Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _______
Introduced by REPRESENTATIVE ANTONIO “TONYPET” T. ALBANO 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
This legislative measure seeks to grant to PRIMAX BROADCASTING 
NETWORK, INC. a franchise to construct, install, establish, operate and maintain 
radio and television broadcasting stations throughout the Philippines. 
Primax Broadcasting Network, Inc. was incorporated and registered at the 
Securities and Exchange Commission with a primary purpose of establishing radio 
and television broadcasting stations in the Philippines for a commercial purpose and 
in the public interest and to the extent that it may be authorized by law.  
It is guided by the tenet that broadcasting is a public trust and the network is 
mindful of its duty to share in the task of nation-building. With its twenty five years of 
existence, the network strives to serve more audiences in more areas possible. 
The network will be embarking on a broadcasting expansion even to set the 
pace by establishing stations in areas that are underserved if not served at all by 
free-to-air broadcasting, hence there is an urgent need to seek a legislative 
authorization for its continued operations. 
In view of the foregoing, the approval of this measure is earnestly sought. 
ANTONIO “TONYPET” T. ALBANO 
May 20, 2021
11:39 am
9383


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _________ 
Introduced by REPRESENTATIVE ANTONIO “TONYPET” T. ALBANO 
AN ACT 
GRANTING PRIMAX BROADCASTING NETWORK, INC. A FRANCHISE TO 
CONSTRUCT, MAINTAIN AND OPERATE RADIO BROADCASTING AND 
TELEVISION STATIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES 
Be it enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
SEC.1. Nature and Scope of Franchise.- Subject to the provisions of the 
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Constitution and applicable laws, rules and regulations, there is hereby granted to 
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Primax Broadcasting Network, Inc., hereunder referred to as the grantee, its 
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successors and assignees, a franchise to construct, install, operate and maintain for 
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commercial purposes and in the public interest, radio and/or television broadcasting 
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stations in the Philippines, where frequencies and/or channels are still available for 
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radio and/or television broadcasting, and other technology that may hereafter or in 
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the future be developed in the field of broadcasting, and such other systems, 
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facilities or structures for the origination, reception, processing, transmission, 
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broadcast, rebroadcast or distribution of audio, video information, and other 
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electronic signals, for the provision of services such as direct to home/user 
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broadcast via satellite, pay and cable television, multimedia, and value-added 
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services and other similar services, through electromagnetic waves, fiber optics, 
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satellite and whatever means now available or which in the future may be developed 
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for telecasting and broadcasting of news, documentaries, entertainment, 
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informational and educational, interactive and various television programs with the 
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corresponding technological auxiliaries or facilities, special broadcast, other program 
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and distribution services and relay stations, and to install radio communication 
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facilities, transmit and receive satellite systems, content production and distribution 
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facilities and other systems as are essential or convenient to carry out the purposes 
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of this Act, is hereby renewed for another twenty-five (25) years from the effectivity 
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of this Act. 
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SEC. 2. Manner of Operation of Stations or Facilities. - The stations or 
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facilities of the grantee shall be constructed and operated in a manner as will, at 
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most, result only in the minimum interference on the wavelengths or frequencies of 
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existing stations or other stations which may be established by law, without in any 
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way diminishing its own privilege to use its assigned wavelengths or frequencies and 
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the quality of transmission or reception thereon as should maximize rendition of the 
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grantee's services and/or the availability thereof. 
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SEC. 3. Prior Approval of the National Telecommunications Commission. - 
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The grantee shall secure from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) 
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the appropriate permits and licenses for the construction and operation of its stations 
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or facilities and shall not use any frequency in the radio/television spectrum without 
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authorization from the NTC. The NTC, however, shall not unreasonably withhold or 
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delay the grant of any such authority. 
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SEC. 4. Responsibility to the Public. - The grantee shall  provide, free of 
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charge, adequate public service time which is reasonable and sufficient to enable 
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the government, through the broadcasting stations or facilities of the grantee, to 
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reach the pertinent populations or portions thereof, on important public issues and 
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relay important public announcements and warnings concerning public emergencies 
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and calamities, as necessity, urgency, or law may require; provide at all times sound 
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and balanced programming; promote public participation; assist in the functions of 
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public information and education; conform to the ethics of honest enterprise; 
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promote audience sensibility and empowerment including closed captioning; and not 
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use its stations or facilities for the broadcasting of obscene or indecent language, 
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speech, act, or scene; or for the dissemination of deliberately false information or 
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willful misrepresentation, to the detriment of the public interest; or to incite, 
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encourage, or assist in subversive or treasonable acts. 
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Public service time referred herein shall be equivalent to a maximum 
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aggregate often percent (10%) of paid commercials or advertisements which shall 
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be allocated based on need to the executive, legislative, judiciary, constitutional 
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commissions, and international humanitarian organizations duly recognized by 
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statutes: Provided, That the NTC shall increase the public service time in case of 
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extreme emergency or calamity. The NTC shall issue rules and regulations for this 
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purpose, the effectivity of which shall commence upon applicability with other 
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similarly situated broadcast network franchise holders. 
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SEC. 5. Right of the Government. - The radio spectrum is a finite resource 
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that is part of the national patrimony. The use thereof is a privilege conferred upon 
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the grantee by the State and may be withdrawn any time after due process. 
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A special right is hereby reserved to the President of the Philippines, in times 
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of war, rebellion, public peril, calamity, emergency, disaster, or disturbance of peace 
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and order: to temporarily take over and operate the stations or facilities of the 
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grantee; to temporarily suspend the operation of any station or facility in the interest 
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of public safety, security and public welfare; or to authorize the temporary use and 
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operation thereof by any agency of the government, upon due compensation to the 
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grantee, for the use of said stations or facilities during the period when these shall be 
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so operated. 
