EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
D5l| Senate
®Kuf of tijf ifef cittaip
SENATE
S. No. 1487
Introduced by Senator Grace Poe RECEivrofj'
AN ACT
ORDAINING A SYSTEM TO ENSURE AVAILABLE DOCTORS AND HEALTH 
CARE IN UNDERSERVED AND GEOGRAPHICALLY DISADVANTAGED AREAS 
BY CREATING A MEDICAL SCHOLARSHIP AND RETURN SERVICE 
PROGRAM FOR DESERVING STUDENTS, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS 
THEREFOR
Explanatory Note
The 1987 Philippine Constitution ensconced the following fundamental 
guarantees:
• 
"The State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality 
education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make such 
education accessible to all." (Article XIV, Sec. 1)
• 
"The State shall establish and maintain a system of scholarship grants, 
student loan programs, subsidies, and other incentives which shall be 
available to deserving students in both public and private schools, 
especially to the underprivileged." (Article XIV, Sec. 2)
Medical education is one of the most expensive courses in the Philippines. 
Medical school tuition fees can range from roughly Php20,000 to Php250,000 per 
semester.1 This is not to mention other expenses such as miscellaneous fees, 
textbooks, medical equipment, board, lodging, transportation, and other related 
expenses. There are simply too many families that could not afford this costly 
medical education. This condition forces a number of students to leave medical
1 Healthcare Asia. (February 21,2017). Shortage of health professionals in the Philippines, a growing 
concern. Retrieved from http://www.healthcareasia.org/2017/shortage-of-health-professionals-in-the- 
philippines-a growing-concern/


school; others opt to stay but upon finishing their studies decide to join private 
hospital which said to offer higher pays.
The Philippines only produces 2,600 doctors per year. This is short of 15,000 
doctors to meet the health needs of Filipinos each year. The Philippines has a ratio 
of one doctor for every 33,000 persons.2 This is a far cry from the ideal ratio of 1 to 
1.5 doctors for every 1,000 population.3 The problem is further compounded by the 
lack of volunteer doctors who are willing to go to rural areas.
The bill aims to address the shortage of doctors. This bill mandates the 
establishment of a medical scholarship and return service program for deserving 
students who wish to pursue education and training in the field of health and 
medicine. The scholarship shall include the following:
a) Free tuition and other school fees;
b) Allowance for prescribed books, supplies and equipment;
c) Clothing or uniform allowance;
d) Allowance for dormitory or boarding house accommodation;
e) Transportation allowance;
f) Internship fees, including financial assistance during post-graduate 
internship;
g) Medical board review fees;
h) Annual medical insurance; and,
i) Other education-related miscellaneous subsistence or living allowance.
Immediate approval of this bill is eagerly sought.
GRACE POE
2 2 Cabato, R. (October 13, 2016). DOH Secretary: Philippines lack 15,000 doctors. CNN News. Retrieved 
from http://cnnphilippines.eom/news/2016/10/13/department-of-health-lack-of-doctors.html
3 3 Geronimo, J. (February 13, 2014). Where are the health workers. Rappler. Retrieved from 
https://www.rappler.com/nation/50267-health-workforce-crisis


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
©tfice o( tljf feeciftnrp
SENATE
S. No. 1487
Introduced by Senator Grace Poe
AN ACT
ORDAINING A SYSTEM TO ENSURE AVAILABLE DOCTORS AND HEALTH 
CARE IN UNDERSERVED AND GEOGRAPHICALLY DISADVANTAGED AREAS 
BY CREATING A MEDICAL SCHOLARSHIP AND RETURN SERVICE 
PROGRAM FOR DESERVING STUDENTS, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS 
THEREFOR
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
1 
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Medical Scholarship
2 
and Return Service Program Act."
3 
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to protect and
4 
promote the right to health of the people, and to develop its health human resources
5 
to meet the health needs of its citizens and to ensure that the shortage of medical
6 
practitioners in the country is addressed.
7 
Towards this end, the State shall establish a medical scholarship and return
8 
service program that will help deserving medical students pursue medical education
9 
and training in the field of health and medicine who shall eventually render services
10 
in government public health offices or government hospitals in their hometown or in
11 
any municipality in their home province or in any underserved municipality in any
12 
province, as part of their integration into the public health and medical service
13 
system. This shall ensure the availability of doctors who will provide quality basic,
14 
promotive, preventive, and curative health care services in every municipality in the
15 
country, especially the underserved, remote, economically underdeveloped,
16 
distressed, conflict-afflicted, and geographically disadvantaged areas.
17 
Sec. 3. Establishment of the Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program.
18 
- There shall be established a Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program for


