FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF TEE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
Second Regular Session 
) 
S. NO. 
Y 
Introduced by Senator Antonio “Sonny” F. Trillanes Iv 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Article Iff, Section 5 uf the Constitution pictees that the free exercise and enjoyment of 
religious profmsjon and wmhip, Without diserimimtion of pfereme, shdl ferever be allowed. 
Furthermore, Article IV, Section 1 of the United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of All 
Fornis of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief asserts that all States 
shall take effective measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination on the grounds of religion 
or belief in the recognition, exercise and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental fieedoms 
in all fields of civil, economic, political, social and cultural life. It is in this light that this hill 
seeks to prohibit the use of the words “Muslims” and “Christians” in mass media to describe any 
person subjected or convicted for having committed criminal or unlawful acts. 
Religious tagging of criminals spuriously correlates the propensity of a person to commit a crime 
to herhis faith. Often, the media is guilty of such misrepresentation, and viewers are thereafter 
left vulnerable to make hasty generalizations. Our Muslim brethrens are time and again the 
victim of such irresponsible discriminatory remarks, as media - consciously or not - suggest 
prefixes to the word “Muslim”. This only seeks to exacerbate the polarization between the 
predominantly Christian populace and the Muslim minority in the country. 
It is hoped that the passage of this bill will make the media more conscious of the significant role 
they play in nation building, especially in creating a more understanding rapport and in forging 
goodwill among religious communities. 
In view of the foregoing, immediate approval of this measure is earnestly s ught. 
dicJt--’s--rl- 
&&IO 
“S0NNY’;F. TRILLANES IV 
Senator 
1 


1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PJ€ILIPPINES ) 
Second Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
S. NO. 
Introduced by Senator Antonio “Sonny” F. Trillanes IV 
AN ACT 
PROHIBITING THE USE OF THE WORDS “MUSLIM” AND ‘‘CERISTUN” IN MASS 
MEDIA TO DESCRIBE ANY PERSON SUSPECTED OF OR CONVICTED FOR 
HAVING COMMITTED ClUMINAL OR UNLAWFUL ACTS, AND PROVIDING 
PENALTIES FOR VIOLATION THEREOF 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Prohibifed Act. - It is hereby declared unlawful for any person to use in 
mass media, the words “Muslim” andor “Christian” or any other word that would denote 
religious, regional or ethnic affiliation to describe any person suspected of or convicted for 
having committed criminal or unlawful acts 
. SEC. 2. PettuMes. - The penalty of 6 months imprisonment and/or a fine ranging from 
Five thousand pesos (P1,OOO.OO) to Ten thousand pesos (PlO,OOO.OO), or both, at the discretion 
of the court, shall be imposed upon any person found guilty of violating Section 1 hereof 
The editor-in-chief, in the case of print media, and the news editor, in the case of 
broadcast media and other forms of mass media, shall be imposed a fine not lower than Fifty 
thousand pesos (P50,OOO.OO). The juridical entity violating this Act shall be imposed a tine not 


1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
lower than Fifty thousand pesos (P50,OOO.OO) for every violation. For the second and succeeding 
offenses, the penalties shall be doubled. 
SEC. 3. Impfementing Rules. - The Philippine Information Agency, in coordination with 
the concerned sectors and entities, shall promulgate the rules and regulations to implement this 
Act within three (3) months after its effectivity. 
SEC. 4. Repealing Clause. - All laws, orders, issuances, rules and regulations or parts 
thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, modified or amended 
accordingly. 
SEC. 5. Separability Clause. - If any part of this Act is held invalid or unconstitutional, 
the other parts or provisions thereof not affected thereby shall remain valid and effective. 
SEC. 6. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from its 
publication in at least two (2) national newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
2