FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
S. No. 1017 
Introduced by Senator Manuel "Lito" M. Lapid 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The 
rapid 
growth 
and 
advancement 
of 
Information 
and 
Communications Technology provides an easy access to the information 
highway in any part of the world, and this has been made possible through 
the use of the internet. Internet users today have been estimated to reach 
700 million in the world and over 7.8 million in the Philippines by the end of 
2006. 
Majority of these Filipino internet population or at least 70% are 
young people. 
Having an access to the internet has indeed played a 
significant role in supplementing the traditional educational tools used by 
students in the past decades. 
The comprehensive information in wbich the internet is capable of 
providing can likewise make available materials that can exploit young 
users. The proliferation of smut and other violent materials has been an 
old issue since the birth of the internet. Worse, as the technology traverses 
into higher level of speed, internet are now being used as a medium for 
promoting on-line prostitution commonly known as "Cybersex". Limiting or 
blocking the access to these sites in every household and entities in the 
country is actually next to impossible. 
However, it would already be a big step for the government if it can at 
least regulate this immoral practice at the institutional level. Blocking 
access to inappropriate web sites in all internet cafes as well as 
educational institutions with internet access in the country could possibly 
bring down the level of this indecent trend. 
The measure at hand seeks to protect the vulnerable young people of 
our society from being exploited. 
The approval of this measure is earne:.::;.("'-~) 
M~L 
"LITO" M. LAP~~ j 
. 
Senator 
(t'. 


FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
S. No. 1017 
~ :: 
Introduced by Senator Manuel "Lito" M. Lapid 
AN ACT 
REQUIRING INTERNET CAFES AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS 
WITH INTERNET ACCESS TO INSTALL A SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY 
FOR BLOCKING INTERNET WEBSITES DISPLAYING OBSCENE AND 
VIOLENT MATERIALS PROVIDING PENAL TIES THEREFORE AND FOR 
OTHER PURPOSES 
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 "Internet 
Protection Act of 2010 ". 
SEC. 2. 
Coverage. - All public internet cafes and educational institutions 
with access to the Internet shall be covered by this Act. 
SEC. 3. 
Declaration of State Policies. - The state recognizes the vital role 
of the youth in nation building and shall promote and protect the physical, moral, 
spiritual, intellectual and social well-being. 
SEC. 4. 
terms shall mean: 
Definition of Terms. -
Whenever used in this Act, the following 
a. 
Internet -
shall refer to as the vehicle to the information highway 
which can be accessed through the use of a computer and other 
peripheral when connected by an i,ntemet service provider. 
b. 
Web site liP Address- shall refer to any home page or Universal Record 
Locator (URL) of any entity which post text information, pictures, movie 
clips, sound or any other materials that can be seen or accessed over 
the internet. 
c. 
Blocking Software Technology - shall refer to a computer software 
commercially available used for blocking or filtering web sites 
displaying obscene and violent pictures, video streaming, video 
clips, sound, or any other form of literary documentation. 
d. 
Educational Institutions - shall refer to primary, secondary and tertiary 
public and private schools in the country. 
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., 
, ) 


e. 
Task Force - as used in this act, shall refer to the Internet Protection 
Task Force. 
f. 
Obscene and Violent Internet Materials -
as used in this act shall 
refer to any inappropriate internet materials containing but not limited 
to pornographic, indecent, immoral, violent, and other categories as 
may be classified by the blocking software technology; that comes in 
the format of live video streaming, video clips, pictures, sound files 
and literary documentations which can be accessed from any web 
sites. 
SEC. 5. 
Installation of a Blocking Software Technology in 
Internet 
Cafes and Educational Institutions. -
Any provision of law to the contrary 
notwithstanding, all internet cafes, computer laboratories and libraries in all educational 
institutions are required to 
install a blocking software technology, to be updated 
regularly as necessary, in their computer systems that have access to the internet. 
Provided however, that the blocking software technology to be installed shall first secure 
a certificate of approval from the National Computer'Center (NCC). 
Provided further, That in case of internet cafes, the required certificate of 
approval from the NCC shall be a condition precedent for securing the necessary 
business permits, licenses or registration from the Department of Trade and Industry, 
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Local Government Units 
concerned. 
SEC. 6. 
Minimum Requirements for a Blocking Software Technology. -
Any computer software shall be used for blocking internet web sites containing obscene 
and violent materials if it satisfies the following minimum criteria: 
a.) 
Should be able to block websites containing pornographic, obscene and 
violent materials using contemporary Filipino cultural values as standard; 
b.) 
should be capable of blocking sea[ch requests from search engines 
containing words and phrases leal::ling to web sites containing the 
aforementioned materials; 
c.) 
should support major internet standards that rate web sites such as but 
not limited to the following content coding mechanisms: SafeSurf, RSAC, 
IVSR, VSR and KidCode; 
d.) 
should be capable of updating its database list of web sites containing 
obscene and adult materials; 
e.) 
should be highly protected from end-user tampering; and 
f.) 
should be software upgradeable; 
SEC. 7. 
Internet Protection Task Force. -
There shall be created an 
Internet Protection Task Force to be composed of 2 members each from the National 
Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the National Computer Center (NCC) to 
enforce the provisions of this Act. The chairman of the NTC or his duly authorized 
representative shall be the head of the Task Force.which shall, within 15 days from its 
effectivity, promulgate the necessary implementing rules and regulations. 
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SEC. 8. 
Powers and functions of the Task Force. -
The powers and 
functions of the task force for purposes of Sections 5 and 6 hereof shall include the 
following: 
a. To formulate rules and guidelines to implement the law; 
b. To ensure the proper enforcement and compliance of the law by conducting a 
quarterly on-site ocular inspection on all internet cafes and educational 
institutions with internet access; 
c. To screen and accredit the type of blocking software technology to be 
used by educational institutions as provided in Sec. 6 hereof, to be 
made on a quarterly basis; 
d. To recommend disciplinary actions against concerned operators or officials of 
internet cafes and educational institutions violating the provisions of this Act. 
SEC. 9. 
Penalty Clause. - Operators/Owners of internet cafes and heads of 
educational institutions or the responsible corporate officers in case of juridical entities 
who fail to comply with the provisions of this Act shall be charged administratively and 
shall pay a penalty of not more than P100,OOO for the first offense, at the discretion of 
the National Telecommunications Commission, another Pi00,OOO for every succeeding 
offense and/or cancellation of its license to operate. 
SEC. 10. 
Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and 
regulations, and other issuance inconsistent with the provisions of this act are hereby 
repealed or modified accordingly. 
SEC. 11. 
Separability Clause. - If for any reason, any provision of this Act is 
declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act shall not be affected. 
SEC. 12. 
Effectivity Clause . • This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
from the date of its complete publication in the Official Gazette or In at least two (2) 
newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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