THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 1 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
First Regular Session 
1 
SENATE 
\ 
Senate Bill No. 
J 
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Introduced by SENATOR PANFILO M. LACSON 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Article 111, Section 3(1) of the 1987 Constitution provides 
that "the privacy of communication and correspondence shall be 
inviolable except upon lawful order of the court, or when public 
safety or order requires otherwise as prescribed by law." 
In this connection, Congress enacted Republic Act No. 4200 
entitled I' An Act to Prohibit and Penalize Wire tapping and other 
related Violations of the Privacy of Communication, and for other 
Purposes" which prohibited and penalized wire-tapping. However, 
it must be stressed that said law particularly Section 3 thereof 
provided several exceptions to the prohibitions. 
Under said law, wire-tapping is allowed when a peace 
officer is armed with a court order in cases involving the crimes 
of treason, espionage, provoking war and disloyalty in case of 
war, piracy, mutiny in the high seas, rebellion, conspiracy and 
proposal to commit rebellion, inciting to rebellion, sedition, 
conspiracy to commit sedition, inciting to sedition, kidnapping 
and violations of Commonwealth Act No. 616, punishing 
espionage and other offenses against national security. 
With the following exceptions, wire-tapping though limited 
in its applications, has been an effective tool by our law 
enforcement agencies against criminal elements who have 
wrecked havoc, instability and lack of equanimity in our country 
to the detriment of many of our peace loving citizens. 
Since its passage in June 19, 1965 and up to the present, 
Republic Act No. 4200 has not been reviewed. In the light of the 
present peace and order situation in the country, it is imperative 
for us to revisit the said law to keep it at pace with the changing 
times. 
Taking into account the devastating effects and terror 
brought about by these crimes on the public, it becomes 
indispensable to totally stop, if not minimize, the commission of 


said crimes. Criminal offenders and organized syndicates have 
adopted means and methods using advance communication 
facilities, technologies and instruments to prepare and perpetrate 
criminal activities in such a way that they are hardly detected, 
much more foiled. In order to track down the offenders with an 
end to stop, if not prevent, the commission of these crimes, there 
is a need to arm our law enforcement officers the authority to tap, 
if necessary and with court order, the conversation, plans or 
agreement of the offenders. 
In fine, the propose bill therefore seeks to add the crimes of 
coup d'etat, conspiracy and proposal to commit coup d'etat, 
robbery in band, brigandage/highway robbery, violations of 
Republic Act 9 165, otherwise known as the Comprehensive 
Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 and violations of Republic Act 
9160 as amended by Republic Act 9194, otherwise known as the 
Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001 to the list of offenses 
wherein our law-enforcement officers can, through court order, 
tap any wire or cable, or by using any other device or 
arrangement, to secretly overhear, intercept, or record private 
communication or spoken word in order not to tie the hands of our 
government and its law enforcement agencies in fulfilling its 
mandate of protecting life, liberty and property against the 
malefactors in our society. 
Support and early passage of the bill is earnestly requested. 
P A W b  M. LACSON 
Senator 


SENATE 
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THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 1 
First Regular Session 
OF THE PHLLIPPNS 
\ 
Senate Bill No. 
*
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Introduced by SENATOR PANFILO M. LACSON 
AN ACT 
AMENDING 
SECTION 
3 
OF REPUBLIC 
ACT 
4200, 
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS AN ACT TO PROHIBIT AND 
PENALIZE 
WIRE 
TAPPING AND 
OTHER RELATED 
VIOLATIONS OF THE PRIVACY OF COMMUNICATION, 
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be 
it . enacted 
by 
the 
Senate 
and 
the 
House 
of 
Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assem bled: 
SECTION 1. SEC. 3 of Republic Act 4200, otherwise known 
as the Anti-Wire Tapping Law is hereby amended to read as 
follows: 
"SEC. 3. Nothing contained in this Act, however, 
shall render it unlawful or punishable for any peace 
officer, who is authorized by a written order of the 
Court, to execute any of the acts declared to be 
unlawful in the two preceding sections in cases 
involving the crimes of treason, espionage, provoking 
war and disloyalty in case of war, piracy, mutiny in 
the high seas, rebellion, conspiracy and proposal to 
commit 
rebellion, 
inciting 
to 
rebellion, 
COUP 
D'ETAT, 
CONSPIRACY AND PROPOSAL TO 
COMMIT COUP D'ETAT, sedition, conspiracy to 
commit sedition, inciting to sedition, kidnapping as 
defined by the Revised Penal Code, ROBBERY IN 
BAND 
AS 
DEFINED 
AND 
PENALIZED 
BY 
ARTICLES 294, 295, 296, 299 AND 302 OF THE 
REVISED 
PENAL 
CODE, 
BRIGANDAGE/HIGHWAY 
ROBBERY 
AS 
DEFINED AND PENALIZED BY ARTICLE 306 OF 
THE REVISED PENAL CODE AND PD 532, 
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE ANTI-PIRACY 
AND ANTI-HIGHWAY ROBBERY LAW OF 1974, 
VIOLATIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 
9165 
OTHERWISE 
KNOWN 
AS 
THE 
COMPREHENSIVE DANGEROUS DRUGS ACT 


OF 2002, VIOLATIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 
9160 AS AMENDED BY REPUBLIC ACT 9194, 
LAUNDERING ACT OF 2001 and violations of the 
Commonwealth Act No. 616, punishing espionage and 
other offenses against national security: Provided, 
xxxx” 
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE ANTI-MONEY 
SEC. 2. This Act shall take effect fifteen days after the 
completion of its publication in the Official Gazette or in a 
newspaper of general circulation. 
Approved,