1 
deserving students in State Universities and Coileges (SUCs) or in private higher
2 
education institutions (PHEIS) in regions where there are no SUCs offering medicine:
3 
Provided, That the schoiarship program shall accept at least one scholar from each
4 
municipality of the country: Provided, further. That priority shail be accorded to an
5 
appiicant that hails from a municipality that is considered underserved, remote,
6 
economicaily-challenged or underdeveloped, distressed, conflict afflicted, or
7 
geographically-disadvantaged areas. Provided, further. That only upon determination
8 
that there is no qualified applicant from a certain municipality shall another qualified
9 
applicant be considered, irrespective of domicile: Provided, further. That the
10 
applicant has passed the admission and other qualifying requirements of the SUCs
11 
and PHEIS: Provided, finally. That the total number of scholars per province or
12 
municipality shall depend on the number of government physicians needed for each
13 
province or municipality, as determined by the Department of Health (DOH).
14 
Sec. 4. Coverage of the Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program. -
15 
The Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program established under this Act shall
16 
be made available to deserving Filipino students who want to pursue a degree in
17 
Doctor of Medicine in SUCs or in PHEIs in regions where there are no SUCs.
18 
The student financial assistance for the Medical Scholarship and Return
19 
Service Program shall include the following:
20 
a) Free tuition and other school fees;
21 
b) Allowance for prescribed books, supplies and equipment;
22 
c) Clothing or uniform allowance;
23 
d) Allowance for dormitory or boarding house accommodation;
24 
e) Transportation allowance;
25 
f) Internship fees, including financial assistance during post-graduate
26 
internship;
27 
g) Medical board review fees;
28 
h) Annual medical insurance; and
29 
i) Other education-related miscellaneous subsistence or living allowance.
30 
Sec. 5. Qualification Requirements. - An applicant for the Medical Scholarship
31 
and Return Service Program shall possess the following qualifications:


1 
a) Must 
be a natural-born or naturalized Filipino citizen residing in the
2 
Philippines;
3 
b) Must 
be a graduating student or a graduate of an appropriate
4 
undergraduate program identified as a requisite for a Doctor of Medicine
5 
degree, from any higher education institution (HEI) duly recognized by the
6 
Commission of Higher Education (CHED) including the Direct Entrant to
7 
the seven-year Integrated Liberal Arts Medicine Program (or INTARMED
8 
Program) of the University of the Philippines who satisfactorily completes
9 
the first two years of the program: Provided, That deserving incoming
10 
second year medical students and those in the higher year levels of the
11 
Doctor of Medicine program shall also be covered under this Act;
12 
c) Must 
have passed the entrance examinations and other related
13 
requirements for admission for a Doctor of Medicine degree in the SUC or
14 
PHEI where the scholar intends to enroll, including the Intarmed Program
15 
in the University of the Philippines, as well as the other requirement of the
16 
CHED and the DOH; and,
17 
d) Must have obtained a National Medical Admission Test (NMAT) score
18 
mandated by the CHED and the cut-off score required by the SUC or PHEI
19 
where the student intends to enroll in.
20 
Sec. 6. Conditions for the Grant of Schoiarship. - Deserving students accepted
21 
to the Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program shall be subject to the
22 
following conditionalities:
23 
a) Must 
sign an agreement stating the terms and conditions of the
24 
scholarship on a form prescribed by the CHED and the DOH;
25 
b) Must carry the full load of subjects prescribed per semester by the SUC or
26 
PHEI, and shall, under no circumstance, drop a course which will result in
27 
underloading;
28 
c) Must finish the entire Doctor of Medicine program in the prescribed time
29 
frame in the SUC or PHEI where the scholar is enrolled in, subject to the
30 
retention policies of the SUC or PHEI;
31 
d) Must 
undertake post-graduate internship in a DOH-accredited public
32 
health facility or hospital upon graduation from a four-year Doctor of


