1 
Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
1st Regular Session 
House Bill No. ________ 
Introduced by Representatives PAOLO Z. DUTERTE, ERIC G. YAP, and 
EDVIC G. YAP 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The State recognizes the role of veterinary medicine in the country as a practice 
dedicated for the protection of the animal population through safe and proper 
diagnosis, treatment, and surgery of these animals. The regulation in the practice of 
veterinary medicine is enshrined in Republic Act No. 9268 or The Philippine Veterinary 
Medicine Act of 2004, which in addition, institutionalizes the mandate of the 
Professional Regulatory Board of Veterinary Medicine.  
The Board has always relied in the Code of Ethics and Code Technical Standards for 
Doctors of Veterinary Medicines, including its other policies issued pursuant to this 
Republic Act No. 9268 in order to regulate the said profession, and yet the practice 
remains unregulated and unbridled, resulting to a number of malpractice cases 
against veterinarians which remain unpenalized due to lack of an enabling legislation 
that will hold veterinarian criminally liable for gross negligence and ignorance in 
exercise of their profession.   
As a response, this bill seeks to institutionalize the penalties of fine, cancellation of 
license to practice and revocation of permit to operate to veterinarians adjudged of 
committing veterinary malpractice to increase deterrence in committing the said act. 
This measure also seeks to require veterinarians to avail of malpractice insurance to 
answer for any claims of damages arising from the act or omission perpetrated by 
them resulting to injury or loss of life to any animal.  
PAOLO Z. DUTERTE 
       ERIC G. YAP 
EDVIC G. YAP         
April 25, 2023
12:18 pm
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
1st Regular Session 
House Bill No. ________ 
Introduced by Representatives PAOLO Z. DUTERTE, ERIC G. YAP, and 
EDVIC G. YAP 
AN ACT 
PROTECTING ANIMAL-PATIENTS AGAINST MEDICAL MALPRACTICE OF 
VETERINARY 
MEDICINE, 
PROVDING 
PENALTIES 
THEREFOR, 
AND 
REQUIRING VETERINARIANS TO SECURE VETERINARY MALPRACTICE 
INSURANCE  
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Anti-Veterinary 
Malpractice Act of 2023.” 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to protect and 
promote the welfare of all animals in the Philippines by supervising and regulating 
the establishment and operations of all facilities utilized for breeding, maintaining, 
keeping, treating or training of all animals either as objects of trade or as household 
pets. 
As part of fulfilling this, the State shall be able to standardize and regulate the 
practice of veterinary medicine that is tasked to protect the animal population in the 
country through safe and proper diagnosis, treatment and surgery of animals. 
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. - The following terms as used in this Act shall 
mean the following: 
a) Veterinarian is a natural person who has been registered and issued a valid
Certificate of Registration and Professional Identification Card by the
Professional Regulatory Board of Veterinary Medicine in accordance with
this Act.
b) Accredited Professional Organization refers to the professional organization of
veterinarians accredited by the Board and the Commission.
c) Malpractice shall refer to any physical injury, including death, caused by
negligent or wrongful act or omission of any veterinary practitioner.
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d) Patient refers to animals, may they be objects of trade or household pets, 
requiring medical attention from any veterinarian. 
 
e) Client refers to any natural or juridical person who has the right of 
ownership over the animal patient. 
 
SEC. 4. Anti-Malpractice Act. – Any veterinarian who performs any act 
constituting veterinary medicine malpractice or illegal surgery shall be punishable by 
fine and in all instances, the suspension or cancellation of the practitioner’s license to 
practice veterinary medicine, revocation of the Certification of Registration of the 
registered veterinarian, or cancellation of the special permit issued on behalf of 
his/her practice. 
 
