FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
. First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
S.No. 
2256 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution, Article 2, Section 5 provides: 
'Section 5. The maintenance of peace and order, the protection of life, 
liberty; and property, and promotion of tbe general welfare are essential for the 
enjoyment by all the people ofthe blessings of democracy. 
In another section, the Constitution, in Article 2, Section 20, provides: 
Section 20. The State recognizes the indispensable role of the private 
sector, encourages private enterprise, and provides ihcentives to needed 
investments. 
It is in line with tbese two policies that the legislature has crafted laws to protect the 
rights of investors and consumers of water and electricity services against unauthorized 
"tapping" or pilferage. For instance, there is Presidential Decree no. 401 penalizing the 
unauthorized installation of water, electrical or telephone connections, the use of tampered water 
or electrical meters, and other acts. Another example is Republic Act No. 7832 or the "Anti-
Electricity and Electric Transmission Lines Materials Pilferage Act of 1994." A year after, 
Republic Act No. 8041, also known as the "National Water Crisis Act of 1995" was also enacted 
to penalize "tapping" of water services. 
However, a third commodity more popularly known as cable television services is also in 
dire need of protection. Cable television providers and consumers are complaining about other 
unauthorized users who illegally tap cable services. Not only do these unauthorized users cause 
bad cable signals and other technical problems, they also deprive cable television providers of 
mcome. 
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This bill aims to penalize said act of "cable-tapping" in order to protect the rights of 
consumers and cable service providers. 1 
I This bill was originally filed in the Thirteenth Congress, Third Regular Session. 
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FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
'. 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
1 
AN ACT 
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PENALIZING UNAUTHORIZED INTERCEPTION AND RECEPTION OF CABLE 
3 
TELEVISION SERVICES 
Be It enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
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SECTION 1. Short Title, - This Act shall be known as the "Anti-Cable Tapping Act." 
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SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy- - It is hereby declared the policy of the State to 
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recognize the indispensable role of the private sector, to encourage private enterprise, and 
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provides incentives to needed investments. This Act aims to pursue this policy by giving 
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protecting the Cable Television industry from "cable-tapping:' 
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SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. - For purposes of this Act, "Cable television service" 
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shall mean the transmission or delivery of video and audio programming andlor other 
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programming service for a fee, with or without subscriber interaction, through fiber optics, 
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coaxial cable and other future technological means. 
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SECTION 4. Cable-Tapping Offense. - Any person who: (1) shall intercept or receive, or 
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assist in intercepting or receiving, any service offered over a cable television system by tapping, 
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or making or causing to be made, any unauthorized connection, to existing cable television 
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facilities by the recording reproduction, distribution, importation or sale, of intercepted or 
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received cable television system signals; or (2) shall knowingly use or receive any direct or 
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indirect benefit from any cable television service through any of acts enumerated in the 
, 
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preceding paragraph, shall be guilty of cable-tapping. 
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SECTION 5. Penalties. - Any person who commits any of the unlawful acts enumerated 
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in the next preceding section shall be punished with imprisonment of not less than six (6) months 
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and not more than one (1) year or a fine of not less than five thousand (P5,OOO.OO) pesos nor 
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more than ten thousand (PlO,OOO.OO) pesos or both, at the discretion of the court. If the offender 
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is a corporation or association, the president, manager, managing partner or any officer of the 
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corporation or partnership who directly participated in the violation of this Act shall be held 
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liable. 
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SECTION 6. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part thereof, is held invalid or 
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unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall remain 
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valid and subsisting. 
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SECTION 7. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
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order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to, or inconsistent 
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with, the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended accordingly. 
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SECTION 8. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
, 
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publication in,at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation 
Approved, 
/ptmtOljuly2010 
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