1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 
21 
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Medicine Program, subject to the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges 
(APMC) Intern Matching Program: Provided, That, the graduate of the 
four-year Doctor of Medicine program must satisfy all the requirements of 
the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges Internship Matching 
Program: Provided, further. That, for a five-year Doctor of Medicine 
Program, the scholar enrolled in the SUC or PHEI must undertake the 
post-graduate internship in the SUCs or PHEI's base hospital;
e) Must take the board examination within a maximum period of one (1) year 
after completion of an internship program which may be a post-graduate 
internship program for scholars under a four-year Doctor of Medicine 
program or after completion of internship as a fifth-year medical student 
for scholars under a five year Doctor of Medicine program; and,
f) Must serve in a government public health office or government hospital in 
the scholar's hometown or, in the absence of a need thereat, in any 
municipality within the scholar's home province, or in any underserved 
municipality closest to the scholar's hometown in any province determined 
by the DOH as a priority area, for at least eight (8) years or two years for 
every scholarship year availed of, which shall be completed within ten (10) 
years upon completion of internship for those who have availed of a four- 
year program, and twelve (12) years for those who have availed of a five- 
year program, upon passing the licensure examination for physicians, 
which shall be part of the mandatory return service and integration into 
the public health and medical service system: Provided, That this 
mandatory return service shall be in addition to the required post­
graduate internship after graduating from a four-year Doctor of Medicine 
program and shall also be in addition to the return service requirement of 
the SUC or PHEI: Provided, further. That residency training shall not be 
considered as a return service under this provision: Provided, finally. That 
the physician shall receive appropriate salaries and other benefits for 
services rendered under the mandatory integration into the public health 
and medical service.


1 
The scholar may be allowed, for valid reasons preventing the enrollment, to
2 
defer availing of the schoiarship and file a leave of absence for a period not
3 
exceeding one (1) school year, subject to the guidelines and 
policies of the
4 
concerned SUC and PHEI.
5 
The scholar who fails to pass the licensure examination within one (1) year
6 
after graduation and compietion of post-graduate internship and other academic
7 
requirements shall shoulder all the necessary expenses for 
the succeeding
8 
professional licensure examinations.
9 
Sec. 7. Disqualifications. - The scholar shall repay the full cost of scholarship
10 
and related benefits received, including all the expenses incurred during the
11 
participation in the schoiarship program, and the scholarship shall be terminated in
12 
case of the following circumstances:
13 
a) If the scholar accepts another scholarship from other government or
14 
private agencies or entities while enjoying the benefits under this Act;
15 
b) If the scholar fails in forty (40) percent of the subjects or fails to meet the
16 
academic requirements of the SUCs or PHEIS or to complete the course
17 
within the prescribed period without valid cause as may be determined by
18 
the SUC or PHEI, CHED or the DOH such as due to absence without
19 
notice, reasons of wiliful negiect or other causes within the control of the
20 
scholar: Provided, That, if the terminated scholar chooses, instead of
21 
repayment of schoiarship costs, to work within the government's public
22 
health service system, such as engaging in health-related research work
23 
for the government or by teaching heaith-related subjects in a pubiic
24 
educationai institution or be integrated into the public health service
25 
system for a period equivalent to eight (8) years or the mandatory length
26 
of service that should have been rendered as stipulated In this Act:
27 
Provided, further. That the alternative return service shall exclude
28 
residency training;
29 
c) If the scholar fails to pass the licensure examination for physicians for the
30 
second time; and.


