Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _______ 
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE PM VARGAS 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING THE PHILIPPINE CENTER FOR DIABETES AND 
ENDOCRINOLOGY AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Diabetes ranks fourth among the leading causes of death among 
Filipinos.1 With 63 million people with diabetes2, it is feared that the 
Philippines is becoming the “Diabetes hotspot” of the world. Worse, Filipinos 
diagnosed with diabetes are getting younger as children as young as five years 
old have been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. 
However prevalent, the growing cases of diabetes in the country can be 
reversed and can be prevented through simple lifestyle measures.  
Furthermore, Diabetes is treatable, can be controlled and managed to prevent 
complications by increasing access to diagnosis, self-management education, 
and affordable treatment. 
Diabetes care, prevention and cure should be a priority concern of the 
government because diabetes and other endocrine diseases take a huge toll 
on our human resources. As the 1987 Constitution puts it, it is the duty of 
the state to secure the well-being of the people by providing them specialized 
health services. 
It is thus imperative to address this growing concern and strengthen 
our public health systems by establishing a specialized center for diabetes 
and endocrinology – a specialized institution similar to the wisdom behind the 
Philippine Heart Center, the Lung Center of the Philippines, and the National 
Kidney and Transplant Institute. 
1 Access to Insulin and Diabetes Care in the Philippines, The Lancet. 2021 
2 International Diabetes Federation, 2019 
August 4, 2025
8:00 am
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This bill seeks to provide a holistic approach in preventing and beating 
diabetes through the establishment of the Philippine Center for Diabetes and 
Endocrinology. The Center shall ensure the provision of medical services and 
other intervention methods (education, research, etc.) to Filipinos who are 
afflicted with diabetes. 
Efforts to prevent and treat diabetes will be important in achieving the 
Sustainable Development Goal to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-
being for all at all ages.” 
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly 
sought. 
REP. PM VARGAS   
Fifth District, Quezon City 


Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _______ 
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE PM VARGAS 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING THE PHILIPPINE CENTER FOR DIABETES AND 
ENDOCRINOLOGY 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 “Philippine Center 
for Diabetes and Endocrinology Act.” 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is the policy of the State to protect 
and promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness 
among them by providing specialized health services and research, education, 
and training facility responsive to the country’s health needs and problems. 
Hence, it is the primary concern of the government to assist and provide 
material and financial assistance in the establishment of a specialty hospital 
for Filipinos suffering from diabetes and promote diabetes care, prevention, 
and cure all over the country. 
SECTIO 3. Creation of the Philippine Center for Diabetes and 
Endocrinology. – There is hereby created a body corporate to be known as 
the Philippine Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology (PCDE), under the 
Department of Health (DOH), which shall serve as the lead tertiary-level care 
center in the screening, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diabetes. 
The PCDE shall have its principal office in Metro Manila, and may have such 
regional offices, hospitals, clinics, or subsidiaries in Visayas and Mindanao 
and other areas in the Philippine as it may deem proper and necessary. 
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SECTION 4. Purpose and Objectives. The PCDE shall have the following 
purpose and objectives: 
 
(a) To construct, establish, equip, maintain, administer and operate 
such integrated medical institution or institutions which shall 
provide an organize system of care, comprehensive and optimal 
treatment for patients with diabetes and other endocrine problems; 
 
(b) To conduct nationwide screening and diagnosis of diabetes, obesity 
and the components of the metabolic syndrome; 
 
(c) To promote, encourage and engage in medical and scientific research 
on the prevention and treatment of diabetes and other endocrine 
diseases and gather, compile, and publish the findings of such 
researches for public dissemination; 
 
(d) To encourage, undertake and assist conferences, fora, conventions, 
seminars, workshops and training programs for physicians, nurses, 
health officers, medical technologists, social workers and medical 
and 
technical 
personnel 
on 
the 
practical 
and 
scientific 
implementation of health care services to diabetic patients; 
 
(e) To assist universities, hospitals and research institutions in their 
studies on diabetes and other endocrine diseases and other related 
fields, to encourage and grant scholarships for advanced training and 
specialization in medical care and management in diabetes and 
related fields and to support finance educational programs of value 
to public health; 
 
(f) To encourage the formation of other organizations at the national 
provincial, city and/or local levels, and to coordinate the various 
efforts and activities of such organizations for the purpose of 
achieving a more effective approach to the common problem relative 
to the purposes and objectives enumerated herein; and 
 
(g) To encourage telemedicine by establishing networks through internet 
facilities to link physicians at the local level or barrio doctors to 
specialists who can provide inputs to care of diabetic patients, 
especially in underserved areas. 
 
