PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 772, August 20, 1975
PENALIZING SQUATTING AND OTHER SIMILAR ACTS
of Letter of Instructions No. 19 dated October 2, 1972, directing the
Secretaries of National Defense, Public Works and Communications, Social
Welfare and the Director of Public Works, the PHHC General Manager, the
Presidential Assistant on Housing and Rehabilitation Agency, Governors,
City and Municipal Mayors, and City and District Engineers, “to remove
all illegal constructions including buildings on and along esteros and
river banks, those along railroad tracks and those built without permits
on public and private property, “squatting is still a major problem in
urban communities all over the country;
WHEREAS, many persons or entities found to have been
unlawfully occupying public and private lands belong to the affluent
class;
WHEREAS, there is a need to further intensify the
government’s drive against this illegal and nefarious practice;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the
Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution,
do hereby decree and order:
SECTION 1. Any person who, with the use of force,
intimidation or threat, or taking advantage of the absence or tolerance
of the landowner, succeeds in occupying or possessing the property of
the latter against his will for residential, commercial or any other
purposes, shall be punished by an imprisonment ranging from six months
to one year or a fine of not less than one thousand pesos nor more than
five thousand pesos at the discretion of the court, with subsidiary
imprisonment in case of insolvency.
If the offender is a corporation or association, the maximum penalty
of five years and a fine of five thousand pesos shall be imposed upon
the president, director, manager or managing partners thereof.
SEC. 2. This Decree shall take effect immediately.
Done in the City of Manila, this 20th day of August, in the year
of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-five.
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(Sgd.)
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FERDINAND E. MARCOS | |||||||
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President
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| Republic of the Philippines | ||||||||
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By the President: | |||||||
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(Sgd.)
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ALEJANDRO MELCHOR | |||||||
| Executive Secretary | ||||||||