Blackmail law republic act

In the Philippines, the law on blackmail is found in Republic Act No. 7610, also known as the "Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act". Specifically, Section 5 of the law defines blackmail as:

"Blackmail" means the act of threatening to expose or to reveal a secret or to commit a crime, or to cause harm to a person or his reputation, in order to extort money, property, or any other benefit from such person, or to compel him to do or to refrain from doing any act."

The law punishes blackmail with imprisonment of not less than six years and one day nor more than twelve years, and a fine of not less than P100,000 nor more than P500,000.

In addition, Republic Act No. 9165, also known as the "Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003", also criminalizes blackmail as a form of human trafficking. Specifically, Section 6 of the law defines blackmail as:

"Blackmail" means the act of threatening to expose or to reveal a secret or to commit a crime, or to cause harm to a person or his reputation, in order to extort money, property, or any other benefit from such person, or to compel him to do or to refrain from doing any act, including but not limited to, the act of forcing a person to engage in prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation."

The law punishes blackmail with imprisonment of not less than 12 years and one day nor more than 20 years, and a fine of not less than P500,000 nor more than P1,000,000.

It's worth noting that these laws are in addition to other laws that may also criminalize blackmail, such as the Revised Penal Code and other special laws.