Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS.
First Regular Session

5469

House Bill No.

Introduced by CIBAC Party-List Representatives
Eduardo “Bro. Eddie” C. Villanueva and Domingo C. Rivera

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR MANDATORY FREE HEALTH
MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATION (HMO) PLAN COVERAGE TO
FACULTY AND NON-TEACHING PERSONNEL IN STATE
UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Article XIV, Section 5, Paragraph (5) of the 1987 Constitution mandates that
“[Jhe State shall assign the highest budgetary priority to education and ensure that
teaching will attract and retain its rightful share of the best available talents through
adequate remuneration and other means of job satisfaction and fulfillment.” Towards
this end, one of the efforts undertaken by the government is the implementation of an
across-the-board increase in the salary schedule of civilian government personnel.

However, problems still persist with regard the provision of “adequate
remuneration and other means of job satisfaction and fulfillment” to faculties and non-
teaching personnel in state universities and colleges (SUCs). One of these problems
is in the aspect of healthcare.

If the personnel were to suffer from a debilitating illness, limited PhilHealth
coverage would only answer a fraction of the cost of treatment and the rest would still
be shouldered out of the personnel's pocket. This is especially alarming considering a
full-time lecturer classified as Instructor 1 in a state university usually only receives
salary equivalent to Salary Grade 12 or around Php22,938 per month.


The strain of hundreds of thousands of pesos in hospital bills and their meager
salaries would definitely take a toll on their standard of living and quality of life. An
‘emergency of this sort may possibly even put them into enormous amounts of debt

This bill seeks to provide faculty members and regular non-teaching personnel
of SUCs with free mandatory health coverage provided by health maintenance
organizations (HMOs). Under this bill, the Board of Regents of each SUC has the
authority to decide on the form, coverage and terms of the HMO plan without any need
of approval from other agencies and/or officers.

A free HMO coverage will not only increase the job satisfaction among SUC
personnel, it will also ensure that a healthy pool of faculty and non-teaching personnel
will be able to continuously and rigorously teach and shape the minds of younger
generations.

The immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought

Sn Cede __

HON. EDUARDO “BRO. EDDIE” C. VILLANUEVA

a
. DOMINGO VERA


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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

5469

House Bill No.

Introduced by CIBAC Party-List Representatives
Eduardo “Bro. Eddie” C. Villanueva and Domingo C. Rivera

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR MANDATORY FREE HEALTH
MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATION (HMO) PLAN COVERAGE TO
FACULTY AND NON-TEACHING PERSONNEL IN STATE
UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES 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 “Free Health Card for all
State Universities and Colleges (SUC) Personnel Act.”

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. tis hereby the policy of the State to give priority
to education, science and technology, arts, culture, and sports to foster patriotism and
nationalism, accelerate social progress, and promote total human liberation and
development. It is also the policy of the State to assign the highest budgetary priority
to education and ensure that teaching will attract and retain its rightful share of the
best available talents through adequate remuneration and other means of job
satisfaction and fulfillment. Towards this end, in order to protect the welfare of teaching
and non-teaching personnel, the State shall establish mandatory HMO coverage to
augment their healthcare coverage in case of health-related contingencies.

SECTION 3. Mandatory HMO Coverage. — All SUCs shalll provide mandatory Health
Maintenance Organization (HMO) coverage to all full-time faculty and regular non-
teaching personnel of State Universities and Colleges (SUCs). For this purpose, the
Board of Regents of each SUC shall have the discretion to decide the form, coverage,
and terms of the services to be provided by an HMO.


Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, the approval and implementation of the
mandatory HMO coverage provided under this Act shall not require any approval from
other agencies or officials.

For the avoidance of doubt, the mandatory HMO coverage provided under this Act
shall be in addition to the existing health care program provided to all government
employees through the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation.

SECTION 4. Appropriations. - The amounts necessary to carry out the provisions of
this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act (GAA) under the
budgets of the particular SUCs.

SECTION 5. Separability Clause. — Any portion or provisions of this Act that may be
declared unconstitutional or invalid shall not have the effect of nullifying other portions
and provisions hereof as long as such remaining portions or provisions can still subsist
and be given effect in their entirety.

SECTION 6. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, executive orders, proclamations
and administrative regulations, or any parts thereof inconsistent herewith are hereby
revoked, repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 7. Effectivity Clause. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
Publication in at least two (2) national papers of general circulation

Approved,