,,.. " _  
FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
7 ~ : L , , . ; ; i  
First Regular Session 
1 
~ 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The proposed measure seeks to protect the general welfare through a more pragmatic 
penal regulation against gambling, which is certainly inimical to public interest. As it is a 
declared policy of the State to discourage and prohibit forms of gambling not regulated or 
sanctioned under existing laws, there is a need to review and amend the same in order to 
efficiently and effectively carry out the people's crusade against illegal gambling. 
Law enforcement against illegal gambling will continue to be ineffective unless the laws 
provide stiffer penalties for violations thereof, which this bill seeks to provide.* 
* This bill was originally filed during the Thirteenth Congress, First Regular Session. 


6 
I 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
First Regular Session 
) 
.1 
I 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
-;7 
.)\.ii., 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
RATIONALIZING THE LAW AGAINST GAMBLING AND/OR BETTING BY PROVIDING 
STIFFER PENALTIES, FORFEITURE AND CONFISCATION PROVISIONS AND 
ESTABLISHING A PRIMA FACIE PRESUMPTION FOR VIOLATIONS THEREFOR, 
AMENDING FOR THESE PURPOSES PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 1602. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Section 1 of Presidential Decree No. 1602 is hereby amended to read as 
follows: 
"Section 1. Penalties. - The following penalties are hereby imposed: 
(a) The penalty of PRTslONMAYOR IN ITS MEDIUM PERIOD OR A 
FINE RANGING FROM TWENTY THOUSAND PESOS (P20,OOO.OO) TO 
FORTY THOUSAND PESOS (P40,000.00), OR BOTH [prision correcional in 
its medium period or a fine ranging from one thousand pesos (P1,OOO.OO) to six 
thousand pesos (P6,000.00), and in case of recidivism, the penalty of PRISION 
MAYOR IN ITS MAXIMUM PERIOD OR A FINE RANGING FROM THIRTY 
THOUSAND PESOS 
(P30,OOO.OO) TO 
SIXTY THOUSAND PESOS 
(P60,OOO.OO) OR BOTH brision mayor in its medium period or a fine ranging 
from FIVE THOUSAND PESOS (P5,000.00) to TEN THOUSAND PESOS 
(10,000.00), shall be imposed upon: 
(1) Any person other than those referred to in the succeeding 
subsections who in any manner, shall directly or indirectly take part in any 
illegal or unauthorized activities or games of cockfighting, jueteng, jai- 
alai, or horse racing to include bookie operation and game-fixing, 
numbers, bingo, and other forms lotteries, cara y cruz, pompiang and the 
1 


1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
like 7-1 1 and any game using dice, blackjack, lucky nine, poker and its 
derivatives, monte, baccarat, cuujo, pagnnguinge and other card games; 
pailc que, high and low, mahjong, domino and other games using plastic 
tiles and the likes; slot machines, roulette, pinball, and other mechanical 
contraptions and devices; dog racing, boat racing, car racing and other 
forms of individual or team contest to include game fixing, point shaving 
and other machinations; banking or percentages game or scheme, whether 
upon chance or skill, wherein wagers consisting of money, articles of 
value or representative of value are at stake or made. 
(2) Any person shall knowingly permit any form of gambling 
referred to in the preceding subparagraph to be carried on in an inhabited 
or uninhabited place or in any building, vessel, or other means of 
transportation owned or controlled by him: PROVIDED, that i[I]f the 
place where gambling is carried on has a reputation of a gambling place or 
that prohibited gambling is frequently carried on therein, or the place is a 
public or government building or barangay hall, the malefactor shall be 
punished by PRISION MAYOR IN ITS MAXIMUM PERIOD OR A 
FINE RANGING FROM THIRTY THOUSAND PESOS (P30,OOO.OO) 
TO FIFTY THOUSAND PESOS (PSO,OOO.OO, OR BOTH lprision 
correccional in its maximum period and a fine of SIXTY THOUSAND 
PESOS (P60,OOO.OO). 
(3) Any person who permits or allows his name to be used for 
illegal gambling or who uses or permits himself to be used as a dummy in 
connection with illegal gambling. 
(b) The penalty of PRISION MAYOR IN ITS MAXIMUM PERIOD OR 
FINE RANGING FROM THIRTY THOUSAND PESOS (P30,OOO.OO) TO 
SIXTY THOUSAND PESOS (P60,000.00), OR BOTH ; PROVIDED, THAT 
THE PENALTY OF RECLUSION TEMPORAL AND A FINE RANGING 
FROM FORTY THOUSAND PESOS (P40,OOO.OO) TO SIXTY THOUSAND 
2 


