Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR. 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
This measure proposes the extension of assistance to lessees and sublessees during 
calamities, disasters, or other states of emergency. For the past few decades, these 
unfortunate events caused disruptions to daily economic activities including temporary 
closure of businesses and suspension of work. These transcended to temporary cash-
flow difficulties, especially for the poor and disadvantaged sectors in our country. 
Among others, this bill provides for a moratorium on the enforcement of payment of all 
fees, charges, and costs relating to the rental of residential units, whether covered by 
a lease or sublease contract. The said moratorium will be effective for the entire 
duration of a national or local state of calamity or emergency and for thirty (30) days 
from the termination of its declaration. The benefit of the moratorium on rental payment 
and eviction may also be applied to commercial or office space rental of Micro, Small, 
and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).  
In view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is most earnestly sought. 
LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR. 
October 20, 2022
1:53 pm
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR. 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING FOR A MORATORIUM ON RENTAL PAYMENT  
AND EVICTION DURING DISASTERS AND OTHER EMERGENCIES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:  
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as "Rental Payment and Eviction 
Moratorium during Disasters and Emergencies Act."  
Section 2. Declaration of Policy. – In the interest of promoting the common good 
and the general welfare, itis hereby declared the policy of the State to provide 
adequate relief and protection to those suffering from the ravages of calamities and 
other emergency situations.  
Section 3. Definition of Terms. – For purposes of this Act, these terms are defined 
as follows: 
a. "Disaster" - a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society
involving widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses and 
impacts, which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using 
its own resources. Disasters are often described as a result of the combination of: the 
exposure to a hazard; the conditions of vulnerability that are present; and insufficient 
capacity or measures to reduce or cope with the potential negative consequences, 
Disaster impacts may include loss of life, injury, disease and other negative effects on 
human, physical, mental and social well-being, together with damage to property, 
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destruction of assets, loss of services. Social and economic disruption and 
environmental degradation;  
 
b. "Emergency" - unforeseen or sudden occurrence, especially danger, demanding 
immediate action;  
 
c. "State of Calamity" - a condition involving mass casualty and/or major damages to 
property, disruption of means of livelihoods, roads and normal way of life of people in 
the affected areas as a result of the occurrence of natural or human-induced hazard.  
 
d. "Rent" - shall mean the amount paid for the use or occupancy of a residential unit 
whether payment is made on a monthly or other basis.  
 
e. "Residential unit" shall refer to an apartment, house and/or land on which another's 
dwelling is located and used for residential purposes and shall include not only building 
houses, dormitories, rooms and bedspaces offered for rent by their owners, except 
motels, motel rooms, hotels, hotel rooms, but also those used for home industries, 
retail stores or other business purposes if the owner thereof and his or her family 
actually live therein and use it principally for dwelling purposes.  
 
f. “Lessee” shall mean the person renting a residential unit.  
 
g. "Owner/Lessor" shall include the owner or administrator or agent of the owner of 
the residential unit.  
 
h. "Sublessor" shall mean the person who leases or rents out a residential unit leased 
to him by an owner.  
 
i. "Sublessee" is the person who holds a lease which was given to another person for 
all or part of a property.  
 
Section 4. Scope of Application. – This Act shall cover disasters and other kinds of 
emergencies which are (1) national in scope, as declared through a State of Calamity 
or State of National Emergency by the President of the Philippines, and (2) provincial, 


city or municipal in scope, as declared through a State of Calamity or Emergency by 
the appropriate local government unit.  
 
Section 5. Moratorium on Rental Payments. – There shall be a moratorium on the 
enforcement of payment of all fees, charges, and costs relating to the rental of 
residential units, whether in a lease or sublease arrangement and whether reduced in 
a written form or not, for the duration of the State of Calamity or Emergency mentioned 
in Section 4 of this Act and for thirty (30) days from the termination of said State of 
Calamity of Emergency; Provided, that if the covered period exceeds a total of sixty 
(60) days, the payment of the deferred fees, charges and costs shall be spread out for 
a six-month period of equal installments; Provided further, That no penalties or 
interests shall be collected on the payments by virtue of this Act.  
 
The benefit of this moratorium on rental payment may be applied to commercial or 
office space rental of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), at the discretion 
of the Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), taking into 
consideration the fact of closure/shutting down of businesses, community quarantine 
orders, or any other circumstance that may hamper their operations.  
 
Nothing in this Act shall prevent the contractual parties from mutually agreeing on 
other forms of payment relief or assistance, or from voluntarily waiving the benefit of 
the moratorium on rental payments.  
 
Section 6. Moratorium on Eviction. – During the same period stated in Section 5 of 
this Act, the lessor, sublessor or owner of a residential unit may not make, or cause to 
be made, any eviction or similar legal proceeding to recover possession of the 
residential unit from the lessee/sublessee regardless of cause, except when a 
lessee/sublessee perpetrates a criminal act that threatens the life, limb and property 
of the lessor, sublessor or owner, or his/her immediate family, other tenants or staff of 
the property in which the residential unit is located.  
 
The benefit of this moratorium on eviction may be applied to commercial or office 
space rental of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), at the discretion of 
the Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), taking into consideration 


the fact of closure/shutting down of businesses, community quarantine orders, or any 
other circumstance that may hamper their operations.  
 
Section 7. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within sixty (60) days from the 
effectivity of this Act, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department 
of Human Settlements and Urban Development, in consultation with other relevant 
government agencies and stakeholders, shall issue the necessary rules and 
regulations to implement the provisions of this Act.  
 
Section 8. Repealing Clause. – All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, 
proclamations, rules and regulations, or any part thereof, which are inconsistent with 
the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.  
 
Section 9. Separability Clause. – If any provision or part of this Act, or the application 
thereof to any person or circumstance, is held unconstitutional or invalid, the 
remainder of this Act shall not be affected thereby.  
 
Section 10. Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general 
circulation.  
 
Approved,