1 
d) If the scholar commits behavioral misconduct in a manner that wouid
2 
bring significant damage to the HEI, government institution, concerned
3 
persons, and the community.
4 
Sec. 8. Mandatory Return Service and Integration of the Scholar into the
5 
Public Health and Medical Service System. - Upon passing the Physician Licensure
6 
Examination (PLE) administered by the Philippine Regulatory Commission (PRC), the
7 
scholar becomes a licensed physician, shall be integrated into the pubiic health and
8 
medical service system, through the DOH, with the appropriate rank and salary and
9 
related benefits. The mandatory return service upon integration into the public
10 
health and medical service system under this Act shall be for a period equivalent to
11 
at least eight (8) years within ten (10) years for those who have availed of a four-
12 
year program, and twelve (12) years for those who availed of a five-year program,
13 
upon passing the licensure examination for physicians, which shail be part of the
14 
mandatory service and integration into the public health and medical service system.
15 
The mandatory return service and integration into the public health and
16 
medical service system under this Act shali be separate and distinct from the return
17 
service requirement of the SUCS or PHEIs and the mandatory post-graduate
18 
internship in a DOH-accredited public health facility or hospital, required by the PRC
19 
as a prerequisite for taking the Licensure Examination for Physicians.
20 
Sec. 9. Sanctions. - In the event that a physician who has availed of the
21 
Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program fails or refuses to serve in a
22 
government hospital or any local health office in the schoiar's hometown or in any
23 
municipaiity in the scholar's home province or in any undeserved municipaiity in any
24 
province, as provided under Section 6 (f) hereof, or fails or refuses to comply with
25 
the mandatory integration, as provided in Section 8 hereof, shail be required to pay
26 
twice the full cost of scholarship including other benefits and expenses incurred by
27 
reason of participation in the scholarship program.
28 
In case of non-payment, as provided in the preceding paragraph, the PRC
29 
shall deny the renewal of the physician's license: Provided, That the abovementioned
30 
penalties shail not apply to physicians who fail to comply with the required return
31 
service amount of, or by reason of, severe or serious iliness.
32 
Sec. 10. Rotes ofCHED. - The CHED shall perform the following functions:


1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 
21 
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
a) Conduct regular information dissemination of and recruitment to the 
Medicai Schoiarship and Service Program in SUCs and PHEIs to ensure 
that there wiil be an adequate number of medicai doctors in ail the 
municipalities and provinces;
b) Review, modify and enhance the medical education curriculum to prepare 
graduates to work in community-based health programs, and to function 
competently when working with experienced physicians;
c) Coordinate, together with the SUCs and PHEIS, with the DOH for the 
integration of the medical scholar who has passed the PLE into the public 
health and medical service system;
d) Formulate, promulgate, disseminate and implement the necessary policies, 
standards, guidelines, and ruies, and reguiations for the effective 
impiementation of the Medicai Scholarship Program under this Act;
e) Deveiop strategies to improve the quality of the Doctor of Medicine 
program and implement a system of quality control for the offering of 
Doctor of Medicine program in SUCs and PHEIS;
f) Monitor and evaiuate existing Doctor of Medicine programs of SUCs and 
effect the continuation or closure of programs in accordance with the 
provisions of Repubiic Act No. 7722 or the "Higher Education Act of 1994" 
and other CHED issuances, as appiicable;
g) Review and approve or disapprove proposals from SUCs and PHEIs for the 
offering of new Doctor of Medicine programs;
h) Disseminate information on the required percentile cut-off score of SUCs 
and PHEIs to guide the student applicants on which school to apply to;
i) Require SUCs and PHEIs to submit a tracking, monitoring and assistance 
proposal; and to implement and evaluate the tracking. Monitoring and 
assistance program in order to determine the whereabouts of the medical 
scholars after graduation form SUCs or PHEIS;
j) Ensure that the SUCs and PHEIs provide the timely release and accurate 
distribution of ailowances and other fees to the scholars; and.


