TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE 
Senate Bill No.
25
-2 P5 33
Introduced by Senator JOEL VILLANUEVA
AN ACT
PROTECTING THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE TO FREEDOM OF 
RELIGION IN THE PHILIPPINES GUARANTEED UNDER SECTION 
5, ARTICLE III OF THE 1987 CONSTITUTION AND FOR OTHER 
PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Our society is held together not only by law and its enforcement, but more 
importantly, by those who voluntarily obey the established laws as motivated by their 
internalized norms of righteous or correct behavior. Since time immemorial, religious 
belief has been a vital influence in man's knowledge of right and wrong and produces 
voluntary compliance to mankind.
However, even at recent times, it is undeniable that attacks on persons based 
on their religious identities have been recorded. According to Pew Research Center's 
latest report covering 2022, religious harassment by governments or social groups 
occurred in 192 of the world's 198 countries and territories. Christians were harassed 
in 166 countries, Muslims in 148, and Jews in 90, despite Jews making up only a small 
share of the global population.1
Across the world, we have seen the tragic consequences when religious freedom 
is undermined, when faith becomes a reason for exclusion, when minorities are 
marginalized, and when belief becomes a barrier rather than a bridge.
1 Pew Research Center. Government Restrictions on Reiigion Stayed at Peak Leveis Giobaiiy in 2022. Published 
on 18 December 2024. Available at https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2024/12/18/number-of-countries- 
where-religious-groups-were-harassed-reached-new-peak-level-in-2022/ (Accessed on 12 May 2025)


Having recognized the significance of reiigion in human history and in view of 
factors such as the foregoing, democratic countries aii over the worid have iong been 
impiementing and improving substantiai measures to protect and promote reiigious 
freedom. Exampies inciude the United States' Religious Freedom Restoration Act, 
Singapore's Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act, Canada's International Religious 
Freedom Act, and, eariier this month, the estabiishment of the United States Religious 
Liberty Commission, among others.
In a iandmark ruiing, the Supreme Court affirmed that "religious freedom is a 
fundamental right which is entitled to the highest priority and the amplest protection 
among human rights, for it involves the relationship of man to his Creator.'"1
Whiie our Constitution firmiy uphoids reiigious freedom, there is a criticai need 
for an enabiing iaw to transiate these protections, specificaliy those under Section 5, 
into concrete, actionabie measures. Section 5 states: "No iaw shall be made respecting 
an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof The free exercise 
and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or 
preference, shall forever be allowed. No religious test shall be required for the exercise 
of civil or political rights."
In view of the foregoing, this biii seeks to provide for an impiementing iaw that 
wiii protect and promote the right of Fiiipinos to reiigious freedom, subject to certain 
exceptions. With this measure, Fiiipinos wiii be encouraged to pursue spirituai growth 
by affording them the freedom to conduct their iives in accordance with their faith or 
reiigious beiief without the fear of persecution, threat, or punishment.
Moreover, this measure aiso aims to promote a free market of reiigious ideas in 
the country where no reiigion is suppressed or queiied over the other. By ieveiing the 
piaying field for the propagation of different religions, Filipinos are afforded the full 
spectrum of varying faiths and the freedom to choose the beliefs that they will 
subscribe to. This, in turn, will counter religious fanaticism which gives rise to many 
societal problems in the country.
Thus, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.
ILLANUEVA
2 Ebralinag v. Division Superintendent of Schoois of Cebu, G.R. No. 95770, 1 March 1993.


TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE 
Senate Bill No.
25 jiJL-2 P5 33
f-
Introduced by Senator JOEL VILLANUEVA
AN ACT
PROTECTING THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE TO FREEDOM OF 
RELIGION IN THE PHILIPPINES GUARANTEED UNDER SECTION 
5, ARTICLE III OF THE 1987 CONSTITUTION AND FOR OTHER 
PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Phiiippines in 
Congress assembled:
1 
SECTION 1. Short Title. -This Act shall be known as the "Magna Carta on
2 
Religious Freedom Act."
3 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the declared policy of the State to
4 
protect and uphold the fundamental and inalienable right of every person to freely
5 
choose and exercise one's religion and beliefs, and to act and live according to one's
6 
conscience, as guaranteed under Section 5, Article III of the Constitution and other
7 
international human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of
8 
Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the
9 
Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination Based
10 
on Religion or Belief, to which the State is a party or that it adheres to.
11 
The right of every Filipino to profess, practice, and propagate religious beliefs
12 
must always be recognized, respected, allowed, and protected.
13 
To this end, the State must ensure that no act of the government or any of its
14 
agencies, instrumentalities, officers, or employees shall burden, curtail, impinge, or
15 
encroach on a person's right to exercise one's religious belief, freedom, and liberty
1


