FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
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OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
There is no law which prescribes a uniform system for determining 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. 
This bill prescribes aviation noise limits, provides for its management and reduction 
specially in surrounding areas, and provides for a staged plan which involves zoning, laud use 
planning and relocation.* 
*This bill was originally filed during the Thirteenth Congress, First Regular Session. 


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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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First Regular Session 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
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AN ACT 
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RESIDENTIAL AREAS 
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Congress assembled: 
PROVIDING FOR AVIATION NOISE MANAGEMENT AND REDUCTION IN 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
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2007.” 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Aviation Noise Limit Act of 
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SECTION 2. Declaration of State Policy. - The State shall protect public health by 
determining noise impact of residential areas near airports and by establishing programs for the 
management of noise levels. The State shall also ensure the constitutionally protected right o f  
quiet enjoyment of private property. 
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applicable in normal circumstances. 
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SECTION 3. Dejinition of Terms. -For purposes of this Act, the term: 
(A) “Airspace traffic change” means a change in aircraft flight paths, operating 
procedures, nature of aircraft traffic, and quantity of aircraft traffic which is 
(B) “Average sound level” means the level, in decibels of the mean-square; a weighted 
sound pressure during a specified period with reference to the square of the standard 
reference sound pressure of 20 micropascals. 
(C) “Background sound level” means the level, in decibels, measured at a rate 
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representative of a relatively quiet residential location within an area, with aircraft 
noise contributions excluded. 
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(D) “Day-night sound level” means the 24-hour average sound level, in decibels, for the 
period from midnight to midnight, obtained after the addition of 10 decibels to 
sound levels during nighttime hours. 
(E) “Nighttime hours” means periods between midnight and 7:OO am and between 
1O:OO p.m. and midnight local time. 
“Normal circumstances” means all circumstances other than unusually adverse 
weather and emergency circumstances. 
“Single event maximum sound level” means the level, in decibels, of the maximum 
A-weighted sound pressure during an aircraft overflight obtained using a standard 
sound level meter under a slow response setting. 
(H) “Vicinity of an Airport” means the geographic area surrounding an airport 
established before the effectivity of this Act described nominally as follows: 
(F) 
(G) 
(1) The area extending in all directions within a distance of 1.5 miles from each 
runway established before such date of effectivity; and 
(2) The rectangular area defined by drawing a straight center line within a 
distance of one (1) mile from the end of each runway established before such 
date of the effectivity in the direction of heaviest traffic and extending 1.5 
miles perpendicular from the center line on each side of such runway. 
SECTION 4. Aviation Noise Limits. - The Air Transportation Office of the Department 
of Transportation and Communication shall develop a medium-term plan to reduce by at least 
seventy five percent (75%) the number of individuals residing in residential areas in the vicinity 
of an airport who are exposed to a yearly day-night average sound level of sixty (60) decibels or 
above. In developing such plan, the Air Transportation Office shall consider various methods for 
aviation noise reduction including soundproofing, relocation incentives, use of quieter aircraft 
operations restrictions and revision of air routes. 
As part of the plan to be developed pursuant to the preceding paragraph, the Air 
Transportation Office shall make recommendations on actions and policy changes on the part of 
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departments and agencies of the government which could assist in meeting the objective 
described in paragraph 1 of this section. 
SECTION 5. Management and Reduction of Aviation Noise in Other Areas. - Beginning 
on the date of the enactment of this Act, the Air Transportation Office may make an airspace 
traffic change only if the change will not result in an increase in aviation noise in violation of the 
next succeeding section. 
SECTION 6. Requirements. - A violation of the following requirements which apply 
only to residential areas that are not in the vicinity of an airport, shall be considered to be a 
violation of this section. 
(A) Hourly Average Sound Level. - The hourly average sound level, with combined 
aviation and non-aviation sources, over any 1-hour period may not exceed six (6) 
decibels above the background sound level for such 1-hour period. 
(B) Single Event Maximum Sound Level. -Under normal circumstances, the single event 
maximum sound level - 
(1) May not exceed seventy (70) decibels; 
(2) During nighttime hours, may not exceed fifty five (55) decibels; and 
(3) May not be more than twenty (20) decibels above the background sound level 
for the 1-hour period in which the event occurs. 
The requirement of this paragraph shall be considered to have been met if there are no 
more than three (3) violations of the limits contained in this subparagraph in a twenty-four (24) 
period, 
(C) Day-Night Average Sound Level. - If the day-night average sound level, with 
combined aviation and non-aviation sources, exceeds forty five (45) decibels, then 
aviation activity may not contribute more than three (3) decibels to such sound 
level. 
SECTION 7. Determination of Vicinity of Airport. - If the location of the airport is 
substantially different from the geographic area as defined by this Act, an airport operator, may 
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on or before the 180th day following the effectivity of this Act, transmit to the Air Transportation 
Office for approval alternative boundaries of the vicinity of the airport which conform to the 
ground noise distribution of the airport; except that the geographic area enclosed by such 
alternative boundaries may not include an area with a day-night average sound level of less than 
sixty (60) decibels for the one (1) year period ending on the date of the effectivity of this Act. 
In the event that an airspace traffic change or other action makes it unfeasible or 
impracticable to meet the sound level limits prescribed by this Act within a residential area, then 
such area may be added to the area considered to be in the vicinity of the airport upon acquisition 
of the property or by acquisition of easements of the property by the airport operator. 
Not later than one (1) year after the date of the effectivity of this Act, the Air 
Transportation Office through the Department of Transportation and Communication shall 
transmit to Congress a report containing the plan to be developed and a description of actions 
taken with respect to airspace changes together with recommendations for appropriate 
administrative and legislative actions. 
SECTION 8. Responsibility of the Secretuy of Transpovtation and Communications. - In 
complying with this Act, the Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communication 
shall assume responsibility for all non-military aviation activity, within and outside controlled 
airspace and shall regulate such activity to ensure compliance with the requirements of this Act. 
SECTION 9. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof, is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the reminder of the law of the provision not otherwise affected shall remain 
valid and subsisting. 
SECTION 10. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to, or inconsistent 
with, the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended accordingly. 
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SECTION 11. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
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Approved, 
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