1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
I 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
PESOS (P60,OOO.OO) SHALL BE IMPOSED UPON A MAINTAINER OR 
CONDUCTOR WHO OPERATES THREE OR MORE GAMBLING OR 
BETTING JOINTS, DENS, OR HOUSES OR WHEN THE GAMBLING OR 
BETTING OPERATION IS OF A LARGE SCALE, SUCH AS WHEN IT 
COVERS A CITY, MUNICIPALITY, OR BARANGAY; 
THE PROPERTY DERIVED BY THE MAINTAINER OR 
CONDUCTOR, WHO OPERATES THREE OR MORE GAMBLING OR 
BETTING JOINTS, DENS OR HOUSES, OR WHO OPERATES ON A LARGE 
SCALE, FROM ILLEGAL GAMBLING OR BETTING SHALL BE 
FORFEITED AND/OR CONFISCATED IN FAVOR OF THE GOVERNMENT. 
THE BURDEN OF PROVING THE COMMISSION OF CRIMES COVERED 
UNDER THIS SUBSECTION. ONCE THE PROSECUTION PROVES THAT 
THE PROPERTIES OWNED, HELD OR ACCUMULATED BY THE 
ACCUSED, IN HIS OWN NAME OR IN THOSE OF OTHER PERSONS, IS 
MANIFESTLY OUT OF PROPORTION TO HIS LAWFUL INCOME, IT 
SHALL DEVOLVE UPON THE ACCUSED TO SHOW THAT SUCH 
PROPERTIES WERE ACQUIRED BY LAWFUL MEANS; PROVIDED, THAT 
ANY PROPERTY WHICHHE DID NOT PROVE AS AMONG THOSE HE 
ACQUIRED BY LEGAL MEANS SHALL BE PRESUMED TO HAVE BEEN 
ACQUIRED ILLEGALLY; 
UPON THE FILIFNG OF THE CRIMNAL CASE, THE COURT SHALL 
SCHEDULE A HEARING FOR THE DETERMINATION OF THE 
PROPERTIES MENTIONED HEREIN WHICH MAY BE CONFISCATED 
AND FORFEITED. DURING THE PENDENCY OF THE CASE, NO 
PROPERTY, OR INCOME DERIVED THEREFROM, WHICH MAY BE 
CONFISCATED AND FORFEITED, MAY BE DISPOSED, ALIENATED, OR 
TRANSFERRED AND THE SAME SHALL BE IN CUSTODIA LEGIS AND 
NO BOND BE ADMITTED FOR THE RELEASE OF THE SAME. 
3 


