Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
Twentieth Congress 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 4269 
Introduced by Representatives Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, Yedda 
Marie K. Romualdez, Andrew Julian K. Romualdez, and Jude A. Acidre 
AN ACT 
UPGRADING 
THE 
SOGOD 
DISTRICT 
HOSPITAL 
IN 
THE 
MUNICIPALITY OF SOGOD, PROVINCE OF SOUTHERN LEYTE 
INTO A LEVEL II GENERAL HOSPITAL TO BE KNOWN AS THE 
SOGOD GENERAL HOSPITAL, INCREASING ITS BED CAPACITY, 
UPGRADING ITS PROFESSIONAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES AND 
FACILITIES, AUTHORIZING THE INCREASE OF ITS MEDICAL 
PERSONNEL AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Article II, Section 15 of the 1987 Constitution provides that: “The state 
shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health 
consciousness among them.” This is further bolstered by Article XIII, Section 11 
which provides in part that: “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 people at 
affordable cost.” Moreover, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 
to which the Philippines is a member, the right to health includes access to timely, 
acceptable, and affordable health care of appropriate quality.  
In furtherance of the above provisions, this bill seeks to upgrade the 
existing facilities and workforce of the Sogod District Hospital by increasing its 
capacity from twenty-five (25) beds to one hundred fifty (150) beds and 
converting it from a Level I to a Level II hospital. This upgrade is consistent with 
modern medical needs of the people in the southern parts of the Island of Leyte 
September 1, 2025
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and its neighboring provinces which includes Samar, Bohol, and Surigao, among 
others. 
This measure is necessary to address the needs of a new district, 
considering the challenges it faced due to COVID-19 and the impact of Typhoon 
Odette on the health care system of the southern parts of the Island of Leyte. 
Further, the hospital’s existing capacity and service scope are no longer sufficient 
to meet the increased patient volume. It lacks specialized departments (such as 
intensive care, internal medicine, orthopedic surgery, and diagnostic imaging) 
that patients requiring more advanced care are forced to be referred to cities which 
entail additional cost, travel time, and risks, especially during emergencies. 
During the 19th Congress, this measure was approved in the Committee on 
Health on 17 May 2023. 
 In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
FERDINAND MARTIN G. ROMUALDEZ 
YEDDA MARIE K. ROMUALDEZ 
ANDREW JULIAN K. ROMUALDEZ 
JUDE A. ACIDRE 


Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
Twentieth Congress 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 4269 
Introduced by Representatives Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, Yedda 
Marie K. Romualdez, Andrew Julian K. Romualdez, and Jude A. Acidre 
AN ACT 
UPGRADING 
THE 
SOGOD 
DISTRICT 
HOSPITAL 
IN 
THE 
MUNICIPALITY OF SOGOD, PROVINCE OF SOUTHERN LEYTE 
INTO A LEVEL II GENERAL HOSPITAL TO BE KNOWN AS THE 
SOGOD GENERAL HOSPITAL, INCREASING ITS BED CAPACITY, 
UPGRADING ITS PROFESSIONAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES AND 
FACILITIES, AUTHORIZING THE INCREASE OF ITS MEDICAL 
PERSONNEL AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines 
in Congress  assembled: 
Section 1. The Sogod District Hospital in the Municipality of Sogod, 
Province of Southern Leyte, is hereby upgraded into a Level II General Hospital 
to be known as the Sogod General Hospital (SGH), under the direct supervision 
and control of the Department of Health (DOH). 
Section 2. The authorized bed capacity of SGH shall be increased from 
twenty-five (25) to one hundred fifty (150) beds. The increase in bed capacity 
shall be implemented for a period of not more than five (5) years from the 
effectivity of this Act.   


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Any future increase in bed capacity shall conform and be consistent with 
its hospital development plan, which shall be prepared by the Medical Center 
Chief of the SGH and submitted to the DOH. 
 
Section 3. The existing professional health care facilities and services of 
the SGH are also hereby upgraded to conform with and be commensurate to the 
increase in bed capacity as provided in Section 2 hereof, consistent with the 
hospital development plan and the requirements of modern-day medical services. 
 
Section 4. The existing workforce of the SGH, which include doctors, 
nurses, and support personnel, shall also be increased accordingly to conform 
with Section 2 of this Act.  
 
The additional new positions to be created and filled up shall, only after 
consultation with the Chief of SGH, be determined by the Secretary of the DOH, 
in coordination with the Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management 
and the Commissioner of the Civil Service Commission. 
 
Section 5. The Secretary of the DOH shall immediately include the 
Department’s programs and the implementation of this Act, the funding of which 
shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.  
 
The provincial government of Southern Leyte shall continue to provide the 
same level of financial assistance to the SGH until such time that the national 
government shall have fully funded the capital outlay requirements of the 
hospital, its expenses for operations, and compensation of personnel in the annual 
General Appropriations Act. 
 


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Section 6. If any part or provision of this act is held unconstitutional or 
invalid, other parts or provisions hereof which are not affected shall continue to 
remain in full force and effect. 
 
Section 7. All laws, decrees, executive order, rules and regulation or parts 
thereof inconsistent with or contrary to the provisions of this Act are deemed 
amended, repealed, or modified accordingly. 
 
Section 8. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from the date of the 
completion of its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) 
newspapers of general circulation. 
 
Approved,