Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. ___ 
Introduced by CIBAC Party-List Representative 
HON. EDUARDO “BRO. EDDIE” C. VILLANUEVA 
AN ACT  
INSTITUTING THE MEDICAL RESERVE CORPS AND APPROPRIATING 
FUNDS THEREFOR 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the gaps in our already struggling healthcare 
system. Drawing lessons from the country’s experience during this health crisis and in 
view of the unprecedented nature of health emergencies and other disasters, there is a 
need to put in place safeguards and emergency protocols to avert overwhelmed 
healthcare facilities, the serious lack of health and emergency personnel, and loss of 
lives.  
This proposed measure recognizes the need for a reserve force of highly skilled and 
medically trained professionals and volunteers who can be mobilized to maintain the 
capacity to meet surges in the demand for the country’s healthcare system and provide 
assistance in times of health crises.  
It establishes a Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), which shall be composed of medical 
experts, scientists, licensed medical practitioners, members of the Reserve Force of the 
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the Medical Service, non-medical volunteers 
trained for health emergencies and other necessary skills, with a primary mission of 
supporting the public health system during period of disasters and other health 
emergencies.  
The MRC shall be under the Health Emergency Management Bureau of the 
Department of Health, and shall be organized, trained, developed, and maintained to 
ensure their readiness to immediately respond to the call to service. 
March 29, 2023
11:03 am
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In order to protect the rights of members of the MRC, this bill also ensures that they 
shall not be discriminated upon based on their status as such. It further provides that all 
MRC members shall, at all times, be accorded with protection, as provided under existing 
labor laws, rules and regulations, including the right to have a safe and healthy workplace.  
 
As the country battles the continuing pandemic, and as one of the priority measures 
of this Administration, the immediate passage of this measure is earnestly sought. 
 
 
 
HON. EDUARDO “BRO. EDDIE” C. VILLANUEVA 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. ___ 
Introduced by CIBAC Party-List Representative 
HON. EDUARDO “BRO. EDDIE” C. VILLANUEVA 
AN ACT 
INSTITUTING THE MEDICAL RESERVE CORPS AND APPROPRIATING 
FUNDS THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Medical Reserve Corps 
1 
Act.” 
2 
3 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. – Article II, Section 15 of the 1987 Constitution 
4 
enjoins the State to protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health 
5 
consciousness among them. Article XII, Section 11 also provides for the adoption of an 
6 
integrated and comprehensive approach to health development. The State further 
7 
reiterates its commitment to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals 
8 
(SDGs), particularly SDG 3, which calls on states to ensure healthy lives and promote the 
9 
well-being of people of all ages. 
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11 
The State also recognizes the need for a reserve force of highly skilled and 
12 
medically trained professionals and volunteers who can be mobilized to maintain the 
13 
capacity to meet surges in the demand for the country’s healthcare system and provide 
14 
assistance as may be needed in times of health crises. 
15 
16 
Pursuant to this, it is hereby declared the policy of the State to maintain a strong, 
17 
proactive, and responsive healthcare system at all times, the workforce complement of 
18 
which can be expanded rapidly by a well-trained and well-equipped Medical Reserve 
19 
Corps (MRC) in times of public health emergency and health threats. Towards this end, 
20 
the State shall enhance the capacity of the nation to produce and call on the needed 
21 
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manpower and expand its human health resources in times of disasters and public health 
1 
emergencies of both national and local scale through the mobilization of the MRC. 
2 
 
3 
SEC. 3. Medical Reserve Corps Service. – The MRC shall be composed of 
4 
medical experts, scientists, licensed medical practitioners, members of the Reserve Force 
5 
of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the Medical Service, non-medical 
6 
volunteers trained for health emergencies and other necessary skills, with a primary 
7 
mission of supporting the public health system during periods of disasters and other 
8 
health emergencies. The MRC shall be organized, trained, developed, and maintained to 
9 
ensure their readiness to immediately respond to the call to service. 
10 
 
11 
SEC. 4. Organization. – The Department of Health (DOH) shall create the MRC 
12 
under its Health Emergency Management Bureau (HEMB). The organization, structure, 
13 
and manning of the MRC shall be set up in such a manner that is necessary to make it 
14 
effective, efficient, and responsive to local and national disasters and other health 
15 
emergencies, under such rules and regulations as the Secretary of Health may prescribe. 
16 
 
17 
SEC. 5. Registration and Training. – The DOH shall draft guidelines for the 
18 
recruitment, selection, compensation, other incentives for joining and continued 
19 
membership, and length of service of the MRC members. 
20 
 
21 
The DOH shall also prescribe a continuing training program for the MRC recruits 
22 
and members, through written, practical, and simulation activities on various aspects of 
23 
health emergency management and response, and on the different health emergency 
24 
situations and scenarios, such as natural and man-made disasters, epidemics, 
25 
pandemics, and other threats to public health. To this end, all recruits must undergo: 
26 
 
27 
(a) 
Compulsory basic training for a period to be set by the DOH where all recruits shall 
28 
undergo training on disaster and health emergency response, the organization and 
29 
structure of the MRC, and such other areas as may be prescribed by the DOH. 
30 
Volunteers without any health specializations shall be trained in basic health and 
31 
medical skills, and/or such other skills deemed necessary to respond to health 
32 
emergencies. In all cases, recruits shall be given compensation for their time 
33 
during compulsory basic training; and 
34 
 
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(b) 
Continuing training, in coordination with relevant and qualified agencies in the 
36 
public and private sector, including but not limited to the AFP and the National 
37 
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), to provide the 
38 
training and other activities that will improve and reinforce their skills. All registered 
39 
members shall undergo continuing training on a regular basis to upgrade their 
40 
proficiency. 
41 
 
