Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session .

HOUSE BILL NO. 3726

Introduced by: HON. RUTH MARIANO-HERNANDEZ

AN ACT
INSTITUTING THE MEDICAL RESERVE CORPS AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFOR

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bill aims to establish a Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) under the Department of
Health (DOH). The MRC shall be composed of persons who are licensed physicians,
medical students who have completed four (4) years of medical course, graduates of
medicine, registered nurses, and licensed allied health professionals who may be called
upon to assist national government agencies and the local government units (LGUs) in
addressing the medical needs of the public during times of crises.

This measure is a re-filed version of House Bill 8999 principally authored by Rep.
Angelina “Helen” D.L. Tan, M.D., who chaired the House Committee on Health in the 18%
Congress.

The MRC shall be an evolvement of medical and health-related personnel for
mobilization in national or local public health emergencies that need human resources
to reinforce existing capabilities of the national agencies or LGUs.

The medical reservists envisioned by this measure will be placed under the Health
Emergency Management Bureau (HEMB) of the DOH. They will undergo compulsory
basic training and continuing enrichment programs to enable them to respond to any
national and local health emergency.

The MRC may be tasked to do contact-tracing and monitoring of suspected cases in
disease outbreaks, help enforce humane quarantine measures, and provide support for
large-scale disaster and health emergencies.

‘The measure also grants the President of the Philippines the power to mobilize the MRC

1


nationwide in a declaration of a state of calamity, state of war or state of lawless
violence.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that we cannot go on doing the same old
routines with the same organizational set ups to address public health emergencies.

egoing, the urgent passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

2nd District, Laguna


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 3 726

Introduced by: HON. RUTH MARIANO-HERNANDEZ

AN ACT
INSTITUTING THE MEDICAL RESERVE CORPS AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFOR

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 “Medical Reserve Corps Act.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. ~ Article Il, Section 15, of the Constitution enjoins the
State to protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health
consciousness among them. Article XIII, Section 11 also provides for the adoption of an
integrated and comprehensive approach to health development. The State further
reiterates its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs}, particularly
SDG 3, which calls on the State to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at
all ages.

The State recognizes the need for a reserve force of highly skilled and medically trained
professionals and volunteers who can be mobilized to maintain the capacity to meet
surges in the demand for the country’s healthcare system and provide assistance as may
be needed in times of health crises.

Pursuant to this, it is the policy of the State to maintain a strong, proactive and
responsive healthcare system at all times, the workforce complement of which can be
expanded rapidly by a well-trained and well-equipped Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) in
times of public health emergency and health threats. Towards this end, the State shall
enhance the capacity of the nation to produce and call on the needed manpower and
expand its human health resources in times of disasters and public health emergencies
of both national and local scale through the mobilization of the MRC.

SEC. 3. Medical Reserve Corps Service. - There is hereby established an MRC whose
primary mission is to support the country’s health system in times of public health
emergencies or health threats, and which shall be composed of the following:

3



a. Licensed physicians including those who are retired and those who are no
longer practicing in the hospital setting. The Department of Health (DOH) may
coordinate and collaborate with the accredited integrated professional
organization or accredited professional organization of physicians for the
engagement of private practitioners;

b. Medical students who have completed four (4) years of medical course,
graduates of medicine, and registered nurses who may be issued by the
Secretary of Health with a limited and special authorization to render medical
service pursuant to Republic Act No. 2382, otherwise known as the Medical
Act of 1959; and

c. Licensed allied health professionals,

The MRC shall be organized, trained, developed and maintained so as to ensure their
readiness to immediately respond to the call to service.

SEC. 4. Organization. - The MRC shall be under the control and supervision of the
Health Emergency Management Bureau (HEMB) of the DOH.

The DOH shall develop an effective and efficient MRC organization and structure that is
responsive to national and local disasters and other public health emergencies, under
such rules and regulations as the Secretary of Health may prescribe.

SEC. 5. Registration and Training. - The DOH shall draft guidelines for the recruitment,
selection, compensation, and provision of incentives for joining and continued
membership, and length of service of the MRC members.