 


 
 
SECTION 5. Powers and Functions. – For the attainment and/or furtherance 
of the above-enumerated purposes and objectives, the PCDE is a body 
corporate acting through its Board of Trustees, shall have the following powers 
and functions in addition to those provided for in the other sections of this 
Act: 
 
(a) To acquire, own, hold, use, lease, grant, mortgage, pledge, sell, 
assign, convey, transfer, exchange, dispose or otherwise deal with, 
real and/or personal properties of every kind and nature, including 
shares of stock, bonds, debentures, notes, securities and other 
evidences of indebtedness or obligations of other corporations, 
whether domestic or foreign, and whether government or private; 
 
(b) To solicit and receive donations, endowments and funds in the form 
of contributions, whether in cash or in kind, from both the public 
and private sectors; 
 
(c) To award, enter into, make, execute, perform and carry out domestic 
or foreign contracts of whatever kind and nature; 
 
(d) To open accounts in banks and other financial institutions, and to 
disburse such funds or invest the same as the Board may direct to 
accomplish or advance the purposes or interest of the PCDE, and to 
obtain loans, borrow funds and/or arrange financing or credit 
assistance of whatever kind and nature from all sources, whether 
domestic or foreign and whether government of private. 
 
(e) To levy, assess and collect such fees, charges and assessments as 
may be necessary or proper to support, finance and maintain its 
operations; 
 
(f) To invite diabetes specialists and similar experts in the various 
medical fields to train the personnel or trainees or residents of the 
PCDE and to also support the trainings, seminars, conferences and 
conventions of its medical personnel in research and medical 
institutes or universities, be it local or international as the Board 
may deem necessary and in line with the principles of the Philippines 
Qualifications Framework (PQF), to accomplish the purposes and 
objectives of the PCDE; 
 
(g) To adopt and use a corporate seal;  
 
(h) To sue and be sued in its corporate name; 


 
 
 
(i) To adopt its by-laws, rules and regulations not inconsistent with law 
of the provisions hereof to govern the administration and operation 
of the affairs of the PCDE; and  
 
(j) To exercise such other powers and functions as may be necessary, 
related or incidental or to carry out the purposes and objectives of 
this Act. 
 
SECTION 
6. 
The 
Board 
of 
Trustees; 
Composition; 
Term 
and 
Compensation.  - The PCDE shall be governed, and its activities and 
properties shall be directed, controlled and managed, by a Board of Trustees, 
hereinafter referred to as the Board, which shall be composed of a Chairperson 
and six (6) members, all of whom shall be appointed by the President of the 
Philippines. 
 
At least one (1) member shall come from the Philippine Society of 
Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (PSEM) and at least one (1) from the 
academe. 
 
The Chairman of the PCDE shall be appointed from among the members of 
the Board. 
 
Except the President of the PCDE, the members of the Board shall serve for a 
term of three (3) years, with a right to hold-over until their respective 
successors shall have been duly appointed and qualified. The President of the 
Philippines may, however, remove any member of the Board for cause. 
Whenever a vacancy shall occur in the Board, the person appointed to fill the 
vacancy shall hold office for the unexpired term of the member replaced. 
 
Except the President of the PCDE, each member of the Board shall receive 
compensation in accordance with current standards set by the Department of 
Budget and Management (DBM) and as may be determined by the Department 
of Health (DOH). 
 
SECTION 7. Power and Functions of the Board. – The Board shall have the 
following powers and functions: 
 
(a) To formulate policies, guidelines and programs to effectively 
implement and carry out the purposes and objectives of this Act; 
 


 
 
(b) To prescribe, review and revise the amount of the fees, charges, and 
assessments levied and collected for the support and maintenance of 
the operations of the PCDE; 
 
(c) To control the management, operation and administration of PCDE; 
 
(d) To promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary or 
proper for the effective exercise of power and functions as well as the 
discharge of the duties, responsibilities of the PCDE, its officers and 
employees; 
 
(e) To authorize such expenditures of the PCDE as may be necessary or 
proper for the effective management, operation and administration of 
the PCDE; 
 
(f) To adopt the annual and supplemental budget of receipts and 
expenditures of the PCDE; 
 
(g) To appoint, remove, suspend or otherwise discipline the Executive 
Vice-President and other officers of the PCDE occupying executive 
and senior management positions; 
 
SECTION 8. Officers of the PCDE. The Board shall determine the officers of 
the PCDE who shall be appointed by the President of the PCDE subject to 
confirmation by the Board. The PCDE may have an Executive Vice-President 
and such Vice-Presidents and Assistant Vice-Presidents as may be required 
for the effective operation of the PCDE. 
 
