Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Constitution Hills, Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No._____ 
________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by: REPRESENTATIVE EDWIN L. OLIVAREZ 
“AN ACT INSTITUTING THE MEDICAL RESERVE HEROES CORPS, 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES” 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The COVID-19 outbreak, which was declared by the World Health 
Organization (WHO), as a global pandemic on 11 March 2022 has now infected more 
than 51 million individuals all around the world. It has tested the capability and 
capacity of all health care systems across nations with most of them having reported 
to be operating at full, if not beyond, capacity due to the overwhelming influx of 
patients. 
The relative novelty, contagiousness, and lack of cure struck a heavy blow on 
our hospitals and medical facilities to the extent that they pleaded the government 
to consider a two-week extension of the imposed lockdown in order to ease out the 
burdens of the medical frontliners, to which the latter readily agreed. While this is 
indeed a gracious effort to provide our medical health care workers some relief and 
support as they carry the load of saving the lives of our sick people, there is more 
that we can do as a nation in lending a helping hand. 
By establishing the Medical Reserve Heroes Corps, this legislative measure 
seeks to considerately address the overwhelming burden faced by our medical 
frontliners and health care institutions as they do their best to respond to a public 
health crises not only to the Covid-19 pandemic that we are presently waging war 
against but future national health emergencies that our country may encounter as 
well. By mobilizing our citizens who have adequate knowledge and skills in medicine 
and other health-related fields, although not currently practicing as doctors, nurses, 
or medical professionals, we, as a nation can face a crises as big, or even bigger as 
COVID-19. 
The Medical Reserve Heroes Corps may be called upon and mobilized to assist 
the national government, its agencies and instrumentalities, and the local 
government units in their functions related to addressing the immediate medical 
needs of the public in times of (1) a global pandemic, as determined and declared by 
the World Health Organization (WHO), and upon declaration by the State of a 
national emergency in the country in relation to such WHO declaration; or (2) during 
a state of war whereby the State is forced to defend itself against foreign or domestic 
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attacks, (3) during such other health-related emergencies, whether national, 
regional, or local, involving novel illnesses, diseases or public health concerns 
originating in or endemic to the Philippines and has proven to be spreading so quickly 
and affecting enough of the population, locally, regionally, or nationally, as to 
overwhelm the existing medical facilities in the said locality, region, or country even 
though the global community is not (yet) affected by such novel illness; or (4) other 
analogous situations that nay be considered a national health emergency. 
 
This said, the Medical Reserve Heroes Corps serves as additional human 
resource that reinforces our health care system so that our country will be better-
prepared to face crisis of such novelty and magnitude as the COVID-19 pandemic, 
in the near or far future. 
 
This Bill also presents an opportunity for our fellow citizens with medical 
and/or health-related knowledge and skills to step up, help save lives, bring honor, 
and defend our country from health-related threats and challenges of magnanimous 
scope, nature, and impact. 
 
To borrow the wise and historic words of John F. Kennedy, “ask not what your 
country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” This Bill serves as a 
challenge to our citizens – a challenge to rise up to the occasion and think of ways 
to contribute to the public good and awaken our slumbering sense of patriotism. This 
is a call for unity, “bayanihan”, and love for the country carefully balanced with the 
protection and promotion of the rights of the members of the Corps in their rendering 
of service/work. Thus, while this bill is a call to action for the people, it also lays 
down the responsibilities of the government to them – a sort of assurance, so to 
speak, that our country, more so, our government will also not leave them behind. 
 
