SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
) 
) 
) 
SENATE 
Senate Bill No. 
1159 
Introduced by Senator Cynthia A. Villar 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
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'13 
JIJL JD P 2 :30 
Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female 
reproductive system. When ovarian cancer is found and treated in its earliest stages, 
the five-year survival rate is 95%; however, most women who suffer from ovarian 
cancer are not diagnosed until the later stages of the cancer when the disease has 
spread and the five-year survival rate decreases to 30%. 
More than half of the deaths from ovarian cancer occur in women between the 
ages of 55 and 74 years of age and approximately one quarter of ovarian cancer deaths 
occur in 
women between 35 and 54 years of age. Because early detection and 
treatment often mean the difference between life and death, it is important to increase 
awareness of the factors that put certain women at a higher risk for the disease: 
increased age; having a personal history of breast cancer or a family history of breast, 
ovarian, uterine, colon or other gastrointestinal cancers; and bearing no children. 
Because the symptoms are vague and non-specific, women and their physicians 
often attribute them to more common conditions so that by the time the cancer is 
diagnosed the tumor has often spread beyond the ovaries. 
Although development of a screening test to detect ovarian cancer remains a 
very active area of research, currently there is no definitive prevention strategy, but 
having regular pelvic examinations may decrease the overall risk of dying from ovarian 
cancer. 


SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Firs~ Regular Session 
) 
) 
) 
SENATE 
Senate Bill No. 1159 
Introduced by Senator Cynthia A. Villar 
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'13 
JUL 30 P 2 :30 
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AN ACT ESTABLISHING AN OVARIAN CANCER PUBLIC AWARENESS 
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CAMPAIGN 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
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Congress assembled: 
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. SECTION 1. Title-This Act shall be known and cited as the "Ovarian Cancer 
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Public Awareness Campaign". 
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SECTION 2. The Secretary of Health shall establish a public awareness 
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campaign to inform the general public about the clinical significance of ovarian cancer 
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and its public health implications. 
The campaign shall include, at a minimum, risk 
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factors, symptoms, the need for early detection and methods of treatment. The 
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commissioner shall, at a minimum: 
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1. provide for the development of printed educational materials and public service 
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announcements in English and Filipino; and 
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2. disseminate information for distribution to the public, through a variety of 
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entities, including, but not limited to, local health agencies and clinics, physicians, 
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health care facilities, 
county offices on aging, pharmacies, libraries, senior citizen 
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centE;!rs, other community-based outreach programs and organizations, and the 
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Department of Health's official website. 
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SECTION 3. The Department of Health shall urge all citizens to recognize 
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"Ovarian Cancer Public Awareness Campaign" and shall provide encouragement and 
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assistance to 
those 
organizations that 
offer educational, advocacy and support 
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services for ovarian cancer's victims. 
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SECTION 4. Implementing Rules and Regulations.-The Department of Health 
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shall promulgate the appropriate rules and regulations necessary for the effective 
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implementation of this Act within sixty (60) days from its approval. 
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SECTION 5, Repealing Clause.-Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
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executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to 
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or inconsistent with the provision of this Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended 
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accordingly. 
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SECTION 6. Effectivity Clause.-This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
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publication in 
the Official Gazette or in 
at least two (2) newspapers of general 
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circulation. 
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Approved.