REPUBLIC ACT No.

6539 Thereafter, all motor vehicle engines, engine blocks and

chassis not registered with the Land Transportation
AN ACT PREVENTING AND PENALIZING CARNAPPING Commission shall be considered as untaxed importation or
coming from an illegal source or carnapped, and shall be
confiscated in favor of the Government.
Section 1. This Act shall be known and may be cited as
the "Anti-Carnapping Act of 1972."
All owners of motor vehicles in all cities and municipalities are
required to register their cars with the local police without
Section 2. Definition of terms. The terms "carnapping", "motor paying any charges.
vehicle", "defacing or tampering with", "repainting", "body-
building", "remodeling", "dismantling", and "overhauling", as
used in this Act, shall be understood, respectively, to mean Section 4. Permanent registry of motor vehicle engines,
engine blocks and chassis. The Land Transportation
Commission shall keep a permanent registry of motor vehicle
"Carnapping" is the taking, with intent to gain, of a motor engines, engine blocks and chassis of all motor vehicles,
vehicle belonging to another without the latter's consent, or by specifying therein their type, make and serial numbers and
means of violence against or intimidation of persons, or by stating therein the names and addresses of their present and
using force upon things. previous owners. Copies of the registry and of all entries made
thereon shall be furnished the Philippine Constabulary and all
"Motor vehicle" is any vehicle propelled by any power other Land Transportation Commission regional, provincial and city
than muscular power using the public highways, but excepting branch offices: Provided, That all Land Transportation
road rollers, trolley cars, street-sweepers, sprinklers, lawn Commission regional, provincial and city branch offices are
mowers, bulldozers, graders, fork-lifts, amphibian trucks, and likewise obliged to furnish copies of all registration of motor
cranes if not used on public highways, vehicles, which run only vehicles to the main office and to the Philippine Constabulary.
on rails or tracks, and tractors, trailers and traction engines of
all kinds used exclusively for agricultural purposes. Trailers Section 5. Registration of sale, transfer, conveyance,
having any number of wheels, when propelled or intended to substitution or replacement of a motor vehicle engine, engine
be propelled by attachment to a motor vehicle, shall be block or chassis. Every sale, transfer, conveyance, substitution
classified as separate motor vehicle with no power or replacement of a motor vehicle engine, engine block or
rating.lawphi1™ chassis of a motor vehicle shall be registered with the Land
Transportation Commission. Motor vehicles assembled and
"Defacing or tampering with" a serial number is the erasing, rebuilt or repaired by replacement with motor vehicle engines,
scratching, altering or changing of the original factory-inscribed engine blocks and chassis not registered with the Land
serial number on the motor vehicle engine, engine block or Transportation Commission shall not be issued certificates of
chassis of any motor vehicle. Whenever any motor vehicle is registration and shall be considered as untaxed imported motor
found to have a serial number on its motor engine, engine vehicles or motor vehicles carnapped or proceeding from illegal
block or chassis which is different from that which is listed in sources.
the records of the Bureau of Customs for motor vehicles
imported into the Philippines, that motor vehicle shall be Section 6. Original Registration of motor vehicles. Any person
considered to have a defaced or tampered with serial number. seeking the original registration of a motor vehicle, whether
that motor vehicle is newly assembled or rebuilt or acquired
"Repainting" is changing the color of a motor vehicle by means from a registered owner, shall within one week after the
of painting. There is repainting whenever the new color of a completion of the assembly or rebuilding job or the acquisition
motor vehicle is different from its color as registered in the thereof from the registered owner, apply to the Philippine
Land Transportation Commission. Constabulary for clearance of the motor vehicle for registration
with the Land Transportation Commission. The Philippine
"Body-building" is a job undertaken on a motor vehicle in order Constabulary shall, upon receipt of the application, verify if the
to replace its entire body with a new body. motor vehicle or its numbered parts are in the list of carnapped
motor vehicles or stolen motor vehicle parts. If the motor
vehicle or any of its numbered parts is not in that list, the
"Remodeling" is the introduction of some changes in the shape Philippine Constabulary shall forthwith issue a certificate of
or form of the body of the motor vehicle.lawphi1™ clearance. Upon presentation of the certificate of clearance
from the Philippine Constabulary and after verification of the
"Dismantling" is the tearing apart, piece by piece or part by registration of the motor vehicle engine, engine block and
part, of a motor vehicle. chassis in the permanent registry of motor vehicle engines,
engine blocks and chassis, the Land Transportation
Commission shall register the motor vehicle in accordance with
"Overhauling" is the cleaning or repairing of the whole engine
existing laws, rules and regulations.
of a motor vehicle by separating the motor engine and its parts
from the body of the motor vehicle.
Section 7. Duty of Collector of Customs to report arrival of
imported motor vehicle, etc. The Collector of Customs of a
Section 3. Registration of motor vehicle engine, engine block
principal port of entry where an imported motor vehicle, motor
and chassis. Within one year after the approval of this Act,
vehicle engine, engine block chassis or body is unloaded,
every owner or possessor of unregistered motor vehicle or
shall, within seven days after the arrival of the imported motor
parts thereof in knock down condition shall register with the
vehicle or any of its parts enumerated herein, make a report of
Land Transportation Commission the motor vehicle engine,
the shipment to the Land Transportation Commission,
engine block and chassis in his name or in the name of the real
specifying the make, type and serial numbers, if any, of the
owner who shall be readily available to answer any claim over
