Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 7828

Introduced by HON. JOY MYRA S. TAMBUNTING

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Republic Act No. 11332, otherwise known as the “Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and
Health Events of Public Health Concern Act”, which was enacted just last year, provides for
mechanisms which allow governments to effectively monitor the spread of diseases and control
future outbreaks.

The COVID-19 pandemic has allowed for an early evaluation of the said law—revealing areas for
improvement and amendment. Whilst there are provisions that are not yet fully implemented, the
gaps in the current response show that the provisions of this law would have been particularly
helpful in controlling spread of diseases.

This proposed measure seeks to augment this law to make this more effective in addressing
future outbreaks by: (1) establishing sub-national laboratories in all DOH-run hospitals in the
country which shall have the capacity to undertake testing, diagnosis, control and prevention of
infectious diseases; (2) establishment of hotlines and other forms of access for reporting of
diseases and public health events; (3) requiring the DOH to issue clear guidelines on the
systematic reporting and recording of notifiable diseases and health events of public health
concern; (4) requiring all public and private institutions to provide necessary information in
disease surveillance and other epidemiologic investigations.

On behalf of the people of Parafiaque City’s Second District, and for the common good of the
Filipino people, the approval of the said measure is earnestly sought.

. JOY|MYRA S. TAMBUNTIN
\d District, Parafiaque Ci



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No, _7823

Introduced by HON. JOY MYRA S. TAMBUNTING

AN ACT
AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO.11332, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE
“MANDATORY REPORTING OF NOTIFIABLE DISEASES AND HEALTH EVENTS OF
PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN ACT”

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

SECTION 1. Section 6 of Republic Act No. 11332 is hereby amended to add the following:

“SEC. 6. Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events
of Public Concern. — The DOH, through the Epidemiology Bureau, shall issue the
official list of institutionalized public health information system, disease
surveillance and response systems for mandatory reporting of notifiable diseases
and health events of public concern provided in Section 5 of this Act. This official
list shall include the Field Health Service Information System (FHSIS), the
Philippine Integrated Disease Surveillance Response (PIDSR) System with its Case-
Based Surveillance and Event based Surveillance, and other duly institutionalized
public health disease surveillance

and response systems of the DOH.

“Under this Act:

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“(e) To perform their disease surveillance and response functions, authorized
health personnel from the DOH and its local counterparts have the statutory and
regulatory authority to enforce the following:

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“(6) ESTABLISHMENT OF SUB-NATIONAL LABORATORIES IN ALL DOH
RUN REGIONAL HOSPITALS IN THE COUNTRY WHICH SHALL HAVE THE


CAPACITY TO UNDERTAKE TESTING, DIAGNOSIS, CONTROL AND
PREVENTION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES. LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS
MAY ALSO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN LABORATORIES AND/OR PARTNER
WITH PRIVATE HOSPITALS AND LABORATORIES IN THE CONDUCT OF
INFECTIOUS DISEASE SURVEILLANCE: PROVIDED, THAT THE
LABORATORIES SHALL BE DULY ACCREDITED AND APPROVED BY THE
DOH.

“(H) ALL HOSPITALS, CLINICS, HEALTH FACILITIES, LABORATORIES,
RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, WORKPLACES, SCHOOLS, PRISONS, PORTS,
AIRPORTS, COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHMENTS, AND RESIDENTIAL
COMMUNITIES ARE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE NECESSARY INFORMATION
TO AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL OF THE DOH AND OTHER AUTHORIZED
AGENCIES INCLUDING LOCAL COUNTERPARTS INVOLVED IN DISEASE
SURVEILLANCE INCLUDING CONTACT TRACING: PROVIDED, THAT
SUCH REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE INFORMATION SHOULD BE
EXEMPTED IN THE PROVISION OF THE DATA PRIVACY ACT ON
ACCESSIBILITY OF DATA;

“(I) THE DOH SHALL ESTABLISH HOTLINES AND OTHER FORMS OF
ACCESS WHERE THE PUBLIC CAN REPORT NOTIFIABLE DISEASES AND
HEALTH EVENTS OF PUBLIC HEAL TH CONCERN;

“(J) THE DOH SHALL ISSUE CLEAR GUIDELINES ON THE SYSTEMATIC
REPORTING AND RECORDING OF NOTIFIABLE DISEASES AND HEALTH
EVENTS OF PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN, PARTICULARLY, ON THE
NUMBER OF CONFIRMED CASES, DEATHS, SUSPECTED AND PROBABLE
CASES; AND

“(K) THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE AND ARMED FORCES OF THE
PHILIPPINES MAY ASSIST THE DOH IN THE CONDUCT OF CONTACT
TRACING AND OTHER EPIDEMIOLOGIC INVESTIGATIONS WHERE THE
ASSISTANCE OF UNIFORMED PERSONNEL ARE NECESSARY.”