Such acts include, but are not limited to the following: 
 
a) unprofessional and unethical conduct; 
b) gross incompetence, gross negligence, gross ignorance or any other acts of 
malpractice resulting in the disability, disfigurement or death of an animal; 
c) fraud or dishonesty in applying, teaching or report on any laboratory test 
and research findings; 
d) neglect in providing aid for animals in the state of crises, adversity, and 
suffering which needed monumental or medical aid in any distress, 
Provided, that such aid includes, but are not limited to, first aid through 
therapy to rescue; 
e) aiding or abetting the Veterinary practice of an unlicensed individual or 
allowing his/her name and qualifications to be used for such purpose; 
f) failure in giving the best professional services to the patient and client and 
conducting himself / herself in a manner that uplift the veterinary 
profession; 
g) for 
veterinarians 
engaged 
in 
a 
commercial 
enterprise 
that 
directly/indirectly concerns animal health and production, the inability to 
conduct the business in such a manner that Veterinary ethical standards are 
maintained; 
h) selling biologicals to any layman without prescription; 
i) dereliction of duty to oversee and treat animal diseases, develop programs 
of preventive medicine, and administer a variety of regulations related to 
hygiene and epidemic control; and 
j) non-observance of the required husbandry and production standards, 
whether for livestock, pets, laboratory animals, or captive wild animals; 
k) practicing his/her profession during the period of his/her suspension from 
the practice of his profession; 
l) violation of other rules and regulations, Code of Ethics, Code Technical 
Standards and other policies of the Professional Regulatory Board of 
Veterinary Medicine and the Commission issued pursuant to Republic Act 
No. 9268. 
 


 
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SEC. 5. The Complainant. - The crime of veterinary malpractice shall be 
prosecuted upon the filing of a complaint by any of the following individuals: 
 
a) Client; 
b) Parents or legal guardians of the client; 
c) Grandparents or collateral relatives; 
d) A concerned, responsible veterinary hospital or clinic employee where the 
crime was committed but only if the persons in the preceding paragraph 
have expressly given their consent in the filing thereof. 
 
Upon belief of veterinary malpractice, the complainant shall reserve the right to 
preserve the remains of his/her patient and immediately take the patient’s body to 
another veterinarian for a necropsy. 
 
SEC. 6. Penalties. – Medical malpractice on Veterinary medicine shall be punished 
as follows: 
 
a) For the first offense, a fine of Twenty Thousand (P20,000) to Fifty thousand 
(P50,000) 
b) For the second offense, a fine of Fifty-One Thousand (P51,000) to One 
Hundred and Fifty Thousand (P150,000)  
c) For the third offense, a fine of One Hundred Fifty-One Thousand (P151,000) 
to Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand (P250,000)  
 
The amount of fine is discretionary to the court taking into consideration all the 
attending circumstances. In all of the instances aforementioned, the suspension or 
cancellation of the practitioner’s license to practice veterinary medicine, revocation of 
the Certification of Registration of the registered veterinarian and his/her clinics, 
and/or cancellation of the special permit issued on behalf of his/her practice may also 
be imposed. 
 
Any other crime committed by reason or on occasion of veterinary malpractice 
shall be considered as a separate offense and the rules on complex crimes shall not 
apply.  
 
In no case shall veterinary malpractice be considered as a mere aggravating 
circumstance when it is committed by reason or on occasion of the commission of 
another crime.  
 
SEC. 7. Aggravating Circumstances. – The following circumstances shall 
aggravate the crime of veterinary malpractice: 
 
a) Permitting motives of profit to influence the free and independent 
exercise of professional judgment on behalf of client; 
b) Conscious infliction of harm to the animal-patient with the malicious 
intent of profiting from such act 
 


 
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SEC. 8. Damages. – In addition to damages that may be awarded by court 
under existing laws, the following circumstances shall warrant the award of 
additional damages: 
 
a) Death of the animal-patient by reason or occasion of malpractice; 
b) Physical disfigurement or permanent disability of the animal-patient by 
reason of malpractice. 
 
SEC. 9. Compulsory Veterinary Malpractice Insurance. – Upon approval of this 
Act, all veterinarians shall be required to obtain Veterinary Malpractice Insurance of 
no less than Fifty Thousand Pesos (P50,000) from any reputable and duly licensed 
insurance company to answer for any claims of damages arising from the act or 
omission perpetrated by the insured resulting to injury or loss of life to any animal. 
Failure to comply of any veterinarian from the provisions of this Act shall cause the 
suspension of his/her professional license and shall remain effective until he/she 
complied therewith. 
 
SEC. 10. Repealing Clause. - All provisions of laws and rules inconsistent with 
the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or amended accordingly. 
 
SEC. 11. Separability Clause. - If for any reason, any section or provision of 
this Act is declared unconstitutional or invalid, the other sections or provisions not 
affected thereby shall remain in full force and effect. 
 
SEC. 12. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
following its publication in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
Approved,