FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
SENATE 
Ei 
/'.iJG 23 P5 :H~ . 
• ".'" ~!:eE'VI!;D 1!I¥~. 
Senate Bill No. 2440' 
;.-
INTRODUCED BY HON. MANNY VILLAR 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
There is no law which prescribes a uniform system for 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. 
The bill prescribes aviation noise limits, provides for its management and 
reduction especially in the surrounding residential areas, and provide for a staged plan 
which involves zoning, land use planning and relocation . 
• 


FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
SENATE 
"~' ,~' 
..~ 
,;~, 
M(';,f.'fII'!J)~:y __ ' '. 
Senate Bill No. 2 <1 ib 
, 
INTRODUCED BY HON. MANNY VILLAR 
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR AVIATION NOISE MANAGEMENT AND REDUCTION IN 
RESIDENTIAL AREAS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title - This Act shall be known as the "Aviation Noise Limit 
2 
Act." 
3 
SECTION 2. Declaration of State Policy - The State shall protect public health 
4 
by determining noise impact of residential areas near airports and by establishing 
5 
programs for the management of noise levels. 
The State shall also ensure the 
6 
constitutionally protected right of quiet enjoyment of private property. 
7 
SECTION 3. Definitions - For the purpose of this Act, the following definitions 
8 
shall apply: 
9 
(1) Airspace traffic change -
a change in aircraft flight paths, operating 
10 
procedures, nature of aircraft traffic, and quantity of aircraft traffic which is applicable in 
II 
normal circumstances. 
12 
(2) Average sound level - the level, in decibels of the mean-square, A-weighted 
13 
sound pressure during a specified period, with reference to the square of the standard 
14 
reference sound pressure of 20 micropascals. 
2 


(3) Background sound level-hourly average sound level in decibels, measured at 
2 
a representative of a relatively quiet residential location within an area (with aircraft 
3 
contributions excluded). 
4 
(4) Day-night average sound level - 24 hour average sound level, in decibels, for 
5 
the period from midnight to midnight, obtained after the addition of 10 decibels to sound 
6 
levels during nighttime hours. 
7 
(5) Nighttime hours -
periods between midnight and 7:00 a.m. and between 
8 
10:00 p.m. and midnight local time. 
9 
(6) Normal circumstances -
all circumstances other than unusually adverse 
10 
weather and emergency circumstances. 
11 
(7) Single event maximum sound level - the level, in decibels, of the maximum 
12 
A-weighted sound pressure during an aircraft overflight obtained using a standard 
13 
sound level meter under a slow response setting. 
14 
(8) Vicinity of an airport - the geographic area surrounding an airport established 
15 
before the effectivity of this Act described nominally as follows: 
16 
(a) The area extending in all directions a distance of 1.5 miles from each 
17 
runway established before such date of effectivity. 
18 
(b) The rectangular area defined by drawing a straight center line a 
19 
distance of 1 miles from the end of each runway established before 
20 
such date of the effectivity in the direction of heaviest traffic and 
21 
extending 1.5 miles perpendicular from the center line on each side of 
22 
such runway. 
23 
SECTION 4. Aviation Noise Limits -
The Air Transportation Office of the 
24 
Department of Transportation and Communication shall develop a medium-term plan to 
25 
reduce by at least 75 percent the number of individuals residing in residential areas in 
26 
the vicinity of an airport who are exposed to a yearly day-night average sound level of 
27 
60 decibels or above. 
In developing such plan, the Air Transportation Office shall 
3 


consider various methods for aviation noise reduction, including sound proofing, 
2 
relocation incentives, use of quieter aircraft, operations restrictions and revision of air 
3 
routes. 
4 
As part of the plan to be developed pursuant to the preceding paragraph, the Air 
5 
Transportation Office shall make recommendations on actions and policy changes on 
6 
the part of departments and agencies of the government which could assist in meeting 
7 
the objective described in paragraph 1 of this section. 
s 
SECTION 5. Management and Reduction of Aviation Noise in Other Areas -
9 
Beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the Air Transportation Office may 
10 
make an airspace traffic change only if the change will not result in an increase in 
11 
aviation noise in violation of the next succeeding section. 
12 
SECTION 6. Requirements - A violation of any of the following requirements, 
13 
which apply only to residential areas that are not in the vicinity of an airport, shall be 
14 
considered to be a violation of this Section. 
15 
(a) Hourly average sound level- The hourly average sound level, with combined 
16 
aviation and non-aviation sources, over any 1-hour period may not exceed 6 decibels 
17 
above the background sound level for such 1-hour period. 
18 
(b) Single Event Maximum Sound Level -
Under normal circumstances, the 
19 
single event maximum sound level-
20 
(i) may not exceed 70 decibels; 
21 
(ii) during nighttime hours, may not exceed 55 decibels; and 
22 
(iii) may not be more than 20 decibels above the background sound level 
23 
for the 1-hour period in which the event occurs. 
24 
The requirement of this paragraph shall be considered to have been met if there 
25 
are no more than 3 violations of the limits contained in this subparagraph in a 24-hour 
26 
period. 
4 


(c) Day-Night Average Sound Level - if the day-night average sound level, with 
2 
combined aviation and non-aviation sources, exceeds 45 decibels, then aviation activity 
3 
may not contribute more than 3 decibels to such sound level. 
4 
SECTION 7. Determination of Vicinity of Airport - if the location of the airport is 
5 
substantially different from the geographic area as defined by this Act, an airport may 
6 
on or before the 180'h day following the effectivity of this Act, transmit to the Air 
7 
Transportation Office for approval alternative boundaries of the vicinity of the airport 
8 
which conform to the ground noise distribution of the airport; except that the geographic 
• 
9 
area enclosed by such alternative boundaries may not include an area with a day-night 
10 
average sound level of less than 60 decibels for the 1-year period ending on the date of 
11 
the effectivity of this Act. 
12 
I n the event that an airspace traffic change or other action makes it unfeasible or 
13 
impracticable to meet the sound level limits prescribed by this Act within a residential 
14 
area then such area may be added to the area considered to be in the vicinity of the 
15 
airport upon acquisition of the property or by acquisition of easements of the property 
16 
by the airport operator. 
17 
Not later than 1 year after the date of the effectivity of this Act, the Air 
18 
Transportation Office through the Department of Transportation and Communication 
19 
shall transmit to Congress a report containing the plan to be developed and a 
20 
description of actions taken with respect to airspace changes together with 
21 
recommendations for appropriate administrative and legislative actions. 
22 
SECTION 8. Responsibility of Secretary of Transportation -
In complying with 
23 
this Act, the Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications shall 
24 
assume responsibility for all non-military aviation activity, within and outside controlled 
25 
airspace and shall regulate such activity to ensure compliance with the requirements of 
26 
this Act. 
5