1 
of conscience. In addition, the government must aiso prohibit any act by a person,
2 
natural or juridical, or any group of persons, that burdens, curtails, impinges, or
3 
encroaches on the said right
4 
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act, the following terms shall
5 
be defined as follows:
6 
a) Atheism refers to the denial of the existence of a personal God or deity, and
7 
shall be treated as a form of religion for the purpose of entitlement to the
8 
protection of freedom of religion and conscience;
9 
b) Chiidrefers to any person below eighteen (18) years of age or older but who
10 
is incapable of taking care of oneself, as defined under 
the Republic Act No.
11 
7610, otherwise known as the Special Protection of Children against Abuse,
12 
Exploitation and Discrimination Act, as amended;
13 
c) Conscience refers to a person's sense or conviction of right or wrong,
14 
whether or not such sense or conviction comes from a well-defined religious
15 
belief;
16 
d) Discrimination refers to any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference
17 
on the basis of a person's religion or conscience and which has the purpose or
18 
effect of burdening, curtailing, impinging or encroaching on the person's right
19 
to freedom of exercise of religion and liberality of conscience;
20 
e) 
Expression ofreiigious beiiefor conscience refers to the outwa rd or overt
21 
manifestation of one's religious belief or conscience, whether by speech, or
22 
action, sense or conviction of right or wrong, whether or not such sense or
23 
conviction comes from a well-defined religious belief;
24 
f) 
Guardian refers to a legal guardian or any person, other than the biological
25 
parents, who takes the responsibility of taking care of the personal and
26 
property rights of a child;
27 
g) 
Religion refers to a particular system of belief, faith, or "paniniwala"
28 
concerning God or a Higher Authority, whether personal or otherwise, or a
29 
transcendent or divine deity or deities, whether in the singuiar or plural, as well
30 
as the recognition, worship, obedience, or submission to said God or Higher
31 
Authority, either by a fixed dogma, creed, set of doctrines or belief, or code of


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conduct or lifestyle, or by an individual's sense of appropriate or proper
2 
behavior, code, or lifestyle in relation to that God or Higher Authority;
3 
h) 
Religious belief refers to a particular belief or set of beliefs held by a
4 
particular religion, or by an individual person;
5 
i) Religious Freedom refers to the freedom to change, adopt, or retain one's
6 
religion or belief; or freedom from coercion that would impair one's freedom
7 
to have or adopt a religion or belief of one's choice, and to manifest one's
8 
religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching, in public or
9 
private, either individually or in community with others; and
10 
j) 
Religious group refers to a church, religious entity, religious organization or
11 
group of persons who have formed together into a congregation for the
12 
worship of a Higher Authority according to the group's established doctrines
13 
and ceremonies, whether or not the same is registered with the government.
14 
For purposes of this Act, the group does not need to be registered to be
15 
entitled to recognition as a religious group.
16 
SEC. 4. Freedom of Religion and Conscience Protected. - The right of
17 
every person to freedom of religion and liberty of conscience, as well as the free
18 
exercise or expression thereof, as defined and enumerated in this Act, shall be
19 
protected by the State. It shall not be denied, burdened, regulated, or curtailed
20 
even if it is a result of the rule of general applicability of existing laws, except in the
21 
cases provided in Section 5 hereof.
22 
SEC. 5. Exception Clause. - The right of every person to freedom of religion,
23 
or the free exercise thereof and liberality of conscience can be denied, regulated,
24 
burdened, or curtailed only if it can be demonstrated that:
25 
a) The free exercise of religious freedom or conscience of a religious group or
26 
individual results in violence, or inflicts or poses to inflict direct or indirect
27 
physical or material harm or danger on other people, or infringe on their own
28 
freedom of religion or conscience; and
29 
b) It is necessary to protect public safety, public order, health, property and
30 
good morals.
31 
Further, the State shall ensure that in burdening, regulating, or curtailing
32 
religious freedom or freedom of conscience in the circumstances abovementioned.