1 
k) Recommend to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) the
2 
budget for implementation of the Medical Scholarship Program in SUCs
3 
and PHEIs based on its monitoring and evaluation results.
4 
Sec. 11. Roles of the Sues and PHEIS. - The SUCs and PHEIS shall perform
5 
the following functions:
6 
a) Monitor the progress of all scholars in their respective educational
7 
institutions, identity students who have low or failing grades, and counsel
8 
them to improve their academic performance;
9 
b) Ensure the timely release and accurate distribution of allowances and
10 
other fees to the scholars;
11 
c) Make an annual report to the CHED on the performance of medical
12 
scholars and other necessary or vital information regarding the Medical
13 
Scholarship and Service Program;
14 
d) Assist the CHED in the conduct of regular information dissemination on,
15 
and recruitment to, the Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program;
16 
e) Review, modify and enhance the medical education curriculum to prepare
17 
the scholars to work in community-based health programs;
18 
f) Coordinate with the DOH in the conduct of an inventory of its trainable
19 
personnel who can be potential beneficiaries of the program;
20 
g) Coordinate with the CHEED, DOH, PRC, other concerned agencies, and
21 
LGUs in the integration of the scholar into the public health and medical
22 
service system;
23 
h) Develop strategies to improve the quality control for the offering of Doctor
24 
of Medicine program and implement a system of review and evaluation for
25 
quality of the Doctor of Medicine program in their respective educational
26 
institutions;
27 
i) Conduct a tracer study on the whereabouts of their respective medical
28 
scholars after graduation from their respective educational institutions and
29 
submit the results of the tracer study to CHED;
30 
j) Recommend to the CHED and the DBM the budget necessary to
31 
implement the Medical Scholarship Program in their respective institutions,
32 
based on their own monitoring and evaluation of results; and


1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 
21 
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
k) Perform such other functions as the presidents of the SUCs or PHEI mas 
deem necessary for the success of the Medicai Schoiarship and Service 
Program in their respective educationai institutions.
Sec. 12. Roles of the DOH. - The DOH shail perform the foilowing functions:
a) Determine the number of physicians needed for every municipality or 
province, as well as the number of physicians needed in the town or 
province where the state university or college is situated;
b) Determine the distribution of scholars per municipality/province;
c) Coordinate with the CHED, SUCS, PHEIS and PRC to determine the 
number of graduates of the Doctor of Medicine course and passers of the 
medical board examination;
d) Provide for the integration of the scholar into the public health and 
medical service system, including the necessary number of plantilla 
positions to accommodate the new doctors in the provincial hospitals;
e) Assist the CHED in the conduct of the regular information dissemination on 
the Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program, the recruitment of 
scholar applicants, and the integration of successful scholars into the 
public health and medical service system to ensure the continuous 
deployment of medical doctors to all provinces, especially in the 
undeserved, remote, economically underdeveloped, distressed, conflict- 
afflicted, and geographically disadvantaged municipalities;
f) Craft a career pathway for public health practitioners in the DOH and at 
the local level as an incentive to the graduates of medicine to enhance 
their competencies and skills for career progression;
g) Coordinate with the local government units (LGUS) for the mandatory 
integration of doctors/scholars into the public health and medical service 
system;
h) Conduct an inventory of its trainable personnel who can benefit from the 
program;
i) Monitor, supervise, and evaluate the performance and length of service of 
the scholars integrated into the public health and medical service system;


