\ . 
SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
'13 
OCT -3 f"'6 :04 
SENi}Tj: 
S.No. Hs25 
HEn-:n';;;li l',\' .. r 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The proposed measure seeks to protect the general welfare through a more pragmatic 
, 
penal regulation against gambling, which is certainly inimical to public interest. As it is a 
declared policy of the State to discourage and prohibit forms of gambling not regulated or 
sanctioned under existing laws, there is a need to review and amend the same in order to 
efficiently and effectively carry out the people's crusade against illegal gambling. 
Law enforcement against illegal gambling will continue to be ineffective unless the laws 
provide stiffer penalties for violations thereof, which this bill seeks to provide: 
, This bill was originally filed during the Thirteenth Congress, First Regular Session. 
1 


SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
it ,m " t l' 
\~HI;f ,If HI" ~·;:'[HtZ1r~ 
'13 
OCT - 3 P 6 :04 
SENATE 
S.No. 
1825 
IU;Cr:IVLIJ HV·-r 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago .J 
1 
AN ACT 
2 
AMENDING PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 1602 TO PROVIDE FOR STIFFER 
3 
PENALTIES FOR GAMBLING AND/OR BETTING 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
4 
SECTION 1. Section 1 of Presidential Decree No. 1602 is hereby amended to read as 
5 
follows: 
6 
"Section 1. Penalties. - The following penalties are hereby imposed: 
7 
(a) The penalty of PRISION MAYOR IN ITS MEDIUM PERIOD OR 
8 
A FINE RANGING FROM TWENTY THOUSAND PESOS (P20,OOO.OO) 
9 
TO FORTY THOUSAND PESOS (P40,OOO.OO), OR BOTH fprision 
10 
correcional in its medium period or a fine ranging from one thousand pesos to six 
11 
thousand pesos], and in case of recidivism, the penalty of PRISION MAYOR IN 
12 
ITS MAXIMUM PERIOD OR A FINE RANGING FROM THIRTY 
13 
THOUSAND PESOS (P30,OOO.OO) 
TO SIXTY THOUSAND PESOS 
14 
(P60,OOO.OO) OR BOTH fprision mayor in its medium period or a fine ranging 
15 
from five thousand pesos to ten thousand pesos], shall be imposed upon: 
16 
(1) Any person other than those referred to in the 
17 
succeeding subsections who in any manner, shall directly or 
18 
indirectly take part in any illegal or unauthorized activities or 
19 
games of cockfighting, jueteng, jaialai, or horse racing to include 
20 
bookie operation and game-fixing, numbers, bingo, and other 
21 
forms lotteries, cara y cruz, pompiang and the like 7-11 and any 
22 
game using dice, blaclgack, lucky nine, poker and its derivatives, 
1 


1 
monte, baccarat, cuujo pagnnguinge and other card games; pailc 
2 
que, high and low, mahjong, domino and other games using plastic 
3 
tiles and the likes; slot machines, roulette, pinball, and other 
4 
mechanical contraptions and devices; dog racing, boat racing, car 
5 
racing and other forms of individual or team contest to include 
6 
game fixing, point shaving and other machinations; banking or 
7 
percentages game or scheme, whether upon chance or skill, 
8 
wherein wagers consisting of money, articles of value or 
9 
representative of value are at stake or made. 
10 
(2) Any person shall knowingly permit any form of 
11 
gambling referred to in the preceding subparagraph to be carried 
12 
on in an inhabited or uninhabited place or in any building, vessel, 
13 
or other means of transportation owned or controlled by him: 
14 
Provided, that if the place where gambling is carried on has a 
15 
reputation of a gambling place or that prohibited gambling is 
16 
frequently carried on therein, or the place is a public or 
17 
government building or barangay hall, the malefactor shall be 
18 
punished by PRISION MAYOR IN ITS MAXIMUM PERIOD 
19 
OR A FINE RANGING FROM THIRTY THOUSAND 
20 
PESOS 
(P30,OOO.OO) 
TO FIFTY THOUSAND 
PESOS 
21 
(P50,OOO.OO), OR BOTH [prision correccionai in its maximum 
22 
period and a fine of six thousand pesosj. 
23 
(3) ANY PERSON WHO PERMITS OR ALLOWS HIS 
24 
NAME TO BE USED FOR ILLEGAL GAMBLING OR WHO 
25 
USES OR PERMITS HIMSELF TO BE USED AS A DUMMY 
26 
IN CONNECTION WITH ILLEGAL GAMBLING. 
27 
(b) The penalty of PRISION MAYOR IN ITS MAXIMUM PERIOD 
28 
OR A FINE RANGING FROM THIRTY THOUSAND PESOS (P30,OOO.OO) 
29 
TO SIXTY THOUSAND PESOS (P60,OOO.OO), OR BOTH [prision 
2 


