EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
)
S E N A T E
s. no.936
otujr #r«TfWrr
MIG 20 P2’-^0
.aRi.
Introduced by Senator Grace Poe
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING THE PHILIPPINE GERIATRIC CENTER -  RESEARCH AND 
TRAINING 
INSTITUTE, 
DEFINING 
ITS 
OBJECTIVES, 
POWERS AND 
FUNCTIONS, 
APPROPRIATING 
FUNDS 
THEREOF, 
AND 
FOR 
OTHER 
PURPOSES
Explanatory Note
According to the 2010 Census of Population, there are around 6.2 million 
senior citizens in the country.1 This is equivalent to 6.8% of the population.2 This 
number of elderly Filipinos is projected to increase to 9,508,800 by 2020- a growth 
of 4.3% over ten years.3 By that point, the elderly sector will account for 8.6% of 
the Philippine population.
Senior citizens are an extremely vulnerable group. 
They encounter many 
challenges which are difficult to hurdle due to their old age. As such, they require 
special protection from the State. The drafters of the 1987 Constitution recognized 
this and included provisions on the protection of the elderly in our fundamental law.
Health status is one of the major issues faced by the elderly. Dr. Clarita Carlos 
of the University of the Philippines wrote the following in the Philippine Social 
Sciences Review: "A third issue is the health status of the elderly. As people age, 
their health status bodies undergo changes which can make them less resistant to 
chronic, debilitating and disabling conditions. Consequently, the elderly tend to be 
more at high risk of developing disabilities and contracting diseases."4
1 Philippine Statistics Authority. 2016 Philippine Statistical Yearbook.
1 Ibid.
3 Author’s own computation based on 2016 Philippine Statistica Yearbook
4 Carlos, C.R. “Concerns of the Elderly in the Philippines” Philippine Social Sciences Review Vol. 56, No. 1-4: 
1999


This bill seeks to improve the health support services for senior citizens by 
establishing the Philippine Geriatric Center — Research and Training Institute (PGC- 
RTI). Under this bill, the PGC-RTI shall be mandated to:
a. Equip, maintain, administer, and operate an integrated 
medical institution which shall specialize in geriatric health 
services;
b. Promote medical and scientific research/database relative to 
the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care, rehabilitation 
and relief of disease of older persons;
c. Provide education and training of physicians, nurses, 
officers, social workers, barangay health workers, and other 
medical and technical 
personnel in the practice and 
scientific 
implementation 
of health 
services 
to 
older 
persons; and
d. Coordinate the various efforts and activities of other 
government agencies and local government units for the 
purpose of achieving a more effective approach to the 
delivery of geriatric health.
In view of the foregoing, speedy approval of this measure is eagerly sought.
^
 GR-A.CE PO E


No. 936
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE
)
fe'cnatc
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
)
of Ujr ^e trria r^
First Regular Session
)
S E N A T E
•19
AUG 20 P 2 ^ 0
RECEIvQgY:
Introduced by Senator Grace Poe
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING THE PHILIPPINE GERIATRIC CENTER -  RESEARCH AND 
TRAINING 
INSTITUTE, 
DEFINING 
ITS 
OBJECTIVES, 
POWERS AND 
FUNCTIONS, 
APPROPRIATING 
FUNDS 
THEREOF, 
AND 
FOR 
OTHER 
PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House o f Representatives o f the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
1 
Section 1. Short Title. -  This Act shall be known as "Philippine Geriatric
2 
Center Act".
3 
Sec. 2. Declaration o f Policy. -  It is hereby declared the policy of the State
4 
to protect and promote the right of senior citizens to enjoy the highest attainable
5 
standard of health. It shall ensure that quality health services are available and
6 
accessible to them through the establishment of a specialized hospital that will
7 
cater to their medical needs.
8 
Sec. 3. Definition o f Terms. -  For the purposes of this Act, the following
9 
terms shall be defined as follows:
10 
a) "Senior Citizen" -  refers to any Filipino citizen who is at
11 
least sixty (60) years old;
12 
b) "G eriatrics"- refers to the branch of medicine that deals
13 
with the biological and physical characteristics of aging, and
14 
the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and problems
15 
specific to senior citizens;


