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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
First Regular Session 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
                 House Bill No. 3964
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Introduced by REP. JESUS MANUEL “BONG” C. SUNTAY 
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EXPLANATORY NOTE 
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Roads must be governed by law, not by fear or arbitrariness. Today, many law-abiding 
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drivers, despite exercising defensive driving, face immediate detention in the aftermath 
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of an accident. This results in undue hardship without advancing justice. 
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This bill defines defensive driving and protects motorists from unwarranted detention 
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when they can promptly present credible and contemporaneous evidence—such as 
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dashcam or CCTV footage—that they had complied with traffic laws before and during an 
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accident. It balances this protection with the rights of law enforcement to impound 
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vehicles, record identities, and pursue liability through due process. 
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The measure rewards vigilance, incentivizes transparency, and unclogs enforcement 
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systems. Above all, it reaffirms the principle that liberty may be curtailed only upon fair 
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and sufficient cause. 
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In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
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REP. JESUS MANUEL “BONG” C. SUNTAY 
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August 26, 2025
8:00 am


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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
First Regular Session 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
                 House Bill No. 3964
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Introduced by REP. JESUS MANUEL “BONG” C. SUNTAY 
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AN ACT DEFINING DEFENSIVE DRIVING AND PROVIDING FOR THE 
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PROTECTION OF MOTOR VEHICLE DRIVERS INVOLVED IN A ROAD 
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ACCIDENT WITH SUFFICIENT PROOF OF THEIR DEFENSIVE DRIVING 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines 
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in Congress assembled: 
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Section 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the "Defensive Driving 
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Protection Act". 
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Sec. 2. Definition of Terms. – For purposes of this Act, the following terms shall be 
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defined as follows: 
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(a) Defensive Driving refers to a proactive approach to road safety and involves
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anticipating and responding to potential hazards, keeping an appropriate
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distance from other vehicles, and staying alert for possible risk on the road.
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(b) Dashboard Camera refers to a camera that is mounted in or around the
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dashboard of a motor vehicle. It faithfully records all it sees as the vehicle moves
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about its daily business.
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(c) Law Enforcement Officer refers to all officers of the law who exercise the
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powers of arrest or detention.
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Sec. 3. Proof of Defensive Driving. – Any person driving a motor vehicle who is 
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involved in a traffic accident shall not be detained by the law enforcement officer if he or 
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she can provide credible evidence of his or her defensive driving such as, but not limited 
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to the following: 
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(a) A dashcam video taken by the driver of the motor vehicle showing that he or
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she was not violating any traffic laws before and during the incident;
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(b) A closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showing that the driver of the motor 
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vehicle was not violating any traffic rules before and during the incident; or 
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(c) Any other video footage or still image from any witness in the vicinity of the 
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incident showing that the driver of the vehicle was not violating any traffic rules 
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before and during the incident.  
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Provided, that the presentation of the foregoing evidence shall not exonerate the 
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driver of the motor vehicle from any liability under the law. 
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Provided, further, that any other person who suffered injury to himself or herself 
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or his or her property, or the heirs of the person who died due to the road accident shall 
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retain the right to pursue all other legal remedies available to them under the law. 
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Sec. 4. Authority of the Law Enforcement Officer. – Notwithstanding the 
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presentation of evidence under Section 3 of this Act, the law enforcement officer shall 
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have the authority to acquire and process the personal information of the driver of the 
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vehicle involved in the incident, and impound the vehicle involved in the incident, in 
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accordance with pertinent laws, rules and regulations. 
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Sec. 5. Separability Clause. - If any portion or provision of this Act is declared 
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unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act or any provision not affected thereby shall 
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remain in force and effect.  
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Sec. 6. Repealing Clause. - All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, rules 
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and regulations and other issuances, or any part thereof, inconsistent with this Act are 
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hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly. 
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Sec. 7. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
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publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.  
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Approved, 
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