REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. 6639

Introduced by MAGDALO Party-List Representative
HON. MANUEL DG. CABOCHAN IIT

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Sanitarians or sanitary inspectors play an indispensable role in addressing the health hazards
and dangers that may put the community at risk. They are in a crucial position to effect
change in the sanitary habits and practices of the community. They are also the ones to
translate sanitary principles and theories as well as disseminate and explain health rules to the
community.

Thus, sanitarians are considered as one of the frontliners of the government in the prevention
and control of spread of diseases in the community. However, there is no government agency
tasked to regulate the practice of sanitation and hygiene. Such absence of strict supervision
may endanger the health of the public.

This bill seeks to acknowledge the vital work of sanitarians by granting them a professional
status. This aims to establish a Board under the Professional Regulation Commission that
shall professionalize the practice of sanitation and hygiene. This measure shall also institute
mechanisms to guarantee the fitness of individuals engaged with the sanitation profession.

In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

MANUEL DG) CABOCHAN IIT
Representative
‘Magdalo Para Sa Pilipino Party-List


REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House BillNo. 6639

Introduced by MAGDALO Party-List Representative
HON. MANUEL DG. CABOCHAN IT

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE REGULATION, SUPERVISION AND
PROFESSIONALIZATION OF THE PRACTICE, LICENSING AND
REGISTRATION OF SANITARIANS

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

SECTION 1. Short Title- This Act shall be known as the “Sanitarians
Professionalization Act”.

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is hereby declared the policy of the State to
recognize the vital role of sanitarians in promoting the health and general welfare of the
people. Towards this end, the State shall ensure and promote the professionalization of
sanitary inspection, its development and promotion, supervision and licensing of sanitary

SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. — For this purpose of this Act:

(a) Sanitation and Hygiene Profession or Practice of Sanitation and Hygiene refers to
the profession concemed primarily with education, prevention and control of
diseases and other public health concerns using scientific methods and
paramedical measures related to sanitation and hygiene;

(b) Sanitarians refer to any person engaged in the practice of Sanitation and Hygiene
Profession. This can be used interchangeably with the term “Sanitary Inspector”

currently used by the government in the classification of position title;

(c) Board refers to the Board for Sanitarians duly established and constituted under
this Act;


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(a) Commission refers to the Professional Regulation Commission.

SEC. 4. Description and Scope of Work of Sanitary Inspectors. — The Sanitary
Inspectors’ field of work shall involve the education and research, technical supervision,
inspection of establishment and public places, monitoring, issuance of permits, control and
prevention in the fields of the following:

(a) Waste management;

(b) Food and water supply sanitation;
(c) Vermin and vector control;

(@) Industrial hygiene;

(©) Epidemiology;

(f) Pollution control;

(g) Environmental health planning and program development and implementation;
and

(h) Other community level activities that pertain to public hygiene.

SEC. 5. Creation and Composition of the Board. ~ Within sixty (60) days after the
approval of this Act, there shall be created a Board for Professional Sanitary Inspectors, a
collegial body under the general supervision of the Professional Regulation Commission,
herein referred to as the Board, to be composed of a Chairman and three (3) members, who
shall be appointed by the President among the recommendees chosen from the list of
nominees selected by the accredited association of Sanitary Inspectors, Provided, that the
members of the First Board appointed shall be automatically registered as Sanitarians and
issued with certificate of registration and professional license upon payment of the fees for
registration and other fees prescribed by the Commission.

The Chairman and the members of the Board shall hold office for a term of three (3)
years or until the successor shall have been appointed and shall have duly qualified. The first
members of the Board shall hold office for the following terms: one member for one (1) year;
cone member for two (2) years; one member for three (3) years. Each member of the Board
shall qualify upon taking the proper oath of office before entering the performance of his
duties. Vacancies in the Board shall be filled for the unexpired term.

SEC. 6. Powers and Duties of the Board. — The Board shall have the following
powers and duties


(a) Promulgate, administer and enforce rules and regulations necessary for carrying out
the provisions of this Act in accordance with the charter of the Professional
Regulation Commission;

(b) Prepare a curriculum for the sanitation and hygiene degree to be officially known as
the “Bachelor of Science in Sanitation and Hygiene” (BSSH) and prescribe the syllabi
of the subjects and their relative weight in the licensure examination;

(©) Prepare examination questions and determine and fix the frequency, dates and places
of examination, appoint supervisors, proctors and other personnel as needed who shall
be entitled a daily allowance as determined by the Board;

(@) Issue, suspend or revoke certification of registration for the practice of sanitation and
hygiene;

(©) Promulgate rules and regulations including a Code of Ethics, administrative policies,
orders and issuances to carry out the provisions of this Act;

(f) Administer oaths in connection with the administrative of this Act;

(g) Supervise and regulate the registration, licensure and practice of professional
sanitation in the Philippines;

(h) Adopt an official seal of the Board;

(® Investigate the violations of this Act; and

@ Discharge such other powers, duties and functions as the Board may deem necessary
for the practice of the sanitation and hygiene profession and upgrading, enhancement,

development and growth of sanitarians.

