SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
S. No. 
Introduced by Senator Ralph G. Recto 
Explanatory Note 
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'13 
JUL 10 A9 :57 
It is a legal truism that taxes are the lifeblood of the Govermnent. Thus, to generate 
income. the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC), are mandated 
to collect national taxes, tariffs and duties, under the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) 
and the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines (TCCP), respectively, to finance 
Government projects, programs and its personnel. 
In the arena of tax collection, there are two sides always, the Govermnent and the 
taxpayer. Reading the provisions of NIRC and TCCP on remedies, the Government is amply 
protected. 
Under the NIRC, as amended, and TCCP, as amended, there are legal rights and remedies 
available to the taxpayers. However, inspite of the available remedies and rights, there are 
reports that certain individuals have been subjected to harassment by some officials and 
employees of the BIR and BOC as well as to undue and baseless complaints resulting to 
embarrassment and humiliation on the part of the taxpayers. 
Protecting taxpayers is a balancing task that challenges the Govermnent vis-ii-vis its 
mandate to collect the necessary revenues for the Govermnent. 
Thus, this bill seeks to ordain a bill of rights for the taxpayers which provide: a) 
taxpayers' basic rights, b) taxpayers' right in civil cases, and c) taxpayers' rights in criminal 
cases. The enumerated rights are in addition to the legal rights and remedies provided for under 
NIRC and TCCP. 
In order to protect the taxpayers' bill of rights, this measure seeks to establish the Office 
of the Taxpayers Advocate with, among others, the following functions: 
a. assist taxpayers in resolving problems with the BIR and BOC; 
b. identify areas in whic1J. taxpayers have problems in dealings with the BIR and BOC; 
c. to the extent possible, propose changes in the administrative practices of the BIR and 
BOC to mitigate problems identified under the preceding paragraph; and 
d. identify potential legislative changes which may be appropriate to mitigate such 
problems; and 
e. issue taxpayer assistance orders. 
1 


" 
Clearly, there is a need to enact this bill into a law in order to protect the rights of thtl 
taxpayers. Hence, promoting honesty and observance of proper procedures on the part of BIR 
and BOC, which in the process will minimize, if not totally eliminate graft and corruption. 
In view of the foregoing, urgent approval of this measure is earnestly sought. 
o 
2 


jp?nllh' 
SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
'~Ift;r tlf t~\!; .. ~l'rfl"htr\l 
OF THE PIDLIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
'13 
JUL 10 A9 :57 
SENATE 
718 
S.No. __ _ 
Introduced by Senator Ralph G. Recto 
AN ACT 
ORDAINING A BILL OF RIGHTS FOR TAXPAYERS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
I 
SECTION 1. Titk. - This Act shall be known as "The Taxpayer Bill of Rights 
2 
Actof2013." 
3 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Principles. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State 
4 
to provide increased protection of taxpayers' rights in complying with the National 
5 
Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended, the Tariff and Customs Code of the 
6 
Philippines, as amended, and all other rules and regulations, to the end that abuses 
7 
committed against taxpayers are mitigated or avoided, and taxes are collected 
8 
responsibly, with due regard for taxpayers' rights. 
9 
SEC. 3. Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. - In addition to the rights and remedies of 
10 
the taxpayers as provided for in the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) of 1997, as 
11 
amended; Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines (TCCP), as amended; Republic 
12 
Act No. 1125, as amended, creating the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA); and all other laws, 
13 
rules and regulations, issuances and circulars in support thereof, the taxpayers are hereto 
14 
granted the following: a) taxpayers' basic rights; b) taxpayers' rights in civil cases; and c) 
15 
taxpayers' rights in criminal cases, whether at the administrative level or at the judicial 
16 
level, concerning tax assessments, collection and refund, and prosecution for criminal 
17 
cases. 
18 
SEC. 4. Taxpayers' Basic Rights. - The following are the taxpayers' basic 
19 
rights: 
1 


