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Republic of the Philippines ‘a
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES [5 RECEIVED
Quezon City DATE July 6, 2022
* TIME 4:06pm
NINETEENTH CONGRESS BY ot
First Regular Session e, a Rai

Wo inpex

House Bill No. _1439

Introduced by
REPRESENTATIVE JOSE MARIA R. ZUBIRI JR.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Philippines is a nation that prides itself on its practice of
bayanihan, where the individual readily lends oneself to the needs of the
community. In an archipelagic country that has been historically
vulnerable to strife and disaster, it is crucially hopeful that every tragedy
is offset by narratives of selflessness—of civilians braving storm surges to
rescue their neighbors, of volunteers going into war-torn areas to provide
much-needed aid.

Time has become every individual's most precious capital, this sense of
selfless service has found an avenue in volunteerism. It comes as no
surprise that the Philippines has a notable record of volunteer workers. In
Charities Aid Foundation’s World Giving Index 2017, the Philippines ranked
7th out of 139 countries with the highest number of volunteers. According
to the report, about 25 million Filipinos did volunteer work in 2016.!

This bill seeks to encourage even more volunteers by offering them
due legal protection while rendering volunteer services for governmental
entities, non-profit organizations, or the Philippine Red Cross. With this
bill, volunteers, so long as they are acting in an emergency situation, are
properly licensed, certified or authorized, and are acting within the scope
ea ren er, Wal nce tena i ear taciig ise

action.

In view of the foregoing, approval of this bill is urgently sought.

JOSE 1 R. IRI IR.
Third District, Bukidnon

' Flores, Helen. “Pinoys among world’s top volunteers.” The Philippine Star. 9 Sep 2017. Retrieved
from: hitns://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/09/09/1737538/pinays-among-worlds-top-
volunteers


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. _ 1439

Introduced by
REPRESENTATIVE JOSE MARIA R. ZUBIRI JR.

AN ACT
ENCOURAGING VOLUNTEERISM DURING EMERGENCIES BY PROTECTING
VOLUNTEERS FROM LIABILITY

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

SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Emergency
Volunteer Protection Act of 2022.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — It shall be the policy of the State to
provide a conducive and enabling legal environment for volunteers by placing
mechanisms that will protect their rights and award them with privileges for their
contribution to society.

SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. — As used in this Act:

a. “Volunteer” refers to an individual or group who provides reasonable
assistance and contributes time, service and resources in an emergency situation
and who does not receive compensation other than reasonable reimbursement or
allowance for expenses actually incurred for rendering volunteer service.

The volunteers shall be duly licensed, certified or authorized by
appropriate government entities or nongovernment organizations, or accredited
by and registered with the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating
Agency (PNVSCA) prior to deployment;

b. “Emergency” requiring immediate attention and remedial action
involving unforeseen occurrence sudden, and impending threat or dangers to
life, health, or safety of a person;


c. “Volunteer sectors” refer to those sectors that organize themselves into
volunteers to take advocacy and action primarily for local and national
development as well as international cooperation and understanding; and

d. “Spontaneous volunteer” refers to an individual who may either be
trained volunteers from accredited training institutions, or an untrained person
who performs voluntary work as necessitated by an emergency situation.

SEC. 4. Liability Protection for Volunteers. — No volunteer shall be liable
for harm caused by an act or omission done in performance of his or her duties
or functions as volunteers if:

a. The volunteer was acting in an emergency situation;

b. The volunteer was properly licensed, certified or authorized by the
appropriate government authorities, either government entities or non-
government organizations, or accredited by and registered with the PNVSCA
prior to deployment;

c. The volunteer acted within the scope of his/her responsibilities in the
government entity, non-profit organization, or the PNVSCA;

d. The volunteer acted under orders or direction of appropriate
government authority;

e. The volunteer acted in an emergency situation, where there are no
government authority or trained volunteers present, in order to assist or care for
persons who are:

i. in serious and imminent danger, or apparently in serious and
imminent danger, of being injured or further injured;

ii. injured or apparently injured; or
iii. suffering, or apparently suffering, from an illness.

SEC. 5. Exceptions. — The liability protection for volunteers under this Act
shall not apply to the following:

a. Where the act constitutes a crime;


b. Where the volunteer caused damage or harm by willful or criminal

misconduct, gross negligence, reckless misconduct, or a conscious, flagrant
indifference to the rights or safety of the individual harmed by the volunteer; or

c. Where the acts were performed under the influence of intoxicating
alcohol or any dangerous drug at the time of the misconduct.

SEC. 6. Mandatory Insurance. - The PNVSCA shall provide an additional
insurance coverage to all volunteers as defined in this Act which shall give the
following minimum benefits:

a. Disability Benefits of Three Hundred Fifty Thousand Pesos
(P350,000.00) for volunteers who shall suffer total or partial disability, whether
permanent or temporary, as a result of any injury sustained during performance
of duty;

b. Death benefits amounting to Three Hundred Thousand Pesos
(P300,000.00) for volunteers who shall perish in the line of duty; and

c. Reimbursement of actual medical costs up to Two Hundred Thousand
Pesos (P200,000.00) for volunteers who shall be hospitalized or who shall require
medical attendance for injuries sustained while in the performance of duty.

SEC. 7. Trainings. - The PNVSCA shall conduct mandatory trainings of all
their registered and potential volunteers.

SEC. 8. Accreditation of Volunteers. — Unless properly licensed, certified
or authorized by the appropriate government authorities, other government
entities or non-government organizations, volunteers must be accredited by and
registered with the PNVSCA prior to deployment to be exempted from liability.

SEC. 9. Nationwide Public Information Campaign. - The PNVSCA, in
consultation with relevant governmental entities and non-profit organizations,
shall undertake a nationwide information, education and communication
campaign for the attainment of the objectives of this Act.


SEC. 10. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The PNVSCA, in
consultation with relevant government entities and non-profit organizations, shall
promulgate rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this Act within
ninety (90) days from its effectivity.

SEC. 11. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act shall be
declared unconstitutional, any other provision not affected thereby shall remain
in full force and effect.

SEC. 12. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, orders, rules and
regulations or other issuances or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of
this Act are hereby repealed or amended accordingly.

SEC. 13. Fffectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,