1 
the State shall adopt the least restrictive means. It shall also ensure that the
2 
measures taken do not become a basis, reason, or excuse for the defamation,
3 
discrimination, or infliction of physical harm, hostility, violence, war, or
4 
dissemination of propaganda or advocacy against any such person or group of
5 
persons whose expression of religious freedom or conscience is the subject of
6 
burden, regulation, or curtailment under conditions stated in this Act.
7 
SEC. 6. Right to Choose a Religion or Religious Group. -The State shall
8 
protect and promote the right of a person to freely choose one's religion, belief or
9 
religious group.
10 
SEC. 7. Right to Exercise or Express Religious Belief, Practices, Acts,
11 
or Activities. -The State shall protect and promote the right of a person to freely
12 
profess, exercise, manifest, or express religious belief, practices, acts, or activities,
13 
either individually or in community with others and in public or private, without fear
14 
of discrimination and punishment, subject to exceptions provided under this Act.
15 
SEC. 8. Right to Act in Accordance with Conscience. - The State shall
16 
similarly protect and promote the right of a person to act, without any form of
17 
coercion, in accordance with one's conscience: Provided, That the act does not inflict
18 
physical or material harm to any person, does not infringe on the religious freedom
19 
of others, or is not contrary to morals, health, property, public order and safety.
20 
SEC. 9. Right to Propagate Religious Beliefs.-The State shall protect and
21 
promote the right of a person to propagate one's religious belief without any form
22 
of coercion subject to the exceptions provided under this Act.
23 
SEC. 10. Right to Disseminate Religious Publications. -The State shall
24 
protect and promote the right of a person to disseminate religious information or
25 
publication, in whatever form, kind, or nature and through any platform, such as
26 
broadcast, print, social media or other online platforms, subject to the exceptions
27 
provided under this Act.
28 
SEC. 11. Right of Religious Worship and Ceremonies. - The State shall
29 
protect and promote the right to religious worship and ceremonies, including that
30 
of indigenous cultural communities and indigenous peoples, free from
31 
discrimination, punishment, interruption, disturbance, violence, and threats thereto,
32 
subject to the exceptions provided under this Act.


1 
SEC. 12. Right to Organizational Independence. - The State shall
2 
protect and promote the right of a religious group to manage its own affairs
3 
independent from political influence or control, subject to existing laws, rules, and
4 
regulations, and the exceptions provided under this Act.
5 
SEC. 13. Right to Freedom against Discrimination in Employment -
6 
The State shall protect and promote the right of a person to equal opportunity and
7 
treatment, and non-discrimination in employment, by virtue of one's religious
8 
affiliation or belief.
9 
SEC. 14. Right to Freedom against Discrimination in Educational
10 
Institutions. - The State shall protect and promote the right of a person to be free
11 
from discrimination on the basis of one's religion, religious belief, religious group or
12 
moral sense or conviction in any educational institution: Provided, That educational
13 
institutions that are founded on religious beliefs or tenets shall be entitled to
14 
standards or codes of behavior pursuant to their religious beliefs and disciplines.
15 
SEC. 15. Right of Companies or Businesses to be Founded on
16 
Religious Belief - It shall be the right of businesspeople and founders or operators
17 
of business outfits to establish the companies, offices, or operations, according to
18 
certain tenets of religious beliefs: Provided, That the same are contained in writing
19 
and form part of the company's vision and mission statements, in which case, such
20 
company or outfit shall be accorded the guarantees provided for under this Act.
21 
SEC. 16. Right of Parents or Legal Guardians to Rear Children. - The
22 
State shall protect and promote the right of parents or guardians to be at liberty in
23 
rearing their children according to their religion, belief, or conscience: Provided,
24 
That a child who comes to the age of majority shall be respected in his or her choice
25 
of religious belief: Provided, further. That in such a case, parental authority under
26 
existing laws, such as the Civil Code of the Philippines, the Family Code, or the Child
27 
And Youth Welfare Code, as may be applicable, shall not be deemed diminished in
28 
any way.
29 
SEC. 17. Prohibited Acts. - It shall be unlawful for any person, natural and
30 
or juridical, to:
31 
a) Compel a person, by means of force, threat, intimidation, punishment, or
32 
undue influence, to choose or not to choose a particular religious group, or to