1 
a. The right to be informed of any pending assessment, investigation for criminal 
2 
tax cases, collection or any other case(s) filed against the taxpayer or that the taxpayer is 
3 
a subject of any request for third-party information or any lifestyle check for purposes of 
4 
tax compliance. The right to available information and prompt, accurate rcsponses to 
5 
questions and requests for tax assistance shall always be assured. 
In this regard, all 
6 
revenue officers and agents shall undergo regular evaluation on a variety of job standards 
7 
including customer relations. This standard requires agents to ensure that they fully 
8 
explain to taxpayers their rights under the law; 
, 
9 
b. The right to obtain simple, nontechnical statements, which explain the reason 
10 
for audit selection and the procedures, remedies, and rights available during audit, 
11 
appeals at:\d collection proceedings. These rights include, but are not limited to, the rights 
12 
pursuant to this Taxpayers' Bill of Rights and the right to be provided with a narrative 
13 
description which explains the basis of audit changes, proposed assessments, assessments 
14 
and denials of refunds; identifies any amount of tax, interest, or penalty due; and states 
15 
the consequences ofthe taxpayer's failure to comply with the notice; 
16 
c. The right to have a speedy and impartial disposition of cases, the right to due 
17 
process and the observance of rules regarding assessments, refunds or any other 
18 
proceedings including requests for advisory rulings, clearances, termination letters and 
19 
lifting of seizure, garnishment and forfeiture orders, whether it be against himlher or 
20 
against the officials and staff of the Bureau of Intemal Revenue (BIR), the Bureau of 
21 
Customs (BOC) and other government agency or municipality, including government 
22 
owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) or government financial institutions (GFIs), 
23 
tasked with the enforcement of revenue or banking and financial laws, whether oflocal or 
24 
national application; 
25 
d. The right to privacy as guaranteed by the Constitution, and the right to have 
26 
any case or proceeding, including those involving third-party information requests 
27 
against or involving the taxpayer, to be devoid of pUblicity, whether through radio, 
28 
television, newspaper or any alternative media, while said case or proceeding is pending; 
2 


'. 
1 
e. The right to seek assistance from the National Taxpayer Advocate who shall 
2 
be responsible for facilitating the resolution of taxpayer complaints and problems not 
3 
resolved through the nonnal administrative channels within the BIR or BOC, including 
4 
any taxpayer complaints regarding unsatisfactory treatment by BIR or BOC employees. 
5 
The taxpayers' rights advocate may issue a stay order if a taxpayer has suffered or is 
6 
about to suffer irreparable loss as a result of an action by the said Bureaus; 
7 
f. The right to have the taxpayer's tax infonnation kept confidential unless 
8 
otherwise specified by law; 
9 
g. The right to participate in. free education activities that help the taxpayer 
10 
successfully comply with the revenue laws of the State; 
11 
h. The right to fair and consistent application of the tax laws of the State by the 
12 
BIR and SOC; 
13 
i. The right to have the BIR begin and complete its audits in a timely and 
14 
expeditious manner after notification of intent to audit (letter of authority). Such audit 
15 
shall be conducted only once per year unless otherwise provided by law; 
16 
j. The right to request for installment payment of tax liabilities under any 
17 
compromise settlement or any assessed tax liabilities pursuant to Taxpayer Assistance 
18 
Order; 
19 
k. The right to recover attorney's fees and litigation costs for tax assessments 
20 
made without substantial justification, and for claims for tax refunds which are not acted 
21 
upon for an uureasonable length of time at the administrative level, or denied at the 
22 
administrative level but subsequently allowed by the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) if it 
23 
appears that such denial was unjustified. The award of attorney's fees and costs of 
24 
litigation shall be included in the order upholding the taxpayer's claim; 
25 
I. The right to have interests and penalties abated in case of any unjustifiable 
26 
error or delay caused by the tax authorities or their agents, including ministerial acts such 
27 
as loss of records, personnel transfers, extended illness or leaves of absence, and 
28 
personnel training; and, 
3 


