Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _______ 
________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by HON. GUS S. TAMBUNTING 
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A NURSING SCHOLARSHIP AND RETURN SERVICE 
PROGRAM FOR DESERVING STUDENTS AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS 
THEREFOR 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
A measure known as the "Nursing Scholarship and Return Service Program Act" seeks 
to alleviate the nursing shortage in the Philippines and enhance the standard of 
healthcare in neglected regions. 
This bill suggests establishing a scholarship program to help prospective nurses from 
underprivileged families or with low financial means. The grant will pay for books, tuition, 
and all associated costs associated with obtaining a nursing degree. 
Scholarship awardees will be expected to provide a return service in high-need locales 
for a predetermined amount of time in exchange for the financial help they have received. 
Public health centers, rural health units, or other government-run healthcare 
organizations that need more nurses can provide this return service. 
Additionally, this measure aims to encourage nurses' professional growth and ongoing 
education to ensure they have the abilities and expertise required to provide high-quality 
medical care. 
To alleviate the nursing shortage in the Philippines, enhance the standard of healthcare 
services, and advance social fairness, the "Nursing Scholarship and Return Service 
Program Act" is crucial. 
On behalf of the people of Parañaque City’s Second District, and for the common good 
of the Filipino people, the approval of the said measure is earnestly sought. 
REP. GUS S. TAMBUNTING 
2nd District, Parañaque City 
April 24, 2023
8:44 am
7889


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _______ 
_________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by HON. GUS S. TAMBUNTING 
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A NURSING SCHOLARSHIP AND RETURN SERVICE 
PROGRAM FOR DESERVING STUDENTS 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 "Nursing Scholarship and 
Return Service Program Act. " 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is the policy of the State to protect and promote 
the right to health of the people, to develop its health human resource to meet the health 
needs of its citizens and to ensure the adequacy of registered nurses in the country. 
Towards this end, the State shall establish a Nursing Scholarship and Return Service 
Program that shall extend assistance to deserving nursing students pursue tertiary 
education and training in the field who shall eventually render services in government 
public health units and government hospitals in their hometown or in any municipality in 
their home province or in any underserved municipality in any province, as part of their 
integration into the public health and medical service system. This shall ensure the 
availability of nurses who will provide quality basic, promotive, preventive, and curative 
health care services in every municipality in the country, especially in underserved, 
remote, economically underdeveloped, distressed, conflict-afflicted, and geographically 
disadvantaged areas. 
SECTION 3. Establishment of the Nursing Scholarship and Return Service Program. — 
There shall be established a Nursing Scholarship and Return Services (NSRS) Program 
for deserving students in state universities and colleges (SUCs) or in private higher 
education institutions (PHEIs) in regions where there are no SUCs offering a Bachelor 
of Science in Nursing course: Provided, That the scholarship 
program shall accept at least one (I) scholar from each municipality of the country per 
academic year: Provided further, That only upon determination that there is no qualified 
applicant from a certain municipality shall another qualified applicant from another 
locality be considered, irrespective of domicile: Provided, furthermore, That the applicant 
has passed the admission and other qualifying requirements of the SUCs and PHEls: 
Provided, finally, That the total number of nurses needed for each province or 
municipality shall be determined by the Local Government Unit and confirmed by the 
Department of Health. 
SECTION 4. Coverage of Nursing Scholarship and Return Service Program. — The 
Nursing Scholarship and Return Service Program established under this Act shall be 
made available to deserving Filipino students who want to pursue a Bachelor of Science 
in Nursing degree in SUCs, or in PHEls in regions where there are no SUCs. 
The student financial assistance for the Nursing Scholarship and Return Service 
Program shall include the following: 
a) Free tuition and other school fees;
7889


