TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
S.B. No.
)
)
)
SENATE
394
pv. *• 1' 
•
25 JULIO P3 -23
atCEIVED BY; 4
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS
AN ACT
EXPANDING THE GROUNDS FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE, 
INSTITUTING DIVORCE AND SETTING THE PROCEDURES THEREOF, 
PROVIDING PROTECTIONS TO THE PARTIES TO THE MARRIAGE AND ITS 
COMMON CHILDREN, AMENDING FOR THIS PURPOSE EXECUTIVE ORDER 
NO. 209, OR THE FAMILY CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR),1 of which the 
Philippines is a signatory, begins by recognizing that "the inherent dignity of all 
persons and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is 
the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world."2 This Bill was drafted with 
these fundamental principles in mind, in keeping with the State's policy to guarantee 
full respect for human rights3 and to ensure the fundamental equality before the law 
of women and men.4
Families are not rigid structures unaffected by the pressures of society—they 
are diverse and constantly changing, but their essence remains the same: to relate 
intimately with each other and provide love and support for the growth and 
development of its members.5 The total development of the family can only happen 
in an environment that is governed by mutual love and respect. It is within this context 
that absolute divorce is proposed to be reinstituted in the Philippines. It is proposed
1 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), GA Res. 2200A (XXI), (1966).
2 ICCPR, Preamble.
3 CONST. (1987), art. II, sec. 11 provides: “The State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees full 
respect for human rights.”
4 CONST. (1987), art. II, sec. 14.
5 Veronica Fenix-Villavicencio, Our Right to Self- Determination: PILIPINA's Position on the Issues of Divorce 
and Abortion, FRIEDRICH-EBERT-STIFTUNG PHILIPPINE OFFICE, 4 (2000), <http://library.fes.de/pdf- 
files/bueros/philippinen/50068.pdf>.
1


as a legal remedy for marital unions that have ceased to be an environment where 
spouses can attain true well-being, growth, and self-fulfillment.
Legislation catering to the protection of the fundamental human rights and 
dignity of persons trapped in failed and irreparable marriages is long overdue.
Recognizing the sanctity of family life, the 1987 Constitution mandates the 
State to protect the family as the basic social institution,6 strengthen its solidarity, and 
actively promote its total development.7 The International Covenant on Economic, 
Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)8 also obligates the State to provide the widest 
possible protection and assistance to the family.9
The State policy in favor of the family should be read alongside the 
constitutional command of valuing the inherent dignity of every human person.10 In 
truth, protecting the family entails safeguarding the equal and inalienable rights of all 
its members,11 ensuring the fundamental equality before the law of men and women,12 
and defending the children from all conditions prejudicial to their development.13 
When a marriage totally breaks down and reconciliation is futile, it becomes the duty 
of the State to afford full relief to the spouses and save children from the pain, stress 
and agony of witnessing regular marital clashes with no end in sight.
Reality tells us that there are many unhappy, failed, or abusive marriages across 
all Filipino classes. Data show that in most cases, it is the women who are usually at 
the receiving end of abuse and violence. According to the 2022 National Demographic 
and Health Survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority, 17.5% of married 
women aged fifteen to forty-nine years old has experienced spousal violence, whether 
physical, sexual, or emotional.14 The same study shows that the biggest perpetrator 
of physical and sexual violence against women is the husband.15 Data from the 
Philippine National Police (PNP) also prove the rising VAW incidence through 2004 to 
2012: (1) 8 percent of married women experience sexual violence; (2) 14.4 percent 
of married women experience physical violence; (3) 3.6 percent of pregnant women
6 CONST. (1987), art. II, sec. 12 provides in part: “The State recognizes the sanctity of family life and shali protect 
and strengthen the family as a basic autonomous social institution.”
7 CONST. (1987), art. XV, sec. 1. “The State recognizes the Filipino family as the foundation of the nation. 
Accordingly, it shall strengthen its solidarity and actively promote its totai development.”
8 International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), GA Res. 2200A (XXI), (1966).
9 ICESCR, art. 10(1).
10 CONST. (1987), art. II, sec. 11 provides: “The State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees 
full respect for human rights.”
11 Id.
12 CONST. (1987), art. II, sec. 14 provides: “The State recognizes the role of women in nation-building, and shall 
ensure the fundamental equality before the iaw of women and men.”
13 Rep. Act. No. 7610 (1992), sec. 2.
14 PHILIPPINE STATISTICS AUTHORITY (PSA) AND ICF, Key Findings from the Philippines National 
Demographic and Health Survey 2022.
15 Id.


