Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

RECEIVE! %
ons PEE Bis a)
SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS a OT i. a é

First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 4 096

Introduced by Rep. Anna Katina M. Enverga

EXPLANATORY NOTE
This Bill is a proposed legislation originally filed by Rep. Wifrido Mark
Enverga during the 15% Congress in 2010. For decades eye diseases have
been a priority concern because of the gradual increase of cases being treated
in various eye clinics and hospitals due to aging population, improper eye
care, and complication from other diseases, environmental factor, accidents

and other related factors.

Yet the more common eye diseases are, to a great extent, preventable,
and curable with early and adequate medical care, prompt and intensive

prevention and health education programs.

Hence there is an urgent need to consolidate and reinforce existing
programs, strategies and efforts at preventing, treating and rehabilitating people
affected by eye diseases and to undertake research and training on the cure and
prevention of eye diseases, through the National Eye Center which will house and
nurture the above and related activities and provide tertiary-level care for more

difficult and problematic cases.

In view of the foregoing considerations, approval of this bill is highly and

earnestly recommended.

ANNA KATRIN. ENVERGA


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILLNO.___ 4096

AN ACT CREATING THE NATIONAL EYE CENTER AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFOR

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

SECTION. 1. There is hereby created a National Eye Center which is a quasi-
government institution attached to the Office of the President.

SEC. 2. The Center shall have its principal office in Metro Manila, and may have
such branch offices, hospitals, clinics or subsidiaries in other areas in the Philippines as it

may deem proper and necessary.

SEC. 3. The Center shall have the following purposes and objectives:

(a) To specialize in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care, rehabilitation

and/or relief of eye and allied diseases;

(b) To promote medical and scientific research relative to the prevention and
treatment of eye and allied diseases, and to encourage planning, invention

and development of artificial means of eye support and transplantation;


(c) To conduct fact finding investigations on eye diseases, and related field
throughout the country or elsewhere, and to report, publish and

disseminate information on eye and allied diseases;

(d) To finance, sponsor, hold or participate in congresses, conventions,
conferences, seminars, work-shops and training programs on eye diseases
and/or related field in the Philippines or abroad; and

(e) To stimulate the formation of other organizations on the national,
provincial, city and/or local levels, and to coordinate the various efforts
and activities of such organization for the purpose of achieving a more
effective approach to the common problem relative to the purposes and

objectives enumerated herein.

SEC. 4. For the attainment and/or furtherance of the above-enumerated
purposes and objectives, the Center as a body corporate acting through its Board of
Trustees, shall have the following powers and functions:

(a) To adopt and use a corporate seal;

(b) To sue and be sued in its corporate name;

(c) To adopt its by-laws, rules and regulations as it may deem proper and

necessary for implementation of the purposes and objectives of this Act;

(d) To succeed by its corporate name, and to acquire and poss:

.ss properties,
rights and interests of whatever kind and nature, and mortgage, pledge,

alienate, encumber or otherwise dispose of the same;


(e) To award, enter into, make, execute, perform and carry out domestic or

foreign contracts of whatever kind and nature;

() To invest in, and purchase or otherwise acquire, own, hold, use, lease, grant,
mortgage, pledge, sell, assign, convey, transfer, exchange or otherwise deal
with, real and/or personal properties of every kind and nature, including
shares of stock, bonds, notes, securities and other evidences of
indebtedness or obligations of other corporations, whether domestic or

foreign, and whether government or private;

(g) 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 or private, and to mortgage, pledge or otherwise
encumber any of its properties and assets for the purpose of securing or
guaranteeing the performance or fulfillment of any obligation it may

undertake for itself or for other entities in which it may be interested;

(h) To levy, assess and collect such fees, charges and assessments as may be

necessary or proper to support, finance and maintain its operations; and

(i) To exercise such other powers and functions as may be incidental or

necessary to carry out the purposes and objectives of this Act.

SEC. 5. The Center 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 Chairman and ten (10) members, all of whom shall
be appointed by the President of the Philippines. The Chief Executive Officer of the Center,
who shall be appointed from among the members of the Board in accordance hereof, shall
be the ex-officio Vice-Chairman of the Board.


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.

SEC, 6, 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 Center;

(c) To control the management, operation and administration of the Center;

(€)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 Center, its officers and

employees;

(1) To authorize such expenditures of the Center as may be necessary or
proper for the effective management, operation and administration of the

Center;

(g) To determine and organize the Center's organizational and administrative
structure or pattern, and to establish and fix, review, revise and adjust the
appropriate compensation scheme of the officers and employees of the

center with reasonable allowances, bonuses and other incentives.


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(h) To adopt the annual and supplemental budget of receipts and expenditures

of the Center;

(i) To appoint, remove, suspend or otherwise discipline officers of the Center

occupying executive and senior management positions;

(i) To exercise all the general powers necessary or incidental to the
attainment of the purposes and objectives of this Act; and

(j) To do any and all acts as may be necessary or proper for the attainment of
the powers and functions of the Center.

SEC. 7. The Center may call upon any Department, Bureau, Office, Agency or
instrumentality of the Government, including government-owned or controlled
corporations, for such assistance as it may need in the pursuit of the purposes and
objectives of this Act..

SEC. 8 The Center 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.

SEC. 9, The books and accounts of the Center shall be under the charge of a
Resident Auditor, subject to periodic auditing by the Chairman of the Commission on

Audit, or his duly authorized representative.

SEC. 10 The Center and its officers and employees shall be covered by the Civil

Service Law, rules and regulations.


SEC 11. The Center shall render to the President of the Philippines an annual

report on its operations and accomplishments.

SEC. 12. The provisions of the general corporation law, insofar as they are not
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act of with the purposes and objectives for which

the Center is formed, shall apply to the Center.

SEC. 13. If for any reason, the Center is dissolved, its properties and assets shall

revert to the National Government for disposition in accordance with law.

SEC. 14, The amount of One Hundred million pesos (P100,000,000.00) is hereby
appropriated for the necessary initial operating expenses and maintenance of the National
Eye Center. Thereafter, such sum as maybe necessary for the continued operation of the

Center shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

SEC. 15. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

APPROVED,