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Successful completion of compulsory basic training shall be a requisite for 
43 
admission into the MRC. Successful completion of activities in the continuing training 
44 
program shall be a requisite for promotion within the MRC. 
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SEC. 6. Registry and Accounting of Members of the MRC. – Registered 
1 
members of the MRC shall be issued individual serial numbers which shall serve as their 
2 
identification in case of deployment. An MRC identification card that describes the 
3 
certification information of members, as well as other necessary identifying information, 
4 
as may be determined by the DOH, shall also be issued. 
5 
 
6 
The DOH shall maintain and update a registry containing the names of MRC 
7 
members, their serial numbers, addresses, contact details, and such other information as 
8 
may be determined by the DOH, in accordance with the applicable privacy laws.  
9 
 
10 
SEC. 7. MRC Mobilization. – The prompt mobilization of the MRC shall be carried 
11 
out by authority of the Secretary of Health, upon the recommendation of the Director of 
12 
the HEMB or upon the request of national government agencies or local government units 
13 
(LGUs) in order to meet the needs of the populace in times of public health emergencies, 
14 
whether of local or national scale, and for such other purposes in response to threats to 
15 
public health. 
16 
 
17 
The MRC may be mobilized partially or in full as may be necessary. The DOH shall 
18 
promulgate the mechanism by which deployment is efficiently implemented, including the 
19 
organization of the Corps to be deployed, their territorial assignments, the manner of 
20 
communicating deployment orders to each member, and to which mobilization center they 
21 
will report. 
22 
 
For the purposes of this Act, “public health emergencies” shall have the same 
23 
meaning as defined in Republic Act No. 11332, otherwise known as the “Mandatory 
24 
Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act.”  
25 
 
26 
SEC. 8. Deployment Order. – The President of the Philippines, upon 
27 
recommendation of the DOH Secretary, may order the nationwide mobilization of the 
28 
MRC to complement the AFP Medical Corps in case of a declaration of a state of war, 
29 
state of lawless violence, or state of calamity. 
30 
 
31 
SEC. 9. Mobilization Centers. – There shall be established in each province as 
32 
many mobilization centers as needed to which members of the MRC shall report when 
33 
mobilization is ordered. 
34 
 
35 
Mobilization centers may be any establishment or facility that can adequately 
36 
house the MRC members, and their equipment and supplies during the period of 
37 
deployment, including, but not limited, to multi-purpose halls, gymnasiums, and other 
38 
similar structures, and based on other requirements that the DOH shall prescribe. The 
39 
DOH, in consultation with the local executives, shall likewise prescribe the location of the 
40 
mobilization centers. 
41 
 
42 
SEC. 10. Mobilization Stock. – The minimum essential individual and 
43 
organization and medical equipment and supplies shall be procured, stored, and 
44 


maintained to enhance rapid transition to readiness required for employment in the 
1 
shortest possible time.  
2 
 
3 
The DOH shall maintain the necessary capacity to scale up the procurement of 
4 
these equipment and supplies as may be needed during the period of mobilization. 
5 
 
6 
SEC. 11. Enlistment of the AFP. – The Secretary of Health may enlist the AFP 
7 
to provide expertise on the organization and structure of the MRC for efficient, effective, 
8 
and swift deployment, as well as for training of the MRC recruits on disaster and 
9 
emergency response. 
10 
 
11 
The Secretary of Health may also recommend to the President the enlistment of 
12 
the AFP to supplement the mobilized MRC for the purpose of providing logistics and 
13 
manpower for large-scale operations in times of public health emergency, contact tracing 
14 
and monitoring of suspected cases, enforcing quarantine measures in specific areas or 
15 
facilitating the transport of emerging infectious disease patients, and for such other 
16 
related purposes. 
17 
 
18 
SEC. 12. Protection of MRC Members. – All MRC members shall be accorded 
19 
protection as provided by existing labor laws and relevant occupational safety and health 
20 
standards. Discrimination based on their status as MRC members shall also be strictly 
21 
prohibited.  
22 
 
23 
SEC. 13. Compensation and Benefits.  – Members of the MRC who have 
24 
rendered service shall receive compensation, allowances, medical and hospitalization 
25 
benefits, and other privileges and benefits during the mobilization period, to be 
26 
determined by the DOH, in accordance with relevant laws, executive orders, rules and 
27 
regulations, and other issuances. 
28 
 
29 
SEC. 14. Demobilization. – When the threat or emergency for which mobilization 
30 
had been ordered has passed, the Secretary of Health shall order the demobilization of 
31 
the MRC, and the mobilized members shall be reverted to inactive status. 
32 
 
33 
SEC. 15. Implementing Rules and Regulations. Within thirty (30) days from the 
34 
effectivity of this Act, the DOH, in consultation with the AFP and other relevant 
35 
stakeholders, shall promulgate and issue the necessary guidelines for the effective 
36 
implementation of this Act. 
37 
 
38 
SEC. 16. Appropriations. – The funds necessary for the initial implementation of 
39 
this Act shall be charged against the appropriations of the DOH as needed. Thereafter, 
40 
funding shall be included in the budget of the DOH under the annual General 
41 
Appropriations Act.  
42 
 
43 
SEC. 17. Separability Clause. – If,  for any reason, any part, section, or provision 
44 
of this Act is held invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions not affected shall 
45 
continue to be in full force and effect. 
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1 
SEC. 18. Repealing Clause. – All laws, decrees, executive orders, proclamations, 
2 
rules and regulations, and other issuances, or parts thereof which are inconsistent with 
3 
the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended, or modified accordingly. 
4 
 
5 
SEC. 19. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
6 
publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
7 
 
Approved, 
 
8