Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

6274
HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by Representative Manuel Luis T. Lopez

AN ACT
CREATING THE PHILIPPINE VETERINARY HOSPITAL, DEFINING ITS PURPOSE AND
OBJECTIVES, PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

EXPLANATORY NOTE

It is the policy of the state to protect and promote the health and welfare of all animals in
the Philippines, whether domestic or wild. This policy comes from our compassion towards all
living things, and our recognition of the vital contribution of veterinary services to health security,
food security, poverty alleviation, and resilience.

Towards the implementation of this policy, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) is
mandated to supervise and regulate 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 under Republic Act No. 8485 or the Animal Welfare Act of 1998,

Meanwhile, under Republic Act No. 9268 or the Philippine Veterinary Medicine Act of
2004, it is ensured that the practice of veterinary medicine in the Philippines is world-class and
internationally recognized and globally competitive.

This proposed measure seeks to further the protection and promotion of animal health
and welfare by creating a public national veterinary hospital that will provide globally-
competitive, cost-effective, compassionate, and accessible veterinary services and facilities to all
animals.

This bill further aims to promote and encourage scientific research and dissemination and
exchange of ideas and information on the prevention, control, diagnosis, and treatment of animal
diseases, and on the care and treatment of injured animals.

In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

RepreSextative
1 District, City of Manila


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 6274

Introduced by Representative Manuel Luis T. Lopez

AN ACT
CREATING THE PHILIPPINE VETERINARY HOSPITAL, DEFINING ITS PURPOSE AND
OBJECTIVES, PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Republic of the Philippines
in Congress assembled:

SECTION. 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Philippine Veterinary
Hospital Act’.

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State to
protect and promote the health and welfare of all animals in the Philippines through the
efficient and effective provision of globally-competitive, cost-effective, compassionate,
and accessible veterinary services and facilities.

SEC. 3. Creation of the Philippine Veterinary Hospital. - There is hereby created
a corporate body to be known as the Philippine Veterinary Hospital. The Philippine
Veterinary Hospital shall be under the supervision and control of the Bureau of Animal
Industry.

SEC 4. Purposes and objectives. - To ensure the availability, accessibility, and
affordability of quality animal health care, the Philippine Veterinary Hospital shall:

(a) Construct, establish, operate and maintain a veterinary hospital for the welfare
of all animals, which shall be the primary medical facility for the
hospitalization and medical care of animals;

(b) Provide comprehensive veterinary services, including but not limited to the
prevention, control, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases affecting the health
of domestic and wild animals, the care and treatment of injured animals;

(c) To promote, encourage, and engage in scientific research on the prevention
and treatment of animal diseases, the prevention of transmission of animal
diseases to people, and related activities, including but not limited to

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sponsorship and conduct of relevant congresses, conventions, seminars, and
conferences;

(d) To stimulate and/or underwrite the above-mentioned scientific researches,
and gather, compile, and publish the findings of such researches for public
dissemination;

(e) To facilitate and encourage the dissemination and exchange of ideas and
information on the prevention, control, diagnosis, and treatment of animal
diseases, to arouse, enhance and develop public interest on animal health and
welfare consciousness;

(0 To encourage and/or undertake the training of veterinarians and animal care
and service workers on the practical and scientific conduct and
implementation of veterinary services and related activities;

(g) To assist universities, hospitals, and research institutions in their studies of
animal and zoonotic diseases, to encourage advanced training on matters of,
or affecting animal health, and related fields and to support educational
programs of value to general animal health and welfare; and

(h) To encourage the formation of other veterinary hospitals and clinics on the
national, provincial, city, municipal or barangay level and to coordinate their
various efforts and activities for the purpose of achieving a more effective
programmatic approach on the common problems relative to the objectives
herein enumerated.

SEC 5. Powers and Functions. - For the attainment and/or furtherance of the
above purposes and objectives, the Philippine Veterinary Hospital, as a body corporate,
acting through its Board of Trustees, shall have all the powers pertaining to a juridical
person, and is therefore authorized, among other things:

(a) To acquire and hold in any property of whatever nature or description, and to.
dispose of such property under any mode of encumbrance or conveyance;

(b) To contract and be contracted with;

(c) To mortgage, lease, sell, transfer, convey or otherwise dispose ofits properties;

(d)To solicit and receive donations, endowments and funds in the form of
contributions, whether in cash or in kind, from both the public and private
sectors;

(e) To open such accounts in banks and other financial institutions, and to

disburse such funds or invest the same as the Board may direct to accomplish
or advance the purposes or interest of the Philippine Veterinary Hospital;

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(f) To invite foreign veterinarians and similar experts in the various medical fields
to train the personnel or trainees or residents of the Philippine Veterinary
Hospital;

(g) To send the personnel of the Philippine Veterinary Hospital to research
institutes, medical institutes or universities for advance training or
observation and to attend international or regional conventions, conferences,
congresses, seminars as the Board may deem necessary to accomplish the
purposes and objectives of the Philippine Veterinary Hospital;

(h) To adopt a set of by-laws, rules and regulations not inconsistent with law and
the provisions hereof to govern the administration and operation of the affairs
of the Hospital; and

(i) To do all such other acts and things as are or may be necessary or incidental
for the accomplishment of the purposes and objectives of the Philippine
Veterinary Hospital.