b) Allowance for prescribed books, supplies and equipment;
c) Internship fees, including financial assistance during internship; and
d) Annual medical insurance.
SECTION 5. Qualification Requirements. — An applicant for the Nursing scholarship 
and Return Service Program shall possess the following qualifications: 
a) Must be a natural-born or naturalized Filipino citizen residing in the Philippines;
b) Must be a graduating student or a graduate of Senior High School duly recognized
by the Department of Education (DepEd): Provided, That deserving incoming
second-year nursing students and those in the higher levels of the Bachelor's
degree in Nursing program shall also be covered in this Act: Provided, further,
That students who have satisfactorily passed the Philippine Educational
Placement Test (PEPT) and other applicable government programs catering to
alternative learning programs shall also be covered in this Act;
c) Must have passed the entrance examinations and other related requirements for
admission to a Bachelor's degree in Nursing in the SUC or PHEI where the
scholar intends to enroll, as well as other requirements of the CHED and the DOH;
and
d) Must have obtained a National Secondary Admission Test (NSAT) score
mandated by the CHED and the cut-off score required by the SUC or PHEI where
the scholar intends to enroll in.
SECTION 6. Conditions for the Grant of Scholarship. — Deserving students accepted 
to the Nursing Scholarship and Return Service Program shall be subject to the following 
conditionalities: 
a) Must sign an agreement stating the terms and conditions of the scholarship on a
form prescribed by the CHED and the DOH;
b) Must carry the full load of subjects prescribed per semester by the SUC or PHEI,
and shall, under no circumstance, drop a course;
c) Must finish the entire Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in the prescribed
time frame in the SUC or PHEI where the scholar is enrolled in, subject to the
retention policies of the SUC or PHEI;
d) Must undertake internship in a DOH-accredited public health facility or hospital,
subject to the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges (APMC) Internship
Matching Program or any applicable internship program offered by their
respective academic institution: Provided, That, the graduate of the four (4)-year
Bachelor of Science in Nursing program must satisfy all the requirements of the
APMC Internship Matching Program or any applicable internship program offered
by their respective academic institution;
e) Must take the board examination within a maximum period of one (1) year after
completion of or graduation from Bachelor of Science in Nursing program; and
f) Must serve in a government public health office, unit or facility or government
hospital in the scholar's hometown or, in the absence of a need thereat, in any
municipality within the scholar's home province, or in any underserved
municipality closest to the scholar's hometown in any province determined by the
DOH as a priority area, for at least six (6) years or one and a half (I .5) years for
every scholarship year availed of, which shall be completed within ten (10) years
upon graduation from Bachelor of Science in Nursing program for those who have
availed of a four (4)-year program, upon passing the licensure examination for
nurses, which shall be part of the mandatory return service and integration into
the public health and medical service system: Provided, That this mandatory
return service shall be in addition to the return service requirement of SUC or
PHEI.