SEC. 7. Qualification of Chairman and Board Members. ~The Chairman and each
member of the Board must possess the following at the time of his appointment:

(a) Be a Filipino citizen and resident of the Philippines for at least five (5) consecutive
years;

(b) Be at least thirty-five (35) years of age, of proven integrity and high moral turpitude;

(©) Not have been convicted by final judgment by any Court of competent authority of
any offense involving moral turpitude;


(d) Be a holder of degree of Bachelor of Science in Sanitation and Hygiene (BSSH) and
its equivalent from a university, school, college, academy or institutions duly
constituted, recognized and accredited by the Philippine government: Provided, that
this provision shall not apply within the first fifteen (15) years after the approval of
this Act;

(c) Be a registered Sanitarian with a valid Certificate of Registration and a valid license
to practice sanitation and hygiene;

(8) Have practiced sanitation and hygiene for a period of not less than ten (10) years prior
to his appointment; and

(g) Not an official member of the faculty, nor have a pecuniary interest in any university,
college, school or institution conferring a bachelor’s degree in sanitation and hygiene
or its equivalent for at least three (3) years prior to his appointment, nor connected
with any review center or with any group where lectures in preparation for the
licensure examination are offered or conducted.

SEC. 8. Removal of the Members of the Board. ~The Chairman and any member of
the Board may be removed by the President of the Philippines, upon the recommendation of
the Commissioner for neglect of duty, incompetence, unprofessional, unethical, immoral or
dishonorable conduct, commission or tolerance of anomalies in the examination, after having
been given the opportunity to defend himself in a proper administrative investigation.

SEC. 9. Compensation of the Chairman and the Board Members. — The Chairman
and the members of the Board shall receive compensation comparable received by existing
regulatory boards under the Professional Regulation Commission, compute in the basis of the
number of examinees or candidates.

SEC. 10, Supervision of the Board and Custodian of its Records. — The
Commissioner shall be the executive officer of the Board and shall conduct the examination
given by the Board. He shall designate any subordinate officer of the Commission to act as
Secretary and Custodian of all records including all examination papers and minutes of the
deliberations of the Board.

SEC. 11. Examination, Registration and Licensed Required. — Except as otherwise
specifically allowed under the provisions of this Act, all applicants for registration as
professional sanitarian shall be required to undergo a written examination which shall be at
least once a year in such places and on dates as the Board may determine upon approval by
the Commission. A valid certificate of registration and a valid professional license from the
‘Commission shall be required before any person is allowed to practice sanitation and hygiene
in the Philippines except as otherwise allowed under this Act.


SEC. 12. Examination Fees. — All applicants for written examination for registered
sanitary inspectors shall be subject to payment of fees prescribed by the Commission.

SEC. 13. Scope of Examination. — The examination to be given to the applicants for
licensure shall include the Code of Sanitation and its implementing rules and regulations
together with topics on Arithmetic, Chemistry, Biology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Bio-
Statistics and Epidemiology, Food and Milk Sanitation, Household and Industrial Hygiene,
Waste Management, Environmental Health Planning, Pollution Assessment and Control,
Occupational Health, Practical Problems and others as determined by the Board.

SEC. 14. Qualification Requirements of Applicants. - No applicant shall be
permitted to take the examination unless, on the date of filing of the application, he shall have
the established to the satisfaction of the members of the Board that he possesses the following
qualifications:

(a) A citizen of the Republic of the Philippines or an alien whose country has
reciprocity with the Philippines in the practice of sanitation and hygiene;

(b) At least twenty (20) years of age;

(©) Possesses good health condition and have good reputation with high moral values;
Provided, that he/she has not finally been convicted by final judgment by any
Court of competent authority, of any offense involving moral turpitude; and

(d) A holder of the degree of Bachelor of Science in Sanitation and Hygiene or its
equivalent from a university, college, school, academy or institution duly
constituted, recognized and accredited by the Philippine government, Toward this
end, all government universities and state colleges are encouraged to offer this
course.

SEC. 15. Results of Examination. ~ The Board shall within One Hundred Twenty
(120) days after the examination shall report the ratings obtained by each candidate to the

SEC. 16. Re-examination. — An applicant who for the third time fails to pass the
examination, shall not be allowed to take another examination, except upon showing to the
members of the Board a certificate of attendance of review classes and a certificate fully
signed by the proctors that he obtained at least a grade of seventy percent (70%) in all the
review examinations.

SEC. 17. Oath. — All successful candidates in the examination shall be required to
take a professional oath before the Board.


