Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Philippines has made great leaps in fulfilling its commitment to the United Nation 
Millennium Goal of reducing child mortality and improving maternal health. Philippine 
legislation has helped in this aspect with laws like the “Early Childhood Care and 
Development (ECCD) Law” in 20001 establishing the National Coordinating Council 
for the Welfare of Children, and the “Barangay Level Total Protect of Children Act” in 
19902 requiring all Local Government Units to establish day-care centers in all 
barangays. The Department of Health has in turn translated its commitment to the 
mothers and children with programs such as the “Safe Motherhood Program”3, 
providing maternal and newborn health services, and “Women’s Health and Safe 
Motherhood Project”4 intending to improve the delivery health service access of 
disadvantaged women. 
This country is working in caring for our mothers and their newborns, with Congress 
strengthening this intent even more through meaningful legislation. The country’s child 
mortality rate has dropped since the 1990’s5 and a bill is being passed aiming to 
improve maternal healthcare in the country. The worry, however, is that focus on 
healthcare is stuck on the first 1,000 days of the child. Government support for its 
young citizens is imperative, especially during their formative years, in order for them 
to grow up into fully-equipped adult citizens.  
The proposed bill aims to provide mandatory PhilHealth coverage for the “Junior 
Citizens”, or children 0 to 12 years old, and would therefore be automatic members 
until they reach the age of twelve (12). The bill also allows Junior Citizens” to be 
entitled to benefits such as a twenty (20) percent discount and exemption from the 
value-added tax (VAT) on goods and services, including medical and dental health 
care services and supplies. 
1 http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001472/147225e.pdf 
2 http://www.pcw.gov.ph/law/republic-act-6972 
3 http://www.doh.gov.ph/national-safe-motherhood-program 
4 http://www.doh.gov.ph/womens-health-and-safe-motherhood-project 
5 http://www.philstar.com/health-and-family/2014/09/18/1370477/report-child-mortality-rate-philippines-
dropped-1990 
May 23, 2023
5:18 pm
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This bill aims to ease the financial burden of the parents as the bill aims to provide 
these benefits to families whose annual income is below PHP 250,000 is especially 
important to children from disadvantaged areas, where access to healthcare services 
is low or limited to private institutions. This benefit given to the Junior Citizens extends 
to professional fees of physicians in private hospitals and of home health care service 
providers, as well as funeral and burial services in the unfortunate death of the Junior 
Citizen. Admission charges to leisure and amusement sites, such as movie houses 
and concert halls are also taken into consideration in this proposed bill.  
In view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is earnestly sought. 
LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR 
AN ACT 
GRANTING BENEFITS AND PRIVILEGES TO JUNIOR CITIZENS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Junior Citizens Act.” 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policies and Objectives. – As provided in the 
Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, it is declared the policy of the State to 
promote a just and dynamic social order that will ensure the prosperity and 
independence of the nation and free the people from poverty through policies that 
provide adequate social services, promote full employment, a rising standard of living 
and an improved quality of life. In the Declaration of Principles and State Policies in 
Sections 10 and 11, Article II, it is further declared that the State shall provide social 
justice in all phases of national development and that the State values the dignity of 
every human person and guarantees full respect for human rights. 
The child is one of the most important assets of the nation. Every effort should be 
exerted to promote the child’s welfare and enhance his/her opportunities for a useful 
and happy life. 
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All children shall be entitled to the rights, in addition to all their existing rights, herein 
set forth without distinction as to legitimacy or illegitimacy, sex, religion, political 
antecedents, and other factors. 
 
SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. – For purposes of this Act, the terms are defined 
as follows: 
a.) 
Junior Citizen – refers to any citizen of the Philippines aged zero (0) to twelve 
(12) years; 
b.) 
Medical Services – refers to hospital services, professional services of 
physicians and other health care professionals and diagnostics and laboratory 
tests that are necessary for the prevention, diagnosis and/or treatment of an 
illness or injury; 
c.) 
Dental Services – refer to oral examination, cleaning, permanent and temporary 
filling, extractions and gum treatment, restoration, replacement or repositioning 
of teeth, or alteration of the alveolar or periodontium process of the maxilla and 
the mandible that are necessary for the prevention, diagnosis and/or treatment 
of an illness or injury; 
d.) 
Guardian – refers to a person who look after and is legally responsible for a 
junior citizen whose parents have died or are estranged. 
 
SECTION 4. Privileges for the Junior Citizens. – For purposes of this Act, only junior 
citizens whose family’s annual income does not exceed Two Hundred Fifty Thousand 
Pesos (Php250,000.00) shall be entitled to the following: 
 
a.) 
The grant of Twenty Percent (20%) discount and exemption from the value – 
added tax (VAT), if applicable, on the sale of the following goods and services, 
for the exclusive use and enjoyment or availment of the junior citizen, from all 
establishments: 
1.) 
Purchase of medicines, including the purchase of vaccines, and such 
other essential medical supplies, accessories and equipment to be 
determined by the Department of Health (DOH). 
 
