Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No.__3266

Introduced by HON. VICENTE S.E. VELOSO Ill

EXPLANATORY NOTE

According to Philippine Statistics Authority, as of 2018, Region VIII is the
Third Poorest Region in the Philippines; within Region VIII, the Third District of
Leyte is its poorest District.

Corollarily, Article XIII, Section 11 of the 1987 Constitution mandates that
the “State shall endeavor to provide free medical care to the poor.” Yet, the Third
District of Leyte has no district hospital. It only has two (2) infirmaries — one in
Tabango and another one in Calubian. It was because of such deficieny, not to
mention its being about 160 kilometers away from Tacloban City where Eastern
Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) is located, that in 2017, the
Department of Health decided to put up an EVRMC Extension in Villaba, Leyte
which, at present, has only 25 bed capacity.

As an extension hospital of EVRMC, it is supposed to cater to the medical
needs not only of the 210,000 residents of the Third District of Leyte, it too was
envisioned to provide medical care to residents of the whole of Biliran and
residents of the Second and Fourth Districts of Leyte, or a total of 835,000 (more
or less) residents. But even if we are to reckon only with Third District of Leyte
residents, at the World Health Organization Standard ratio of 1 bed for every
1,000 population, a 200 bed capacity will be necessary to address the
aforequoted mandate of the Constitution.

Itis in view of the foregoing that approval of this bill is earnestly sought.

Cy

VICENTE S.E. VELOSO Ill
Representative, 3" District of Leyte


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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. __ 3266

Introduced by HON. VICENTE S.E. VELOSO Ill

AN ACT CONVERTING EASTERN VISAYAS REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
— VILLABA EXTENSION (EVRMC-VILLABA EXTENSION) IN THE
MUNICIPALITY OF VILLABA, PROVINCE OF LEYTE, TO A TERTIARY
HOSPITAL AND TO INCREASE ITS BED CAPACITY FROM TWENTY-FIVE
(25) BEDS TO TWO HUNDRED (200) BEDS, UPGRADING THE SERVICE,
FACILITIES AND PROFESSIONAL HEALTH CARE THEREIN, AND
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. The Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center Extension in
Villaba, Leyte shall be converted to a tertiary hospital to be known as Eastern
Visayas Medical Center — Villaba Extension or “EVRMC-Villaba Extension”.

‘SECTION 2. Its present twenty-five (25) bed capacity shall be increased to
two hundred (200) beds.

SECTION 3. The existing workforce of the EVRMC-Villaba Extension shall
be correspondingly increased to conform with the afore-mandated increase in
authorized bed capacity.

SECTION 4. The Department of Health, in coordination with the Department
of Budget and Management and the Civil Service Commission, shall determine
the additional plantilla positions to be created and filled up as a result of the
herein mandated increase in bed capacity.

SEcTION 5. The EVRMC-Villaba Extension shall submit to the Department
of Health its proposed hospital development plan, the additional clinical
departments, as well as buildings, equipment and facilities needed to meet the
increased authorized bed capacity herein mandated.

SECTION 6. The amount needed to carry out the provisions of this Act shall
be included in the General Appropriations Act of the year following its enactment
into law and every year thereafter.

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SECTION 7. The increase in bed capacity herein provided shall be
implemented for a period of not more than two (2) years from approval of this
Act.

SECTION 8. The Secretary of the Department of Health shall include in the
Department's programs the implementation of this Act, the funding of which shall
be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

SECTION 9. 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.