 
EDWIN L. OLIVAREZ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Constitution Hills, Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No._____ 
________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by: REPRESENTATIVE EDWIN L. OLIVAREZ 
“AN ACT INSTITUTING THE MEDICAL RESERVE HEROES CORPS, 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES” 
Be it enacted in the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Republic of the 
Philippines in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the “Medical Reserve 
Heroes Corps Act of 2023”. 
Sec. 2. Statement of Policy. It shall be the policy of the State: 
a. To institutionalize the vital role of medical and health-related personnel in
nation-building;
b. To inculcate nationalism and patriotism among our citizens especially
during times of national crisis; and
c. To ensure that the medical and health-related personnel, and those who
are pursuing the same are well-trained and well-equipped to supplement
and provide support to the existing national and local government
response system in times of a global pandemic, declaration of war, and
other contingencies of parallel nature.
Sec. 3. Medical Reserve Heroes Corps. It is hereby instituted a Medical Reserve 
Heroes Corps to be composed of the following: 
a. Duly licensed medical and healthcare workers who are practicing their
profession but are not currently responding to the ongoing medical
emergencies specified in this Act;
b. Healthcare workers who are not currently practicing their medical or
health-related profession for whatever valid and legal reason such as the
practice of another non health-related profession, engagement in a
business, or personal decision to be unemployed, and other analogous
situation;
c. Health care workers who have their licenses suspended or revoked for
reasons not related to intentional crimes committed whole in the
performance of their professions;
d. Retired medical and health-related professionals who are still able to serve
physically, 
mentally, 
and 
psychologically, 
and 
with 
no 
serious
comorbidities in relation to the particular health concern being responded
to. Provided, that these retired medical health-related professionals are not
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above 75 years or age, unless the retiree himself/herself volunteers; 
e. All persons who have obtained degrees in their respective fields of 
medicine, nursing, medical technology, and other health-related fields but 
have yet to obtain their respective licenses to practice for reasons such as, 
but not limited to, not having taken and/or passed the licensure 
examinations; and finally. 
f. Fourth year students of medicine, nursing, medical technology and other 
health related courses who shall only be tapped for their services when 
those above-mentioned persons are still insufficient to respond to the 
medical health crisis being faced by the nation; 
 
Sec. 4. Medical Reserve Heroes Corps Mobilization. The Medical Reserve 
Heroes Corps may be called upon and mobilized to assist the national government, 
its agencies and instrumentalities, and the local government units their functions 
related to addressing the immediate medical needs of the public in times of (1) a 
global pandemic as determined and declared by the World Health Organization, and 
upon the declaration by the State of a national emergency in the country in relation 
to such WHO declaration; or (2) during a state of war whereby the State is forced to 
defend itself against foreign domestic attacks; (3) during such other health-related 
emergencies, whether national, regional, or local involving novel illnesses, diseases 
or public health concerns originating in or endemic to the Philippines and has proven 
to be spreading so quickly and affecting enough of the Philippines and has proven to 
be spreading so quickly and affecting enough the population locally , regionally, or 
nationally as to overwhelm the existing medical facilities in the said locality, region, 
or country, even though the global community is not (yet) affected by such novel 
illness; or (4) other analogous situations that may be considered a national health 
emergency. 
In all cases, there must be a showing or, at the very least, a calculated 
projection that public hospitals and other medical facilities/institutions are, or will 
imminently be operating beyond their maximum capacity and that the mobilization 
of the Medical Reserve Heroes Corps is necessary and beneficial to the general public. 
 
Sec. 5. Requests for Deployment. The Medical Reserve Heroes Corps may be 
called upon and mobilized by the national government through the Department of 
Health (DOH) to supplement public hospitals and other current human resources of 
public medical facilities and provide support and assistance to licensed medical 
doctors and other health-related professionals in their functions related to 
addressing the medical needs of the public. The heads of public hospitals or medical 
facilities in need of additional staff and/or the heads of local government units after 
consultations with medical experts and stakeholders shall submit to the DOH a 
written request for deployment. The DOH shall evaluate each request objectively and 
shall have the power to approve or deny the same based on its assessment of the 
urgency of situation. 
The written request for deployment shall contain the following: 
1. The exact number of supplemental staff needed and the particular 
field/area of knowledge they must belong in; 
2. The projected duration of deployment of the Medical Reserve Heroes Corps 
requested which shall not exceed three (3) months for each member called 
upon for duty unless the member called upon voluntarily extends hi/her 
tour of duty; 
3. A clear description of duties for the members requested to be deployed; 
4. Signature of the head of the hospital or medical facility, or the local 
government unit. 
 


