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Batas Pambansa Bilang 8
AN
ACT DEFINING THE METRIC SYSTEM AND ITS UNITS, PROVIDING FOR ITS
IMPLEMENTATION
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
chan
robles
virtual law library
BATAS
PAMBANSA BILANG 8AN
ACT DEFINING THE METRIC SYSTEM AND ITS UNITS, PROVIDING FOR ITS
IMPLEMENTATION
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.chan
robles
virtual law library
chan
robles virtual law librarySection
1. Adoption of the metric
system. — Effective January one, Nineteen hundred and eighty-three, the
metric system (SI) as defined herein, shall be the sole measurement
system
to be used in the Philippines for all products, commodities, materials,
utilities, services, and commercial transactions, in all contracts,
deeds
and other official and legal instruments and documents, in accordance
with
the provisions of Presidential Decree Numbered One hundred eighty-seven
as amended by Presidential Decree Numbered Seven hundred forty-eight
and
this Act and their implementing rules and regulations.chanrobles virtual law library
Sec.
2. Definition of the metric
system. — For the purpose of this Act, the term "Metric system" means
the
international System of Units, or SI in brief, as established by the
General
Conference of Weights and Measures and as interpreted or modified by
the
Metric System Board, established pursuant to Presidential Decree
Numbered
One hundred eighty-seven, as amended by Presidential Decree Numbered
Seven
hundred forty-eight, hereinafter referred to as the Board, to suit
Philippine
conditions.chanrobles virtual law library
Sec.
3. Definition of other
terms. — For purposes of this Act:chanroblesvirtuallawlibrarychanrobles virtual law library
(a) "Unit"
means a value, quantity or magnitude, in terms of which other values,
quantities
or magnitudes are expressed.
(b) "Base
Unit" means a well-defined unit which by convention is regarded as
dimensionally
independent.
(c) "Derived
Unit" means a unit that is formed by combining base units and/or
supplementary
units according to the algebraic relations linking the other
corresponding
quantities.chanrobles virtual law library
(d) "Supplementary
Unit" means a unit which is neither a base nor a derived unit.chanrobles virtual law library
(e) "Standard"
means a physical embodiment of a unit.chanrobles virtual law library
(f) "National
Standard" means the primary standard of the country.chanrobles virtual law library
(g) "Measurement"
means quantitative expression of the state of phenomenon or matter such
as length, mass, time, electric current, temperature, light intensity,
surface area, volume, velocity, acceleration, force, pressure, work,
power,
beat, angle, and others.chanrobles virtual law library
Sec.
4. Definitions of base
units of the metric system. — For purpose of this Act: chanrobles virtual law library
(a) The
base unit of length shall be the metre, which is the length equal to 1
650 763.73 wavelengths in vacuum of the radiation corresponding to the
transition between the levels 2p 10 and 5d 5 of the krypton 86 atom.chanrobles virtual law library
(b) The
base unit of mass shall be the kilogram, which is equal to the mass of
the international prototype of the kilogram, made of platinum-iridium,
the standard of which is kept at the Bureau of International Weights
and
Measures at Sevres, France.
(c) The
base unit of time shall be the second, which is the duration of 9 192
631
770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between
the
two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the cesium 133 atom.chanrobles virtual law library
(d) The
base unit of electric current shall be the ampere, which is that
constant
current which, if maintained in two parallel conductors of infinite
length,
of negligible circular cross-section, and placed one metre apart in
vacuum,
would produce between these conductors a force equal to 2 x 10 -7
newton
per metre of length.chanrobles virtual law library
(e) The
base unit of the thermodynamic temperature shall be the kelvin, which
is
the fraction 1/273.16 of the thermodynamic temperature of the triple
point
of water.chanrobles virtual law library
(f) The
base unit of luminous intensity shall be the candela, which is the
luminous
intensity, in the perpendicular direction, of a surface of 1/600 000
square
metre of a blackbody at the temperature of freezing platinum under a
pressure
of 101 325 newtons per square metre.chanrobles virtual law library
(g) The
base unit of amount of substance shall be the mole, which is the amount
of substance of a system which contains as many elementary entities as
there are atoms in 0.012 kilogram of carbon 12. When the mole is used,
the elementary entities must be specified and may be atoms, molecules,
ions, electrons, other particles, or specified groups of such particles.
