THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
"04 ,;tj;$ 30 
FJ 2 :O 1 
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OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
First Regular Session 
1 
S E N A T E  
S. B. No., 
Introduced by Senator LUPSA ULOltn 
CITO ESTBADA 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
There is no law which prescribes a uniform system for determining 
noise impact at airports taking into account the characteristics of an 
area, including its proximity to an airport and its non-aircraft 
background noise. 
This is important to protect the public against 
significant disturbances in human activities such as sleep and rest. 
This bill prescribes aviation noise limits, provides for its 
management and reduction especially in the surrounding residential 
areas, and provides for a staged plan which involves zoning, land use 
planning and relocation. 
Thus, immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
LUI$A "Wf" 
Senator 


I 
THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
First Regular Session 
1 
S E N A T E  
" ' I  
U .  l*U. 
Introduced by Senator LUIS 
CITO 
A 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING FOR AVIATION NOISE M 
IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the 
Philippines in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short l\itZe. 
- This Act shall be known as the 
'Aviation Noise Limit AcV. 
SEC. 2. Decta 
- The State shall protect public 
health by determining noise impwt of residential areas near airports and 
by establishing programs for the management of noise levels. The State 
shall also ensure the constitutionally protected right of quiet enjoyment 
of private property. 
SEC. 3. Definition 
. - For the purposes of this Act, the 
following definitions shall apply: 
(1) 
Airspace traffic change - a change in aircraft .flight 
paths, operating procedures, nature of aircraft, and 
quantity of aircraft traffic which is applicable in 
normal circumstances. 
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(2) 
Average sound level - the level, in decibels, of the 
mean square, A weighted sound pressure during a 
specified period, with reference to the square of the 
standard reference sound pressure of 20 micropascals. 
(3) 
Background sound level - hourly average sound level, 
in decibels, measured at a site representative of a 
relatively quiet residential location within an area (with 
aircraft noise contributions excluded). 
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(4) 
Day-night average sound level - hour average sound 
level, in decibels, for the period from midnight to 
midnight, obtained after the addition of 10 decibels to 
sound levels during nighttime hours. 
(5) 
Nighttime hours - periods between midnight and 7:OO 
a.m. and between 1O:OO p.m. and midnight local time. 
(6) 
Normal circumstances - all circumstances other than 
unusually 
adverse 
weather 
and 
emergency 
circumstances. 
(7) 
Single event maximum sound level - the level, in 
decibels, of the maximum A-weighted sound pressure 
during an aircraft overflight obtained using a standard 
sound level meter under a slow response setting. 
(8) Vicinity of an airport - 
the geographic area 
surrounding an 
airport established 
before 
the 
effectivity of this Act described nominally as follow: 
(a) 
The area extending in all directions a distance of 
1.5 miles from each runway established before 
such date of effectivity. 
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(b) 
The rectangular area defined by drawing a 
straight center line a distance of 4 miles from 
the end of each runway established before such 
date of the effectivity in the direction of heaviest 
traffic and extending 1.5 miles perpendicular 
from the center line on each side of such 
runway. 
SEC. 4. Azdaaon Noise LZmttS. - The Air Transportation Office of 
the Department of Transportation and Communications. shall develop a 
medium-term plan to reduce by at least seventy-five percent (75%) the 
number of individuals residing in residential areas in the vicinity of an 
airport who are exposed to a yearly day-night average sound level of sixty 
(60) decibels or above. In developing such plan, the Air Transportation 
Office shall consider various methods for aviation noise reduction, 
including soundproofing, relocation incentives, use of quieter aircraft, 
operations restrictions and revision of air routes. 
As part of the plan to be developed pursuant to the preceding 
paragraph, the Air Transportation Office shall make recommendations on 
actions and policy changes on the part of departments and agencies of 
the government which could assist in meeting the objective described in 
paragraph 1 of this section. 
SEC. 5. 
Management and Re 
on 
.. - Beginning on the date of the effectivity of this Act, the 
Air Transportation Office may make an airspace traffic change only if the 
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change will not result in an increase in aviation noise in violation of the 
next succeeding section. 
SEC 6. 
- 
Non-compliance with any of the 
following requirement, which apply only to residential areas that are not 
in the vicinity of an airport, shall be considered a violation of this Act: 
(4 
Hourly Average Sound Level - The hourly average 
sound level, with combined aviation and non-aviation 
sources, over any one (1) hour period may not exceed 
six (6) decibels above the background sound level for 
such one (1) hour period. 
Single Event Maximum Sound Level 
Under normal 
circumstances, the single event maximum sound level 
- 
(4 
(ii) 
(iii) 
May not exceed seventy (70) decibels; 
during nighttime hours, may not exceed fifty five 
(55) decibels; and 
may not be more than twenty (20) decibels above 
the background sound level for the one (1) hour 
period in which the event occurs. 
The requirement of this paragraph shall be 
considered to have been met if there are no more 
than three (3) violations of the limits contained 
in this subparagraph in a 24-hour period, 
Day-Night Average Sound Level - If the day-night 
average sound level, with combined aviation and non- 
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aviation sources, exceeds forty five (45) decibels, then 
aviation activity may not contribute more than three 
(3) decibels to such sound level. 
OH. - If the 
location of the airport is substantially different from the geographic areas 
as defined by this Act, an airport operator, may on or before the 180th 
day following the effectivity of this Act, transmit to the Air Transportation 
Office for approval alternative boundaries of the vicinity of the airport 
which conform to the ground noise distribution of the airport; except that 
the geographic area enclosed by such alternative boundaries may not 
include an area with a day-night average sound level of less than sixty 
(60) decibels for the one (1) year period ending on the date of the 
effectivity of this Act. 
SEC. 7. 
VZ 
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In the event that & airspace traffic change or other action makes 
it unfeasible or impracticable to meet the sound level limits prescribed by 
this Act within a residential area, then such area may be i 
area considered to be in the vicinity of the airport upon acqu 
property or by acquisition of easements of the property bj 
operator. 
dded to the 
sition of the 
the airport 
Not later than one (1) year after the date of the effectivity of this 
Act, the Air Transportation Office through the Department of 
Transportation and Communications shall transmit to Congress a report 
containing the plan to be developed and a description of actions taken 
with respect to airspace changes together with recommendations for 
appropriate administrative and legislative action 
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SEC. 8. 
Respo 
Comnunica~ons. In complying with this Act, the Secretary of 
Department of Transportation and 
Communications shall assume 
responsibility for all nonmilitary aviation activity, within and outside 
controlled airspace, and shall regulate such activity to ensure 
compliance with the requirements of this Act. 
SEC. 9. 
Sepambi 
Chmse. - If any provision or part hereof 
is held invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the 
provision not otherwise affected shall remain valid and subsisting. 
SEC. 10. Repeati 
e. 
- 
All laws, decrees, executive 
orders, rules and regulations inconsistent with the provisions of this Act 
are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
SEC. 11. wfeectrv%ty C 
e, - This Act shall take effect fifteen 
(15) days following its complete publication in two newspapers of general 
circulation. 
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~ 
Approved, 
GVL/tmd/gdaviation noise limit