Sec. 6. Conscription. The conscription of the members of the Medical Reserve 
Heroes Corps to be deployed shall always be through public drafting or raffle unless 
the members themselves volunteer. The Medical Reserve Heroes Corps member shall 
be required to report for duty two (2) weeks after the receipt of deployment order at 
the earliest. 
 
Sec. 7. Tour of Duty and Rotational Deployment. Members of the Medical 
Reserve Heroes Corps shall serve upon an order of deployment by the DOH for as 
long as their services are needed, provided that the duration of their deployment or 
tour of duty does not exceed three (3) months at a time. The DOH shall ensure that 
the Medical Reserve Heroes Corps serve on a rotational basis. The DOH shall exhaust 
the list of members of the Medical Reserve Heroes Corps in the particular area of 
medicine/public health where they are needed as the case may be before ordering a 
repeat deployment or another tour of duty of the members who have already served 
for an aggregate amount of three (3) months. 
 
Sec. 8. Exemption. Members of the Medical Reserve Heroes Corps may seek 
exemption from a deployment order altogether, or only certain duties/tasks specified 
in the deployment order, if the following conditions apply to them at the time of 
deployment order: 
1. Has an existing serious medical conditions and/or comorbidity such that 
serving on duty would endanger his/her life; 
2. Has an existing disability that would render him/her ineffective or 
incapable or performing his/her duties, or such that serving on duty would 
aggravate his/her disability; 
3. A solo parent as defined in the Solo Parents Act of 2020; 
4. Pregnant women; 
5. Is currently in another country is in the process of migrating to another 
country for permanent residency, work, or education purposes. Provided, 
that the process of migration is already underway by the time that the 
deployment order was issued. Provided further, that the exemption only 
starts one (1) month before the date of departure of the person; 
6. All doctors and medical and health-related professionals already working 
in a hospital or medical facility specifically to respond to the ongoing health 
crisis; 
7. Other analogous situations worthy of exemptions as determined by the 
DOH. 
The Heroes Corps member shall file a written request for exemption with the DOH 
within seven (7) days after the receipt of deployment order. In all abovementioned 
cases, sufficient proof of inability to serve must be shown by the Heroes Corps 
member. Such proof shall be attached to his/her written request for exemption. 
 
Sec. 9. Leave of Absence When Valid. The Heroes Corps member may be 
excused from work on a day-to-day basis for valid grounds such as sickness, serious 
accident, fortuitous event like typhoons, earthquakes, and other analogous 
situations that render him/her incapable of reporting for work. Proof hereto shall be 
subject to the rules and regulations and policies of the hospital, medical facility, or 
site where they are deployed. Provided, that absences on a day-to-day basis shall be 
deducted from their three (3) months aggregate service requirement. 
 
Sec. 10. Termination of Deployment. Upon the expiration of the requested 
period of deployment or tour of duty, the Heroes Corps shall be discharged of its 
duties. The deployment may also be terminated earlier upon a determination by the 
DOH, in consultation with requesting local government unit, hospital, or medical 


facility, that such deployment no longer serves the objectives of this Act or is no 
longer necessary based on the recent developments related to the crisis. 
 
Sec. 11. Serial Numbers and Registry. All Filipino doctors and other health-
related professionals with licenses shall be assigned serial numbers and be listed in 
the registry of the Medical Reserve Heroes Corps. 
Upon Completion of their respective health-related degrees, graduates yet to 
obtain their licenses shall be issued individual serial numbers, which will serve as 
their identification in case of deployment. 
The DOH shall maintain and update a registry/database containing the 
names of the members of the Heroes Corps, their respective degrees, their serial 
numbers, addresses, contact details, and such other information as the DOH may 
determine, 
in 
accordance 
with 
any 
applicable 
privacy laws. 
The 
DOH 
registry/database shall be disaggregated by sex, age, disability (if any), and other 
relevant factors, whenever applicable. 
All members of the Medical Reserve Heroes Corps are required to update their 
addresses and contact details on file with the DOH as often as necessary. Orders of 
deployment shall be sent to the addresses and through the email addresses of the 
members of the Medical Reserve Heroes Corps. In addition, the DOH shall publish 
the list of members who are ordered for deployment on the DOH website or a 
website/webpage exclusively dedicated for the Medical Reserve Heroes Corps. The 
DOH shall also cause to publish said list in newspapers of general circulation for a 
crisis that is national scope, or newspapers circulated in the particular locality or 
region affected, as the case may be. 
If the reinforcement still proves to be insufficient after tapping the 
abovementioned medical health workers, fourth year students taking up medical and 
other health-related courses may be called on duty as the last line of defense. 
Institutions to submit the list of their fourth year students enrolled in their medical 
and other health-related courses. The conscription of the fourth year students shall 
also be by way of public drafting or raffle. 
 