motor vehicle engine, engine block and chassis or body, and
the registered motor vehicle engine, engine block or chassis.
stating the names and addresses of the owner or consignee not less than two years nor more than six years and a fine
thereof. If the motor vehicle engine, engine block, chassis or equal in amount to the acquisition cost of the motor vehicle,
body does not bear any serial number, the Collector of motor vehicle engine or any other part involved in the
Customs concerned shall hold the motor vehicle engine, violation: Provided, That if the person violating any provision of
engine block, chassis or body until it is numbered by the Land this Act is a juridical person, the penalty herein provided shall
Transportation Commission. be imposed on its president or secretary and/or members of
the board of directors or any of its officers and employees who
Section 8. Duty of importers, distributors and sellers of motor may have directly participated in the violation.
vehicles to keep record of stocks. Any person engaged in the
importation, distribution, and buying and selling of motor Any government official or employee who directly commits the
vehicles, motor vehicle engines, engine blocks, chassis or unlawful acts defined in this Act or is guilty of gross negligence
body, shall keep a permanent record of his stocks, stating of duty or connives with or permits the commission of any of
therein their type, make and serial numbers, and the names the said unlawful act shall, in addition to the penalty prescribed
and addresses of the persons from whom they were acquired in the preceding paragraph, be dismissed from the service with
and the names and addresses of the persons to whom they prejudice to his reinstatement and with disqualification from
were sold, and shall render an accurate monthly report of his voting or being voted for in any election and from appointment
transactions in motor vehicles to the Land Transportation to any public office.
Commission.
Section 14. Penalty for Carnapping. Any person who is found
Section 9. Duty of manufacturers of engine blocks, chassis or guilty of carnapping, as this term is defined in Section two of
body to cause numbering of engine blocks, chassis or body this Act, shall, irrespective of the value of motor vehicle taken,
manufactured. Any person engaged in the manufacture of be punished by imprisonment for not less than fourteen years
engine blocks, chassis or body shall cause the numbering of and eight months and not more than seventeen years and four
every engine block, chassis or body manufactured in a months, when the carnapping is committed without violence or
convenient and conspicuous part thereof which the Land intimidation of persons, or force upon things; and by
Transportation Commission may direct for the purpose of imprisonment for not less than seventeen years and four
uniformity and identification of the factory and shall submit to months and not more than thirty years, when the carnapping is
the Land Transportation Commission a monthly report of the committed by means of violence against or intimidation of any
manufacture and sale of engine blocks, chassis or body. person, or force upon things; and the penalty of life
imprisonment to death shall be imposed when the owner,
Section 10. Clearance and permit required for assembly or driver or occupant of the carnapped motor vehicle is killed in
rebuilding of motor vehicles. Any person who shall undertake the commission of the carnapping.
to assemble or rebuild or cause the assembly or rebuilding of a
motor vehicle shall first secure a certificate of clearance from Section 15. Aliens. Aliens convicted under the provisions of
the Philippine Constabulary: Provided, That no such permit this Act shall be deported immediately after service of sentence
shall be issued unless the applicant shall present a statement without further proceedings by the Deportation Board.
under oath containing the type, make and serial numbers of the
engine, chassis and body, if any, and the complete list of the Section 16. Reward. Any person who voluntarily gives
spare parts of the motor vehicle to be assembled or rebuilt information leading to the recovery of carnapped vehicles and
together with the names and addresses of the sources thereof. for the conviction of the persons charged with carnapping shall
be given as reward so much reward money as the Philippine
In the case of motor vehicle engines to be mounted on motor Constabulary may fix. The Philippine Constabulary is
boats, motor bancas and other light water vessels, the authorized to include in its annual budget the amount
applicant shall secure a permit from the Philippine Coast necessary to carry out the purposes of this section. Any
Guard, which office shall in turn furnish the Land information given by informers shall be treated as confidential
Transportation Commission the pertinent data concerning the matter.
motor vehicle engines including their type, make and serial
numbers. Section 17. Separability clause. If any provisions of this Act is
declared invalid, the provisions thereof not affected by such
Section 11. Clearance required for shipment of motor vehicles, declaration shall remain in force and effect.
motor vehicle engines, engine blocks, chassis or body. Any
person who owns or operates inter-island shipping or any Section 18. Repealing clause. All laws, executive orders, rules
water transportation with launches, boats, vessels or ships and regulations, or parts thereof, inconsistent with the
shall within seven days submit a report to the Philippine provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or amended
Constabulary on all motor vehicle, motor vehicle engines, accordingly.
engine blocks, chassis or bodies transported by it for the motor
vehicle, motor vehicle engine, engine block, chassis or body to
be loaded on board the launch, boat vessel or ship. Section 19. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect upon its
approval.
Section 12. Defacing or tampering with serial numbers of
motor vehicle engines, engine blocks and chassis. It shall be Approved: August 26, 1972
unlawful for any person to deface or otherwise tamper with the
original or registered serial number of motor vehicle engines,
engine blocks and chassis.

Section 13. Penal Provisions. Any person who violates any

provisions of this Act shall be punished with imprisonment for