1 
m. The right to have the assistance of counsel in criminal proceedings, should the 
2 
taxpayer request for it. 
3 
SEC. 5. 
Tuxpayers' Rights in Civil Cases. -
The following 
are 
the 
4 
taxpayers' rights in civil cases: 
5 
a. The right to have the opportunity to have the case against him/her amicably 
6 
settled, as the case may warrant: Provided, that in every stage of the proceeding, whether 
7 
in the administrative or judicial level, the parties shall always be given the chance to 
8 
exhaust all and every remedy available for the speedy settlement of the case: Provided, 
9 
however, That nothing in this law shall deprive the court of competent jurisdiction of its 
10 
judicial prerogatives; 
11 
b. The right to be informed of impending collection action which require sale or 
12 
seizure of property or freezing of assets, except jeopardy assessments, and the right to 
13 
have at least thirty (30) days notice in which to pay the liability or seek further review; 
14 
c. The right to have all other collection actions attempted before a jeopardy 
15 
assessment suspended, unless delay will endanger collection and, after a jeopardy 
16 
assessment, the right to have an immediate review of the jeopardy assessment. As used 
17 
herein, jeopardy assessment is a tax assessment made by an authorized revenue officer 
18 
(RO) without the benefit of a complete or partial audit, considering the RO's judgment 
19 
that the assessment and collection of a deficiency tax will be jeopardized by delay caused 
20 
by the taxpayer's failure to: (I) comply with audit and investigation requirements to 
21 
present his books of accouuts and/or pertinent records; or (2) substantiate all or any of the 
22 
deductions, exemptions or credits claimed in his return; 
23 
d. The right to seek review, through formal or informal proceedings, of any 
24 
adverse decisions relating to determinations in the audit or collection processes and the 
25 
right to seek a reasonable administrative stay enforcement action while the taxpayer 
26 
pursues other administrative remedies available uuder the law; 
27 
e. The right to procedures for conditional termination of tax obligations through 
28 
installment payment agreements which recognize both the taxpayer's financial condition 
4 


1 
and the best interests of the State, provided that the taxpayer gives accurate and current 
2 
information and meets all other tax obligations on schedule; 
3 
f. 
The right to procedures for requesting cancellation, release, or modification of 
,4 
liens filed by the BIR and the BOC and for requesting that any lien which is filed in error 
5 
be so noted on the lien cancellation filed by the BIR and the BOC, with public notice to 
6 
any credit agency at the taxpayer's request; 
7 
g. The right of the taxpayer in a judicial or administrative action brought or 
8 
maintained without the support of justiciable issues of fact or law, to recover all costs of 
9 
the administrative or judicial action, including reasl;lnable attorney's fees: and 
10 
h. The right to waiver of interest that accrues as the result of errors or delays 
11 
caused by a BIRJBOC employee: Provided, That the provisions of Rule 63 of the Rules 
12 
of Civil Procedures (Declaratory Relief and Similar Remedies) shall likewise be 
I3 
applicable to the aggrieved taxpayer. 
14 
SEC. 6. Taxpayers'Rights In Criminal Tax Cases.- The following are the 
15 
taxpayers' rights in criminal tax cases: 
16 
a. The right to be knowledgeably and intelligently informed of the charges as 
17 
contained in any properly and timely prepared audit report, assessment notice, 
18 
correspondence, document, letter and the like, as implemented by rules and regulations, 
19 
as the case may be, coming from the BIR or BOC or any govermnent agency tasked to 
20 
enforce the revenue laws and banking and financial laws, in appropriate cases; 
21 
b. The right to be given ample and adequate opportunity, as the situation may 
22 
warrant, to present evidence at hislher or anybody else's possession that would assist the 
23 
taxpayer in the pursuit of the case; 
24 
c. The taxpayer shall have the right to seek the assistance of competent and 
25 
willing counsel of hislher own choice, to help and assist himlher in the preparation or 
26 
defense of the case; 
27 
d. The right to be served with all the necessary documents and papers 
28 
appurtenant thereto, relative to the charges against himlher, in a manner that would assist 
29 
himlher to expeditiously present hislher side pursuant to the charges against himlher; 
5 