SEC. 6. Board of Trustees. - The Philippine Veterinary Hospital shall be
administered by a Board of Trustees, composed of seven (7) members, to be appointed
by the President of the Philippines. The Director of the Philippine Veterinary Hospital
shall be appointed by the Board of Trustees.

The six appointive members of the Board of Trustees shall serve without
compensation for a period of three (3) years and until their successors shall have been
appointed and qualified. Any vacancy in the Board shall be filled by appointment by the
President of the Philippines, and the appointee shall serve for the unexpired term. The
Board of Trustees of the Philippine Veterinary Hospital shall elect a Chairman from
among themselves, who shall be presiding officer of the Board of Trustees.

The Director of the Philippine Veterinary Hospital shall serve as Vice-Chairman of
the Board. The Director shall act as the chief executive officer of the Philippine Veterinary
Hospital, with authority, among others, to appoint, remove, and fix the compensation of
the personnel thereof, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees.

Four (4) members of the Board of Trustees shall constitute a quorum transact
business and any decision of such four members on any matter duly presented to the
Board of Trustees shall constitute a valid and binding act of the Philippine Veterinary
Hospital.

SEC 7.Government contributions.- The Government shall constitute the
necessary land, building, equipment and facilities, to the Philippine Veterinary Hospital,
and shall pay such obligations for real, personal and mixed properties arising from such
undertaking under a deferred payment arrangement within 5 years, at a preferred rate
of interest.

SEC 8. Property of the Philippine Veterinary Hospital. - The Property of the

Philippine Veterinary Hospital shall consist of such real, personal, mixed, and other type
of property, now owned or reserve for, or may hereafter be given, donated, acquired,

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transferred or conveyed to, the Philippine Veterinary Hospital by the Philippine
Government, its branches and instrumentalities, any foreign government, as well as by
trust, foundations, corporations, or persons, alien or domestic, in order to carry out its
purposes and objectives as set forth herein.

SEC 9. Tax exemptions, etc. - All donations, contributions or endowments which
may be made by entities or persons to the Philippine Veterinary Hospital shall be exempt
from income and donor's taxes, and the same shall be further deductible in full for
purposes of computing the maximum amount deductible under Section 30, paragraph
(h), of the National Internal Revenue Code, as amended.

The Philippine Veterinary Hospital shall be exempt from the payment of all taxes,
charges and fees imposed by the Government or any political subdivision or
instrumentality thereof for a period of ten years.

All income earned by foreign doctors who shall use the facilities of the Philippine
Veterinary Hospital shall be tax exempt for a period of ten years from the date of
effectivity hereof.

SEC 10, Assistance from government offices, etc. - The Philippine Veterinary
Hospital may call upon any department, bureau, office, agency, or instrumentality of the
Government, including government-owned or -controlled corporations, for such
assistance as it may need in the pursuit of its purposes and objectives.

All individuals, entities, and institutions are hereby enjoined to render full
assistance and corporation to the Philippine Veterinary Hospital in the accomplishment
of its objectives and activities.

SEC 11. Appropriations. - An amount of One Hundred Million Pesos (Php
100,000,000.00) shall be appropriated for the establishment and initial operations of the
Philippine Veterinary Hospital. Subsequently, the Secretary of Agriculture shall include
in the Department's program the implementation of this Act, the funding of which shall
be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

SEC. 12, Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within sixty (60) days from the
approval of this Act, the Department of Agriculture, specifically the Bureau of Animal
Industry, shall promulgate the implementing rules and regulations to carry out the
provisions of this Act.

SEC 13. Auditing. - The books and accounts of the Philippine Veterinary Hospital
shall be subject to periodic auditing by the Chairman of the Commission on Audit, or his
duly authorized representative.

SEC 14, Annual report. - The Philippine Veterinary Hospital shall render to the
President of the Philippines an annual report of its activities and recommendations.

SEC 15. Effect of dissolution of the Philippine Veterinary Hospital. - If, for any
reason, the Philippine Veterinary Hospital is dissolved, its property remaining at the time

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of such dissolution shall revert to the Philippine Government for disposition in
accordance with law.

SEC 16. Effectivity.- This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in a national newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,

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