The DOH shall establish guidelines among retailers, manufacturers and 
distributors, taking into consideration their respective margins; 


 
2.) 
Purchase of milk supplements for children aged four (4) to twelve (12) 
years; 
3.) 
Professional fees of attending physician/s in all private hospitals, 
medical facilities, outpatient clinics and home health care services; 
4.) 
Professional fees of home health care service providers, as endorsed by 
private hospitals; 
5.) 
Medical and dental services, diagnostics and laboratory fees in all 
private hospitals, medical facilities, outpatient clinics, and home health 
care services, in accordance with the rules and regulations to be issued 
by the DOH, in coordination with the Philippine Insurance Corporation 
(PhilHealth); 
6.) 
Admission fees charged by theaters, cinema houses and concert hall, 
circuses, leisure and amusement; and 
7.) 
Funeral and burial services for the death of junior citizens. 
b.) 
Free medical and dental services, diagnostics and laboratory fees such as, but 
not limited to, x-rays, computerized tomography scans and blood tests, in all 
government facilities, subject to the guidelines to be issued by the DOH in 
coordination with the PhilHealth; 
c.) 
The DOH, through the government hospitals and health centers, shall 
administer all necessary pediatric vaccinations including but not limited to anti-
influenza virus and pneumococcal disease for junior citizen patients for free; 
 
SECTION 5. Requirements and Qualifications. – In order for a junior citizen to be 
issued the Junior Citizen ID and booklet, the parent/s or guardian/s must present the 
following documents: 
a.) 
An original or certified true copy of the child’s birth certificate issued by the 
Philippine Statistics Authority; 
b.) 
Income Tax Return showing that the family’s annual income does not exceed 
Php 250,000.00. 
 
In order to avail of the aforementioned privileges, the parent(s) or guardian(s) of the 
junior citizen must secure from the barangay or the local government unit a Junior 
Citizen Identification Card and booklet. 
 


 
SECTION 6. Availment of Benefits. – In the purchase of goods and services which 
are on promotional discount, the junior citizen can avail of the promotional discount or 
the discount provided herein, whichever is higher. 
 
SECTION 7. Mandatory PhilHealth Coverage. – All junior citizens shall be covered 
by the national health insurance program of the PhilHealth and shall therefore be 
automatic PhilHealth members until they reach the age of twelve (12), regardless of 
the family income. 
 
SECTION 8. Penalties. – Any person or establishment who refuses to provide the 
abovementioned privileges or violates any provision of this Act shall suffer the 
following penalties: 
a.) 
For the first violation, a fine of not less than Fifty Thousand Pesos 
(Php50,000.00) but not exceeding One Hundred Thousand Pesos 
(Php100,000.00); 
b.) 
For any subsequent violation, imprisonment of not less than two (2) years but 
not more than six (6) years and a fine of not less than One Hundred Thousand 
Pesos (Php100,000.00) but not exceeding Two Hundred Thousand Pesos 
(Php200,000.00).  
 
If the offender is a corporation, partnership, organization or any similar entity, the 
officials thereof directly involved such as president, general manager, managing 
partner, or such other officer charged with the management of the business affairs, 
shall be liable therefor, if the officer of the said corporation is an alien or a foreigner, 
he/she shall be deported immediately after service of sentence. 
 
Upon filing of an appropriate complaint, and after due notice and hearing, the proper 
authorities may also cause the cancellation or revocation of the business permit, 
permit to operate, franchise and other similar privileges granted to any person, 
establishment or business entity that fails to abide by the provisions of this Act. 
 
SECTION 9. Monitoring and Coordinating. – A National Coordinating and Monitoring 
Board shall be established which shall be composed of the following: 


 
a.) 
Chairperson – the Secretary of the Department of Health (DOH) or an 
authorized representative; 
b.) 
Vice Chairperson – The Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and 
Development (DSWD) or an authorized representative; and 
c.) 
Members: 
1.) 
The Secretary of the Department of Justice (DOJ) or an authorized 
representative; 
2.) 
The Secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government 
(DILG) or an authorized representative; 
3.) 
The Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) or an 
authorized representative; and 
4.) 
Representatives from the five (5) Non-Government Organizations 
(NGOs) representing or catering to junior citizens that are duly 
accredited by the DOH and/or DSWD and have service primarily for 
junior citizens, such as but not limited to orphanages and the like. 
 
Representatives of NGOs shall serve for a period of three (3) years. 
 
The Board may call on other government agencies and NGOs to serve as resource 
persons as the need arises. Resource persons have the right to vote in the National 
Coordinating and Monitoring Board. 
 
SECTION 10. Implementing Rules and regulations. – Within sixty (60) days from 
the effectivity of this Act, the Secretary of Health shall take the lead in formulating the 
Implementing Rules and Regulations of this Act, in consultation with the DSWD, DOJ, 
DILG, DTI, Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Transport DOTr (DOTr), 
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Education 
(DepED), the Philippine Heath Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and five (5) NGOs 
for the junior citizens duly accredited by the DSWD. 
 
SECTION 11. Appropriations. – The requirements to implement the provisions of this 
Act shall be included in their respective budgets: Provided, That the funds to be used 
for the national health program and for the vaccination of junior citizens in the first year 


 
of the DOH and thereafter, as a line item under the DOH budget in the subsequent 
General Appropriations Act (GAA). 
 
SECTION 12. Repealing Clause. – All laws, executive orders, rules and regulations, 
or any part thereof, inconsistent herewith are deemed repealed or modified 
accordingly. 
 
SECTION 13. Separability Clause. – If any part or provision of this Act shall be 
declared unconstitutional and invalid, such declaration shall not invalidate other parts 
thereof which shall remain in full force and effect. 
 
SECTION 14. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
complete publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general 
circulation. 
 
Approved,