I 
e. The taxpayer shall have the right to present hislher own witnesses: and 
2 
f. 
The right to be represented or advised by counselor other qualified 
3 
representatives at any time in administrative interactions with the BIR and the BOC, the 
4 
right to procedural safeguards with respect to recording of interviews during tax 
5 
determination or collection processes conducted by the BIR and the BOC, the right to be 
6 
treated in a professional manner by the BIR and the BOC personnel and the right to have 
7 
audits, inspections of records, and interviews conducted at a reasonable time and place 
8 
except in criminal and internal investigations. 
9 
SEC. 7. Creation of the Office of the National Taxpayer Advocate. - In order 
10 
to protect the rights of taxpayers and recognizing the complexity of tax laws, both 
II 
substantive and procedural, there is hereby created the Office of the National Taxpayer 
12 
Advocate to promote tax compliance and assist taxpayers, individual or juridical, when ' 
13 
established tax procedures fail to resolve any dispute. 
The Office of the National 
14 
Taxpayer Advocate shall be under the administration and supervision of an official to be 
IS 
known as the "National Taxpayer Advocate" and shall be attached to the Office of the 
16 
President for administrative purposes only. The National Taxpayer Advocate shall have 
17 
the rank of undersecretary and shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines. 
18 
The National Taxpayer Advocate shall be a Filipino citizen, at least forty (40) 
19 
years of age, a member of the Philippine Bar in good standing, with at least ten (10) years 
20 
of practice in the field of taxation, with proven integrity and competence, and must not 
21 
have been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude. 
22 
An individual cannot be appointed as the National Taxpayer Advocate if such 
23 
individual has been an employee or officer of, or has rendered service as consultant or in 
24 
any other capacity to, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) or the Bureau of Customs 
25 
(BOC) or any of its agencies or has been a local treasurer for two (2) years prior to such 
26 
appointment. A National Taxpayer Advocate cannot serve as officer or employee or 
27 
consultant of, or be appointed to or act in whatever capacity in, the BIR or the BOC or as 
28 
local treasurer, within five (5) years following hislher tenure as a National Taxpayer 
6 


I 
Advocate. For purposes of this Act, a local treasurer includes a municipal, city or 
2 
provincial treasurer. 
3 
SEC. 8. Functions of OffICe of the Taxpayers Advocate. -
It shall be the 
4 
function of the Office ofthe Taxpayers Advocate to-
5 
a. Assist taxpayers in resolving their problems with the BIR and BOC; 
6 
b. Identity areas in which taxpayers have problems in dealings with the BIR and 
7 
BOC; 
8 
c. Propose changes, to the extent possible, in the administrative practices of the 
9 
BIR and BOC with the end in view of mitigating problems identified under the preceding 
10 
paragraph; 
11 
d. Identify potential legislative changes which may be appropriate to mitigate 
12 
such problems: and 
13 
e. Issue taxpayer assistance orders upon application filed by a taxpayer with the 
14 
Office of the National Taxpayer Advocate, the latter may issue a Taxpayer Assistance 
15 
Order when: (i) it is determined that the taxpayer is suffering or about to suffer a 
16 
significant hardship as a result of the manner in which the internal revenue laws are being 
17 
administered by the BIR, BOC or the local treasurer; or (ii) the taxpayer meets such other 
18 
requirements as are set forth in the implementing rules and regulations of the Act. For 
19 
purposes of this paragraph, a significant hardship shall include (i) an immediate threat of 
20 
adverse action; (ii) any action that will violate the right to privacy of a taxpayer; (iii) a 
I 
21 
delay of more than thirty (30) days in resolving taxpayer account problems; (iv) the 
22 
taxpayer will incur significant and unnecessary costs, including fees for professional 
23 
representation, if reliefis not granted; or (v) irreparable injury to, or a long-term adverse 
. 24 
impact on, the taxpayer if relief is not granted. Nothing herein shall prevent the National 
25 
Taxpayer Advocate from taking any action in the absence of an application mentioned 
26 
herein. 
27 
f. 
In cases where any tax authority employee is not following the laws, rules and 
28 
regulations or any applicable published administrative guidance, the National Taxpayer 
7 