experience physical violence. In 2016 alone, the number of VAW cases reported to 
the PNP amounted to 40,536, about 13 percent higher than the 2015 report at 35,897 
cases.16 It is in the pursuit of their rights that women are pushing for the remedy of 
absolute divorce as a means to end their abuse.
Studies also show an unprecedented increase in marital dissolutions across the 
country since the 1960s, from 28,988 Filipino men and 52,187 Filipino women to 
330,253 men and 565,802 women as of 2010.17 This does not include couples from 
the marginalized sectors who have no access to the courts and end up separating 
without the benefit of a legal process.18 Official figures show that Filipino couples 
rarely availed themselves of these remedies because of the high financial costs, the 
tedious legal procedure involved, and the lack of any guarantee that their request will 
be granted.19
While the Family Code provides for grounds for the dissolution of marriage, the 
remedies available are painfully restrictive and inadequate. To illustrate, the remedies 
of annulment20 and declaration of nullity21 under the Family Code only allow the 
dissolution of the marital union on grounds that existed at the time of or prior to the 
celebration of the marriage, respectively. Legal separation,22 on the other hand, while 
recognizing the separation on grounds that may have arisen after the celebration of 
the marriage, does not terminate the marital union. The State's obligation to provide 
assistance to families necessarily includes ensuring that married couples are able to 
avail adequate and accessible legal remedies.
It is high time for the Philippines to reinstitute absolute divorce, allowing 
married spouses in irremediably broken unions to finally start anew. The sanctity of 
marriage, after all, pertains not to the quantity but to the quality of marital 
relationships.23 Justice Mario Victor M.V.F. Leonen articulates this well in his concurring 
opinion in Republic v. Manalo:2a'
16 Philippine Commission on Women, Violence Against Women (VAW), 
<https://pcw.gov.ph/statistics/201405/statistics-violence-against-filipino- 
women?wptouch_preview_theme=enabled> (Last on 15 August 2020).
17 Jeofrey B. Abalos, Divorce and separation in the Philippines: Trends and correlates, 36 DEMOGRAPHIC 
RESEARCH 1515, 1525 (2017).
18 Id. 1526, citing B.T.G. Medina, E.A. de Guzman, A.A. Roldan, and R.M.J Bautista, The Filipino family: 
Emerging structures and arrangements. Quezon City: Office of Research Coordination, University of the 
Philippines (1996).
19 Jeofrey B. Abalos, Divorce and separation in the Philippines: Trends and correlates, 36 DEMOGRAPHIC 
RESEARCH 1515, 1525 (2017).
20 Family code, art. 45.
21 Family code, arts. 35-38.
22 Family code, art. 55.
23 House Bill No. 1599,15th Cong., Explanatory Note (2010).
24 Republic v. Manalo, G.R. No. 221029, April 24, 2018 
<http://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocs/1/64093> .


The restrictive nature of our marriage laws tends to reify the concepts of a 
family which is already far from the living realities of many couples and children. For 
instance, orthodox insistence on heteronormativity may not compare with the various 
other "non-traditional" arrangements present in many loving households.
The worst thing we do in a human relationship is to regard the commitment of 
the other formulaic. That is, it is shaped exclusively by legal imperatives or by the 
ideals romanticized by those who dominate the government. In truth, each 
commitment is unique, borne of its own personal history, ennobled by the sacrifices it 
has gone through, and defined by the intimacy which only the autonomy of the parties 
creates.
In view of the foregoing, theimmediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.
^Ltzx.A.p<jtjeiL
RISA HONTIVEROS 0 
Senator


TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
SENATE
25 JULIO P3:23
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS
AN ACT
EXPANDING THE GROUNDS FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE, 
INSTITUTING DIVORCE AND SETTING THE PROCEDURES THEREOF, 
PROVIDING PROTECTIONS TO THE PARTIES TO THE MARRIAGE AND ITS 
COMMON CHILDREN, AMENDING FOR THIS PURPOSE EXECUTIVE ORDER 
NO. 209, OR THE FAMILY CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
1 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be entitled as the "Dissolution of
2 
Marriage Act".
3 
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - While the State continues to recognize the
4 
sanctity of family life and endeavors to protect and strengthen the family as a basic
5 
autonomous social institution, it is also dutybound to safeguard the dignity of every
6 
human person, guarantee full respect for human rights, uphold the fundamental
7 
equality before the law of men and women and protect and ensure the best interest
8 
of children as the paramount consideration in all matters concerning them. Towards
9 
this end, the State shall adopt a divorce policy in keeping with the fundamental
10 
freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution, the rights guaranteed under the
11 
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Convention of Civil and
12 
Political Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
13 
against Women, Convention on the Rights of the Child, and other International Human
14 
Rights Instruments of which the Philippines is a party.
15 
Sec. 3. Guiding Principles. - The following shall be the guiding principles of the
16 
Act:


1 
A. Recognizing the family as the foundation of the nation, the State shall afford
2 
the family necessary protection and assistance to ensure that it is an
3 
environment conducive to the growth and well-being of all its individual
4 
members so that it can fully assume its responsibilities within the
5 
community.
6 
B. The inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of
7 
the family, the protection of all persons from abuse and violence, gender
8 
equality, and the best interests of children are the fundamental guiding
9 
principles of this legislation and shall be read alongside the responsibility of
10 
the State to protect and strengthen the family as an autonomous social
11 
institution.
12 
C. Absolute divorce shall be judicially decreed based on grounds that existed
13 
before or after the celebration of a valid marriage.
14 
D. The State shall assure that the court proceedings for the grant of absolute
15 
divorce shall be affordable, expeditious, and inexpensive, 
particularly for
16 
indigent litigants.
17 
E. A divorce decree shall include provisions for the care and custody of
18 
children, termination, and liquidation of the conjugal partnership of gains or
19 
the absolute community, and spousal support for the aggrieved spouse. In
20 
resolving issues of child custody, visitation, and support, issues of sexual
21 
orientation, gender identity or expression, and sexual characteristics will not
22 
be made a factor in deciding the award/s.
23 
F. In the invocation of the grounds for absolute divorce, the provisions of this
24 
act shall not be construed as permitting any form of discrimination on the
25 
basis of age, racial or ethnic origin, religious belief or activity, cultural
26 
practices, political inclination or conviction, social 
class, sex, gender, sexual
27 
orientation, gender identity and expression, sexual characteristics, marital
28 
or relationship status, disability, migrant status, HIV status, health status or
29 
medical history, language, physical features, or other status.
30 
Sec. 4. Definition of Terms. -
31 
A. Absoiute divorce refers to the legal termination of a marriage by a court in
32 
a legal proceeding, requiring a petition or complaint for divorce by one or


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
30
31
both party/ies, which will have the effect of returning both parties to the 
status of single for all legal intents and purposes, including the right to 
contract a subsequent marriage;
B. Best interest of the child refers to the totality of the circumstances and 
conditions most congenial to the survival, protection, and feelings of 
security of the child, and most encouraging to their physical, psychological, 
and emotional development. It also means the least detrimental available 
alternative for safeguarding the growth and development of the child;
C. C/7//C/refers to a common child of the spouses below eighteen (18) years of 
age or eighteen (18) years and older but who is incapable of taking care of 
oneself as defined under Republic Act No. 7610, as amended, and shall 
include an offspring by legal adoption or one whose custody and care is 
judicially decreed to be given to a guardian;
D. Child custody refers to the parental authority and care of a child as decreed 
by a proper court when the parents of the child are divorced;
E. Indigent litigant refers to one whose gross income, including that of the 
spouse, if married, does not exceed an amount double the monthly 
minimum wage of an employee;
F. Marriage annulment or dissolution refers to a marriage duly solemnized by 
a priest, imam, rabbi, or presiding elder of a church or religious entity, or 
duly solemnized or performed by an elder or leader of an indigenous cultural 
community (ICC) or indigenous people (IP) in the Philippines, which is 
subsequently annulled, dissolved, declared a nullity, or terminated in a final 
judgment or pronouncement in accordance with the canons or precepts of 
such church, religious entity, or customs and practices of ICCs or IPs;
G. Migrant worker refers to a person who is to be engaged, is engaged, or has 
been engaged in remunerated activity in a state of which he or she is not a 
citizen or on board a vessel navigating the foreign sees other than a 
government ship used for military or non-commercial purposes or on an 
Installation located offshore or on the high seas; to be used interchangeably 
with overseas Filipino worker;