Sec. 12. Compensation. Members of the Medical Reserve Heroes Corps shall 
receive reasonable salaries for services rendered on a day-to-day basis to be 
determined by the DOH, which shall in no case be less than the prevailing minimum 
wage plus daily hazard pay equivalent to their respective salary per day. They shall 
also be given reasonable accommodations such as means of transportation or 
transportation allowance, free food rations or food allowance, and board and lodging 
if necessary, among others. The salary of the members shall be determined based on 
the category they belong to as enumerated in Section 3 of this Act, taking into 
account their educational attainment, skills, and expertise. 
 
Sec. 13. Effect on Employment. Employed members of the Medical Reserve 
Heroes Corps called for deployment shall not be dismissed from work nor shall suffer 
diminution of any benefits as enjoyed by them prior to their deployment. Employers 
of the members of the Medical Reserve Heroes Corps shall pay the salary differential 
of the employee during the period of their deployment, to be computed as follow: 
 
Salary differential = regular wage or salary of the employee before 
deployment less reasonable salary excluding the hazard pay and other 
benefits provided by the government to deployed Corps member. 
 
Employed members of the Heroes Corps shall also be extended reasonable 
accommodations such as means of transportation or transportation allowance, free 
food rations or food allowance, and board and lodging, if necessary, among others. 


 
Sec. 14. Prohibition on Employers – Employers shall not cause any groundless 
and preemptive dismissal, suspension, or diminution of benefits of any employee in 
anticipation of an order of deployment by the DOH. Violation of this Section shall 
subject the erring employer to the penalties provided in this Act, without prejudice 
to the penalties provided in the Labor Code on illegal dismissal. 
 
Sec. 15. Reporting. The DOH shall submit an accomplishment report to the 
Office of the President and Congress of the Philippines within one (1) year from the 
effectivity of this Act and every two (2) years thereafter regarding the immediately 
implementable provisions of this Act such as the strategic plan for mobilization, the 
organizational structure of the Corps, the training of the members of the Medical 
Research Corps, the establishment and maintenance of the registry/database, 
among others. 
 
However, in times of situations mentioned in Section 4 of this Act, which 
would call for the mobilization of the Medical Reserve Heroes Corps, the DOH shall 
also submit a separate evaluation report within one (1) year from the cessation of the 
immediate public health concern being responded to and/or the renormalization of 
the capacity of the healthcare system in the country or the affected region or locality. 
The Report shall contain an assessment of the effectivity and efficiency of the 
mobilization of the Medical Reserve Heroes Corps, the Best practices among affected 
regions, localities, or places for improvement, and use of funds, among others. 
Thereafter, a new revised strategic plan shall be developed in preparation for another 
crisis that might occur in the future. Such strategic plan may be revised as often as 
necessary based on any developments in science, law, and other relevant 
considerations. 
 
In the preparation of the assessment report and strategic plan, the DOH shall 
conduct consultation with relevant stakeholders such as the representatives of the 
hospital or the medical facility, representatives of the local government units, the 
Medical Reserve Heroes Corps members deployed, and the general public affected by 
the crisis. In so doing, the DOH shall ensure that the stakeholders to be consulted 
are well-represented in terms of sex, age, and disability, among other factors. 
 