 
The scholar may be allowed, for valid reasons preventing the enrolment, to defer availing 
of the scholarship and file a leave of absence for a period not exceeding one (1) 
academic year, subject to the guidelines and policies of the concerned SUC and pHEl. 
The scholar who fails to pass the licensure examination within one (I) year after 
graduation and other academic requirements shall shoulder all necessary expenses for 
the succeeding professional licensure examinations. 
SECTION 7. Disqualifications. — The scholar shall repay the full cost of scholarship and 
related benefits received, including all the expenses incurred during the participation in 
the scholarship program, and the scholarship shall be terminated in case of the following 
circumstances: 
a) If the scholar accepts another scholarship from the government or private 
agencies or entities while enjoying the benefits under this Act; 
b) If the scholar fails in forty per cent (40%) of the subjects or fails to meet the 
academic requirements of the SUCs or PHEls or to complete the course within 
the prescribed period without valid cause as may be determined by the SUC or 
PHEI, the CHED or the DOH such as due to absence without notice, reasons or 
willful neglect or other causes within the control of the scholar: Provided, That if 
the terminated scholar chooses, instead of repayment of scholarship costs, to 
work with the government's public health and medical service system, such as 
taking up another health-related course in a public educational institution and work 
in any public health and medical service system for a period equivalent to six (6) 
years or the mandatory length of service that should have been rendered as 
stipulated in this Act; 
c) If the scholar fails to pass the licensure examination for nurses for the second 
time; and 
d) If the scholar commits behavioral misconduct in a manner that would bring 
significant damage to HEI, government institution concerns, persons and the 
community. 
SECTION 8. Mandatory Return Service and Integration of the Scholar into the Public 
Health and Medical Service System. — Upon passing the Nursing Licensure Exam 
(NLE) administered by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), the scholar who 
becomes a registered nurse, shall be integrated into the public health and medical and 
service system through the DOH, with the appropriate rank and salary and related 
benefits. The mandatory return service upon integration into the public health and 
medical service system under this Act shall be for a period equivalent to at least six (6) 
years within the period of ten (10) years for those who have availed of a four (4)-year 
program. 
The mandatory return service and integration into the public health and medical service 
under this Act shall be separate and distinct from the return service requirement of the 
SUCs or PHEls and the mandatory postgraduate internship in a DOH-accredited public 
health facility or hospital, required by the PRC as a prerequisite for taking the NLE. 
SECTION 9. Sanctions. — In the event that a nurse who has availed of the Nursing 
Scholarship and Return Service Program fails or refuses to serve in a government 
hospital or any local health office in the scholar's home province or in any municipality in 
the scholar's home province or in any underserved municipality in any province, as 
provided under Section 6 thereof, or fails or refuses to comply with the mandatory 
integration as provided for in Section 8 hereof, the nurse shall be required to pay twice 
the full cost of scholarship including other benefits and expenses incurred by reason of 
participation in the scholarship program. 
In case of non-payment, as provided in the preceding paragraph, the PRC shall deny 
the renewal of the nurse's license: Provided, That the above-mentioned penalties shall 
not apply to nurses who fail to comply with the required return service on account of, or 
by reason of, severe or serious illness. 
SECTION 10. Roles of the CHED. - The CHED shall perform the following functions: 


 
a) Conduct regular information dissemination of and recruitment to the Nursing 
Scholarship and Return Service Program in SUCs and PHEIs to ensure that there 
will be an adequate number of nurses in all municipalities and provinces; 
b) Review, modify and enhance the Bachelor of Science in Nursing curriculum to 
prepare graduates to work in community-based health programs, and to function 
competently when working with experienced physicians and other professionals 
in public health and the medical field; 
c) Coordinate, together with the SUCs and PHEls, with the DOH for the integration 
of the nursing scholar who has passed the NLE into the public health and medical 
service system; 
d) Formulate, promulgate, disseminate and implement the necessary policies, 
standards, guidelines and rules and regulations for the effective implementation 
of the Nursing Scholarship and Return Service Program under this Act; 
e) Develop strategies to improve the quality of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing 
program and implement a system of quality control for the offering of Bachelor of 
Science in Nursing program in SUCs and PHEls; 
f) Monitor and evaluate existing Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs of SUCs 
and effect the continuation or closure of programs in accordance with the 
provisions of Republic Act No. 7722 or the "Higher Education Act of 1994" and 
other CHED issuances, as applicable; 
g) Review and approve or disapprove proposals from SUCs and PHEls for the 
offering of new Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs; 