1 
j) Provide funds for the implementation of the integration program under
2 
this Act; and,
3 
k) Recommend to the DBM the budget for the plantilla positions for the
4 
doctors to be integrated into the public health and medical service system,
5 
including the determination of salaries and salary increases.
6 
Sec. 13. Roles of LGUs. - LCDs are mandated to support the integration of
7 
the scholar into the public health and medical service system by performing the
8 
following functions:
9 
a) Ensure that there is a mechanism to provide the necessary support to the
10 
integration program of physicians who will be assigned to the LGU;
11 
b) Coordinate with the DOH and the physicians to determine the specific
12 
heath needs or requirements of the community and provide the necessary
13 
assistance, including the improvement of the health facilities in the
14 
municipality and involvement in the research component of the medical
15 
service system;
16 
c) May maintain a regular counterpart fund to be used for providing the
17 
balance of the scholarship budget for scholars enrolled in PHEIs, subject
18 
to availability of funds;
19 
d) Provide for the board and lodging, travel expenses and other forms of
20 
financial assistance enumerated under Section 4 of this Act, subject to
21 
availability of funds, for the scholar enrolled in the PHEIs located in the
22 
municipality under the concerned LGU: Provided, That the scholar shall
23 
serve in the same LGU upon passing the licensure exam. If the municipal
24 
government cannot afford the said expenses, the provincial government
25 
shall shoulder the same: Provided, That the said provincial government
26 
shall decide in what municipality the scholar shall eventually serve;
27 
e) Provide other forms of financial assistance, subject to availability of funds,
28 
to support the integration program of doctors in the LGUs;
29 
f) Ensure the safety and security of the physicians integrated into the public
30 
health and medical service program;
31 
g) Recommend to the concerned SUC or PHEI any improvement in the
32 
implementation of the Medical Scholarship and Service Program;


1 
h) Conduct an information dissemination campaign on the Medical
2 
Scholarship and Service Program within the municipality or province, with
3 
the objective of attracting bright applicants to the said program;
4 
i) Coordinate with the CHED and other government agencies and non-
5 
governmental organizations involved in the Medical Scholarship and
6 
Service Program; and,
7 
j) Enforce laws, ordinances and regulations which may, directly or indirectly,
8 
have a positive impact on the Medical Scholarship and Service Program.
9 
Sec. 14. Appropriations. - The amount necessary to carry out the initial
10 
Implementation of this Act shall be charged against the current year's appropriations
11 
of sues and DOH.
12 
Thereafter, the amount necessary for the continued implementation of the
13 
medical scholarship and return service program for deserving students shall be
14 
included and subsumed into the scholarship program of SUCs and CHED in the
15 
Annual General Appropriations Act.
16 
Sec. 15. Joint Congressionai Oversight Committee on Medicai Schoiarship and
17 
Service System. - There is hereby created a Joint Congressional Oversight
18 
Committee to oversee, monitor and evaluate the implementation of this Act.
19 
The Oversight Committee shall be composed of five (5) members each from
20 
the Senate and from the House of Representatives, and shall include the following:
21 
Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture; Chairperson of
22 
the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education; Chairperson of the Senate
23 
Committee on Health; Chairperson of the House Committee on Health; and three (3)
24 
members each to be chosen from the membership of the Senate Committee on
25 
Education, Arts and Culture and the House Committee on Higher and Technical
26 
Education by the Senate President and the House Speaker, respectively: Provided,
27 
That at least one member from the respective nominees of the House of
28 
Representatives and the Senate shall be chosen from the Minority party/bloc.
29 
Sec 16. Five-Year Review of the Number of the Number of Scholars to be
30 
Admitted. - Every five (5) years from the effectivity of this Act, the CHED, the DOH,
31 
the SUCs and the PHEIS shall determine the number of scholars to be admitted
32 
every school year. The number of physicians needed by the municipality or province


1 
where the SUC or PHEI is situated shall be taken into consideration in determining
2 
the number of scholars.
3 
Sec. 17. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within sixty (60) days from
4 
the effectivity of this Act, the CHED and the DOH, in coordination with the Philippine
5 
Association of State Universities and Colleges, Coordinating Council of Private
6 
Educational Associations, League of Municipalities, Association of Municipal Health
7 
Officers (AMHOP), Non-Government Community-Based Health Programs, PRC, DBM,
8 
sues, PHEIS, APMC-Student Network and other relevant stakeholders, shall
9 
formulate and issue the rules and regulations to fully implement the provisions of
10 
this Act.
11 
Sec. 18. Separability Clause. - If any part or provision of this Act shall be held
12 
unconstitutional or invalid, the other parts or provisions not affected thereby, shall
13 
remain in full force and effect.
14 
Sec. 19. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and
15 
regulations and other issuances or parts thereof, inconsistent with the provisions of
16 
this Act, are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
17 
Sec. 20. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
18 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,