11
12
b)
1 
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 
9
10 d)
c)
e)
13 
f)
14
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g)
16
17
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h)
19
20 
21
22 
i)
23
24
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j)
26
27
28
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k)
30
31
32 
I)
subscribe to a particular religious belief: Provided, That the practice of certain 
religious groups or faiths of requiring either or both couples to be a member 
thereof before marriage may be officiated shall not be prohibited;
Threaten a person with harm, punishment, or exert undue influence or 
pressure in order to prevent such person from changing one's religion or belief 
or from transferring from one religious group to another;
Compel a person, by means of force, threat, intimidation, punishment, or 
undue influence, to commit an act which is in violation of one's religious belief 
or conscience;
Defame, harass, humiliate or offend a person by reason of one's religious belief 
or the practice of such belief;
Obstruct, hinder or prevent the flow of and access to religious information; 
Hinder or prevent a person from exercising any act that is an expression of 
one's religious belief;
Perform or threaten to perform any act that constitutes or promotes stigma, 
hate, or persecution of a particular religious belief, religious practice, or 
religious community;
Perform or threaten to perform any act that effectively impedes, obstructs, 
prohibits, prevents or inflicts any harm or threatens to cause harm, or in any 
manner, prevents any person from freely and lawfully expressing and 
exercising one's religious beliefs;
Compel a person, by means of force, threat, intimidation, punishment, or 
undue influence to lawfully express and exercise religious beliefs against one's 
will;
Obstruct, hinder, cause undue delay or unjustifiably refuse the production, or 
the valid and free distribution of religious publications: Provided, That such 
publications do not contradict the religious beliefs of the publishing company, 
and such publication does not violate any existing law;
Exert undue influence over the decisions made by any leader or leaders of a 
religious community through monetary, political, social, and personal gains as 
well as parochial interest;
Deny employment to qualified applicants solely on the basis of religion;


1 
m) Sever or terminate employment of a person solely on the basis of one's
2 
adherence to religious belief; and
3 
n) Commit any other act that curtails or violates the rights of a person to religious
4 
freedom as provided under this Act.
5 
SEC. 18. Penalties. - Any person, natural or juridical, who violates Section
6 
17 of this Act shall suffer the following penalties:
7 
a) For the first violation:
8 
(1) For a private individual - a fine of not less than One Hundred Thousand
9 
Pesos (Phpl00,000.00), but not exceeding Five Hundred Thousand Pesos
10 
(Php500,000.00), or imprisonment of not less than six (6) years and one
11 
(1) day, but not more than eight (8) years, or both, at the discretion of
12 
the court; and
13 
(2) For a juridical person - a fine of not less than One Hundred Thousand
14 
Pesos (Phpl00,000.00), but not exceeding Five Hundred Thousand Pesos
15 
(Php500,000.00), or imprisonment of not less than six (6) years and one
16 
(1) day, but not more than eight (8) years, or both, at the discretion of
17 
the court, on the official or employee directly liable and responsible for
18 
the prohibited act.
19 
b) For any subsequent violation:
20 
(1) For a private individual - a fine of not less than Five Hundred Thousand
21 
Pesos (Php500,000.00), but not exceeding Two 
Million Pesos
22 
(Php2,000,000.00), or imprisonment of not less than eight (8) years, but
23 
not more than ten (10) years, or both, at the discretion of the court; and
24 
(2) For a juridical person - a fine of not less than Five Hundred Thousand
25 
Pesos (Php500,000.00), but not exceeding Two 
Million Pesos
26 
(P2,000,000.00), or imprisonment of not less than eight (8) years, but
27 
not more than ten (10) years, or both, at 
the discretion of the court, on
28 
the official or employee directly liable and responsible for the prohibited
29 
act.
30 
SEC. 19. Prohibition Against the Establishment of a Religion by the
31 
State. - Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect or diminish, in any way, the


1 
meaning and intent of Section 5, Article III of the Constitution, which prohibits the
2 
State from establishing any religion.
3 
SEC. 20. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90) days
4 
after the effectivity of this Act, the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Labor
5 
and Employment (DOLE), Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher
6 
Education (CHED), Legal Education Board (LEB), Commission on Human Rights (CHR),
7 
Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), National Commission on Indigenous Peoples
8 
(NCIP), and the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) shall, in coordination
9 
with concerned government agencies and in consultation with other stakeholders, shall
10 
jointly formulate the rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this Act. The
11 
Chairperson of the CHR and the Secretary of the DOJ shall act as co-Chairpersons of
12 
the body that shall formulate the IRR.
13 
SEC. 21. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof is declared
14 
unconstitutional or invalid, the remainder of this Act or any provision not affected
15 
thereby shall remain in full force and effect.
16 
SEC. 22. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance,
17 
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation
18 
contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed,
19 
modified or amended accordingly.
20 
SEC. 23. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days
21 
after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,
8