NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
SENATE 
s. No. 617
of tl)f i&r-i'MrtJ-p
*22 JUL 14 P2:15
RCCEIVtO BY:
Introduced by SENATOR FRANCIS "TOL" N. TOLENTINO
AN ACT
AMENDING ARTICLE 704 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 386 OTHERWISE KNOWN 
AS THE "CIVIL CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES" AS AMENDED
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Republic Act No. 386 or the Civil Code was enacted into law on 18 June 1949. 
It contains provisions on amounts in Philippine peso for its application. One of these 
provisions is Article 704 or the provision on the abatement of public nuisance. The 
said article provides:
Art. 704. Any private person may abate a public nuisance which is 
specially injurious to him by removing, or if necessary, by destroying 
the thing which constitutes the same, without committing a breach of 
the peace, or doing unnecessary injury. But it is necessary:
(1) That demand be first made upon the owner or possessor of 
the property to abate the nuisance;
(2) That such demand has been rejected;
(3) That the abatement be approved by the district health officer 
and executed with the assistance of the local police; and
(4) That the value of the destruction does not exceed three 
thousand pesos. (Emphasis supplied).


This measure seeks to update the amount of Three Thousand Pesos provided 
in Article 704 which provides the conditions in abating public nuisance considering the 
disparity of the present the peso value and the value in 1949 which makes the present 
amount antiquated and impracticable.
Thus, what could have been the legislative intent then may no longer apply at 
present.1 The determination of the amounts to be placed as amendments takes into 
account the current value of the Philippine peso relying on the inflation rates and 
official consumer price index as issued by the National Statistics Office (NSO). These 
figures are believed and theorized to be sound in reflecting the real and true figures 
to date.
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.
^N^^' TOL" N. TOLENTINO
1 https://www.worlddata.info/asia/philippines/inflation-rates.php 
The inflation rate for consumer prices in the Philippines moved over the past 60 
years between 0.7% and 50.3%. For 2020, an inflation rate of 2.6% was calculated. 
During the observation period from 1960 to 2020, the average inflation rate was 
8.6% per year. Overall, the price increase was 12,172.92 %. An item that cost 100 
Peso in 1960 was so charged 12,272.92 Peso in the beginning of 2021.


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
of tljc
•22 JUL14 P2:15
SENATE 
S. No. 617
RECEIVED BY;
Introduced by SENATOR FRANCIS "TOL" N. TOLENTINO
1 
AN ACT
2 
AMENDING ARTICLE 704 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 386 OTHERWISE KNOWN
3 
AS THE "CIVIL CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES" AS AMENDED
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Phiiippines 
in Congress assembied:
4 
SECTION. 1 Article 704 of Republic Act No. 386, as amended, is hereby further
5 
amended to read as follows:
6 
Art. 704. Any private person may abate a public nuisance which
7 
is especially injurious to him by removing, or if necessary, by destroying
8 
the thing which constitutes the same, without committing a breach of
9 
the peace, or doing unnecessary injury. But it is necessary:
10 
(1) That demand be first made upon the owner or possessor of
11 
the property to abate the nuisance;
12
(2) That such demand has been rejected;
13
14
(3) That the abatement be approved by the district health officer 
and executed with the assistance of the local police; and
15
16 
17
(4) That the value of the destruction does not exceed [three 
theusa-ndj THREE HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND PESOS 
(PhP350/000).


1 
Sec. 2. Separability Clause. - If any portion or provision of this Act is
2 
declared void and unconstitutional, the remaining portions or provisions hereof shall
3 
not be affected by such declaration.
4 
Sec. 3. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations,
5 
other issuances, or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby
6 
repealed or modified accordingly.
7 
Sec. 4. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after
8 
its complete publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,