1 
H. Mixed Marriage refers to a marriage between a Filipino citizen and a
2 
foreigner that is validly celebrated abroad or in the Philippines;
3 
I. Support refers to the amount indispensable for sustenance, dwelling,
4 
clothing, medical attendance, education and transportation, in keeping with
5 
the financial capacity of the family. The education of the person entitled to
6 
be supported shall include his schooling or training for some profession,
7 
trade or vocation, even beyond the age of majority. Transportation shall
8 
include expenses in going to and from school, or to and from place of work;
9 
J. Proper court refers to the proper family court established under Republic
10 
Act No. 8369 or the "Family Courts Act of 1997", which shall exercise
11 
jurisdiction both over the absolute divorce proceeding and the persons of
12 
the petitioner and respondent spouses;
13 
K. Separation refers to the absolute cessation of marital relations, duties, and
14 
rights.
15 
Sec. 5. Grounds. - Either or both spouses may seek a judicial decree of absolute
16 
divorce based on the following grounds:
17 
A. Five years of separation, whether continuous or broken, without a judicial
18 
decree of separation; Provided, that when the spouses are legally separated
19 
by judicial decree under Article 55 of the Family Code of the Philippines, a
20 
two (2) year period from the time of the issuance 
of the decree of legal
21 
separation will suffice;
22 
B. The commission of the crime of rape by the respondent-spouse against the
23 
petitioner-spouse, whether before or after the celebration of their marriage;
24 
C. The grounds for legal separation under article 55 of the Family Code or any
25 
other special law; Provided, that, physical violence or grossly abusive
26 
conduct under article 55(1) need not be repeated; Provided further, that,
27 
lesbianism and homosexuality per se under article 55(6) shall not be a
28 
ground, unless either or both spouses commit marital infidelity;
29 
D. A final decree of absolute divorce validly obtained in a foreign jurisdiction
30 
by any Filipino citizen, regardless of who they married;


1 
E. Irreconcilable marital differences or irreparable breakdown of the marriage,
2 
despite earnest efforts at reconciliation, subject to a cooling 11 off period of
3 
sixty (60) days pursuant to Section 8 of this Act;
4 
F. A marriage annulment or dissolution, duly authorized by a church or
5 
religious entity, or a marriage termination duly authorized by customs and
6 
practices traditionally recognized, accepted and observed by an ICC or IP to
7 
which the parties belong, having the same effect as a decree of divorce,
8 
annulment, dissolution or declaration of nullity issued by a competent court.
9 
Sec. 6. Procedure for Obtaining Absoiute Divorce. - The established and
10 
recognized procedures for securing legal separation, annulment of marriage and
11 
voiding of a marriage under the Family Code of the Philippines shall, as far as
12 
practicable, govern the process of obtaining a judicial decree of absolute divorce from
13 
the proper family court which shall be commenced by the filing of a verified petition
14 
for absolute divorce by the petitioner-spouse or petitioner-spouses. A petition for
15 
absolute divorce may be filed separately or jointly by the spouses on the basis of
16 
Section 5 of this Act. A joint petition filed by both spouses with common children
17 
should be accompanied by a joint plan for parenthood which provides for the support,
18 
custody, and living arrangements of the common children. If the court determines
19 
that the joint plan for parenthood is adequate to protect the rights and interests of
20 
the common children, the court shall approve the joint plan for parenthood together
21 
with the grant of a divorce decree if warranted.
22 
For the recognition of customs and practices of ICC or IP having the same effect as a
23 
decree of divorce, annulment, dissolution or declaration of nullity, any independently-
24 
verifiable proof of such customs or practices, and of the membership of the spouses
25 
in an ICC or IP, will be admissible in evidence.
26 
The conduct of online filing and hearings may be available to OFWs, subject to
27 
issuances of the Court.
28 
All creditors of the absolute community or of the conjugal partnership of gains, as well
29 
as the personal creditors of the spouses, shali be listed in the petition for absolute
30 
divorce.
31 
Sec. 7. Indigent Litigants. - Upon application by the petitioner-spouse and
32 
presentation of evidence of indigency, the court shall waive the payment of filing fees


