THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
5 AUG 23 i': :,!!j 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
Second Regular Session 
1 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution, Article 2, Section 15, provides that: 
The State shall protect and promote the right to health of the 
people and instill health consciousness among them. 
In the United States, the life expectancy gap between men and women has 
increased from one year in 1920 to almost six years in 2002. Here in the Philippines, in 2005, 
I) the Department of Health (DOH) places the life expectancy of males at 67.83 years while that of 
women at 73.08 years. According to a study conducted by Dr. Thomas Perls and Dr. Ruth Fretts 
of the Harvard Medical School, women around the world have a survival advantage over men - 
sometimes by as much as 10 years. Main reasons for this could be that women are 100% more 
likely than men to visit a doctor, have regular check-ups, and obtain preventive screening tests 
for serious diseases. 
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This may result in a health crisis affecting the health and well-being of men. While this 
may be a particular concern of men, it may also be a concern for women regarding their fathers, 
husbands, sons, and brothers. Men's health is a concern for employers who pay the costs of 
medical care, and lose productive employees. Men's health is also a concern of our national and 
local governments that absorb the enormous costs of premature death and disability, including 
the costs of caring for dependents left behind. 
Appropriate use of tests which are exclusive for men such as prostate specific antigen for 
prostate cancer, doppler for varicocele, and testicular ultrasound for testicular cancer, can result 
in the early detection of many problems and in increased survival rates. 
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Early detection of male health problems is vital as it can result in reducing rates of 
mortality for male-specific diseases, and improve men’s health and their overall economic well- 
being. Thus, educating men, their families, and health care providers about this is imperative. 
An Office of Men’s Health is needed to coordinate the fragmented men’s health 
awareness, prevention, and research efforts being oonducted by the DOH and non-government 
organizations. This bill seeks to save the lives of men by establishing an Office of Men’s Health 
within the DOH that will conduct further actions as may be needed to promote men’s health. 
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I 
THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
Second Regular Session 
) 
5 RUG 23 P 2  :)I9 
S.B. sENAyo 
No. ’ 
I ,  
nECEIVED BY : 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
TO SAVE THE LIVES OF MEN BY ESTABLISHING WITHIN THE 
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AN OFFICE OF MEN’S HEALTH 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Men’s Health Act of 2005.” 
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. 
SECTION 3 .  Definition of Terms. -For purposes of this Act, the following terms: 
(a) “Men’s health conditions” - shall refer to all diseases, disorders, and 
conditions - 
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(1) unique to, more serious, or more prevalent in men; 
(2) for which the factors of medical risk or types of medical intervention 
are different for men, or for which it is unknown whether such factors or types are 
different for men; or 
(3) with respect to which there has been insufficient clinical research 
involving men as subjects or insufficient clinical data on men. 
(b) “Research on men’s health” - shall refer to research on men’s health 
conditions, including research on preventing such conditions. 
(c) “DOH’ - shall refer to the Department of Health. 
(d) “Secretary” - shall refer to the Department of Health (DOH) Secretary. 
(e) “Director” - shall refer to the Director of the Office of Men’s Health. 
(f) “Committee” - shall refer to the Advisory Committee on Men’s Health. 


SECTION 4. Ofice of Men ’s Health. - The Secretary shall establish within the DOH an 
office to be known as the Office of Men’s Health which shall be headed by a Director to be 
appointed by the DOH. The Director shall have the following functions: 
(a) coordinate and promote the status of men’s health throughout the country; 
(b) identify projects of research on men’s health that should be conducted or 
supported by both the government and non-government agencies; 
(c) promote coordination and collaboration among entities conducing research on 
men’s health, 
(d) recommend an agenda for conducting and supporting such research; and 
(e) encourage the conduct of such research. 
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SECTION 5. Advisory Committee on Men’s Health. - In assisting the Director in 
carrying out his functions, the Secretary shall establish a Committee to be known as the Advisory 
Committee on Men’s Health which shall have the following functions: 
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(a) Advise the Secretary, through the Director, on appropriate research activities 
to be undertaken by the Office with respect to the Research on men’s health; 
(b) Report to the Secretary, through the Director, on such research; 
(c) Provide recommendations to the Secretary, through the Director, regarding the 
activities of the Office on Men’s health; and 
(d) Prepare a report regarding the activities of the Committee. 
SECTION 6. Composition. - The Committee shall be composed of nine (9) members 
which shall include the following: 
(a) Two (2) representatives from the DOH; 
(b) Four (4) physicians, practitioners and other health personnel; 
(c) Two (2) representatives from a non-government organization which conducts research 
on men’s health; and 
(d) One (1) representative from the general public. 
SECTION 7. Meetings. -The Advisory Committee shall determine the number, time, and 
place and conduct of meetings, except that it shall hald at least one (1) public meeting each year 
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at which the general public is given an opportunity to express views concerning the conduct of 
research on men’s health by the Office of Men’s Health. 
SECTION 8. Term. - Members shall be appointed by the Secretary for a term of three (3) 
years. Of those first appointed, three (3) members shall serve for three (3) years, three (3) 
members for two years, and the last three members for one (1) year. 
Any vacancy in the membership of the Committee shall be filled in the same manner as 
the original appointments. 
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Any member of the Committee may be removed for cause in accordance with procedures 
established by the Committee. 
SECTION 9. Report. -Not later than two (2) years after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary, acting through the Director, shall submit to the Congress a report describing 
the activities conducted by the Office of Men’s Health. 
SECTION 10. Appropriation. - To carry out the provisions of this Act, such amount as 
may be necessary is hereby authorized to be appropriated from the National Treasury. 
Thereafter, the amount necessary for the continuous operation of the Office of Men’s Health 
shall be included in the annual appropriation of the DOH. 
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SECTION 11. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part thereof, is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law of the provision not otherwise affected shall remain 
valid and subsisting. 
SECTION 12. 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 13. EfSectivity CZause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
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Approved,