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Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

House Bit. No, 8442

Introduced by Representative Diego “Nonoy” C. Ty

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The world is witness to a number of pandemics that have claimed the lives of
millions of people-in the past centuries. In the 21*t century, the last 20 years saw how
SARS, MERS, Ebola, avian influenza and the swine flu have threatened human existence.
Today, we are facing again another health crisis that leaves our healthcare system
overburdened and our economy fractured. As we attempt to move forward by
overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic through the development ofa vaccine, one thing still
undeniably remains: The world will not be totally free from possible occurrence of future
pandemics.

In December 2020, no less than the World Health Organization (WHO) warned
that the COVID-19 crisis, as history tells, will not be the last pandemic. Above and beyond,
itadded that epidemics are a fact of life. In the light of the current global health crisis, the
organization urged all countries to invest in preparedness capacities. on emergencies of
all kinds, with emphasis given on the importance of a strong primary healthcare as the
foundation of universal healthcare coverage.

With our copious firsthand experiences with the ongoing pandemic, it can be
deduced that for a country like ours—and as always—one of the most prudent steps that
should be done is the recalibration of our overall healthcare system to include the
strengthening of existing facilities in the country for possible future emergence of highly
infectious and deadly diseases whose scale of catastrophe may be identical or even worse
than that of the COVID-19 and the past pandemics. Thus, this proposed measure.

This bill seeks to convert the Plaridel Community Hospital in the Municipality of
Plaridel, Province of Misamis Occidental into a Level 1 Hospital on Infectious Diseases
under the direct control, supervision and management of the Department of Health
(DOH) and to provide for the increase of its bed capacity. As first of its kind in the
province, the establishment of a hospital whose focus is on the treatment of infectious
diseases will certainly assuage the burden being passed on to the existing public and
private healthcare providers in the province due to the pandemic as this will help mitigate

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the disruption and reduction of the capacity of their services for all common diseases and
conditions. More importantly, this measure-will give-a great sense of health security for
our constituents in Misamis Occidental,

The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board in its 2019 annual report said that the
world was not prepared for a fast-moving, virulent respiratory pathogen pandemic?
Months later, the corona virus disease outbreak was first detected, spreading mercilessly
across the world and leaving countries, including the Philippines, grappling for a way out
for several months already. May we have learned from this adversity and move forward
through proactive measures that would help advance the healthcare system in the
country for the welfare of our people,

In view thereof, the approval of this bill is earnestly sought.

“NONOY”C. TY

District, Misamis Occidental

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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

House pitwo, 8442

Introduced by Representative Diego “Nonoy” C. Ty

AN ACT
CONVERTING THE PLARIDEL COMMUNITY HOSPITAL IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF
PLARIDEL, PROVINCE OF MISAMIS OCCIDENTAL INTO A LEVEL ONE (1) HOSPITAL
ON INFECTIOUS DISEASES, UNDER THE DIRECT CONTROL, SUPERVISION AND
MANAGEMENT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (DOH), INCREASING ITS BED
CAPACITY TO FIFTY (50), AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. The Plaridel Community Hospital in the Municipality of Plaridel,
Province of Misamis Occidental is hereby converted into a Level One (1) Hospital on
Infectious Diseases under the direct control, supervision and management of the
Department of Health (DOH), with its bed capacity increased to fifty (50).

SEC. 2. The Department of Health, in consultation with the Provincial Governor,
shall issue the necessary rules and regulations to implement this Act. It shall also
determine the number of plantilla positions to be created and the service facilities and
professional health care services to be upgraded commensurate to the increase in the
number of bed capacity.

SEC. 3. The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act shall be
included in the General Appropriations Act of the year following its enactment into law
and thereafter.

SEC. 4. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official
Gazette or ina newspaper of general circulation,

Approved,