1 
and other costs of litigation, and shall appoint a counsel de oficio and assign social
2 
workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists, preferably from appropriate government
3 
agencies, to assist the petitioner and the common children of the parties.
4 
In evaluating evidence of indigency, the court may take into consideration the
5 
petitioner's independent source of income, property, and capacity to afford the
6 
services of counsel after considering his or her basic necessities for himself or herself
7 
and his or her family. The court may also consider if the petitioner is from a
8 
marginalized group or entity and is not financially able to afford the services of counsel
9 
under the circumstances, such as in the case of farmers, indigenous peoples, victims
10 
of gender violence, and other similar causes.
11 
Evidence of indigency shall include but is not limited to the following:
12 
A. An affidavit of indigency stating no income or insufficiency of income;
13 
B. The latest income tax return or pay slip;
14 
C. Certificate of indigency from the Public Attorney's Office;
15 
D. Certificate of Indigency from the Department of Social Welfare and
16 
Development (DSWD) having jurisdiction over the residence of the litigant;
17 
E. Certificate of Indigency and/or no income from the Office of the Punong
18 
Barangay/ Barangay Chairperson having jurisdiction over the residence of
19 
the litigant;
20 
F. Other proofs of net income.
21 
Sec. 8. Mandatory Cooling-Off Period. - An action for absolute divorce shall in
22 
no case be tried before sixty (60) days from the filing of the petition on the ground of
23 
irreconcilable differences.
24 
Sec. 9. When a Divorce is Secured in Any Other Country. - In a marriage where
25 
one or more of the parties is a foreign national, either or both spouses may seek
26 
judicial recognition or enforcement of the foreign decree dissolving a marriage in
27 
accordance with existing laws and rules, provided, that the spouse who did not
28 
participate in the divorce proceedings may seek relief in the proper court with respect
29 
to the incidents of the judgment.
30 
Sec. 10. Effects of Absolute Divorce. - The decree of absolute divorce shall
31 
have the following effects;


1 
A. The marriage bonds shall be dissolved and the divorced spouses shall have
2 
the right to contract marriage again.
3 
B. The custody of the minor children, and the visitation rights of the spouse
4 
not granted primary custody, shall be decided by the proper court in
5 
accordance with the best interests of the children upon the recommendation
6 
of a registered social worker. In no case will child custody be given to the
7 
offender-spouse when the ground/s for the divorce falls under Article 55,
8 
paragraphs (1), as herein modified, (2), (3), (4), (5), (7), (8), (9), and (10)
9 
of the Family Code of the Philippines.
10 
C. Unless otherwise agreed upon in a marriage settlement executed before the
11 
celebration of the marriage, the conjugal partnership of gains or the
12 
absolute community shall be dissolved and liquidated, and the assets shall
13 
be divided between the spouses.
14 
D. The liabilities of the spouses to creditors for family expenses shall remain
15 
solidary.
16 
E. Donations by reason of marriage shall remain valid, except that if the donee
17 
is an offender-spouse under article 55, paragraphs (1), as herein modified,
18 
(2), (3), (4), (5), (7), (8), (9), and (10) of the Family Code of the Philippines,
19 
such donations made to said donee are revoked by operation of law;
20 
F. Either spouse may revoke the designation of the other spouse as beneficiary
21 
in any insurance policy, 
even if such designation be stipulated as
22 
irrevocable.
23 
G. With respect to testate and intestate succession, the divorced spouses shall
24 
no longer be compulsory heirs to one another.
25 
H. The legitimate, legitimated, and adopted children of divorced parents shall
26 
retain their legal status and legitimacy. Children conceived or born prior to
27 
the finality of the divorce decree shall be considered legitimate.
28 
Sec. 11. Support. - The court shall provide for child support pursuant to the
29 
pertinent provisions of the Family Code.
30 
The court shall provide for spousal support; provided, that, the spouse who gave cause
31 
for divorce shall not be entitled to spousal support.