SECTION 9. The President; Term of Office and Remuneration. The 
President of the PCDE shall be appointed by, and shall serve at the pleasure 
of the President of the Philippines. The salary of the President of the PCDE 
shall be fixed by the Board, subject to the approval of the President of the 
Philippines. 
 
SECTION 10. Powers and Duties of the President. The President of the 
PCDE shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the PCDE. He shall exercise the 
following powers and duties. 
 
(a) To execute the policies, guidelines and programs approved by the 
board, and to be responsible for the efficient discharge of 
management and operational functions; 
 


 
 
(b) To submit for the consideration and approval of the Board proposed 
measures, policies, guidelines and programs as he may deem 
necessary or proper for the effective implementation of the purposes 
and objectives of this Act; 
 
(c) To 
direct 
and 
supervise 
the 
management, 
operation 
and 
administration of the PCDE, and, for this purpose, he/she may 
delegate any or some of his/her administrative responsibilities and 
duties to the other officers of the PCDE; 
 
(d) To execute, on behalf of the PCDE, all contracts and agreements 
which the PCDE may enter into, and to execute, accomplish and 
deliver any and all documents relative to such contracts and 
agreements; 
 
(e) To represent the PCDE in all dealing with other offices, agencies and 
instrumentalities of the Government, and all other persons or 
entities, whether domestic or foreign and whether government or 
private; 
 
(f) To appoint, promote, transfer, remove, suspend or otherwise 
discipline the officers and employees of the PCDE, except those 
appointed by the Board; 
 
(g) To exercise such other powers and perform such duties as may be 
vested or reposed upon him by the Board. 
 
SECTION 11. Assistance from the Government. – The PCDE may call upon 
any department, bureau, office, agency or instrumentality of the Government, 
including government-owned or controlled corporations, local government 
units, and state universities and colleges for such assistance as it may need 
in the pursuit of the purposes and objectives of this Act. 
 
SECTION 12. Authority of the President in Emergencies. – In case of 
emergencies which require immediate action by the Board, and there is no 
sufficient time to call a meeting thereof, the President of the PCDE, with the 
concurrence of any three (3) other members of the Board, may decide on any 
matter or take any action within the authority of the Board itself. 
 
SECTION 13. Donations to the PCDE. – The PCDE is hereby authorized to 
solicit and receive donations, grants, contributions, gifts or endowments from 
all sources whether foreign or domestic, and whether government or private, 


 
 
without the need of securing a permit, approval or registration from any 
government agency. 
 
SECTION 14. Exemption from Fees, Duties and Taxes. – The PCDE is 
hereby declared exempt from all income and all other internal revenue taxes, 
tariff and customs duties and all other kinds of taxes, fees, charges and 
assessments levied by the Government and its political subdivisions agencies 
and instrumentalities. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, 
all donations, grants, contributions, gifts or endowments which may be made 
by entities or persons to the PCDE shall be exempt from income and gift taxes, 
and the same shall be further deductible in full for purposes of computing the 
maximum amount deductible under the National Internal Revenue Code of 
1997, as amended. 
 
SECTION 15. Appropriations. – The amount of Ten Billion Pesos 
(P10,000,000,000.00) is hereby appropriated from the Philippine Amusement 
and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to defray the initial operational expenses 
of the PCDE. Thereafter, the necessary amount to support the continued 
operation and maintenance of the PCDE shall be included in the General 
Appropriation Act. 
 
SECTION 16. Annual Report. – The PCDE, through its President, shall 
render to the President and both houses of Congress annual reports on its 
accomplishments and activities. 
 
SECTION 17. Applicability of the Corporation Law. The provisions of the 
general corporation law, insofar as they are not inconsistent with the 
provisions of this Act and with the purposes and objectives for which the PCDE 
is formed, shall apply to the PCDE. 
 
SECTION 18. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – The Secretary of the 
DOH, the Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the 
Secretary of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), and 
other stakeholders such as the University of the Philippines-Philippine 
General Hospital (UP-PGH) and the Philippine Society of Endocrinology and 
Metabolism (PSEM), shall within sixty (60) days from the date of the effectivity 
of this Act, promulgate and publish the rules and regulations for the effective 
and faithful implementation of this Act. 
 
SECTION 19. Separability Clause. – If any portion or provision of this Act is 
subsequently declared invalid or unconstitutional, other provisions hereof 
which are not affected thereby shall remain in full force and effect. 
 


 
 
SECTION 20. Repealing Clause. – Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule, or regulation 
contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, 
modified, or amended accordingly. 
SECTION 21. Effectivity. – 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,