 
Disseminate information on the required percentile cut-off score of SUCs 
and PHEls to guide the student applicants on which school to apply to; 
i) Require SUCs and PHEIs to submit a tracking, monitoring and assistance 
program in order to determine the whereabouts of the nursing scholars after 
graduation from SUCs or PHEls; 
j) Ensure that the SUCs and PHEls provide the timely release and accurate 
distribution of allowances and other fees to the scholars; and 
k) Recommend to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) the 
budget for the implementation of the Nursing Scholarship and Return 
Service Program in SUCs and PHEls based on its monitoring and 
evaluation results. 
SECTION 11. Roles of the SUCs and PHE1s. - The SUCs and PHEls shall 
perform the following functions: 
a) Monitor the progress of all scholars in their respective educational 
institutions, identify students who have low or failing grades, and counsel 
them to improve their academic performance; 
b) Ensure the timely release and accurate distribution of allowances and other 
fees to the scholars; 
c) Make an annual report to the CHED on the performance of nursing scholars 
and other necessary data or vital information regarding the Nursing 
Scholarship and Return Service Program; 
d) Assist the CHED in the conduct of regular information dissemination on, 
and recruitment to, the Nursing Scholarship and Return Service Program; 
e) Review, modify and enhance the nursing curriculum to prepare the 
scholars to work in community-based health programs; 
f) Coordinate with the DOH in the conduct of an inventory of its trainable 
personnel who can be potential beneficiaries of the program; 
g) Coordinate with the CHED, DOH, PRC, and other concerned agencies, and 
local government units (LGUs) in the integration of the scholar into the 
public health and medical service system; 
h) Develop strategies to improve the quality of the Bachelor of Science in 
Nursing program and implement a system of review and evaluation for 
quality control for the offering of Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in 
their respective educational institutions; 


 
i) Conduct a tracer study on the whereabouts of their respective nursing 
scholars after graduation from their respective educational institutions and 
submit the results of the tracer study to the CHED; 
j) Recommend to the CHED and the DBM the budget necessary to implement 
the Nursing Scholarship and Return Service Program in their respective 
institutions, based on their own monitoring and evaluation of results; and 
k) Perform such other functions as the Presidents of the SUCS or PHEI may 
deem necessary for the success of the Nursing Scholarship and Return 
Service Program in their respective educational institutions. 
SECTION 12. Roles of the DOH. — The DOH shall perform the following 
functions: 
a) Determine the number of nurses needed for every municipality or province, 
as well as the number of nurses needed in the town or province where the 
SUC is situated; 
b) Determine the distribution of scholars per municipality or province; 
c) Coordinate with the CHED, SUCs, PHEls and PRC to determine the 
number of graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing course and 
passers of the Nursing Licensure Exam; 
d) Provide for the integration of the scholar into the public health and medical 
service system, including the necessary number of plantilla positions to 
accommodate the new nurses in the provincial hospitals; 
e) Assist the CHED in the conduct of the regular information dissemination on 
the Nursing Scholarship and Return Service Program, the recruitment of 
scholar applicants and the integration of successful scholars into the public 
health and medical service system to ensure the continuous deployment of 
nurses to all provinces, especially in the underserved, remote, 
economically 
underdeveloped, 
distressed, 
conflict-afflicted, 
and 
geographically disadvantaged municipalities; 
f) Craft a career pathway for nursing practitioners in the DOH and at the local 
level as an incentive to the graduates of nursing to enhance their 
competencies and skills for career progression; 
g) Coordinate with the LGUs for the mandatory integration of nurses/scholars 
into the public health and medical service system; 
h) Conduct an inventory of its trainable personnel who can benefit from the 
program; 
i) Monitor, supervise and evaluate the performance and length of service of 
the scholars integrated into the public health and medical service system; 