‘SEC. 2. Section 7 of Republic Act No. 11332 is hereby amended to read as follows:

“The Secretary of Health shall have the authority to declare epidemics of national
and/or international concerns [except when the same threatens national security
In which case, the President of the Republic of the Philippines shall declare a State
of Public Health Emergency and mobilize governmental and nongovernmental
agencies to respond to the threat.] IN WHICH CASE THE INTER-AGENCY
TASK FORCE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF EMERGING INFECTIOUS
DISEASES (IATF-EID) CREATED UNDER EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 168, S.
2014 SHALL IMMEDIATELY CONVENE. THE PRESIDENT OF THE
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES SHALL HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO
DECLARE A STATE OF PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES UPON THE
RECOMMENDATION OF THE IATF-EID OR UPON THE DECLARATION OF


THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION OF A PUBLIC HEAL TH
EMERGENCY OF INTERNATIONAL CONCERN. THE STATE OF PUBLIC
HEALTH EMERGENCY SHALL AUTHORIZE THE PRESIDENT TO MOBILIZE
GOVERNMENTAL AND NONGOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES TO RESPOND TO
THE THREAT, AND TO EXERCISE OF MEASURES PROVIDED IN REPUBLIC
ACT NO. 10121 WHEN A STATE OF CALAMITY EXISTS.

“THE IATF-EID SHALL, WITHIN NINETY (90) DAYS FROM THE APPROVAL OF THIS
ACT, FORMULATE A NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY STRATEGY TO
ADDRESS PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES. THIS STRATEGY SHALL PROVIDE FOR
AN INTEGRATED POLICY COORDINATION AND STRATEGIC DIRECTION WITH
RESPECT TO ALL MATTERS RELATED TO NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH AND
MEDICAL PREPAREDNESS, AND EXECUTION AND DEPLOYMENT OF NATIONAL
RESPONSE BEFORE, DURING, AND FOLLOWING PUBLIC HEAL TH EMERGENCIES.
THE STRATEGY SHALL ALSO INCLUDE THE IDENTIFICATION OF QUARANTINE
OR ISOLATION FACILITIES IN EVERY PROVINCE.

“THE IATF-EID SHALL FORMULATE AND IMPLEMENT A NATIONAL

PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY PLAN IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE NATIONAL
PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY STRATEGY AS SOON AS THE PRESIDENT DECLARES
THE EXISTENCE OF THE STATE OF PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY.

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‘SEC. 3. Section 8 of Republic Act No. 11332 is hereby amended to read as follows:

“Section 8. Establishment of Epidemiology and Surveillance Units. — The
DOH [in coordination with the LGUs,] shall ensure that the Epidemiology and
Surveillance Units (ESUs) are established and functional in all levels of the DOH
and its local counterparts, and in public and private health facilities and
laboratories, as well as ports and airports in ah provinces, cities and municipalities
throughout the country.

ALL PROVINCES, CITIES AND MUNICIPALITIES SHALL ESTABLISH
THEIR OWN EPIDEMIOLOGY AND SURVEILLANCE UNITS WHICH SHALL
(CLOSELY COORDINATE WITH THE ESUS OF THE DOH.

“The ESU shall capture and verify all reported notifiable diseases and health events
of public health concern; provide timely, accurate, and reliable epidemiologic
information to appropriate agencies; conduct disease surveillance and response
activities; coordinate needed response; and facilitate capacity building in the field
of epidemiology, disease surveillance and response at the Epidemiology Bureau.

“AIL ESUs OF THE DOH AND LGUS shall have trained required human resource
complement and provision of adequate resources, including equipment, logistics,
communication, transportation, laboratory supplies and reagents, personal
protective equipment and health insurance, to effectively perform their disease
surveillance and response functions."


‘SEC. 4. Section 9 of Republic Act No. 11332 is hereby amended to read as follows:
"SEC. 9. Prohibited Acts. — The following shall be prohibited under this Act:

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"(F) CREATING, PERPETUATING, OR SPREADING FALSE INFORMATION
REGARDING AN EPIDEMIC OR PUBLIC HEAL TH EMERGENCY ON SOCIAL
MEDIA AND OTHER PLATFORMS, SUCH INFORMATION HAVING NO
VALID OR BENEFICIAL EFFECT ON THE POPULATION, AND ARE CLEARLY
GEARED TO PROMOTE CHAOS, PANIC, ANARCHY, FEAR, OR CONFUSION;
AND THOSE PARTICIPATING IN CYBER INCIDENTS THAT MAKE USE OR
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CURRENT CRISIS SITUATION TO PREY ON
THE PUBLIC THROUGH SCAMS, PHISHING, FRAUDULENT EMAILS, OR

OTHER SIMILAR ACTS;

"(G) DISCRIMINATING AGAINST HEAL TH WORKERS, INFECTED AND
RECOVERED PERSONS SUCH AS PROMOTING AND ENCOURAGING
STIGMA, INCITING VIOLENCE, SUBJECTING THEM TO PROFILING,

DETENTION, OR VERBAL OR PHYSICAL HARASSMENT; AND

"(H) INTENTIONALLY DECLARING OR _ REPORTING FALSE

INFORMATION ON INFECTIOUS DISEASES. "

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SEC 5. Separability Clause. - Any portion or provision of this Act that is declared
unconstitutional shall not have the effect of nullifying other portions or provisions hereof as long

as such remaining portions can still subsist and be given effect in their entirety.

‘SEC. 6, Repealing Clause. — All laws, ordinances, rules, regulations, other issuances or parts
thereof, which are inconsistent with this Act, are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 7. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the

Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,