‘The DOH shall also prescribe a continuing training program for the MRC recruits and
members, through written, practical and simulation activities on various aspects of
health emergency management and response and on the different health emergency
situations and scenarios, such as natural and man-made disasters, epidemics,
pandemics, and other threats to public health. To this end, all recruits must undergo:

a. Compulsory basic training for a period to be set by the DOH on disaster and
health emergency response, the organization and structure of the MRC, and such
other areas as may be prescribed by the DOH. Recruits shall be given
compensation for their attendance thereto; and

b. Continuing training and other activities to be conducted in coordination with
relevant and qualified agencies in the private and public sector, including the
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction
and Management Council, to improve and reinforce skills. All registered
members shall undergo continuing training on a regular basis to upgrade their
proficiency.

Successful completion of the compulsory basic training shall be a requisite for
admission into the MRC. Successful completion of activities in the continuing training


program shall be a requisite for promotion within the MRC.

SEC. 6. Registry and Accounting of Members of the MRC. - Registered members of the
MRC shall be issued individual serial numbers which will serve as their identification in
case of deployment.

The DOH shall maintain and update a registry or database containing the names of the
members of the Corps, their serial numbers, address, contact details and such other
information as the DOH may determine, in accordance with applicable privacy laws. For
this purpose, all public and private colleges, universities and learning institutions shall
transmit annually their records of the graduates covered under this Act to the DOH.

An MRC Identification Card that describes the certification information of Corps
members, as well as other necessary identifying information that may be determined by
the DOH, shall also be issued.

All graduates covered under this Act are required to update their addresses and contact,
details on file with the DOH as often as necessary. Orders of deployment sent to the
addresses and/or through the contact details on file with the DOH shall be sufficient
notice for purposes of deployment.

In cases when a graduate has changed address immediately prior to deployment, the
LGU shall immediately exert efforts to locate his known closest resident kin, who is then
mandated to exert similar efforts. The use of digital communications and social media
shall be encouraged in locating such graduates.

SEC. 7. Medical Reserve Corps Mobilization. - The prompt mobilization of the MRC
shall be carried out by authority of the Secretary of Health, upon the recommendation of
the Director of the HEMB or upon the request of national government agencies or local
government units (LGUs), in order to meet the needs of the populace in times of public
health emergencies, whether of local or national scale, and for such other purposes in
response to threats to public health.

The MRC may be mobilized partially or in full as may be necessary. The DOH shall
promulgate the mechanisms by which deployment is efficiently implemented, including
the organization of the Corps to be deployed, their territorial assignments, how
deployment orders are communicated to each member of the Corps and to which
mobilization center they will report.

As defined in Republic Act No. 11332, otherwise known as the “Mandatory Reporting of
Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act,” public health
emergency refers to an occurrence or imminent threat of an illness or health condition
that:
(1) Is caused by any of the following:
(i) Bio terrorism;

(ii) Appearance ofa novel or previously controlled or eradicated infectious


agent or biological toxin;

(iii) A natural disaster;

(iv) A chemical attack or accidental release;
(v) A nuclear attack or accident; or

(vi) An attack or accidental release of radioactive materials; and

(2) Poses a high probability of any of the following:
(i) Alarge number of deaths in the affected population;

(ii) Alarge number of serious injuries or long-term disabilities in the
affected population;

(iii) Widespread exposure to an infectious or toxic agent that poses a
significant risk of substantial harm to a large number of people in the
affected population;

{iv) International exposure to an infectious or toxic agent that poses a
significant risk to the health of citizens of other countries; or

(v) Trade and travel restrictions.

SEC. 8. Deployment Order. - The President of the Philippines, upon recommendation of
the DOH, may order the nationwide mobilization of the MRC to complement the AFP
Medical Corps in case of a declaration of a state of war, state of lawless violence or state
of calamity,

SEC. 9. Mobilization Centers. - There shall be established in each province as many
mobilization centers as needed to which members of the MRC shall report to when
mobilization is ordered

Mobilization centers may be any establishment or facility that can adequately house the
MRC members, and their equipment and supplies during the period of deployment,
including multi-purpose halls, gymnasiums, and other similar structures, based on other
requirements that the DOH shall prescribe. The DOH shall, in consultation with the local
executives, prescribe the location of the mobilization centers. The local executives shall
disseminate to the widest extent possible information to the public on the location of
these centers.