1 
c) "Geriatric Heaith Services"- refers to the medical services
2 
or intervention provided to senior citizens by a muiti-
3 
specialty team usually headed by a Geriatrician;
4 
d) "Geriatrician"-  refers to a medical doctor who is specially
5 
trained to evaluate and manage the unique healthcare
6 
needs and treatment preferences of older people, and has
7 
passed the necessary training and examination to specialize
8 
in the field geriatrics;
9 
e) "Integrated Deiivery o f Geriatric Heaith Services"- refers to
10 
hospital and community-based medical and psychological
11 
services provided to senior citizens by a multi-disciplinary
12 
team; and
13 
f) 
"Muiti-Discipiinary T eam "- refers to a team composed of
14 
health professionals with varied expertise to provide holistic
15 
care, which includes a range of interventions to address
16 
medical and psycho-social problems of senior citizens. The
17 
team is headed by a Geriatrician and includes surgeons,
18 
organ-system 
specialists, 
nurses, 
clinical 
pharmacists,
19 
rehabilitation 
therapists, 
nutritionists, 
dentists, 
social
20 
workers, 
caregivers, 
family 
members, 
and 
patients
21 
themselves.
22 
Sec. 4. Phiiippine Geriatric Center -  Research and Training Institute (PGC-
23 
RTI). The National Center for Geriatric Health (NCGH) located in San Miguel,
24 
Manila, is hereby renamed to Philippine Geriatric Center -  Research and Training
25 
Institute (PGC-RTI) and institutionalized as an independent Level 1, Fifty (50)
26 
bed-capacity budgetary hospitals under the direct control and supervision of the
27 
Department of Health for the benefit of senior citizens and older persons. The
28 
Philippine Geriatric Center -  Research and Training Institute (PGC-RTI) shall have
29 
a separate line item under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of the DOH.
30 
Sec. 5. Purposes and Objectives. -  The PGC-RTI shall have the following
31 
purposes and objectives:


1 
e. Equip, maintain, administer, and operate an integrated
2 
medical institution which shall specialize in geriatric health
3 
services;
4 
f. Promote medical and scientific research/database relative to
5 
the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care, rehabilitation
6 
and relief of disease of older persons;
7 
g. Provide education and training of physicians, 
nurses,
8 
officers, social workers, barangay health workers, and other
9 
medical and technical 
personnel in the practice and
10 
scientific 
implementation 
of health 
services 
to 
older
11 
persons; and
12 
h. Coordinate the various efforts and activities of other
13 
government agencies and local government units for the
14 
purpose of achieving a more effective approach to the
15 
delivery of geriatric health.
16 
Sec. 6. Scope o f Services. -  Consistent with its purpose and objectives, the
17 
PGC-RTI shall provide the following services:
18 
a. Hospital-based services to ensure the availability of medical
19 
facilities and equipment necessary to provide long term and
20 
palliative services, with its wards divided into the following:
21 
dementia, long-term care, palliative care, respite care, and
22 
other units as may be deemed necessary;
23 
b. Community-based services and programs in partnership with
24 
local government units. Research and necessary training shall
25 
be conducted for the social functioning of senior citizens and
26 
their families, utilizing the multi-disciplinary team approaches,
27 
and external outsourcing of resources may be done as needed
28 
to implement community based integrated geriatric health
29 
services;
30 
c. Education programs to pursue excellence and the highest level
31 
of practice in the specialized field of geriatrics and other related
32 
fields, including but not limited to post-graduate training and


