Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.,  
HON. MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE, HON. TSUYOSHI ANTHONY G. 
HORIBATA AND HON. NICOLAS ENCISO VIII 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
This bill seeks to provide a civil remedy for damages to persons injured as a result of 
the use of illegal drugs. To the extent possible, the cost of damage caused by the 
market for illegal drugs will be shifted to those who illegally profit from that market. 
This may deter those who have not yet entered the distribution market for illegal drugs 
by establishing the prospect of substantial monetary loss. Illegal drug users will also 
be given an incentive to identify and pursue those who have provided them with illegal 
drugs in the past. 
Through this bill a new cause of action is established in favor of any person or entity 
suffering damages or increased expense because of illegal drug use, including the 
illegal drug user himself, against any person or entity that sold or was in the chain of 
distribution of the illegal drugs used by the individual illegal drug user and any person 
or entity involved in the sale or distribution of the type of illegal drugs used by that 
individual. The bill sets forth certain exceptions, what damages may be recovered, 
rules on contributory negligence, contribution among joint tortfeasors, prejudgment 
attachments and other procedures. 
LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR. 
 MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE 
TSUYOSHI ANTHONY G. HORIBATA 
NICOLAS ENCISO VIII 
July 18, 2022
5:29 pm
2108


2
Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.,  
HON. MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE, HON. TSUYOSHI ANTHONY G. 
HORIBATA AND HON. NICOLAS ENCISO VIII 
AN ACT  
PROVIDING FOR THE CIVIL LIABILITY OF DRUG DEALERS 
IN FAVOR OF PERSONS INJURED BY ILLEGAL DRUGS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Drug Dealer Liability Act.” 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is the policy of the state to promote the health 
and well-being of our people and to maintain peace and order. To this end, it is 
necessary to provide measures that will help eradicate the use of illegal drugs by 
allowing the facilitation of recovery of civil damages against drug dealers aside from 
the penal sanctions under existing law. 
SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. – For the purpose of this Act, the term: 
(A) “Illegal drug” shall have the same meaning as the term “dangerous drugs” under
Republic Act No. 9165, as amended, also known as the Dangerous Drugs Act of
2002, and shall include methamphetamine hydrochloride, commonly known as
“shabu.”
(B) “Individual drug user" means the individual whose use of a specified illegal drug
is the basis of an action brought under this Act.
(C) “Participate in the marketing of illegal drugs” means to transport import into the
Philippines, sell, possess with the intent to sell, furnish, administer or give away
an illegal drug. "Participate in the Marketing of Illegal Drugs" does not include the
2108


 
3
purchase or receipt of an illegal drug for personal use.  
(D) “Period of Illegal drug use” means in relation to the individual illegal drug user, the 
period of time from the individual's first use of a specified illegal drug to the accrual 
of the cause of action. The period of illegal drug use is presumed to commence 
two (2) years before the cause of action accrues unless the defendant proves 
otherwise.  
(E) “Person” means an individual, government entity, corporation, firm, trust, 
partnership, or incorporated or unincorporated association existing under or 
authorized by existing law or the laws of a foreign country.  
(F) “Specified illegal drug” means the type of illegal drug used by an individual illegal 
drug user which is the basis of an action brought under this Act. 
 
SECTION 4. Persons Injured by an Individual Illegal Drug User. – Any one or more 
of the following persons may bring an action for damages caused by an individual's 
use of an illegal drug: 
(A) A parent, legal guardian, child, spouse, or sibling of the individual illegal drug user;  
(B) A person who was exposed to an illegal in utero; 
(C) An employer of an individual drug user; or 
(D) A medical facility, insurer, government entity, employer, or other entity that funded 
a drug treatment program or employee assistance program for the individual 
illegal drug user or that otherwise expended money in behalf of the individual drug 
user or a dependent of the individual drug user; and 
(E) A person injured as a result of the willful, reckless, or negligent actions of an 
individual illegal drug user. 
 
SECTION 5. Persons Liable for Damages. – A person entitled to seek damages 
under the preceding section may seek damages from one or more of the following: 
(A) A person who sold, administered or furnished, or is in the chain of the distribution, 
an illegal drug used by the individual drug user; or 
(B) If established by clear and convincing evidence, a person who within this state 
knowingly participated in the marketing of the specified illegal drug used by an 
individual illegal drug user during the individual drug user's period of illegal drug 
use. 
 


 
4
SECTION 6. Damages. – A person injured by an illegal drug user under the preceding 
section may bring an action to recover all of the following damages: 
(A) Actual damages, including but not limited to the cost of treatment and 
rehabilitation, medical expenses, loss of economic or educational potential, loss 
of productivity, absenteeism, support expenses, accidents or injury, or any other 
pecuniary loss proximately caused by an individual's use of an illegal drug; 
(B) Moral damages, including but not limited to physical and emotional pain, suffering, 
physical impairment, emotional distress, disfigurement, loss of employment, loss 
of companionship, services, and consortium, and other non-pecuniary loss 
proximately caused by an individual's use of an illegal drug;  
(C) Exemplary damages;  
(D) Reasonable attorney's fees; and  
(E) Costs of suit, including, but not limited to, expenses for expert witnesses and 
expenses for investigative services to determine the identity of the defendants 
and the location of any assets of the defendants. 
 