SEC. 10. Mobilization Stock. - The minimum essential individual and organizational and
medical equipment and supplies shall be procured, stored, and maintained to enhance
rapid transition to readiness required for employment in the shortest possible time.


The DOH shall ensure and maintain the necessary capacity to scale up the procurement
of these equipment and supplies as needed during the period of mobilization.

SEC. 11. Enlistment of the AFP. - The Secretary of Health may enlist the AFP to provide
expertise on the organization and structure of the MRC for efficient, effective and swift
deployment, as well as for training of the MRC recruits on disaster and emergency
response.

The Secretary of Health may also recommend to the President the enlistment of the AFP
to supplement the mobilized MRC for the purpose of providing logistics and manpower
for large-scale operations in times of public health emergency, contact tracing and
monitoring of suspected cases, enforcing-quarantine measures in specific areas or
facilitating the transport of emerging infectious diseases patients, and for such other
related purposes.

SEC. 12. Protection to MRC Members. ~ All MRC members shall be accorded protection
as provided by existing labor laws and standards and other relevant occupations, safety,
environmental, and social legislation.

SEC. 13. Compensation and Benefits. - Members of the MRC who render service shall
receive all the pay and allowances, medical care, hospitalization, other privileges and
benefits during the period of mobilization as prescribed by law or regulation. They shall
also continue to receive all pay, allowances, and other privileges and benefits from their
regular employment during the mobilization period in accordance with law.

SEC. 14. Legal Liability and Malpractice Insurance. - No MRC member shall be held
liable for the death of or injury to any person or for the loss of, or damage to, the
property of any person where such death, injury, loss, or damage was proximately
caused by the circumstance of an actual public health emergency or its subsequent
conditions, or the circumstances of the formal exercise or training if such formal
exercise or training simulates conditions of an actual emergency.

‘The Insurance Commission is mandated to develop public health emergency-specific
malpractice insurance policy or modify existing policies that would protect MRC
professionals’ efforts from any legal liability as provided for by this Section to allow
them to respond in good faith during public health emergencies.

‘This Section shall not preclude liability for civil damages as a result of gross negligence,
recklessness, or willful misconduct.

SEC. 15. Termination of Deployment. — Upon the expiration of the period of
deployment, without an extension having been requested and approved by the DOH,
members of the MRC who are deployed pursuant to a public health emergency shall be
discharged from the performance of their duties. The deployment may also be
terminated earlier upon a determination by the DOH, in consultation with the
requesting national government agency or LGU, that such deployment is no longer
required in accordance with this Act.

SEC. 16, Annual Reports. — The DOH shall regularly publish an annual report

9


containing a list of the accomplishments, status of the operations, demographic profile
of the membership of the MRC, an assessment of readiness for mobilization, and the
incidence and details of each mobilization for the year concerned. The annual report
shall also include the results of the audit investigation on the spending of funds
appropriated, collected, or advanced for the implementation of the provisions of this
Act.

SEC. 17. Failure to Respond to Deployment. - Any member of the MRC who fails to
respond to the order of deployment without any justifiable reason despite due notice
shall be required to reimburse the total expenses incurred by the government in the
member's recruitment, selection, training, and compensation, as may be determined by
the DOH.

SEC. 18. Appropriations. ~The Secretary of Health shall immediately include in the
Department's Program the implementation of this Act, the funding of which shall be
included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

SEC. 19. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within thirty (30) days from the
effectivity of this Act, the DOH shall promulgate the necessary guidelines for the
effective implementation of this Act.

SEC. 20. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional
or otherwise invalid, the validity of the other provisions shall not be affected thereby.

SEC. 21. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations, other
issuances, or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby
repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC, 22. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,