1 
Advocate shall construe the factors taken into account in determining whether to issue a 
2 
Taxpayer Assistance Order iu the manner most favorable to the taxpayer. 
3 
g. Any Taxpayer Assistance Order issued by the National Taxpayer Advocate 
4 
under this section may be modified or rescinded only by the National Taxpayer 
5 
Advocate, only if a valid written explanation was submitted by the Commissioner of 
6 
Revenue or the Commissioner of Customs, as the case may be, and that the reasons for 
7 
the modification or rescission are specifically stated by the National Taxpayer Advocate 
8 
in the rescission or modification order. 
9 
h. The duration of any period of limitation with respect to any action for which a 
I 
10 
Taxpayer Assistance Order has been issued shall be suspended for the period beginning 
11 
on the date of the taxpayer's application under subsection (e) and ending on the date of 
12 
the National Taxpayer Advocate's decision with respect to such application and any 
13 
period specified by the National Taxpayer Advocate in a Taxpayer Assistance Order 
14 
issued pursuant to such application. 
15 
SEC. 9. Submission of Annual Reports by the OffICe of the National Taxpayer 
16 
Advocate. - Not later than December 31 of each calendar year, the Office of the National 
17 
Taxpayer Advocate shall report to the Chairperson of the Committee on Ways and Means 
18 
of the Senate of the Philippines and House of Representatives on its activities during the 
19 
fiscal year ending during such calendar year. Any such report shall contain full and 
20 
substantive analysis, in addition to statistical information, and shall-
21 
a. identifY the initiatives that the Office of the National Taxpayer Advocate has 
22 
undertaken aimed at improving taxpayer services and the tax authorities' responsiveness; 
23 
b. contain recommendations received from individuals by the Office of National 
24 
Taxpayer Advocate; 
25 
c. contain a summary of at least twenty (20) of the most serious problems 
26 
encountered by taxpayers, inclnding a description of the nature of such problems; 
27 
d. contain an inventory of the items described in subsections (a), (b), and (c) for 
28 
which action has been taken and the resnlt of such action; 
8 


I 
e. contain an inventory of the items described in subsections (a), (b), and (c) for 
,2 
which action remains to be completed and the period during which each item has 
3 
remained on such inventory; 
4 
f. contain an inventory of the items described in subsections (a), (b), and (c) for 
.5 
which no action has been taken, the period during which each item has remained on such 
6 
inventory, the reasons for the inaction, and identifY any BIR and BOC official or 
7 
employee who is responsible for such inaction; 
8 
g. identify any Taxpayer Assistance Office orders/recommendations which was 
9 
not honored by the BIR, and the BOC in a timely manner; 
10 
h. contain recommendations for such administrative and legislative action as 
11 
may be appropriate to resolve problems encountered by taxpayers; 
12 
i. identify areas of the tax law that impose significant compliance burdens on 
13 
taxpayers, the BIR, the BOC, and local treasurers including specific recommendations for 
14 
remedying these problems; 
15 
j. identify the twenty (20) most litigated issues for each category of taxpayers, 
16 
including recommendations for mitigating such disputes: and 
17 
k. inclnde such other infonnation as the National Taxpayer Advocate may deem 
18 
advisable. 
19 
Each report required under this subparagraph shall be provided directly to the 
20 
Committee on Ways and Means of the Senate of the Philippines and the House of 
21 
Representatives without any prior review or comment from the respective Commissioner 
22 
of BIR or BOC or any other officer or employee of the said Bureaus. The National 
23 
Taxpayer Advocate shall furnish copies of said report to the Secretary of Finance, and to 
24 
the respective Commissioners of the BIR and BOC. 
25 
The Commissioners of the BIR and BOC shall establish procedures requiring a 
26 
fonnal response to all recommendations submitted to them by the National Taxpayer 
27 
Advocate within three (3) months from the date of submission. 
28 
SEC. 10. Other Responsibilities of the National Taxpayer Advocate. - The 
29 
National Taxpayer Advocate shall-
9 


1 
a. monitor the coverage and geographic allocation of local offices of taxpayer 
2 
advocates; 
'3 
b. develop guidelines to be distributed to all BIR and BOC officers and 
4 
employees and the local treasurers outlining the criteria for referral of taxpayer inquiries 
5 
to local offices of taxpayer advocates; 
6 
c. ensure that the local teleph<!Ue number for each local office of the taxpayer 
7 
advocate is published and available to taxpayers served by the office; and 
8 
d. develop career paths for local taxpayer advocates in the Office of the National 
9 
Taxpayer Advocate. 
10 
SEC. 11. Personnel Actions of the National Taxpayer Advocate. -
The 
11 
National Taxpayer Advocate shall have the responsibility and authority ro-
12 
a. appoint local taxpayer advocates and make available at least one (1) such 
13 
advocate for each province; and 
14 
b. evaluate and take personnel actions including dismissal with respect to any 
15 
employee of any local office of the National Taxpayer Advocate described in subsection 
16 
(a). 
17 
The National Taxpayer Advocate may consult with the appropriate supervisory 
18 
personnel of the BIR and BOC in carrying out the National Taxpayer Advocate's 
19 
responsibilities and qualifications under this Section. 
20 
SEC. 12. Remedies. - Any violation of the provisions of this Act committed by 
21 
any official or employee of the BIR or the BOC, other than the Commissioner of Internal 
22 
Revenue and Commissioner of Customs, shall be filed with the office of the 
23 
Commissioner of Internal Revenue or the Commissioner of Customs, as the case may 
24 
warrant, with tile assistance of the National Taxpayer Advocate. The Commissioner of 
25 
Internal Revenue or the Commissioner of Customs shall decide the controversy 
26 
expeditiously, which shall not in any case be less than thirty (30) days nor more than 
27 
sixty (60) days from the time the complaint or case is filed with their respective offices. 
28 
Decisions of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue or the Commissioner of Customs 
29 
concerning any complaint or case for violation. of the provisions of this Act, may be 
10 