SECTION 7. Suits by Illegal Drug User. – An individual illegal drug user entitled to 
bring an action under this Act may seek damages only from a person who sold, 
administered, or furnished, or is in the chain of distribution of an illegal drug used by 
the individual illegal drug user. 
 
SECTION 8. Limited Damages. – An individual illegal drug user entitled to bring an 
action under this Act may recover only the following damages: 
(A) Actual damages, including but not limited to the cost of treatment and 
rehabilitation, medical expenses, loss of economic or educational potential, loss 
of productivity, absenteeism, support expenses, accidents or injury, or any other 
pecuniary loss proximately caused by an individual's use of an illegal drug; 
(B) Reasonable attorney's fees; and  
(C) Costs of suit, including but not limited to expenses for expert witnesses and 
expense for investigative services to determine the identity of the defendants and 
the location of any assets of the defendants. 
 
SECTION 9. Non-Exclusiveness; Exceptions to Liability. – Any cause of action 
established under this Act shall be in addition to and not in lieu of any other cause of 


 
5
action available to the plaintiff. 
 
A law enforcement officer or agency or the state, or a person acting at the direction of 
a law enforcement officer or agency or the state is not liable for participating in the 
marketing of illegal drugs if the participation is in furtherance of an official investigation. 
 
 
SECTION 10. Contributory Negligence. – Contributory negligence shall not bar 
recovery by an individual illegal drug user, but may diminish the award of any damages 
in proportion to the amount of negligence attributable to the individual illegal drug user.  
Contributory negligence shall not be attributable to a plaintiff who is not an individual 
illegal drug user, unless the plaintiff willfully and knowingly gave illegal drugs or money 
for the purchase of the specified illegal drug. 
 
SECTION 11. Contribution Among and Recovery from Multiple Defendants. – A 
person subject to liability under this Act has a right of contribution against any other 
person subject to liability under this Act. Contribution may be enforced either in the 
original action or by a separate action brought for that purpose. A plaintiff may seek 
recovery in accordance with this Act and other laws against a person whom a 
defendant has asserted a right of contribution. 
 
SECTION 12. Effect of Criminal Drug Conviction. – A person against whom 
recovery is sought who has a criminal conviction for other than mere possession of 
the specified illegal drug under the “Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002” is estopped from 
denying participation in the illegal drug market. Such a conviction is also a prima facie 
evidence of the person's participation in the illegal drug market during the two years 
preceding the date of an act giving rise to a conviction. The absence of a conviction of 
a person against whom recovery is sought does not bar an action against that person. 
 
SECTION 13. Prejudgment Attachment and Execution of Judgment. – Except as 
provided in subsection (c) of this section, a plaintiff under Rule 57 of the Rules of Court 
without the requirements provided for in Section 1 of the said Rule 57 against all of the 
assets of a defendant sufficient to satisfy a potential award. If attachment is issued, a 
defendant is entitled to an immediate hearing. The attachment may be removed if the 
defendant demonstrates that the assets will be available for a potential award of if the 


 
6
defendant posts a bond sufficient to cover a potential award. A person against whom 
a judgment has been rendered under this Act is not eligible to exempt any property, of 
whatever kind, from process to levy or process to execute on the judgment. 
 
Any assets sought to satisfy a judgment under this Act that have been named in a 
forfeiture action pending on the date that the attachment under subsection (a) of this 
section is sought or have been seized forfeiture by any government agency may not 
be attached or used to satisfy a judgment unless and until the assets have been 
released following conclusion of the forfeiture action or released by the agency that 
seized the assets. 
 
SECTION 14. Statute of Limitations. – Except as otherwise provided by this section, 
a claim under this Act shall not be brought more than two years after the cause of 
action accrues under this Act when a person who may recover has reason to know of 
the harm from illegal drug use that is the basis of the cause of the action and has 
reason to know that the illegal drug use is the cause of the harm. For a plaintiff, the 
statute of limitations under this section is tolled while the individual potential plaintiff is 
incapacitated by the use of an illegal drug to the extent that the individual cannot 
reasonably be expected to seek recovery under this Act or as otherwise provided by 
law. For a defendant, the statute of limitations under this section does not expire until 
six (6) months after the individual potential defendant is convicted of a criminal offense 
or as otherwise provided by law. 
 
SECTION 15. Stay of Action. –  On motion by a government agency involved in a 
drug investigation or prosecution, an action brought under this Act shall be stayed until 
the completion of the criminal investigation or prosecution that gave rise to the motion 
for a stay of the action. 
 
SECTION 16. Non-Retroactivity. – No cause of action shall accrue based upon any 
act by a defendant that occurred prior to the effective date of this Act. 
 
SECTION 17. Separability Clause. – If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall 
remain valid and subsisting. 


 
7
 
SECTION 18. Repealing Clause. – Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to 
or inconsistent with, the provision of this Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended 
accordingly. 
 
SECTION 19. Effectivity Clause. –This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
 
Approved,