Sec.
5. Definitions of supplementary
units of the metric system. — For purposes of this Act:chanroblesvirtuallawlibrary
(a) The
supplementary unit of a plane angle shall be the radian, which is
defined
as the plane angle between two radii of a circle which cut off on the
circumference
an arc equal in length to the radius.chanrobles virtual law library
(b) The
supplementary unit of solid angle shall be the steradian, which is
defined
as the solid angle which, having its vertex in the center of a sphere,
cuts off an area of the surface of the sphere equal to that of a square
with sides of length equal to the radius of the sphere.chanrobles virtual law library
Sec.
6. National standards for
metric units. — (a) For the purpose of deriving the value of the
base units, the National Institute of Science and Technology shall
establish
and maintain national standards of these units with the concurrence of
the Board for certification by the International Bureau of Weights and
Measures, when necessary.chanrobles virtual law library.chanrobles virtual law library
(b) For
the purpose of deriving the value of the second the Philippine
Atmospheric,
Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration shall establish
and
maintain the national standard for the second, with the concurrence of
the board.chanrobles virtual law library
Sec.
7. Implementation. — a.
The Board shall take charge of the implementation of this Act,
promulgate
and enforce such rules and regulations as may be necessary for the
effective
use of the metric system including rules of usage, metric conversion
tables
and factors, metrication programs and weights and measures.chanrobles virtual law library
b. In
order to enhance nationwide awareness of metric conversion by the
people
and all sectors of society and facilitate the necessary adjustments to
the exclusive use of the metric system, National Metrication Month
shall
be observed in November of each year until Nineteen hundred and
eighty-three.
The Board shall manage appropriate activities, including the
preparation,
production and nationwide dissemination of informative materials about
the metric system and conversion.chanrobles virtual law library
c. The
Board shall continue in existence and exercise its powers and functions
under Presidential Decree Numbered One hundred eighty-seven, as amended
by Presidential Decree Numbered Seven hundred forty-eight, until the
end
of Nineteen hundred and eighty-four. Positions in the technical staff
and
secretariat of the Board shall be considered highly technical or
confidential
and the Board shall provide appropriate incentives for the recruitment,
maintenance and high level performance of highly qualified personnel,
subject
to the provisions of the Presidential Decree No. 985.chanrobles virtual law library
Sec.
8. Penalties. — Any violation
of the provisions hereof, or the rules and regulations promulgated
pursuant
hereto, shall, upon conviction, subject the offender to a fine of not
more
than One Thousand Pesos or imprisonment for a term of not more than one
year, or both, upon the discretion of the Court. If the violation was
committed
by a juridical person, the manager, representative, director, agent
and/or
employee of said juridical person responsible for the act shall be
liable
to the penalties provided herein. If the offender is an alien, he shall
be deported after serving the sentence, without the need for further
proceedings
for deportation.chanrobles virtual law library
Sec.
9. Funding. — The amount
appropriated for the Metric System Board for the first semester of 1979
included in the General Appropriations Act for calendar year 1979 shall
be used for the implementation of this Act. Savings in the programmed
appropriations
not exceeding Five Hundred Thousand Pesos of the Ministry of Trade and
the National Science Development Board may be used to support the
Board,
subject to the provisions of Presidential Decree No. 1177, and to the
approval
of the President.chanrobles virtual law library
Sec.
10. Repealing Clause. —
The provisions of any law, decree, order, rule and regulation which are
inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.chanrobles virtual law library
Sec.
11. Effectivity. — This
Act shall take effect upon its approval.chanrobles virtual law library
Approved:
December 2, 1978
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