Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _______ 
INTRODUCED BY REP. PM VARGAS 
AN ACT 
PROMOTING THE RIGHTS AND WELFARE OF NURSES BY REGULATING 
AND LIMITING THEIR CONSECUTIVE HOURS OF WORK 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution, Article 13, Section 11, par. 1, provides: 
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. 
Filipino nurses take a lead role in ensuring public health development, 
especially in rural areas. However, the country continues to be saddled with 
a poor healthcare sector caused primarily by the low ratio of nurses as duly 
licensed nurses opt to bring their services to greener pastures abroad or to 
other relatively lucrative sectors which do not involve the practice of their 
profession.  
In a research conducted by the HHS Public Access, it has documented 
that hospitals in which a higher proportion of nurses experience “burnout” 
because 
of 
consecutive 
working 
hours 
have 
lower 
patient 
satisfaction. Extended shifts undermine nurses’ well-being, may result in 
expensive job turnover, and can negatively affect patient care. Policies 
regulating work hours for nurses, similar to those set for resident physicians, 
may be warranted. Nursing leaders should also encourage workplace cultures 
that respect nurses’ days off and vacation time, promote nurses’ prompt 
departure at the end of a shift, and allow nurses to refuse to work overtime 
without retribution. 
July 14, 2022
9:34 am
1978


This measure ensures the dignity of Filipino nurses and assumes 
responsibility for the protection, respect and improvement of the nursing 
profession by instituting measures that will ensure the adaption of just and 
humane conditions of work and the promotion of professional growth. This 
bill also aims to ensure that mandated benefits are provided to encourage 
them to work in the country instead of going abroad.  
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly 
sought. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
REP. PM VARGAS   
 
Fifth District, Quezon City 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _______ 
INTRODUCED BY REP. PM VARGAS 
AN ACT 
PROMOTING THE RIGHTS AND WELFARE OF NURSES BY REGULATING 
AND LIMITING THEIR CONSECUTIVE HOURS OF WORK 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress Assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. –This Act shall be known as the “Care for Nurses’ 
Welfare Act”. 
SECTION 2. Definition of Terms. – As used in this Act, the following terms 
shall be defined as follows: 
a) “Emergency” is defined as an unforeseen event that could not be
prudently planned for and does not regularly occur in the facility;
b) “Health Care Employer” shall mean any individual, partnership,
association, corporation, or any person or group of person acting
directly or indirectly on behalf of or in the interest of the employer,
which provides Health care services in a facility licensed to operate
as such including any facility operated by the State, a Political
Subdivision or a Public Corporation;
c)
“Nurse” shall mean a registered professional nurse as certified by
the Professional Regulatory Board;
d) “Regularly Schedule Work Hours” shall mean those hours a nurse
has agreed to work and is normally scheduled to work pursuant to
the budgeted hours allocated to the nurse’s position by the health
care employer; and if no such allocation system exists, some other
measure generally used by the health care employer to determine
when an employee is minimally supposed to work, consistent with
the collective bargaining agreement, if any;
1978


 
SECTION 3. Prohibition of Excessive Work Hours. – Not withstanding any 
other provision of law: 
 
a) No health care employer shall require a nurse to remain an duty for 
a period longer than eight consecutive hours, or forty hours in a 
seven day work week, except as consistent with the nurse’s regularly 
schedule work hours; and 
b) No health care employer shall require a nurse to work more than 
that nurse’s regularly schedule work hours, except pursuant to 
subdivision three of this Act. 
 
SECTION 4. Exceptions to the Prohibition. —The Limitation provided for in 
this section shall not apply in the case of: 
 
a) Health care Disaster such as a natural or other type of disaster that 
increases the need for health care personnel, unexpectedly affecting 
the country; or 
 
b) A declaration of emergency in effect in the region in which the 
licensed health care employee is employed; or 
 
c) Where a health care employer determines there is an emergency 
necessary to provide safe patient care, in which case the health care 
provider shall, before requiring an on-duty employee to remain, 
make a good faith effort to be have overtime covered on a voluntary 
basis, including, but not limited to, calling per diems, agency 
nurses, assigning floats, or requesting an additional day off work 
from off-duty employees; 
 
SECTION 5.  No Prohibition Against Voluntary Overtime. – Nothing in this 
Act shall prohibit a nurse from voluntarily working overtime. 
 
SECTION 6. Penalty. – The Health Care Employer found guilty of violating 
this Act shall be fined the amount of One Hundred Thousand Pesos 
(P100,000.00) in addition to other damages that shall be imposed by the 
imposed court. 
 
SECTION 7. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act or any part 
thereof shall be declared unconstitutional or invalid, the other provisions, as 
far as they are separable, shall remain in force and effect. 
SECTION 8. Repealing Clause. – All laws, decrees, orders, rules and 
regulations or thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is 
hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly. 


SECTION 9. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general 
circulation. 
Approved,