1 
short-term courses for medical doctors and allied medical
2 
professionals; and
3 
d. Program development and research to develop cutting edge
4 
research and programs to combat diseases of old age and to
5 
improve health care services for senior citizens.
6 
Sec. 7. Referral System. -  The PGC-RTI shall be the referral center for all
7 
Private and Government Facilities for specialized geriatric care.
8 
Sec. 8. Administration. -  The Department of Health through the Health
9 
Facilities Development Bureau (HFDB) shall assume oversight of the PGC-RTI, and
10 
promulgate the rules and regulations necessary for the effective implementation
11 
of this Act.
12 
The DOH shall approve the organizational and staffing pattern of the PGC-
13 
RTI subject to the evaluation by the Civil Service Commission and of the
14 
Organizational 
Position 
Classification 
and 
Compensation 
Bureau 
of 
the
15 
Department of Budget and Management. The DOH may reorganize said structure,
16 
modify staffing pattern, and create or abolish divisions, sections or units in the
17 
PCG-RTI.
18 
Sec. 9. Appointment and Disciplining Authority o f the Secretary o f Health. -
19 
The DOH Secretary shall have the authority to appoint, promote, transfer,
20 
remove, suspend, or otherwise discipline the officers of the PGC-RTI up to the
21 
level of Director, as well as to remove or dismiss all other officials and employees
22 
of PGC-RTI, subject to Civil Service laws, rules and regulations.
23 
Sec. 10. Appropriations. -  The budget allocation for PGC-RTI shall be in
24 
accordance with its scope of work and mandate as stated herein. The amount of
25 
Three Hundred Million (Php 300,000,000) is hereby appropriated for the initial
26 
operation and maintenance of the PGC-RTI. Thereafter, the PGC-RTI shall submit
27 
its annual budget proposal to the DOH Central Office duly approved by the
28 
Secretary of Health as well as by the Department of Budget and Management,
29 
which will form part of the budget of the DOH as reflected in the General
30 
Appropriations Act.
31 
Sec. 11. Program for Indigents. -  The DOH shall ensure that the PGC-RTI
32 
shall adopt and enforce an effective program for indigents. The number of beds


1 
allocated for the indigent patients shall not be less than forty percent (40%) of
2 
the total number of hospital beds.
3 
Sec. 12. Increase o f Bed Capacity. -  The Medical Director may increase the
4 
bed capacity of PGC-RTI upon compliance with the guidelines of the Department
5 
of Health and Department of Budget and Management concerning bed capacity.
6 
Sec. 13. Income Retention. -  The PGC-RTI shall be authorized to retain its
7 
earnings from its operations for the improvement of its service delivery.
8 
Sec. 14. Tax Exemption and Other Priviieges. -  The provisions of any
9 
general or special law to the contrary notwithstanding, all donations, grants,
10 
contributions, gifts, endowments, received by the PGC-RTI pursuant hereto, shall
11 
be exempt from income, donor's, and all other kinds of taxes, and shall be further
12 
considered as allowable deductions from the gross income of the donor, in
13 
accordance with the provisions of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as
14 
amended.
15 
The PGC-RTI is hereby declared exempt from all income and all other
16 
internal revenue taxes, tariffs and customs duties and all other kinds of taxes,
17 
fees, charges and assessments levied by the government and its political
18 
subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities.
19 
The PGC-RTI may request and receive assistance from the different
20 
agencies, bureaus, offices or instrumentalities of the government, including the
21 
Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and Philippine Amusement and Gaming
22 
Corporation in pursuit of its purposes and objectives.
23 
Sec. 15. Annuai Report. -  The PGC-RTI shall submit an annual report to
24 
the President of the Philippines, the Senate Committee on Health and
25 
Demography, 
and 
the 
House 
Committee 
on 
Health, 
on 
its 
activities,
26 
accomplishments and recommendations, to better improve the delivery of
27 
geriatric health services.
28 
Sec. 16. Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). -  Within ninety (90)
29 
days from the effectivity of this Act, the Secretary of Health, in coordination with
30 
the Secretary of Social Welfare and Development and the Secretary of Budget and
31 
Management, shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary for the effective
32 
implementation of this Act.


1 
Sec. 17. Transitory Provisions. -  In accomplishing the acts of organization
2 
herein prescribed, the following transitory provisions shall be complied with:
3 
a. The Medical Director of the PGC-RTI shall be a specialized
4 
geriatric practitioner and shall be appointed by the Secretary of
5 
Health.
6 
b. The existing personnel of the NCGH shall remain in their
7 
current positions until such time a revised and/or new
8 
organizational and staffing pattern is implemented.
9 
c. The Health Facilities Development Bureau of the Department of
10 
Health shall ensure that no disruption of service will occur
11 
during transition.
12 
Sec. 18. Separability Clause. -  If any provision of this Act is held invalid or
13 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the Act or the provision not otherwise affected
14 
shall remain valid and subsisting.
15 
Sec. 19. Repealing Clause. -  Any law, presidential decree or issuance,
16 
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative rule or regulation contrary to
17 
or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified or
18 
amended accordingly.
19 
Sec. 20. Effectivity. -  This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days upon its
20 
publication in at least two (2) national newspapers of general circulation.
21 
Approved,