1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
THE PROCEEDS OF ANY SALE OR DISPOSITION OF ANY 
PROPERTY OR MONEY CONFISCATED OR FORFEITED UNDER THIS 
SUBSECTION SHALL BE USED TO PAY ALL PROPER EXPENSES OF 
SEIZURE, CUSTODY AND MAINTENANCE OF PROPERTY PENDING ITS 
DISPOSITION, ADVERTISING, PUBLICATION, AND COURT COSTS; 
(c) The penalty of PRISIONMA YOR IN ITS MAXIMUM PERIOD OR A 
FINE RANGING FROM FORTY THOUSAND PESOS (P40,OOO.OO) TO SIXTY 
THOUSAND PESOS (P60,000.00), OR BOTH, brision mayor in its medium 
period with temporary absolute disqualification or fine of SIX THOUSAND 
PESOS] shall be imposed if the maintainer, conductor or banker of said gambling 
schemes is a government official, or where such government official is the player, 
promoter, referee, umpire, judge, or coach in case of game fixing, point shaving 
and machination; 
(d) The penalty of prision correccional in its medium period or a fine 
ranging from FIVE THOUSAND PESOS (P5,OOO.OO) TO TEN THOUSAND 
PESOS (PlO,OOO.OO), OR BOTH [four hundred pesos (P400.00) to TWO 
THOUSAND PESOS (P2,OOO.OO) shall be imposed upon any person who shall 
knowingly and without lawful purpose in any hour of any day, possess any lottery 
list, paper, of other matter containing letters , figures, signs or symbols AND 
OTHER GAMBLING PARAPHERNALIA pertaining to or in any manner used 
in the same games ofjueteng, jai-alui or horse racing bookies, and similar games 
o f  lotteries and numbers which have taken place or about to take place: 
PROVZDED, 
THAT 
POSSESSION 
OF 
SAID 
ARTICLES 
OR 
PARAPHERNALIA SHALL BE PRZMA FACIE EVIDENCE OF THE 
VIOLATION OF THIS SUBSECTION: PROVZDED, FURTHER, THAT SUCH 
ARTICLES FOUND IN HIS POSSESSION SHALL BE SEIZED AND 
CONFISCATED IN FAVOR OF THE GOVERNMENT; 
(e) The penalty of PERPETUAL [temporal] absolute disqualification shall 
be imposed upon any PUBLIC [barangay] official who, with knowledge of the 
A 


1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
I 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
existence of a gambling house of place in his jurisdiction, fails to abate the same 
action in connection therewith; 
(f) The penalty of prision correccionul in its maximum period or a fine 
ranging from FIVE THOUSAND PESOS (P5,OOO.OO) TO TEN THOUSAND 
PESOS (PlO,OOO.OO), OR BOTH, [FIVE HUNDRED PESOS (P500.00) to TWO 
THOUSAND PESOS (P2,OOO.OO) shall be imposed upon any security officer, 
security guard, watchman, private or house detective of hotels, villages, building, 
enclosure and the like which have the reputation of a gambling place or where 
gambling activities are being held; and 
(g) ANY PERSON WHO USES DILATORY TACTICS TO HINDER, 
OBSTRUCT OR IMPEDE THE SUCCESSFUL EXECUTION OF AN 
OPERATION AGAINST ILLEGAL GAMBLING AND/OR BETTING BY 
LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENIES OR BY ANY OTHER AGENCY OF 
GOVERNMENT OR OTHERWISE EXTENDS PROTECTION TO A 
MAINTAINER CONDUCTOR, BAKER OR ANY OTHER PERSON 
OTHERWISE INVOLVED IN ILLEGAL GAMBLING AND/OR BETTING 
SHALL BE PENALIZED WITH PRISION CORRECIONAL IN ITS 
MAXIMUM PERIOD OR A FINE RANGING FROM TEN THOUSAND 
PESOS (PlO,OOO.OO) TO TWENTY THOUSAND PESOS (P20,000.00), OR 
BOTH. 
SECTION 2. Informer’s Reward. - Any person who shall disclose information that will 
lead to the arrest and final conviction of the malefactor shall be rewarded twenty five percent 
(25%) of the cash money or articles of value confiscated or forfeited in favor of the government. 
SECTION 3. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof, is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision otherwise affected shall remain valid 
26 
and subsisting. 
5 


1 
2 
3 
modified or amended accordingly. 
SECTION 4. Repealing Clause. - Presidential Decree No. 1602 is hereby amended and 
rule and regulation contrary to, or inconsistent with, the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, 
4 
5 
SECTION 5. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
6 
Approved, 
6