FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
SENATE 
) 
) 
) 
Senate Bill No. __ 
4","~· "",6,",,5L~ 
INTRODUCED BY SEN. JINGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
There is no law which prescribes a uniform system for determining noise 
impact at airports taking into account the characteristics of an area, including its 
proximity to an airport and its non-aircraft background noise. This is important to 
protect the public against significant disturbances in human activities such as 
sleep and rest. 
This bill prescribes aviation noise limits, provides for its management and 
reduction especially in the surrounding residential areas, and provides for a 
staged plan which involves zoning, land use planning and relocation . 
. 
Thus, immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
Senator 


FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
SENATE 
) 
) 
) 
Sen ate .B ill No. _----"4...,,6"-" f .... ) _ 
., 
INTRODUCED BY SEN. JINGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING FOR AVIATION NOISE MANAGEMENT AND REDUCTION IN 
RESIDENTIAL AREAS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the 
Philippines in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Aviation 
Noise Limit Act." 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy - The State shall protect public health by 
determining noise impact of residential areas near airports and by establishing 
programs for the management of noise levels. The State shall also ensure the 
constitutionally protected right of quiet enjoyment of private property. 
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. - For the purposes of this Act, the following 
definitions shall apply: 
(1) Airspace traffic change - a change in aircraft flight paths, operating 
procedures, nature of aircraft, and quantity of aircraft traffic which is 
applicable in normal circumstances. 
(2) Average sound level - the level in decibels of the mean square, A 
weighted sound pressure during a specified period, with reference to the 
square of the standard reference sound pressure of 20 micropascals. 
(3) Background sound level - hourly average sound level in decibels, 
measured at a site representative of a relatively qUiet residential location 
within an area (with aircraft noise contributions excluded). 
(4) Day-night average sound level - hour average sound level in decibels, for 
the period from midnight to midnight, obtained after the addition of 10 
decibels to sound levels during nighttime hours. 
(5) Nighttime hours - periods between midnight and 7:00 a.m. and between 
10:00 p.m. and midnight local time. 
(6) Normal circumstances - all circumstances other than unusually adverse 
weather and emergency circumstances. 


(7) Single event maximum sound level - the level in decibels, of the maximum 
A-weighted sound pressure during an aircraft over flight obtained using a 
standard sound level meter under a slow response setting. 
(8) Vicinity of an airport - the geographic area surrounding an airport 
established before the effectivity of this Act described nominally as follow: 
(a) 
The area extending in all directions a distance of 1.5 miles 
from each runway established before such date of effectivity. 
(b) 
The rectangular area defined by drawing a straight center 
line a distance of 4 miles from the end of each runway 
established before such date of the effectivity in the direction 
of heaviest traffic and extending 1.5 miles perpendicular 
from the center line on each side of such runway. 
SEC. 4. Aviation Noise Limits. - The Air Transportation Office of the 
Department of Transportation and Communications shall develop a medium-term 
plan to reduce by at least seventy-five percent (75%) the number of individuals 
residing in residential areas in the vicinity of an airport who are exposed to a 
yearly day-night average sound level of sixty (60) decibels or above. 
In 
developing such plan, the Air Transportation Office shall consider various 
methods for aviation noise reduction, including soundproofing, relocation 
incentives, use of quieter aircraft, operations restrictions and revision of air 
routes. 
As part of the plan to be developed pursuant to the preceding paragraph, 
the Air Transportation Office shall make recommendations on actions and policy 
changes on the part of departments and agencies of the government which could 
assist in meeting the objective described in paragraph 1 of this section. 
SEC. 5. Management and Reduction of Aviation Noise in other Areas. 
- Beginning on the date of the effectivity of this Act, the Air Transportation Office 
may make an airspace traffic change only if the change will not result in an 
increase in aviation noise in violation of the next succeeding section. 
SEC 6. Requirements. -
Non-compliance with any of the following 
requirement, which apply only to residential areas that are not in the vicinity of an 
airport, shall be considered a violation of this Act: 
(a) Hourly Average Sound Level - The hourly average sound level, with 
combined aviation and non-aviation sources, over anyone (1) hour 
period may not exceed six (6) decibels above the background sound level 
for such one (1) hour perio'd. 
(b) Single Event Maximum Sound Level - Under normal circumstances, the 
single event maximum sound level -
(i) 
May not exceed 'seventy (70) decibels; 
(ii) 
during nighttime hours, may not exceed fifty-five (55) decibels; 
and 
(iii) 
may not be Il)ore than twenty (20) decibels above the 
background sound level for the one (1) hour period in which the 
event occurs. 
The requirement of this paragraph shall be considered to have 
been met if there are no more than three (3) violations of the limits 
contained in this subparagraph in a 24-hour period. 


(c) Day-Night Average Sound Level - If the day-night average sound level, 
with combined aviation and non-aviation sources, exceeds forty-five (45) 
decibels, then aviation aCtivity may not contribute more than three (3) 
decibels to such sound level. 
SEC, 7. Determination of Vicinity of Airport. - If the location of the airport 
is substantially different from the geographic areas as defined by this Act, an 
airport operator, may on or before the 180th day following the effectivity of this 
Act, transmit to the Air Transportation Office for approval, alternative boundaries 
of the vicinity of the airport which conform to the ground noise distribution of the 
airport; except that the geographic area enclosed by such alternative boundaries 
may not include an area with a day-night average sound level of less than sixty 
(60) decibels for the one (1) year period ending on the date of the effectivity of 
this Act. 
In the event that an airspace traffic change or other action makes it unfeasible 
or impracticable to meet the sound level limits prescribed by this Act within a 
residential area, then such area may be added to the area considered to be in 
the vicinity of the airport upon acquisition of the property or by acquisition of 
easements of the property by the airport operator. 
Not later than one (1) year after the date of the effectivity of this Act, the Air 
Transportation 
Office 
through 
the 
Department 
of Transportation 
and 
Communications shall transmit t9 Congress a report containing the plan to be 
developed and a description of actions taken with respect to airspace changes 
together with recommendations for appropriate administrative and legislative 
actions. 
SEC. 
8. 
Responsibility of the Secretary of Transportation and 
Communications. - In complying with this Act, the Secretary of Department of 
Transportation and Communications shall assume responsibility for all non-
military aviation activity, within and outside controlled airspace, and shall regulate 
such activity to ensure compliance with the requirements of this Act. 
SEC. 9. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof is held invalid 
or unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise 
affected shall remain valid and subsisting. 
SEC. 10. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and 
regulations inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or 
modified accordingly. 
SEC. 11. Effectivity Clause, - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
following its complete publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general 
circulation. 
Approved,