· REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
FIFTEENTH CONGRESS 
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) 
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First Regular Session 
SENATE 
Senate Bill No. 1126 
Introduced by Senator Manny Villar 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
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Tattooing, a tradition among people around the world, has been practiced 
worldwide among Polynesian peoples, and among certain tribal groups in the 
Philippines, Borneo, Mentawai Islands, Africa, North America, South America, 
Mesoamerica, Europe, Japan, Cambodia, New Zealand and China. Tattoos have 
served as rites of passage, marks of status and rank, symbols of religious and spiritual 
devotion, decorations for bravery, sexual lures and marks of fertility, pledges of love, 
punishment, amulets and talismans, protection, and as the marks of outcasts, slaves 
and convicts. 
Today, tattoos have experienced a resurgence in popularity in many parts of the 
world. People choose to be tattooed for cosmetic, sentimental! memorial, religious, and 
magical reasons, and to symbolize their belonging to or identification with particular 
groups. They are useful in enhancing eyebrows, lips, eyes and even moles, usually with 
natural colors as the designs are intended to resemble make-up. 
Tattooing, however, may carry health risks, including infection and allergic 
reactions. ,infections that could be transmitted via the use of unsterilized tattoo 
equipment include surface infections of the skin, herpes simplex virus, tetanus, staph 
(infected tattoo) fungal infections, s0tTle forms of hepatitis and HIV. 
This bill seeks to protect and promote the right to health of the people by 
providing standards in the operation of tattoo studios to ensure the safety of the people 
against health risks and all possible complications that may arise in receiving a tattoo. 
Under the proposed measure, the owner of a tattoo studio or tattoo artist shall 
have the duty to discuss with the patron or person intending to be tattooed the health 
risks involved in the tattoo requested, including the potential that a tattoo may interfere 
with the clinical reading of a magnetic resonance imaging study, should the patron ever 
encounter a medical need for such a study. The owner of a tattoo studio or tattoo artist 
is also mandated to advise the patron of all the possible complications that may arise in 
receiving a tattoo. 
The proposed bill also seeks to penalize any person who shall perform tattoo 
work on a minor without the written consent of the latter's parents or guardian; any 
person who is intoxicated or under the influence of drugs or alcohol; pregnant or nursing 
women; any person with contraindicated skin condition; and any person incapable of 
giving consent due to mental incapacity. 


It is hoped that the health risks and all possible complications which may arise in 
receiving a tattoo shall be minimized. 
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly requested. 
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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
FIFTEENTH CONGRESS 
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First Regular Session 
SENATE 
Senate Bill No. 1126 
Introduced by Senator Manny Villar 
AN ACT 
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PROVIDING STANDARDS IN THE OPERATION OF TATTOO STUDIOS, 
PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATION THEREOF, AND FOR OTHER 
PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
Philippines in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Tattoo Patrons 
Protection Act of 2010." 
SEC. 2, Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the 
State to protect and promote the right to health of the people. Toward this end, 
the government shall provide standards in the operation of tattoo studios to 
ensure the safety of the people against health risks and all possible 
complications that may arise in receiving a tattoo. 
SEC. 3. License Requirement. -No person shall perform tattoo or 
operate a tattoo studio unless he possesses the qualifications that may be 
prescribed by the Department of Health. 
SEC. 4. Duty to inform and advise patron. - It shall be the duty of the 
owner of a tattoo studio or tattoo artist to discuss with the patron or person 
intending to be tattooed the health risks involved in the tattoo requested, 
including the potential that a tattoo may interfere with the clinical reading of a 
magnetic resonance imaging stLjdy, should the patron ever encounter a medical 
need for such a study. The owner of a tattoo studio or tattoo artist shall also 
advise the patron of all the possible complications that may arise in receiving a 
tattoo. 
SEC. 5. Records. - The owner of a tattoo studio in which the tattoo was 
performed shall maintain a complete record which shall contain, but not limited 
to, the following: 
(a) name and signature of the person; 
(b) address; 
(c) age; 
(d) date tattooed; 
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(e) design of the tattoo; 
(f) location of the tattoo in the person's body; 
(g) name of the tattoo artist who performed the work. 
He shall also keep on file the written consent of the parents or guardian in 
case the person to be tattooed is a minor and the advice given to the patron 
regarding the possible complications that may arise in receiving a tattoo. 
