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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Batasan Hills, Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL No. _____ 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Introduced by  
ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. FRANCE L. CASTRO,  
GABRIELA Women’s Party Rep. ARLENE D. BROSAS,  
and KABATAAN Party-List Rep. RAOUL DANNIEL A. MANUEL 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
AN ACT 
REQUIRING PUBLIC TELECOMMUNICATION ENTITIES AND 
INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS TO GRANT REFUNDS TO 
CONSUMERS IN CASE OF SERVICE OUTAGES AND DISRUPTIONS AND 
PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS THEREOF,  THEREBY 
AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT 7925, OR THE PUBLIC 
TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY ACT OF THE PHILIPPINES 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has been “hands off” 
since 1995 with the passage of Republic Act 7925, which effectively ushered a regime 
of intensified deregulation and privatization in the telecommunication industry.  This 
hands-off policy resulted in the Philippines having one of the slowest internet as well 
as the most unreliable phone services in all Asia.  The NTC and the Department of 
Science and Technology-ICT Office (DOST ICTO, formerly the Commission on 
Information and Communication Technology) admitted that the said law is the reason 
why the government has difficulty in regulating internet service today. 
Teachers, students, and employees and workers in both public and private sectors 
who use the internet and call and text services as part of their jobs are among the top 
end-users.  Consequently, they are the top victims of the notorious unreliable services, 
characterized by lagging internet and signal disruptions, provided by players in 
telecommunications industry, including the biggest ones like PLDT, Globe, and Smart.  
At the height of the pandemic during which public and private education resorted to 
distance learning, the exasperating situation where buffering, frozen video, and garbled 
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audio take up most of the online class hounded most teachers and students. 
 
 
Yet when the bills come in, one would not think, from the high amounts that end-
users have to pay, that the quality and reliability of service is so dismal.  On top of the 
expensive subscription and base rates—which are the highest among the region—
Filipinos pay for the horrid, and sometimes even non-existent, telecommunications 
services.  This violates the assurance in Section 20 of RA 7925 that end-users have the 
right to reliable utility service as well as the right to accurate billing. 
 
 
It is therefore urgent to mandate public telecommunication entities, including 
ISPs, to grant end-users refunds whenever service outages or disruptions occur.   To 
strengthen consumers’ rights, penalties for each day of outage or disruption are also 
proposed to be imposed.   
 
Letting things stand is a major disservice to teachers, students, employees and 
workers, and all Filipinos.  Approval of this bill is therefore earnestly sought. 
 
 
 
________________________________ 
Rep. FRANCE L. CASTRO 
ACT Teachers Party-List 
 
 
 
 
________________________________ 
Rep. ARLENE D. BROSAS 
GABRIELA Women’s Party 
 
 
________________________________ 
Rep. RAOUL DANNIEL A. MANUEL 
KABATAAN Party-List 


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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Batasan Hills, Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL No. _____ 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Introduced by  
ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. FRANCE L. CASTRO,  
GABRIELA Women’s Party Rep. ARLENE D. BROSAS,  
and KABATAAN Party-List Rep. RAOUL DANNIEL A. MANUEL 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
AN ACT 
REQUIRING PUBLIC TELECOMMUNICATION ENTITIES AND 
INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS TO GRANT REFUNDS TO 
CONSUMERS IN CASE OF SERVICE OUTAGES AND DISRUPTIONS AND 
PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS THEREOF, THEREBY 
AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT 7925, OR THE PUBLIC 
TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY ACT OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1.  Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the Refund for Internet and 
Telecommunications Services Outages and Disruptions Act of 2022. 
SEC. 2.  A new subsection under Section 3 of Republic Act 7925, or the Public 
Telecommunications Policy Act of the Philippines is hereby inserted to read as follows: 
x x x 
(L)
SERVICE OUTAGE - THE COMPLETE OR PARTIAL
FAILURE 
OF 
INTERNET 
OR 
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
SERVICES.
SEC. 3. A new Section 21 is hereby inserted after Section 20 to read as follows: 
SECTION 21. Refunds for internet and telecommunications service 
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outages and interruptions. – Pursuant to the rights of end-users to reliable 
utility service and to accurate billing under the preceding Section, public 
telecommunication entities, including internet service providers (ISPs), 
shall, on a pro-rated basis, provide a refund credit to a customer, or adjust 
the bill of the latter, who has experienced an internet service outage or 
disruption for an aggregate period of at least twenty-four (24) hours within 
a month, except where such outage is due to a fortuitous event.  No action 
shall be required of the customer by the said entities concerned as 
prerequisite to receive a refund credit or bill adjustment; Provided, That 
the consumer shall not be precluded from filing a complaint to the 
appropriate administrative and/or quasi-judicial agency for disputes 
regarding refund or bill adjustment. 
 
Refunds or bill adjustments shall likewise be granted to prepaid 
subscribers. 
 
The Commission shall, motu proprio or upon complaint of any interested 
party, in the appropriate administrative and/or quasi-judicial process, and 
in accordance with due process, shall: 
 
(1)  Impose a fine of not less than Two Hundred Thousand Pesos 
(₱200,000.00) but not more than Two Million Pesos (₱2,000,000.00) per 
day of outage; Provided, That the Commission shall decide the amount of 
penalty on a pro rata basis in case of disruption; and 
 
(2)  For repeated violations, the Commission shall also revoke the entity’s 
provisional authority or certificate of public convenience and necessity, or 
cancel the registration of the ISP, whichever applies, including the waiving 
of any pre-termination fees of affected subscribers and timely 
disbursement of any remaining credits from excessive downtime.  
 
SEC. 4.  The subsequent Sections are hereby renumbered accordingly. 
 
SEC. 5.  Separability Clause. – Should any provision of this Act or any part hereof be 
declared invalid, the other provisions insofar as these are separable from the invalid 
ones shall remain in force and effect. 
 
SEC. 6. 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. 
 
SEC. 7. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in 
the Official Gazette or at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
 
Approved,