1 
brought for review by the aggrieved party or anybody acting on his/her behalf, to the 
2 
Secretary of Finance. Should the Commissioner of Internal Revenue or Commissioner of 
3 
Customs fail to act on such complaint or case within the time herein prescribed, the 
4 
aggrieved party or anybody acting on his/her behalf may file the complaint or case 
5 
directly with the Secretary of Finance. 
,6 
Complaints against the Commissioner of Internal Revenue or the Commissioner 
7 
of Customs for violation of this Act shall be filed directly with the Secretary of Finance 
8 
who shall decide the case within sixty (60) days from the date the complaint was filed. 
9 
Decisions of the Secretary of Finance may be appealed before the Office of the President. 
10 
Any complaint or case filed pursuant to this Section shall be without prejudice to 
11 
any other action that may be instituted against the employee or official of the BIR or the 
12 
BOC under existing laws, rules and regulations. 
13 
Evidence against the taxpayers obtained in relation to this Act shall be 
14 
inadmissible in any court or proceeding if found to have been obtained in violation of any 
IS 
of the above-enumerated taxpayer's rights 
16 
SEC. 13. Penalties for the Violation of the Bill of Rights of Taxpayers. - Any 
17 
person or public officer who is found to have violated the Bill of Taxpayers Rights shall 
18 
be punished with imprisonment of not less than ~ix (6) years nor more than twelve (12) 
19 
years and a fine of not less than one hundred thousand pesos (PhpI00,000.00) but not 
20 
more than five hundred thousand pesos (Php500,000.00). 
21 
SEC. 14. Report of the Secretary of Department of Finance. - On or before June 
22 
1 of each calendar year, the Secretary of the Department of Finance shall submit and 
23 
present to both the Chairpersons of the Senate and House of Representatives Ways and 
24 
Means Committee a report on (a) all categories of incidents involving the misconduct of 
25 
the officers and employees of the BIR and BOC during the preceding calendar year; and 
26 
(b) action on and disposition of any such instances. 
27 
SEC. 15. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within thirty (30) days after 
28 
the effectivity of this Act, the following shall convene for the purpose of formulating the 
29 
implementing rules and regulations for this Act: 
11 


1 
a. A representative of the Department of Finance; 
2 
b. A representative from the Bureau ofInternal Revenue; 
3 
c. A representative from the Bureau of Customs; 
4 
d. A representative from the Secretariat of the Congressional Oversight 
5 
Committee on Comprehensive Tax Reform Program; and 
6 
e. Representatives from the Committee on Ways and Means of both Houses of 
7 
Congress; and 
8 
f. A representative each from a business association and the Philippine Institnte 
9 
of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA). 
10 
Said officials and representatives shall as necessary convene everyday for the 
11 
purpose of formulating the said rules until such time that the implementing rules and 
12 
regulations have been formulated; Provided, that the failure to produce implementing 
13 
rules and regulation within sixty (60) days from the effectivity of this Act shall not hinder 
14 
the implementation of this Act. 
15 
SEC. 16. Repealing Clause. - All laws, orders, decrees, rules and regulations, 
16 
and other parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, 
17 
amended or modified accordingly. 
18 
SEC. 17. Separability Clause. If any provision of this Act is declared invalid or 
19 
unconstitntional, other provisions hereof which are not affected thereby shaH remain in 
20 
full force and effect. 
21 
SEC. 18. Effectivity Clause - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
22 
publication in The Official Gazette or in at least two (2) national newspapers of general 
23 
circulation. 
Approved, 
12