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SEC. 6. Term of Franchise. – This franchise shall be for a term of twenty-five 
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(25) years from the date of the effectivity of this Act, unless sooner revoked or 
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cancelled. This franchise shall be deemed ipso facto revoked in the event the 
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grantee fails to operate continuously for two (2) years. 
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SEC. 7. Self-regulation by and Undertaking of the Grantee. - The grantee 
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shall not require any previous censorship of any speech, play, act, or scene, or 
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other matter to be broadcast from its stations: Provided, That the grantee, during 
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any broadcast, shall cut off from the air the speech, play, act, or scene, or other 
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matter being broadcast if the tendency thereof is to propose and/or incite treason, 
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rebellion or sedition; or the language used therein or the theme thereof is indecent 
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or immoral: Provided, further, That willful failure to do so shall constitute a valid 
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cause for the cancellation of this franchise. 
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SEC. 8. Warranty in Favor of the National and Local Governments.  - The 
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grantee shall hold the national, provincial, city, and municipal governments of the 
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Philippines free from all claims, liabilities, demands, or actions arising out of 
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accidents causing injury to persons or damage to properties, during the 
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construction or operation of the stations of the grantee. 
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SEC. 9. Commitment to Provide and Promote the Creation of 
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Employment Opportunities. - The grantee shall create employment opportunities 
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and shall allow on-the-job trainings in their franchise operation: Provided, That 
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priority shall be accorded to the residents in areas where any of its offices is 
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located: Provided, further, That the grantee shall follow the applicable labor 
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standards and allowance entitlement under existing labor laws, rules and 
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regulations and similar issuances: Provided, finally, That the employment 
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opportunities or jobs created shall be reflected in the General Information Sheet to 
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be submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission annually. 
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SEC. 10. Sale, Lease, Transfer, Grant of Usufruct, or Assignment of 
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Franchise. - The grantee shall not sell, lease, transfer, grant the usufruct of, nor 
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assign this franchise or the rights and privileges acquired thereunder to any person, 
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firm, company, corporation or other commercial or legal entity, nor merge with any 
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other corporation or entity, nor shall transfer the controlling interest of the grantee, 
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simultaneously or contemporaneously, to any person, firm, company, corporation, 
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or entity without the prior approval of the Congress of the Philippines. Congress 
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shall be informed of any sale, lease, transfer, grant of usufruct, or assignment of 
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franchise or the rights and privileges acquired thereunder, or of the merger or 
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transfer of the controlling interest of the grantee, within sixty (60) days after the 
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completion of the said transaction. Failure to report to Congress such change of 
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ownership shall render the franchise ipso facto revoked. Any person or entity to 
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which this franchise is sold, transferred, or assigned shall be subject to the same 
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conditions, terms, restrictions, and limitations of this Act. 
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SEC. 11. Dispersal of Ownership. - In accordance with the constitutional 
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provision to encourage public participation in public utilities, the grantee shall offer to 
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Filipino citizens at least thirty percent (30%) or a higher percentage that may 
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hereafter be provided by law of its outstanding capital stock in any securities 
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exchange in the Philippines within five (5) years from the commencement of its 
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operations: Provided, That in cases where public offer of shares is not applicable, 
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the grantee shall apply other methods of encouraging public participation by citizens 
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and corporations operating public utilities as allowed by law. Noncompliance 
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therewith shall render the franchise ipso facto revoked. 
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SEC. 12. Reportorial Requirement. - The grantee shall submit an annual 
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report to the Congress of the Philippines, through the Committee on Legislative 
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Franchises of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Public Services 
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of the Philippine Senate, on its compliance with the terms and conditions of the 
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franchise and on its operations on or before April 30 of every year during the term of 
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its franchise. The reportorial compliance certificate issued by Congress shall be 
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required before any application for permit or certificate is accepted by the NTC. 
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SEC. 13. Fine. - Failure of the grantee to submit the requisite annual report to 
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Congress shall be penalized by a fine of Five hundred pesos (P 500.00) per working 
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day of noncompliance. The fine shall be collected by the NTC from the delinquent 
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franchise grantee separate from the reportorial penalties imposed by the NTC and 
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the same shall be remitted to the National Treasury. 
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SEC. 14. Equality Clause. - Except for taxes and customs duties, any 
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advantage, favor, privilege, exemption, or immunity granted under existing 
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franchises, or which may hereafter be granted for radio and/or television 
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broadcasting, upon prior review and approval of Congress, shall become part of this 
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franchise and shall be accorded immediately and unconditionally to the herein 
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grantee: Provided, That the foregoing shall neither apply to nor affect provisions of 
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broadcasting franchises concerning territorial coverage, the term, or the type of 
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service authorized by the franchise. 
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SEC. 15. Repeatability and Nonexclusivity Clause. - This franchise shall be 
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subject to amendment, alteration, or repeal by the Congress of the Philippines when 
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the public interest so requires and shall not be interpreted as an exclusive grant of 
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the privileges herein provided for. 
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SEC. 16. Separability Clause. - If any of the sections or provisions of this Act 
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is held invalid, all other provisions not affected thereby shall remain valid. 
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SEC. 17. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, resolutions, 
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instructions, rules and regulations, and other issuances or parts thereof which are 
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inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended, or 
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modified accordingly. 
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SEC. 18. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
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publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
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Approved.