that threatens the life, limb and property of the lessor, sublessor or owner,


or his/her immediate family, other tenants or staff of the property in which the 
residential unit is located.
At the discretion of the Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry 
(DTI), taking into consideration the fact of closure/shutting down of businesses, 
community quarantine orders, or any other circumstance that may hamper their 
operations during calamities or emergencies, the benefit of the moratorium on rental 
payment and eviction may also be applied to commercial or office space rental of 
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
It bears stressing that this bill is not intended to deprive the lessors of their 
lawful income from the lease agreements. The intent is to give time to the lessee to 
regroup and recover from the state of calamity or emergency. This would afford both 
parties the opportunity to honor their lease obligations and perpetuate their business 
arrangements.
This bill will also ease the court dockets by providing basis to dismiss premature 
collection and ejectment cases.
Ang pagbangon po mula sa kalamidad ay sama-sama nating misyon.
In view of this, early passage of this bill is sought.
mWDeL"LITO" m. lapid
Senator


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
S. No.
SENATE
973
of tljf cvftcU7?
*22 AUG -1 PI 58
RECEIVED BY:
Introduced by Senator Manuel "Lito" M. Lapid
1 
AN ACT
2 
PROVIDING FOR A MORATORIUM ON RENTAL PAYMENT AND EVICTION
3 
DURING DISASTERS AND OTHER EMERGENCIES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
4 
SECTION 1. Short Tide. - This Act shall be known as "Rental Payment and
5 
Eviction Moratorium during Disasters and Emergencies Act/'
6 
Section 2. Declaration of Policy. - In the interest of promoting the common
7 
good and the general welfare, it is hereby declared the policy of the State to provide
8 
adequate relief and protection to those suffering from the ravages of calamities and
9 
other emergency situations
10 
Section 3. Definition of Terms. - For purposes of this Act, these terms are
11 
defined as follows:
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
’Disaster"- a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society 
involving widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses and 
impacts, which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope 
using its own resources. Disasters are often described as a result of the 
combination of: the exposure to a hazard; the conditions of vulnerability that 
are present; and insufficient capacity or measures to reduce or cope with the 
potential negative consequences. Disaster impacts may include loss of life.


1 
injury, disease and other negative effects on human, physical, mental and social
2 
well-being, together with damage to property, destruction of assets, loss of
3 
services, Social and economic disruption and environmental degradation;
4 
b. "Emergency"- unforeseen or sudden occurrence, especially danger, demanding
5 
immediate action;
6 
c. "State of Calamity"- a condition involving mass casualty and/or major damages
7 
to property, disruption of means of livelihoods, roads and normal way of life of
8 
people in the affected areas as a result of the occurrence of natural or human-
9 
induced hazard, as may be declared by proper authorities as provided by law;
10 
d. "Rent" shall mean the amount paid for the use or occupancy of a residential
11 
unit whether payment is made on a monthly or other periodic basis;
12 
e. "Residential unit" shd\\ refer to an apartment, house and/or land on which
13 
another's dwelling is located and used for residential purposes and shall include
14 
not only building houses, dormitories, rooms and bedspaces offered for rent by
15 
their owners, except motels, motel rooms, hotels, hotel rooms, but also those
16 
used for home industries, retail stores or other business purposes if the owner
17 
thereof and his or her family actually live therein and use it principally for
18 
dwelling purposes;
19 
f. "/.essee"shall mean the person renting a residential unit;
20 
g. "Owner/Lessor"sY\d\I include the owner or administrator or agent of the owner
21 
of the residential unit;
22 
h. "Sublessor" shall mean the person who leases or rents out a residential unit
23 
leased to him by an owner;
24 
i. "Sublessee"sY\^W mean the person who leases or rents out a residential unit
25 
from a sublessor.
26 
Section 4. Scope of Application. - This Act shall cover disasters and other kinds
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of emergencies which are: (1) national in scope, as declared through a State of
28 
Calamity or State of National Emergency by the President of the Philippines, and (2)
29 
provincial, city or municipal in scope, as declared through a State of Calamity or
30 
Emergency by the appropriate local government unit.


1 
Section 5. Moratorium on Rental Payments. - There shall be a moratorium on
2 
the enforcement of payment of all fees, charges, and costs relating to the rental of
3 
residential units, whether in a lease or sublease arrangement and whether reduced In
4 
a written form or not, for the duration of the State of Calamity or Emergency
5 
mentioned In Section 4 of this Act and for thirty (30) days from the termination of said
6 
State of Calamity of Emergency; Provided, that if the covered period exceeds a total
7 
of sixty (60) days, the payment of the deferred fees, charges and costs shall be spread
8 
out for a six-month period of equal installments; Provided further/ That no penalties
9 
or interests shall be collected on the payments by virtue of this Act.
10 
The benefit of this moratorium on rental payment may be applied to commercial
11 
or office space rental of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), at the
12 
discretion of the Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), taking into
13 
consideration the fact of closure/shutting down of businesses, community quarantine
14 
orders, or any other circumstance that may hamper their operations.
15 
Nothing in this Act shall prevent the contractual parties from mutually agreeing
16 
on other forms of payment relief or assistance, or from voluntarily waiving the benefit
17 
of the moratorium on rental payments.
18 
Section 6. Moratorium on Eviction. - During the same period stated in Section
19 
5 of this Act, the lessor, sublessor or owner of a residential unit may not make, or
20 
cause to be made, any eviction or similar legal proceeding to recover possession of
21 
the residential unit from the lessee/sublessee regardless of cause, except when a
22 
lessee/sublessee perpetrates a criminal act that threatens the life, limb and property
23 
of the lessor, sublessor or owner, or his/her immediate family, other tenants or staff
24 
of the property in which the residential unit is located.
25 
The benefit of this moratorium on eviction may be applied to commercial or
26 
office space rental of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), at the discretion
27 
of the Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), taking into
28 
consideration the fact of closure/shutting down of businesses, community quarantine
29 
orders, or any other circumstance that may hamper their operations.


1 
Section 7. Relief for Lessors and Sublessors. - Lessors and sublessors who
2 
complied with the moratorium under this Act may obtain a certification of such
3 
compliance from Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development
4 
(DHSUD) and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), as the case may be.
5 
The Lessors and Sublessors, upon presentment of such certification, shall be
6 
granted corresponding moratorium by their creditors to the extent of the amount that
7 
they granted to the lessees and sublessees under this Act and under the same terms.
8 
Section 8. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within sixty (60) days from
9 
the effectivity of this Act, the DTI and DHSUD, in consultation with other relevant
10 
government agencies and stakeholders, shall issue the necessary rules and regulations
11 
to implement the provisions of this Act.
12 
Section 9. Repealing Clause. — All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders,
13 
proclamations, rules and regulations, or any part thereof, which are inconsistent with
14 
the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
15 
Section 10. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part of this Act, or the
16 
application thereof to any person or circumstance, is held unconstitutional or invalid,
17 
the remainder of this Act shall not be affected thereby.
18 
Section 11. Effectivity Clause. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days
19 
from its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general
20 
circulation.
21 
Approved,