EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
Second Regular Session 
)
SENATE 
S.B. No. 1797
%
August 27
DATE
TIME¥
KM.U&
Introduced by Senator Richard 3. Gordon
AN ACT
FACILITATING THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE 
BY STRENGTHENING THE FRAUD DETECTION, PREVENTION 
AND ELIMINATION CAPABILITY OF THE GOVERNMENT 
BY CREATING A PHILIPPINE DEATH CHECK (PDC) REGISTER 
AND ONLINE DEATH VERIFICATION (ODV) SYSTEM UNDER 
THE PHILIPPINE STATISTICS AUTHORITY, AMENDING 
SECTION 6 OF ACT NO. 3753, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
This bill is a product of the various hearings and investigation of the Senate 
Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations or the Blue Ribbon 
Committee in aid of legislation on the alleged malfeasance, misfeasance and non­
feasance arising out of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) 
payments for fraudulent claims.
The investigation unearthed controversies, such as the WellMed anomaly, 
wherein some patients who availed of dialysis procedures are reportedly dead at the 
time of the availment of the procedure. Identity theft or the use of someone else's 
identity or name to obtain financial advantage or benefits is not unique in the 
Philippines, nor is it limited to Philhealth. Identity theft can also be used to 
perpetrate electoral fraud or to unlawfully avail of social benefits provided by the 
government through its agencies, such as. Social Security System (SSS), 
Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Home Development Mutual Fund 
(HDMF) and the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO).
The bill seeks to create a centralized source of information to verify the death 
of any person in the Philippines to detect fraud and act quickly to help reduce


fraudulent events. This centralized information system shall consist of (1) an 
electronic database will be called the Philippine Death Check (PDC) Register and (2) 
an Online Death Verification (ODV) System to be managed by the Philippine 
Statistics Authority (PSA). Once the death certificate is registered with the Local Civil 
Registry, the mortality data recorded thereon shall be uploaded to the PDC Register. 
After which, death verification request may be processed by PSA through the death 
verification system. The PDC Register and the ODV System will help protect anyone, 
especially the government, against Identity fraud.
Recognizing susceptibility of identity fraud in health care. Insurance and social 
benefit systems, as well as in our electoral processes, the Online Death Verification 
System that will be developed and utilized shall be readily accessible to Philhealth, 
SSS, GSIS, HDMF and the Commission on Elections.
In line with the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought.
■
J. GORDON


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
Second Regular Session 
)
SENATE 
S.B. No. 1797
August 27
DATE
TIME
HU.6
INDEX
Introduced by Senator Richard J. Gordon
AN ACT
FACILITATING THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE 
BY STRENGTHENING THE FRAUD DETECTION, 
PREVENTION AND ELIMINATION CAPABILITY OF THE 
GOVERNMENT BY CREATING A PHILIPPINE DEATH CHECK 
(PDC) REGISTER AND ONLINE DEATH VERIFICATION 
(ODV) SYSTEM UNDER THE PHILIPPINE STATISTICS 
AUTHORITY, AMENDING SECTION 6 OF ACT NO. 3753, 
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be It enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines
in Congress assembled:
1 
SECTION 1. Short title. - This Act shall be known as the "PSA Online
2 
Death Verification System Act".
3 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. -The State acknowledges that lack of
4 
immediate access to death data is being exploited by criminals and syndicates in
5 
perpetrating fraudulent activities and corrupt practices. The State recognizes the
6 
vital role of information and communication technology in protecting the
7 
government and Filipinos against identity fraud. Therefore, it is hereby declared
8 
the policy of the State to establish an efficient, integrated and centralized online
9 
death verification system that allows immediate access to death data by
10 
government instrumentalities, such as Commission on Elections (COMELEC),
11 
Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC), Government Service Insurance
12 
System (GSIS), Social Security System (SSS), Home Development Mutual Fund
13 
(HDMF) and Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) in order to ensure early
14 
detection and prevention of identity fraud perpetrated against the Government
15 
and its instrumentalities and agencies.


SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. - As used In this Act:
2 
(a) 
Authentication - refers to the process of verifying the death of any
3 
person with the Philippine Death Check Register through the Online
4 
Death Verification System.
5 
(b) 
COMELEC -■ refers to the Commission on Election of the Philippines.
6 
(c) 
Data subject - refers to an Individual whose death Is being verified.
7 
(d) 
GSIS - refers to the Government Service Insurances System
8 
created by Commonwealth Act No. 186, as amended.
9 
(e) 
HDMF - refers to the Home Development and Mutual Fund created
10 
under President Decree No. Republic Act No. 9679.
11 
(f) 
Mortality Data - refers to the Information indicated In the Death
12 
Certificate duly registered with the Local Civil Registrar in
13 
accordance with Act No. 3753.
14 
(g) 
Personal Information - refers to any Information whether recorded
15 
In a material form or not, from which the identity of an individual is
16 
apparent or can be reasonably and directly ascertained by the
17 
entity holding the information, or when put together with other
18 
information would directly and certainly identify an individual.
19 
(h) 
PHIC - refers to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation
20 
created under Republic Act No. 7875, as amended.
21 
(i) 
SSS - refers to the Social Security System established under
22 
Republic Act No. 1161, as amended.
23 
Sec. 4. Philippine Death Check Register. - There shall be established a
24 
Philippine Death Check (PDC) Register to be maintained by the Philippine
25 
Statistics Authority (PSA). The PDC is a centralized and electronic database
26 
containing mortality data registered with the Local Civil Registrar. PSA shall
27 
ensure the security and integrity of the PDC by safeguarding these from data
28 
breach and any other mode of tampering data to perpetrate fraud;
29 
Once death Is registered with the Local Civil Registry, the Information shall
30 
be immediately uploaded to the Philippine Death Check Registrar Electronic
31 
System.
32 
The PSA, in coordination with the Department of Information and
33 
Communication Technology (DICQ and the National Privacy Commission (NPC)


1 
shall Implement such programs to facilitate Immediate access by PSA to mortality
2 
data registered with the Local Civil Registrars.
3 
SEC. 5. Online Death Verification System. - The PSA shall establish an
4 
Online Death Verification System, which shall be a centralized and online system
5 
for death verification that shall ensure timely detection and prevention of
6 
identity theft of deceased persons.
7 
The PSA, through the Online Death Verification System shall verify the
8 
death of the data subject upon receipt of information necessary to verify the
9 
identity of the data subject, as may be required In the Implementing Rules and
10 
Regulations, and shall Immediately notify COMELEC, PHIC, GSIS, SSS, HDMF,
11 
PVAO of the death verification result.
12 
Except for COMELEC, PHIC, SSS, GSIS, HDMF, and PVAO, an Information
13 
Sharing Agreement between PSA and other Government Instrumentalities or
14 
Government Agencies shall be required prior to being granted access to the
15 
Online Death Verification System.
16 
SEC. 6. Information Sharing. - The PSA shall Immediately make available
17 
to the COMELEC Philhealth, GSIS, SSS, HDMF, and PVAO, without cost, such
18 
other data in the PDC Registrar as may be necessary for the validation of any
19 
member or beneficiary claim made with said agencies.
20 
SEC. 7. Data Privacy and Confidentiality - Government instrumentalities
21 
and agencies granted access under Section 5 of this Act shall ensure at all times
22 
the confidentiality of any personal information that comes to its knowledge and
23 
possession, and the same shall be used solely for verification and authentication
24 
purposes.
25 
SEC. 8. Death Repotting and Registration. - To ensure an up-to-date death
26 
information system. Section 6 of Act No. 3753 or othen/vise known as the Law
27 
on Registry of Civil Status Is hereby amended as follows:
28 
SECTION 6. Death certificate and register. — No human body shall
29 
be buried unless the proper death certificate has been presented and
30 
recorded in the office of the local civil registrar. The following
31 
physician who attended the deceased or, in his default the health
32 
officer concerned, or in default of the latter, any member of the
33 
family of the deceased or any person having knowledge of the death,
34 
shall report the same to the local health authorities, who shall Issue a
35 
death certificate and shall order the same to be recorded In the office
36 
of the local civil registrar fLCR^ WITHIN 48 HOURS FROM THE
37 
DEATH OF THE DECEDENT. The death certificate, which shall be


1 
issued by the attending physician of the deceased or, in his default,
2 
by the proper health officer, shall contain the following Mortality Data
3 
be furnished by the person reporting the death; (a) date and place of
4 
death; (b) full name, (c) age, (d) sex, (e) occupation or profession,
5 
(f)residence; (g) status as regards marriage, (h) nationality of the
6 
deceased, and (I) probable cause of death.
7 
During epidemics, bodies may be buried provided the proper death
8 
certificates have been secured, which shall be registered not later
9 
than five days after the burial of the body.
10 
THE LCR SHALL REGISTER THE MORTALITY DATA IN PDC
11 
REGISTRAR IMMEDIATELY WITHIN TWENTY-FOUR (241
12 
HOURS FROM THE TIME OF RECEIPT.
13 
SEC. 9. Implementing Rules and Regulation - The Philippine Statistics
14 
Authority shall issue rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this Act
15 
within one hundred twenty (120) days from the effectivity of this Act,
16 
SEC. 10. Appropriation. -The amount necessary to carry out the initial
17 
implementation of this Act shall be sourced from any available funds of the
18 
National Treasurer, and is hereby appropriated and authorized to be released for
19 
its initial operations.
20 
SEC. 11. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is declared
21 
unconstitutional, such sections or parts not affected thereby shall remain In full
22 
force and effect.
23 
SEC. 12. Repealing Clause. — All other laws, decrees, executive orders,
24 
proclamations and administrative regulations or parts thereof inconsistent
25 
herewith are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
26 
SEC.13. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days
27 
after its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) national
28 
newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,