1 
correccional in its maximum period or a fine of six thousand pesos 1 shall be 
2 
imposed upon the maintainer or conductor of the above gambling schemes; 
3 
PROVIDED, THAT THE PENALTY OF RECLUSION TEMPORAL AND A 
4 
FINE RANGING l<'ROM FORTY THOUSAND PESOS (P40,OOO.OO) TO 
5 
SIXTY THOUSAND PESOS (P60,OOO.OO) SHALL BE IMPOSED UPON A 
6 
MAINTAINER OR CONDUCTOR WHO OPERATES THREE OR MORE 
7 
GAMBLING OR BETTING JOINTS, DENS, OR HOUSES, OR WHEN 
8 
THE GAMBLING OR BETTING OPERATION IS OF A LARGE SCALE, 
9 
SUCH AS WHEN IT COVERS A CITY, MUNICIPALITY, OR 
10 
BARANGAY. 
11 
THE PROPERTY DERIVED BY THE MAINTAINER OR 
12 
CONDUCTOR WHO OPERATES THREE OR MORE GAMBLING OR 
13 
BETTING JOINTS, DENS OR HOUSES, OR WHO OPERATES ON A 
14 
LARGE SCALE, FROM ILLEGAL GAMBLING OR BETTING SHALL 
, 
15 
BE FORFEITED AND/OR CONFISCATED IN FAVOR OF THE 
16 
GOVERNMENT. 
17 
ONCE THE PROSECUTION PROVES THAT THE PROPERTIES 
18 
OWNED, HELD OR ACCUMULATED BY THE ACCUSED, IN HIS OWN 
19 
NAME OR IN THOSE OF OTHER PERSONS, IS MANIFESTLY OUT OF 
20 
PROPORTION TO HIS LAWFUL INCOME, IT SHALL DEVOLVE 
21 
UPON THE ACCUSED TO SHOW THAT SUCH PROPERTIES WERE 
22 
ACQUIRED 
BY 
LAWFUL 
MEANS; 
PROVIDED, 
THAT 
ANY 
23 
PROPERTY WHICH HE DID NOT PROVE AS AMONG THOSE HE 
24 
ACQUIRED BY LEGAL MEANS SHALL BE PRESUMED TO HAVE 
25 
BEEN ACQUIRED ILLEGALLY. 
26 
UPON THE FILlFNG OF THE CRIMNAL CASE, THE COURT 
27 
SHALL SCHEDULE A HEARING FOR THE DETERMINATION OF THE 
28 
PROPERTIES MENTIONED HEREIN WHICH MAY BE CONFISCATED 
29 
AND FORFEITED. DURING THE PENDENCY OF THE CASE, NO 
3 


