FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
Second Regular Session 
) 
'12 
MAR 19 °1.':1!9 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Art. 13, Sec. 11 of the Constitution provides: 
SEC. 11. The State shall adopt an integrated and comprehensive approach 
to health development which shall endeavor to make essential goods, health and 
other social services available to all the people at affordable cost. There shall be 
priority for the needs of the underprivileged, sick, elderly, disabled, women and 
children. The State shall endeavor to provide free medical care to paupers. 
Health care is an issue that concerns all of us. Our Constitution provides that the State 
should ensure that health services are available to our people at all times. However, the current 
power crisis experienced in many parts of our country provides a limitation to this access by 
creating a stoppage in the hospital crisis due to power outages. One of the ways we can fight this 
is to make our major hospitals less dependent on mass supplied electricity and encourage them to 
provide for power snpply for their most essential pieces of equipment and services. 
This bill mandates the Secretary of Energy to establish a pilot program to award grants 
and loan guarantees to hospitals to carry out projects for the purpose of reducing energy costs 
and increasing resilience to improve security 
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FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
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OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
Second Regular Session 
) 
'12 
MAR 19 P 2 :49 
SE1W\JE.. 
S. No. \11:>5 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
DIRECTING THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY TO ESTABLISH A PILOT PROGRAM TO 
AWARD GRANTS AND LOAN GUARANTEES TO HOSPITALS TO CARRY OUT 
PROJECTS FOR THE PURPOSE OF REDUCING ENERGY COSTS AND INCREASING 
RESILIENCE TO IMPROVE SECURITY 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
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SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as "Hospital Energy Independence 
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Act." 
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SECTION 2. Establishment and Purpose. - The Secretary of Energy (Secretary) shall 
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establish a pilot program to award grants and loan guarantees to hospitals to carry out energy 
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conservation projects for the purpose of-
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(A) 
significantly improving the energy efficiency of such hospitals; and 
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(B) 
encouraging onsite power generation and energy storage, capable of operating 
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independent of the grid, and providing sufficient onsite emergency backup power for essential 
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hospital functions 
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SECTION 3. Number of Hospitals. -
The Secretary shall award grants and loan 
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guarantees under the pilot program to no more than six (6) hospitals within three (3) years from 
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implementation of this Act. 
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SECTION 4. Applications. - A hospital seeking a grant or loan guarantee under the pilot 
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program shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 
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accompanied by such information as the Secretary may require. 
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SECTION 5. Considerations. - In selecting a hospital to award a grant or loan guarantee 
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to under the pilot program, the Secretary shall give special consideration to applications from 
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such hospitals that can demonstrate that they are able to commence an energy conservation 
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project more promptly. 
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SECTION 6. Report. - Not later than two (2) years after the date of the enactment of this 
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Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the implementation of the pilot program. 
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Such report shall include information that would allow for Congress to evaluate the effectiveness 
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of the pilot program and to advance best practices. 
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SECTION 7. Reporting. - Two (2) years after the initial implementation of this Act and 
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every two (2) years thereafter, the Secretary shall submit a report to the proper committees in 
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Congress. The said report shall contain the recommendations on the improvement of or 
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cessation, if so warranted, of this program. 
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SECTION 8. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations or parts 
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thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified 
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accordingly. 
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SECTION 9. Separability Clause. - If, for any reason, any provision of this Act is 
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declared to be unconstitutional or invalid, the other sections or provisions hereof which are not 
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affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and etIect. 
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SECTION 10. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days 
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following its publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
iam031912 
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