" 
FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Third Regular Session 
) 
) 
) 
SENA'Ul 
S.B. No;;j;j 6 8 
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Introduced by Sen, Aquilino "Kokou Martin L. Pimentel III 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
In 2011, a total of 431 natural and human-induced disasters were reported 
in the Philippines. The 2011 Philippine Disaster Report showed that these 
disasters resulted in 1,774 deaths and affected more than 3 million families or 
15.3 million people and caused over Php26 billion in economic damages.l This 
placed the Philippines on the top spot of the list of countries with the most 
number of reported natural disasters and second to Japan for the most number of 
casualties caused by natural disasters. 
In most of these calamities, Filipinos not only mourn the loss of their 
loved ones and their properties, but also bear the pain of uncertainty on the fate 
of their lost family members. We hear news reports of mass burials of 
unidentified persons simply because the government lacked capable 
professionals to identify dead bodies. 
Although Republic Act 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government 
Code of 1991, mandates the appointment of a local health officer in all levels of 
local government, most of them are not technically capable of identifying dead 
bodies during and after calamities. Considering that local health officers have 
knowledge on the medical field, it is but apt that they also be empowered to 
answer and respond to this problem brought about by disasters. Appropriate 
and timely management of dead bodies following disasters is a matter of 
1 The Philippine Disaster Report 2011. Citizens' Disaster Response Center, retrieved from 
tillI?·.li'NV:!.W, <;9.r9:flllj[,cgm/wp,t;9JlignjlypJ,1'Ld§LfQQWmlf.CP£',,29JJ.JJ(;iLoL\.N9Y9r1lbgr2f>, 2012. 


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collective well-being, a question of ethics and human dignity, and more than just 
a means of avoiding diseases. 
This bill seeks to equip local health officers with the basic knowledge in 
the identification of dead bodies during and after calamities. They shall undergo 
mandatory training on the identification of dead bodies to be conducted by the 
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and 
other appropriate government agencies. In this way, local health officers will be 
able to help in the speedy and efficient identification of dead bodies, not only to 
prevent the outbreak of diseases in the affected communities, but most 
importantly, to allow families to bury their dead with dignity and respect. 
In view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is earnestly sought. 
A.'V~~J,~w 
AQUILINO "KOKO" MARTIN L. PIMENTEL III 


FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Third Regular Session 
) 
) 
) 
SENATE 
S. B. No. 3368 
Introduced by Sen. Aquilino "Koko" Martin 1. Pimentel III 
AN ACT 
REQUIRING ALL LOCAL HEALTH OFFICERS TO HAVE MANDATORY 
TRAINING IN THE IDENTIFICATION OF DEAD BODIES DURING AND 
AFTER NATURAL AND HUMAN-INDUCED DISASTERS, AMENDING FOR 
THIS PURPOSE SECTION 478 OF REPUBLIC ACT 7160, AS AMENDED, 
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE OF 1991 
Be it wacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippil1es in COl1gress assel1lbled: 
SECTION 1. Section 478 of Republic Act 7160, otherwise known as the "Local 
Government Code of 1991" is hereby amended to read as follows: 
Section 478. Qualifications, Powers and Duties. 
(a) No person shall be appointed health officer unless he is a citizen 
of the Philippines, a resident of the local government unit 
concerned, of good moral character, and a licensed medical 
practitioner. He must have acquired experience in the practice of 
his profession for at least five (5) years in the case of the provincial 
or city health officer, and three (3) years in the case of the municipal 
health officer. 
The appointment of a health officer shall be mandatory for 
provincial, city and municipal governments. 
(b) The health officer shall take charge of the office on health and 
shall: 
(1) xxxxxxxxxx; 
(2) xxxxxxxxxx; 
(3) xxxxxxxxxx; 
(4) xxxxxxxxxx; 
(5) Be in the frontline of health services delivery, particularly 
during and in the aftermath of [man-made] HUMAN-
INDUCED and natural disasters and calamities. 


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IN ORDER TO BE CAPACITATED TO IDENTIFY DEAD 
BODIES DURING AND AFTER HUMAN-INDUCED 
AND 
NATURAL 
DISASTERS AND CALAMITIES, 
LOCAL HEALTH OFFICERS SHALL UNDERGO A 
MANDATORY TRAINING ON THE IDENTIFICATION 
OF DEAD BODIES TO BE CONDUCTED BY THE 
NATIONAL 
DISASTER 
RISK 
REDUCTION 
AND 
MANAGEMENT COUNCIL (NDRRMC) AND OTHER 
APPROPRIATE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES; and 
(c) xxxxxxxxxx. 
SECTION 2. Repealing Clause. All laws, decrees, executive orders, proclamations, 
rules and regulations, or parts thereof inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed 
or modified accordingly. 
SECTION 3. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect upon its publication in at least 
two (2) newspapers of national circulation. 
Approved,