SEC. 6. Procedures. - Every owner of a tattoo .studio or tattoo artist shall 
conform to the following procedures: 
(1) A copy of the printed instructions shall be posted in a conspicuous 
place, clearly visible to the person being tattooed; 
(2) Each tattoo artist shall wear a clean outer garment, i.e., patron, smock, 
T-shirt, etc.; 
(3) Tattoo artists who are experiencing diarrhea, vomiting, fever, rash, 
productive cough, jaundice, draining or open skin infections such as 
boils which could be indicative or more serious conditions such as, but 
not limited to, impetigo, scabies, hepatitis-B, HIV or AIDS shall refrain 
from tattooing activities until such time as they are no longer 
experiencing or exhibiting the aforementioned symptoms; 
(4) Before working on each patron, the fingemails and hands of the tattoo 
artist shall be thoroughly washed and scrubbed without running water, 
antibacterial soap and an individual hand brush that is clean and in 
good repair; 
(5) The tattoo artist's hands shall be air blown dried or dried by a single-
use towel. In addition, disposable latex examination gloves shall be 
wom during the tattoo process. The gloves shall be changed each time 
there is an interruption in the tattoo application, the glove become tom 
or punctured or whenever their ability to function as a barrier is 
compromised; 
(6) Only sterilized or single-use, disposable razors shall be used to shave 
the area to be tattooed; 
(7) Immediately prior to beginning the tattoo procedure, the affected skin 
area shall be treated with an antibacterial solution; 
(8) If an acetate stencil is sued by a tattoo artist for transferring the design 
to the skin, the acetate stencil shall be thoroughly cleaned and rinsed 
in a germicidal solution for at least'twenty minutes and then dried with 
sterile gauze or dried in the air on a sanitized surface after each use; 
(9) If a paper stencil is used by a tattoo artist for transferring the design to 
the skin, the paper stencil shall be single-use and disposable; 
(10)lf the design is drawn directly onto the skin, the design shall be 
applied with a single-use article only. 
SEC. 7. Dyes or pigments. - In performing tattoo work, the owner of a 
tattoo studio or tattoo artist shall use only nontoxic sterile dyes or pigments which 
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shall be prepared in sterilized or disposable single-use containers for each 
patron. After tattooing, the unused dye or pigment in the single-use containers 
shall be discarded along with the container. All dyes or pigments used in 
tattooing shall be from professional suppliers specifically providing dyes or 
pigments for the tattooing of human skin. 
SEC. 8. Sterilization of needles. - In performing tattoo work, the owner of 
a tattoo studio or tattoo artist shall use a set of individual, sterilized needles shall 
be used for each patron. No less than twenty-four sets of sterilized needles and 
tubes shall be on hand for the entire day or night operation. Unused sterilized 
instruments shall be re-sterilized at intervals of no more than six months from the 
date of the last sterilization. 
Used, non-disposable instruments shall be kept in a separate, puncture 
resistant container until brush scrubbed in hot water and soap and then sterilized 
by autoclaving. 
If used instruments are ultrasonically cleaned prior to being placed in the 
used instrument container, they shall be ultrasonically cleaned and then rinsed 
under running hot water prior to 'being placed in the used instrument container. 
The ultrasonic unit shall be sanitized daily with a germicidal solution. 
If used instruments are not ultrasonically cleaned prior to being placed in 
the used instrument container, they shall be kept in a germicidal or soap solution 
until brush scrubbed in hot water and soap and then sterilized by autoclaving. 
All non-disposable instruments, including the needle tubes, shall be 
sterilized and shall be handled and stored in such a manner as to prevent 
contamination. Instruments to be sterilized shall be sealed in bags made 
specifically for the purpose of autoclave sterilization and shall include the date of 
sterilization. If non-transparent sterilization bags are utilized, the bag shall also 
list the contents. 
Autoclave sterilization bags, with a color code indicator which changes 
color upon proper steam sterilization, shall be utilized during the autoclave 
sterilization process. Instruments shall be placed in the autoclave in such a 
manner as to allow live steam to circulate around them. 
The owner of a tattoo studio shall not keep in the studio any rusty, 
defective or faulty instruments. 
SEC. 9. Aftercare of tattoo. - The completed tattoo shall be washed with 
a single use towel saturated with an antibacterial solution. Printed instructions on 
the care of the skin after tattooing shall be given to each patron as a precaution 
to prevent infection. 
SEC. 10. Prohibited Acts. - It shall be unlawful for any person to perform 
tattoo work on the following: 
(a) any person who is intoxicated or under the influence of drugs or 
alcohol; 
(b) pregnant or nursing women; 
(c) any person with contraindicated skin condition; and 
(d) any person incapable of giving consent due to mental incapacity. 
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SEC. 11. Penalties. - Any person who violates the provisions of this Act 
shall, upon conviction, be penalized by imprisonment of not less than one (1) 
year nor more than five (5) years or a fine of not less than One Hundred 
Thousand pesos (PIOO,OOO.OO) npr more than Five Hundred Thousand pesos 
(P500,OOO.OO), or both such fine and imprisonment at the discretion of the court, 
The license to operate a tattoo studio and to perform tattoo shall be 
revoked, 
Any action arising from the violation of the provisions of this Act shall 
prescribe in five (5) years, 
SEC. 12. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The Department of 
Health, in coordination with Department of Trade and Industry, shall promulgate 
rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act. 
SEC. 13. Separability Clause. - If, for any reason, any provision of this 
Act is declared unconstitutional or invalid, other parts or provisions hereof which 
are not affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect. 
SEC. 14. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules and 
regulations, or portions thereof, inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or 
modified accordingly, 
SEC. 15. Effectivity Clause. -This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) 
days following its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation, 
Approved, 
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