Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

House Bill No.__ 5524

Introduced by Representative Emmeline Y. Aglipay-Villar, DIWA Party-list

EXPLANATORY NOTE

For centuries, the book has been one of the primary means by which human beings have
‘communicated culture, exchanged ideas, and learned from the knowledge, experience, and
imagination of other human beings. It is for this reason that books, and the importation and sale
of the same, have traditionally been granted benefits under the law in order to facilitate the trade,
production, and consumption of books. This has been done through both domestic issuances, and
international conventions such as the Florence Agreement.

However, the form of the book has radically changed in the past ten years. Books can now be
found in forms and mediums that could not be foreseen by earlier statutory definitions of a
"book." Many citizens have access to books on their smart phones, many schools now use or
plan to use interactive textbooks, and many of the visually-impaired now benefit from books
with variable text sizes or which come in purely audio form.

While the form of books may have changed, their importance to the cultural, educational, and
scientific progress of our nation and its citizens has not. As such, it is only right that books, in
whatever form they may be found, be covered by the benefits that accrue to traditional print
books. As such, this bill seeks to bring the definition of the book in-line with modern
developments, so as to not unjustly exclude moder forms of the book which are becoming
increasingly ubiquitous and important in our modern age.

owen. %. Relig

EMMELINE Y. AGLIPAY-VILLAR

Representative, DIWA Party-list


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

5524

HOUSE BILL NO,

Introduced by Representative Emmeline Y. Aglipay-Villar, DIWA Party-list

AN ACT EXPANDING THE DEFINITION OF A BOOK AND THE BENEFITS
ATTENDANT THERETO, AMENDING FOR THIS PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO.
8047, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE DEVELOPMENT
OF THE BOOK PUBLISHING INDUSTRY THROUGH THE FORMULATION AND
IMPLEMENTATION OF A NATIONAL BOOK POLICY AND A NATIONAL BOOK

DEVELOPMENT PLAN.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Republic of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. - Short Title. This Act shall be known as the "Expanded Definition of the Book
Act."

SECTION 2. - Declaration of Principles and Policies. It is recognized that the book publishing
industry has a significant role in national development, considering that books which are its
products are instrumental in the citizenry's intellectual, technical and cultural development — the
basic social foundation for the economic and social growth of the country, It is further
recognized that the current definition of a "book" is insufficient to encompass the modern forms
in which books exist, and that expanding the statutory definition of the same shall promote the
creation, patronage, and consumption of the same, to the benefit of the nation’s cultural heritage.

Section 3, Section 3 of Republic Act No, 8047, or the Book Publishing Industry Development
Act, is hereby amended, with the addition of the following subparagraphs, to read as follows:

SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. — For purposes of this Act, the terms
below shall be construed to mean, except where explicitly indicated or
where the context clearly indicates otherwise, as follows:

(a) Book — this may fall under the general categories of Print Book,
Digital Book, an Audio Book, or a Hybrid Book, as defined herein.
Provided, that benefits that attach to print books shall also be enjoyed by
all other types of books, as. may ~— be _—_ applicable:

(1) A print book, is a printed non-periodical publication made available to
the public, regardless of the size of the publication, material used in
printing or in the cover, or the inclusion of accessory items or features
such as simple electronics, stickers, or toys. This definition shall
encompass such categories of books as picture books, board books, coffee-


table books, hardcover books, mass market books, trade paperbacks,
comic books, textbooks, and boxed sets of books;

(2) An electronic book, is a digital file that may either a reproduction of a
paper book, or an original publication, made available for download as a
discrete and singular unit, and may be enhanced by features such internal
and extemal links and embedded media; Provided, that this definition does
not include publications accessible only while online (hence ebooks
exclude websites), or software that requires (as opposed to merely
allowing) constant and regular input from the reader above and beyond
that of moving to the next page/section of the book, or providing answers
or inputting exercises in the case of educational material such as textbooks
(hence ebooks exclude games);

(3) An audio book is a recording that is primarily of the spoken word
opposed to music, and may be in the form of a digital file/s or said file/s
contained in a physical format, such as an optical media disk;

(4) A hybrid book is a printed, non-periodical publication made available
to the public with a substantial amount of supporting tangible material,
such as in the form of activity sets that come with the materials necessary
to put into practice the contents of the book; provided, that user manuals,
or other printed material that is merely accessory to a non-book object, do
not fall under the category of a hybrid book.

SECTION 4, Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The National Book Development
Board, in consultation with the BOI, Bureau of Customs (BOC), and other appropriate

agencies from the private and government sectors, shall review the Implementing Rules
and Regulations of Republic Act No. 8047 and ascertain the necessity of amending the
same or issuing new rules or regulations, issuing any necessary rules, regulations, or

amendments Act within ninety (90) days after the effectivity of this Act.

SECTION 5. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is declared
unconstitutional, the same shall not affect the validity and effectivity of the other
provisions hereof.

SECTION 6, Repealing Clause. - All laws, executive orders, presidential decrees,
presidential proclamations, rules and regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with the
provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 7. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from its
publication in the Official Gazette or at least two (2) national newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,