Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by Honorable Michael L. Romero 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) shall comprise of several thousands of 
volunteers in all community-based units located throughout the country. This 
MRC units shall organize and utilize local volunteers who want to donate their 
time and expertise to prepare for and respond to emergencies and to support 
ongoing preparedness initiatives. MRC volunteers include medical and public 
health professionals as well as other community members without healthcare 
backgrounds who want to improve the health and safety of their communities. 
The State is very cognizant for the need for this MRC apparently after the 
covid-19 pandemic ravaged the entire world. when medical and public health 
professionals, eager to volunteer in support of emergency relief activities, 
found that there was no organized approach to channel their efforts, now 
more than ever there is a need to established such Medical Reserve Corps 
to provide a way to recruit, train, and activate medical and public health 
professionals and other volunteers to respond to community health needs 
during disasters and other public health emergencies. 
August 15, 2022
12:15 pm
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Earnest approval of this bill is hereby requested. 
 
 
 
 
 
MICHAEL L. ROMERO 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO 
Introduced by Honorable Michael L. Romero 
AN ACT 
CREATING THE MEDICAL RESERVE CORPS, 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR 
OTHER PURPOSES 
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 "Medical 
Reserve Corps Act of 2022." 
SECTION 2. DECLARATION OF POLICY. It shall hereby be a declared 
policy of the State to: 
Foster the right to health of the populace and impart health 
consciousness. 
Spearhead for the adoption of an integrated and comprehensive 
approach to health development. 
The State recognizes the need for a reserve force of highly skilled and 
medically trained professionals and volunteers who can be mobilized to 
maintain the capacity to meet surges in the demand for the country's 
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healthcare system and provide assistance as may be needed in times of 
health crisis. 
 
Pursuant to this, it is the policy of the State to maintain a strong, 
proactive and responsive healthcare system at all times, the workforce 
complement of which can be expanded rapidly by a well-trained and well-
equipped Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) in times of public health emergency 
and health threats. Towards this end, the State shall enhance the capacity 
of the nation to produce and call on the needed. manpower and expand 
its human health resources in times of disasters and public health 
emergencies of both national and local scale through the mobilization of 
the MRC. 
 
SECTION 3. MEDICAL RESERVE CORPS SERVICE. - There shall 
hereby be established a MRC whose primary mission is to support the 
country's health system in times of public health emergencies or health 
threats, and which shall be composed of the following: 
 
a. Licensed physicians including those who are retired 
and those who are no longer practicing in the hospital 
setting. The Department of Health (DOH) may coordinate 
and collaborate with the accredited integrated professional 
organization or accredited professional organization of 
physicians for the engagement of private practitioners; 
 
b. Medical students who have completed four (4) years of 
medical course, graduates of medicine, and registered 
nurses who may be issued by the Secretary of Health with 
a limited and special authorization to render medical service 
pursuant to Republic Act No. 2382, otherwise known as the 
Medical Act of 1959; and 
 
c. Licensed allied health professionals. 
 
The MRC shall be organized, trained, developed and 
maintained so as to ensure their readiness to immediately 
respond to the call to service. 
 
 
 


 
SECTION 4. S U P E R V I S I O N  - The MRC shall be under the 
supervision of the DOH. 
 
The DOH shall develop an effective and efficient MRC organization 
and structure that is responsive to national and local disasters and 
other public health emergencies, under such rules and regulations as 
the Secretary of Health may prescribe. 
 
SECTION 5. PROCESS AND PREPARATION. The DOH shall draft 
guidelines for the recruitment, selection, compensation, and provision 
of incentives for joining and continued membership, and length of 
service of the MRC members. 
 
The DOH shall also prescribe a continuing training program for the 
MRC recruits 
and members, 
through 
written, 
practical 
and 
simulation activities 
on 
various 
aspects of 
health emergency 
management and response and on the different health emergency 
situations and scenarios, such as natural and man-made disasters, 
epidemics, pandemics, and other threats to public health. To this end, 
all recruits must undergo: 
 
a. Compulsory basic training for a period to 
be set by the DOH on disaster and health 
emergency response, the organization and 
structure of the MRC, and such other areas 
as may be prescribed 
by the 
DOH. 
Recruits shall be given compensation for 
their attendance thereto; and 
 
b. Continuing training and other activities to 
be conducted in coordination with relevant 
and qualified agencies in the private and 
public sector, including the Armed Forces of 
the Philippines 
(AFP) and the National 
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management 
Council, to improve and reinforce skills. 
All 
registered 
members 
shall 
undergo 
continuing training on a regular basis to 
upgrade 
their 
proficiency. 
Successful 
completion of the compulsory basic training 
shall be a requisite for admission into the 


 
MRC. Successful completion of activities in 
the continuing training program shall be a 
requisite for promotion within the MRC. 
 