 
j) Provide funds for the implementation of the integration program under this Act; 
and 
k) Recommend to the DBM the budget for the plantilla positions for the nurses 
to be integrated into the public health and medical service system, including 
the determination of salaries and salary increases. 
SECTION 13. Roles of LGUs. — LGUs are mandated to support the integration 
of the scholar into the public health and medical service system by performing the 
following functions: 
a) Ensure that there is a mechanism to provide the necessary support to the 
integration program of nurses who will be assigned to the LGU; 
b) Coordinate with the DOH and the nurses to determine the specific health 
needs or requirements of the community and provide the necessary 
assistance, including the improvement of the health facilities in the 
municipality and involvement in the research component of the public 
health and medical service system; 
c) Subject to availability of funds, maintain a regular counterpart fund to be 
used for providing the balance of the scholarship budget for scholars 
enrolled in PHEls; 
d) Provide for the board and lodging, travel expenses and other forms of 
financial assistance enumerated under Section 4 of this Act, subject to 
availability of funds, for the scholar enrolled in the PHEIs located in the 
municipality under the concerned LGU: Provided, That the scholar shall 
serve in the same LGU upon passing the licensure examination. If the 
municipal government cannot afford the said expenses, the provincial 
government shall shoulder the same: Provided, further, That the said 
provincial government shall decide in what municipality the scholar shall 
eventually serve; 
e) Provide other forms of financial assistance, subject to availability of funds, 
to support the integration program of nurses in the LGUs; 
f) Ensure the safety and security of the nurses integrated into the public 
health and medical service program; 
g) Recommend to the concerned SUC or PHEI any improvement in the 
implementation of the Nursing Scholarship and Return Service Program; 
h) Conduct an information dissemination campaign on the Nursing 
Scholarship and Return Servjpe Program within the municipality or 
province, with the objective of attracting pright applicants Vp the said 
program; 


 
i) Coordinate with the CHED and other government agencies and 
nongovernmental organizations involved in the Nursing Scholarship and 
Return Service Program; 
j) Coordinate with and encourage the active participation of the parents and 
other family members of the scholars in the Nursing Scholarship and 
Return Service Program; 
k) Exercise such other powers and perform all other acts and duties which 
shall assist the scholar and ascertain the success of the Nursing 
Scholarship and Return Service Program; and 
l) Execute and enforce laws, ordinances and regulations which may, directly 
or indirectly, have a positive impact on the Nursing Scholarship and Return 
Service Program. 
SECTION 14. Appropriations. — The amount necessary to carry out the initial 
implementation of this Act shall be charged against the current year's 
appropriations of the SUCs and the DOH. 
Thereafter, the amount necessary for the continued implementation of the 
Nursing Scholarship and Return Service Program for deserving students shall be 
included and subsumed into the scholarship program of SUCs and CHED in the 
annual General Appropriations Act. 
SECTION 15. Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on Nursing scholarship 
and Return Service System. — There is hereby created a Joint Congressional 
Oversight Committee to oversee, monitor and evaluate the implementation of this 
Act. 
The Oversight Committee shall be composed of five (5) members each from the 
Senate and the House of Representatives, and shall include the following: 
Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture; 
Chairperson of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education; 
Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health; Chairperson of the House 
Committee on Health; and three (3) members each to be chosen from the 
membership of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture and the 
House Committee on Higher and Technical Education by the Senate President 
and the House Speaker, respectively: Provided, That at least one (1) member 
from the respective nominees of the House of Representatives and the Senate 
shall be chosen from the minority bloc. 
SECTION 16. Five (5)-Year Review of the Number of Scholars to be Admitted. — 
Every five (5) years from the effectivity of this Act, the CHED, DOH, SUCs and 
PHEIs shall determine the number of scholars to be admitted every school year. 
The number of nurses needed by the municipality or province where the SUC or 
PHEI is situated shall be taken into consideration in determining the number of 
scholars. 


 
SECTION 17. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within sixty (60) days 
from the effectivity of this Act, the CHED and the DOH, in coordination with the 
Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges, Coordinating Council of 
Private Educational Associations, League of Municipalities, Association of 
Municipal Health 
Officers of the Philippines (AMHOP), Non-Government Community-Based Health 
Programs, PRC, DBM, SUCs, PHEls, APMC, APMC Student Network and other 
relevant stakeholders, shall formulate and issue the rules and regulations to fully 
implement the provisions of this Act. 
SECTION 18. Separability Clause. — If any part or provision of this Act shall be 
held unconstitutional or invalid, the other parts or provisions not affected thereby 
shall remain in full force and effect. 
SECTION 19. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and 
regulations and other issuances or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions 
of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
SECTION 20. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
Approved,