FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
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SENATE 
S. B. No. 236 ""; 
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Introduced by Senator FRANCIS G. ESCUDERO 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Revised Penal Code lists some minor felonies, offenses, and infractions 
which cause little or no damage to persons, property and community, and which are 
often motivated not by malice but by some psychological disorders that should be 
addressed with treatment, rather than with punishment. 
One good example is vagrancy, penalized under Article 202 of the Revised 
Penal CO,de, which fails to see that vagrants are victims of poverty and the lack of 
opportunities for employment and access to decent standards of living and quality 
of life. 
This bill seeks to decriminalize the above offense in order to decongest the 
load of the justice system, allow our law enforcement officers to pay more attention 
to graver offenses, and improve the administration of justice in our land. This 
measure also seeks to give a more humane countenance on our justice system, which 
prioritizes the rehabilitation of the offender and acknowledges the value of every 
human life. 
In view of the foregoing, early passage of this bill is earnestly requested. 
FRANCIS G. ESCUDERO 


FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
) 
) 
) 
SENATE 
S. B. No. 23 G '7 
Introduced by Senator FRANCIS G. ESCUDERO 
AN ACT 
. , tl: 
DECRIMINALIZING VAGRANCY AMENDING FOR THIS 
PURPOSE ARTICLE 202 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 3815, AS 
AMENDED, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE REVISED PENAL 
CODE 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines 111 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Article 202 of the Revised Penal Code is hereby amended to 
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read as follows: 
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" Article 202. [Vagrants and p] Prostitutes; penalty. - [The following are 
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vagrants: 
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1. Any person having no apparent means of subsistence, who has the 
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physical ability to work and who neglects to apply himself or herself to 
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some lawful calling; 
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2. Any person found loitering about public or semi-public buildings or 
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places or tramping or wandering about the country or the streets 
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without visible means of support; 
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3. Any idle or dissolute person who lodges in houses of ill-fame; 
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ruffians or pimps and those who habitually associate with prostitutes; 
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4. Any person who, not being included in the provisions of other 
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articles of this Code, shall be found loitering in any inhabited or 
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uRinhabited place belong to another without any lawful or justifiable 
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purpose; 
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. 5. prostitutes. ] 
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For the purposes of this article, women who, for money or 
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profit, habitually indulge in sexual intercourse or lascivious conduct, 
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are deemed to be prostitutes. 
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Any person found guilty [of any] of the offense[s] covered by 
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this article shall be punished by arreslo menor or a fine not exceeding 
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200 pesos, and in case of recidivism, by arresio mayor in its medium 
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period to prision coweccional in its minimum period or a fine ranging 
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from 200 to 2,000 pesos, or both, in the discretion of the court. 
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SEC. 2. Effect on Pending Cases. All pending cases under the provisions of 
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Article 202 of the Revised Penal Code prior to its amendment by this Act shall be 
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dismissed upon effectivity of this Act. 
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SEC. 3. Immediate Release of Convicted Persons. All persons serving sentence for 
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violation of the provisions of Article 202 of the Revised Penal Code prior to its 
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amendment by this Act shall be immediately released upon effectivity of this Act, 
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provided that they are not serving sentence or detained for any other offense or 
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felony. 
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SEC. 4. Repealing Clause. All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, rules 
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and regulations, and other issuances, or any parts thereof, inconsistent with this Act, 
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are hereby repealed, modified or amended accordingly. 
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SEC. 5. Effectivihj Clause. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
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publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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