SECTION 6. STAFFING PATTERN - Registered members of 
the MRC shall be issued individual serial numbers which will 
serve as their identification in case of 
deployment. 
 
The DOH shall maintain and update a registry or database 
containing the names of the members of the Corps, their serial 
numbers, address, contact details and such other information as 
the DOH may determine, in accordance with applicable privacy 
laws. For this purpose, all public and private colleges, universities 
and learning institutions shall transmit annually their records of 
the graduates covered under this Act to the DOH. 
 
An MRC Identification Card that describes the certification 
information 
of 
Corps members, as well as other necessary 
identifying information that may be determined by the DOH, shall 
also be issued. 
 
All graduates covered under this Act are required to update their 
addresses and contact details on file with the DOH as often as 
necessary. Orders of deployment sent to the addresses and/or 
through the contact details on file with the DOH shall be sufficient 
notice for purposes of deployment. 
 
In cases when a graduate has changed address immediately prior to 
deployment, the LGU shall immediately exert efforts to locate his 
known closest resident kin, who is then mandated to exert similar 
efforts. The use of digital communications and social media shall 
be encouraged in locating such graduates. 
 
SECTION 7. MEDICAL RESERVE CORPS MOBILIZATION. - The 
prompt mobilization of the MRC shall be carried out by authority 
of the Secretary of Health, upon the recommendation of the 
Director of the national government agencies or local government 
units (LGUs), in order to meet the needs of the populace in times of 
public health emergencies, whether of local or national scale, and 
for such other purposes in response to threats to public health. 
 
The MRC may be mobilized partially or in full as may be 
necessary. The DOH shall promulgate the mechanisms by which 


 
deployment is efficiently implemented, including the organization 
of the Corps to be deployed, their territorial assignments, how 
deployment orders are communicated to each member of the Corps 
and to which mobilization center they will report as defined in 
Republic Act No. 11332, otherwise known as the "Mandatory 
Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health 
Concern Act," public health emergency refers to an occurrence or 
imminent threat of an illness or health condition that: 
 
(1) Is caused by any of the following: 
(i) Bio terrorism; 
(ii) Appearance of a novel or previously controlled or 
eradicated infectious agent 
or biological toxin; 
(iii) A natural disaster; 
(iv) A chemical attack or accidental release; 
(v) A nuclear attack or accident; or 
(vi) An attack or accidental release of radioactive 
materials; and 
(2) Poses a high probability of any of the following: 
 
(i) A large number of deaths in the affected population; 
(ii) A large number of serious injuries or long-term 
disabilities in the affected 
population; 
(iii) Widespread exposure to an infectious or toxic 
agent that poses a significant 
risk of substantial harm to a large number of people 
in the affected population; 
(iv) International exposure to an infectious or toxic 
agent that poses a significant 
risk to the health of citizens of other countries; or (v) 
Trade and travel restrictions. 
 
 
SECTION 8. DEPLOYMENT ORDER. - The President of the 
Philippines, upon recommendation of the DOH, may order the 
nationwide mobilization of the MRC to complement the AFP Medical Corps 
in case of a declaration of a state of war, state of lawless violence or state 
of calamity. 
 
SECTION 9.  MOBILIZATION CENTERS. - There shall be 


 
established in each province as many mobilization centers as 
needed to which members of the MRC shall report to when 
mobilization is ordered. 
 
Mobilization centers may be any establishment or facility that can 
adequately house the MRC members, and their equipment and 
supplies during the period of deployment, including multi-purpose 
halls, gymnasiums, and other similar structures, based on other 
requirements that the DOH shall prescribe. The DOH shall, in 
consultation with the local executives, prescribe the location of the 
mobilization centers. The local executives shall disseminate to the 
widest extent possible information to the public on the location of 
these centers. 
 