1 
PROPERTY, OR INCOME DERIVED THEREFROM, WHICH MAY BE 
2 
CONFISCATED AND FORFEITED, MAY BE DISPOSED, ALIENATED, 
3 
OR TRANSFERRED, AND THE SAME SHALL BE IN ,CUSTODIA LEGIS 
4 
AND NO BOND BE ADMITTED FOR THE RELEASE OF THE SAME. 
5 
THE PROCEEDS OF ANY SALE OR DISPOSITION OF 
ANY 
6 
PROPERTY OR MONEY CONFISCATED OR FORFEITED UNDER 
7 
THIS SUBSECTION SHALL BE USED TO PAY ALL PROPER 
8 
EXPENSES OF SEIZURE, CUSTODY AND MAINTENANCE OF 
9 
PROPERTY 
PENDING 
ITS 
DISPOSITION, 
ADVERTISING, 
10 
PUBLICATION, AND COURT COSTS. 
11 
(c) The penalty of prision mayor in its MAXIMUM PERIOD [medium 
12 
period] with temporary absolute disqualification or a fine RANGING FROM 
13 
FORTY THOUSAND PESOS (P40,OOO.OO) TO SIXTY THOUSAND PESOS 
14 
(P60,OOO.OO), OR BOTH, [of six thousand pesos] shall be imposed if the 
15 
maintainer, conductor or banker of said gambling schemes is a government 
16 
official, or where such government official is the player, promoter, referee, 
17 
umpire, judge, or coach in case of game fixing, point shaving and machination. 
18 
(d) The penalty of prision correccional in its medium period or a fine 
19 
ranging from FIVE THOUSAND PESOS (PS,OOO.OO) TO TEN THOUSAND 
20 
PESOS (PIO,OOO.OO), OR BOTH [four hundred pesos to two thousand pesos] 
21 
shall be imposed upon any person who shall, knowingly and without lawful 
22 
purpose in any hour of any day, possess any lottery list, paper, or other matter 
23 
containing letters, figures, signs or symbols AND OTHER GAMBLING 
24 
PARAPHERNALIA pertaining to or in any manner used in the same games of 
25 
jueteng, jai-alai or horse racing bookies, and similar games of lotteries and 
26 
numbers which have taken place or about to take place: PROVIDED, THAT 
27 
POSSESSION OF SAID ARTICLES OR PARAPHERNALIA SHALL BE 
28 
PRIMA 
FACIE 
EVIDENCE 
OF 
THE 
VIOLATION 
OF 
THIS 
29 
SUBSECTION: . PROVIDED, 
FURTHER, 
THAT 
SUCH ARTICLES 
4 


'. 
1 
FOUND IN THE POSSESSIQN OF ANY PERSON SHALL BE SEIZED 
2 
AND CONFISCATED IN FAVOR OF THE GOVERNMENT. 
3 
(e) The pena,lty of PERPETUAL [temporal] absolute disq\lalification 
4 
shall be imposed upon any PUBLIC [barangay] official who, with knowledge of 
5 
the existence of a gambling house or place in his jurisdiction, fails to abate the 
6 
same or take action in connection therewith, 
7 
(f) The penalty of prision correccional in its maximum period or a fine 
8 
ranging from FIVE THOUSAND PESOS (PS,OOO.OO) TO TEN THOUSAND 
9 
PESOS (PIO,OOO.OO), OR BOTH, [five hundred pesos to two thousand pesos] 
10 
shall be imposed upon any security officer, security guard, watchman, private or 
11 
house detective of hotels, villages, buildings, enc!os\lfes and the like which have 
12 
the reputation of a gambling place or where gambling activities are being held. 
13 
(g) ANY PERSON WHO USES DILATORY TACTICS TO HINDER, 
14 
OBSTRUCT OR IMPEDE THE SUCCESSFUL EXECUTION OF AN 
15 
OPERATION AGAINST ILLEGAL GAMBLING AND/OR BETTING BY 
16 
LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES OR BY ANY OTHER AGENCY OF 
17 
THE GOVERNMENT, OR OTHERWISE EXTENDS PROTECTION TO A 
18 
MAINTAINER, CONDUCTOR. OPERATOR OR ANY OTHER PERSON 
19 
OTHERWISE INVOLVED IN ILLEGAL GAMBLING AND/OR BETTING 
20 
SHALL BE PENALIZED WITH PRISION CORRECIONAL IN ITS 
21 
MAXIMUM PERIOD OR A FINE RANGING FROM TEN THOUSAND 
22 
PESOS (PIO,OOO.OO) TO TWENTY THOUSAND PESOS (P20,OOO.OO), OR 
23 
BOTH." 
24 
SECTION 2. Section 2 of Presidential Decree No. 1602 is hereby amended to read as 
25 
follows: 
26 
"Section 2. Informer's Reward. - Any person who shall disclose 
27 
information that will lead to the arrest and final conviction of the malefactor shall 
5 


· , 
1 
be rewarded THIRTY PERCENT (30%) [twenty percent] of the cash money or 
2 
articles of value confiscated or forfeited in favor of the government." 
3 
SECTION 3. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part thereof is held invalid or 
4 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall remain 
5 
valid and subsisting. 
6 
SECTION 4. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree, or issuance, executive 
7 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule, or regulation contrary to or inconsistent 
8 
with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly. 
9 
SECTION 5. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
10 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
6