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SEC. 18, Issuance of Certificate of Registration and Professional Licenses. ~ The
registration as a Sanitarian shall commence from the date his name is entered in the roll of
registrants or licenses for his profession. A professional license signed by the Commission
and bearing the registration number and date of issuance and date o expiry shall be issued to
every registrant who has paid the annual registration fee for three (3) consecutive years. This
license shall serve as evidence that the license can lawfully practice his profession until the
date of expiry.

SEC. 19. Integration of the Sanitary Profession. — The sanitary profession shall be
integrated into one national organization which shall be recognized by the Board as the sole
integrated and accredited association of registered sanitarians. Membership in the integrated
organization shall not be a bar to membership in other organizations.

SEC. 20. Revocation of the Certificate of Registration, Suspension from the
Practice of the Sanitary Profession and Cancellation of Temporary or Special Permit. —
The Board shall have the power, upon proper notice and hearing, to suspend or revoke the
certification of any registrant, to reprimand or to cancel the temporary/special permit of a
holder thereof who is exempt from registration, for any of the following causes: Conviction
for any criminal offense involving moral turpitude by any Court of competent authority;
immoral, unprofessional and dishonorable conduct; violation of any of the provisions of this
Act, rules and regulations and other policies of the Board and the Code of Professional
Ethics; declaration by a court of competent authority for being mentally unsound or insane;

chronic inebricty or habitual use of drugs and malpractice of the profession.

The decision of the Board to revoke or suspend a certificate shall be final and
executory unless appealed by the respondent to the Commission within fifteen (15) days from
the receipt of such decision, The decision of the Commission or Board is appealable by the
respondent to the Regional Trial Court of the place where the Board or Commission holds
office within twenty (20) days from receipt of said decision or of the denial of the motion for
reconsideration filed in due time.

SEC. 21. Re-issuance of Revoked Certificates and Replacement of Lost Certificates.
— Subject to the approval of the Professional Regulation Commission, the Board may after
one (1) year after the revocation of the Certificate of Registration, re-issue such certificate in
the same manner as an application for an original one. It may however, exempt the applicant
from the necessity of undergoing an examination. A new certificate of registration may be
issued to replace any certificate that has been lost, destroyed or mutilated subject to the rules
issued by the Board.

SEC. 22. Roster of Professional Sanitarians. — A roster of professional sanitarians
containing the names and addresses of the professional sanitarian, date of registration or
issuance of certificate and other data which in the opinion of the Board is pertinent shall be
maintained. Copies of the roster shall be provided by the Commissioner to the Board, the


Department of Education and the integrated and accredited organization of professional
sanitarians.

SEC. 23. Field of Practice. — The field of practice for sanitarians shall include the
sole authority to sign and seal sanitary plans and other pertinent matter related to the practice
of sanitation and hygiene, in its full scope as defined in this Act.

SEC. 24. Prohibition against the Practice of the Sanitation and Hygiene
Profession. -Except as otherwise provided under this Act, no person shall practice or offer to
practice the Sanitation and Hygiene Profession in the Philippines without having previously
obtained a valid certificate of registration and a valid professional license from the
Commission.

SEC. 25. Personnel Required. Except as otherwise provided under this Act, every
industrial plant or factory, commercial establishment or any government institution which
shall require the services of a sanitarian, shall only employ a duly registered sanitarian to
ensure safe operation and to safeguard the public welfare, health and hygiene.

SEC. 26. Enforcement of the Act by Officers of the Law. — It shall be the duty of all
constituted officers of the law of the National Government or any provincial, city or
municipal government to prosecute any person violating the provisions of this Act. The
Secretary of Justice or his assistant shall act as legal adviser of the Board and render such
legal assistance as may be necessary in carrying out the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 27. Penalties. -Any person who shall violate any provisions of this Act shall be
guilty of misdemeanor and shall, upon conviction, be sentence to a fine of not more than
Twenty Thousand Pesos (P20,000.00) but not less than One Hundred Fifty Thousand Pesos
(P150,000.00) and/or imprisonment for a period not less than Thirty (30) days but not more
than two (2) years at the discretion of the court.

SEC. 28. Appropriations. - The sum of Ten Million Pesos (P10,000,000.00) is
hereby initially appropriated out of any of the funds in the National Treasury not otherwise
appropriated, to be disbursed by the Chairman of the Board in accordance with the provisions
of this Act. Thereafter, it shall be included in the General Appropriations Act.

SEC. 29. Implementing Guidelines. - The Board shall formulate and adopt the
necessary guidelines for the effective implementation of the provisions of this Act within
ninety (90) days of its approval.

SEC. 30. Separability Clause. — If any provision of this Act is declared invalid or
unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected by such declaration shall remain in force
and effect.


SEC. 31. Repealing Clause. — All laws, executive orders, administrative orders, and
rules and regulations inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or amended accordingly.

SEC. 32. Effectivity Clause. ~ 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,