SECTION 10. MOBILIZATION STOCK. - The minimum essential 
individual and organizational and medical equipment and supplies 
shall be procured, stored, and maintained to enhance rapid 
transition to readiness required for employment in the shortest 
possible time. The DOH shall ensure and maintain the necessary 
capacity to scale up the procurement of these equipment and 
supplies as needed during the period of mobilization. 
 
SECTION 11. ENLISTMENT OF THE AFP. - The Secretary of 
Health may enlist the AFP to provide expertise 
on 
the 
organization and structure of the MRC for efficient, effective 
and swift deployment, as well as for training of the MRC recruits 
on disaster and emergency response. 
 
The Secretary of Health may also recommend to the President the 
enlistment of the AFP to supplement the mobilized MRC for the 
purpose of providing logistics and manpower for large-scale 
operations in times of public health emergency, contact tracing and 
monitoring of suspected cases, enforcing-quarantine measures in 
specific areas or facilitating the transport of emerging infectious 
diseases patients, and for such other related purposes. 
 
SECTION 12. PROTECTION TO MRC MEMBERS. - All MRC 
members shall be accorded protection as provided by existing 
labor laws and standards and other relevant occupations, safety, 
environmental, and social legislation. 


 
 
SECTION 13. COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS. - Members of the MRC 
who render service shall receive all the pay and allowances, medical care, 
hospitalization, other privileges and benefits during the period of 
mobilization as prescribed by law or regulation. They shall also continue 
to receive all pay, allowances, and other privileges and benefits from 
their regular employment during the mobilization period in accordance 
with law. 
 
SECTION 14. LEGAL LIABILITY AND MALPRACTICE INSURANCE. - 
No MRC member shall be held liable for the death of or injury to any 
person or for the loss of, or damage to, the property of any person where 
such death, injury, loss, or damage was proximately caused by the 
circumstance of an actual public health emergency or its subsequent 
conditions, or the circumstances of the formal exercise or training if such 
formal exercise or training simulates conditions of an actual emergency.  
 
The Insurance Commission is mandated to develop public health 
emergency-specific malpractice insurance policy or modify existing 
policies that would protect MRC professionals efforts from any legal 
liability as provided for by this Section to allow them to respond in good 
faith during public health emergencies. This Section shall not preclude 
liability for civil damages as a result of gross negligence, 
recklessness, or willful misconduct. 
 
SECTION 15. TERMINATION OF DEPLOYMENT. - 
Upon 
the 
expiration of the period of deployment, without an extension having been 
requested and approved by the DOH, members of the MRC who are 
deployed pursuant to a public health emergency shall be discharged from 
the performance of their duties. The deployment may also be terminated 
earlier upon a determination by the DOH, in consultation with the 
requesting national government agency or LGU, that such deployment is 
no longer required in accordance with this Act. 
 


 
SECTION 16. ANNUAL REPORTS. -The DOHs shall regularly 
publish an annual report containing a list of the accomplishments, 
status of the operations, demographic profile of the membership of the 
MRC, an assessment 
of readiness for mobilization, and the 
incidence and details of each mobilization for the year concerned. The 
annual report shall also include the results of the audit investigation 
on 
the spending of funds appropriated, collected, or advanced for 
the implementation of the provisions of this Act. 
 
SECTION 17. FAILURE TO RESPOND TO DEPLOYMENT. - Any 
member of the MRC who fails to respond to the order of deployment 
without any justifiable reason despite due notice shall be required to 
reimburse the total expenses incurred by the government in the 
member's recruitment, selection, training, and compensation, as may 
be determined by the DOH. 
 
SECTION 18. APPROPRIATIONS. -The Secretary of Health shall 
immediately include in the Department's Program the 
implementation of this Act, the funding of which shall be included in 
the annual General Appropriations Act (GAA). 
 
SECTION 19. IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS - Within 
thirty (30) days from the effectivity of this Act, the DOH shall 
promulgate the necessary guidelines for the effective implementation of 
this Act. 
 
SECTION 20. SEPARABILITY CLAUSE. - If any provision of this Act 
is declared unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, the validity of the 
other provisions shall not be affected thereby. 
 
SECTION 21. REPEALING CLAUSE. -All laws, decrees, orders, rules 
and regulations, other issuances, or parts thereof inconsistent with 
the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified 


 
accordingly. 
 
SECTION 22. EFFECTIVITY CLAUSE. - This Act shall take effect fifteen 
(15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of 
general circulation. 
 
Approved,