1 
In considering the award of support, the court shall consider relevant circumstances
2 
of the case and of the parties. On application of either party, the court may decree an
3 
increase or decrease in the amount of support upon a showing of a substantiai and
4 
material change of circumstances.
5 
In case the respondent-spouse is an OFW, a copy of the order to grant spousal
6 
support, if any, and chiid support shall be furnished to the Overseas Workers Welfare
7 
Administration (OWWA) and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
8 
Sec. 12. Custody and Support Pendente Lite. - During the pendency of the
9 
action and in the absence of adequate provisions in a written agreement between the
10 
spouses, the court, upon application of the proper party, shail provide for the support
11 
of the spouses and the custody and support of their common children. It shall also
12 
provide the appropriate visitation rights of the other parent.
13 
Sec. 13. Recognition of Reconciiiation. - If the spouses have agreed to reconcile
14 
at any time, the procedure under Articles 64, 65 and 66 of the Family Code of the
15 
Philippines shali apply.
16 
Sec. 14. Penaities. - Any person who fails to provide court-ordered child support
17 
and/or court-ordered spousal support, shall be punished by prision mayor and shall
18 
be fined in the amount of one hundred thousand pesos (PHP 100,000.00) to not more
19 
than three hundred thousand pesos (PHP 300,000.00) on top of unpaid child support
20 
and/or spousal support with compounding legal interest computed from date of default
21 
until full payment. Interest due on the principal amount accruing as of judicial demand
22 
shall separately earn legal interest accruing from date of demand until full payment.
23 
Notwithstanding other iaws to the contrary, the court shall order an appropriate
24 
percentage of the income or salary of the respondent to be withheld regularly by the
25 
respondent's employer for the same to be automatically remitted directly to the other
26 
spouse. Failure to remit and/or withhold or any delay in the remittance of support to
27 
the other spouse and/or their common children without justifiable cause shall render
28 
the respondent and/or their employer liable for indirect contempt of court.
29 
Sec. 15. Appeais. - A decree of divorce validly obtained is final and executory
30 
insofar as the capacity to remarry is concerned. Orders for child support, child custody
31 
and spousal support are immediately executory pending appeal. Either of the parties
32 
may file at any time for a motion to review orders of child support, custody, and


1 
spousal support, on the ground of a material change in the factual circumstances upon
2 
which the orders of child support, custody and spousal support were predicated. The
3 
court that granted the decree of divorce shall have jurisdiction over the motions for
4 
review.
5 
Sec. 16. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The Department of Justice
6 
(DOJ) as lead agency, together with the Department of Social Welfare and
7 
Development (DSWD), the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), the Department
8 
of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG),
9 
the Council for the Welfare of Children, the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), one
10 
representative from a women's organization with proven track record in women and
11 
gender rights advocacy identified by the PCW, one representative from a children's
12 
organization with proven track record in child rights advocacy to be identified by the
13 
CWC, and two gender and family law experts from the UP Law Center shall promulgate
14 
the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) within sixty (60) days after the
15 
effectivity of this Act.
16 
Sec. 17. Repealing Clause. - All other laws, decrees, executive orders, issuances,
17 
rules and regulations, or part thereof inconsistent with this Act are hereby likewise
18 
repealed or amended accordingly.
19 
Sec. 18. Separability Clause. - If, for any reason, any section or provisions of
20 
this Act is declared unconstitutional or invalid, the other sections or provisions not
21 
affected thereby shall remain in full force and effect.
22 
Sec. 19. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days
23 
upon publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,