Sec.16. School Fees. Public colleges, universities, and similar learning 
institutions covered by Republic Act. No 10931, otherwise known as the Universal 
Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, shall not collect any additional fee from the 
members of the Medical Reserve Heroes Corps aside from the normal fees and 
charges pertinent to their education and training in the medical and health-related 
field. 
 
Sec. 17. Mandatory School Orientation on the Medical Reserve Heroes Corps. 
All colleges, universities, and educational institutions that offer health-related 
degrees are mandated to include a briefing on the Medical Reserve Heroes Corps as 
part of their orientation to their incoming undergraduate students. Furthermore, 
such colleges, universities, and educational institutions shall promptly disseminate 
to its concerned students any new information introduced by the DOH regarding the 
Medical Reserve Heroes Corps. 
 
 
Sec. 18. Operationalization of Deployment. The DOH shall promulgate the 
specific mechanism by which deployment is efficiently implemented, including the 
organization of the Corps to be deployed, their territorial assignments, their 
reasonable compensation, and the means and process of communication and 
coordination, among others. The DOH cannot however change the manner of 
conscription as provided in this Act, which is by public raffle or draft, unless the 


Medical Reserve Heroes Corps member himself/herself volunteers. They may 
however improve/develop the raffle or draft system to make it more efficient, utilizing 
the current technological tools available. 
 
Sec. 19. Medical Reserve Heroes Corps Fund. A Medical Reserve Heroes Corps 
Fund is hereby established exclusively for the implementation of the objectives and 
purposes of this Act. The Office of the President and Congress of the Philippines shall 
monitor and evaluate the activities, expenditures, and balances of the Fund to 
determine its sufficiency in responding to future medical health crisis. 
 
Sec. 20. Appropriations. The Medical Reserve Heroes Corps Fund shall be 
included in the annual General Appropriation Act. 
 
Sec. 21. Audit of Funds. Audit of any and all funds used for the 
implementation of this Act shall be in accordance with the audit jurisdiction of the 
Commission of Audit (COA), the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), and the 
Department of Health (DOH). 
 
Sec. 22. Penalties for Failure to Respond. Failure to respond to the order of 
deployment despite notice sent to the address and contact details on file with the 
DOH without any justifiable reason shall, upon conviction in summary proceedings 
by an appropriate court, be punishable as follows: 
 
1. First offense – Five (5) day imprisonment and two hundred forty (240) 
hours of community service; 
2. Second offense – Ten (10) day imprisonment and four hundred eighty (480) 
hours of community service; 
3. Third offense onwards – on1 (1) month imprisonment and nine hundred 
sixty (960) hours of community service; 
 
The penalty of imprisonment shall not be subject to probation and the community 
service shall be served by the offender at least five (5) hours in a day to be monitored 
by the barangay officials where they reside or work. The barangay officials shall 
submit a report regarding the completion of the offender of the community service to 
the Department of Interior Local Government (DILG), which, shall in turn, submit 
the same to the Department of Health (DOH); 
 
Sec. 23. Disciplinary and Corrective Proceedings. Administrative offenses 
committed by the persons involved in or in a relation to the implementation of this 
Act, shall be subject to administrative penalties in accordance with the applicable 
civil service rules or the rules and regulations of the Professional Regulations 
Commission (PRC), as the case may be. 
 
Sec. 24. Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). The DOH shall promulgate 
and approve the necessary rules and regulations implement the objectives and 
purposes of this Act within ninety (90) days from its effectivity. The rules and 
regulations shall include provisions on the structure and organization of the Corps, 
mechanism for effective and efficient mobilization, compensation and other benefits 
for the deployed members, and such other matters as the DOH may deem necessary 
to fully implement the objectives and purposes of this Act. 
 


Sec. 25. Repealing Clause. All laws, rules and regulations, and other 
issuances, or part thereof, which are inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed, 
amended, or modified accordingly. 
Sec. 26. Separability Clause. In the event that any provision of this Act or any 
portion thereof is declared unconstitutional by a competent court, the other 
provisions shall not be affected thereby and shall remain valid and enforceable. 
 
Sec. 27. Effectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect after its publication in a 
least three (3) newspapers of general circulation. 
 
Approved.