NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
Second Regular Session 
)
SENATE
s.No. 2585
■, 1
■: r.:m :
24 MAR-4 P3 -49
Introduced by Senator Loren B. Legarda
AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE PHILIPPINE BLOOD CENTER AND REGIONAL 
BLOOD CENTERS AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Republic Act No. 7719 or the National Blood Services Act of 1994 provides that 
blood centers shall be established in every province and city nationwide. In line with 
this, the Department of Health (DOH) issued Administrative Order No. 2005-0002 or 
the "Rules and Regulations for the Establishment of the Philippine National Blood Services 
Amending Pertinent Provisions of Admin. Order No. 9, S. 1995 (Rules and Regulations 
Implementing RA 7719 Otherwise known as The National Blood Services Act of 1994)" 
which established the Philippine Blood Center (PBC).
While the PBC is able to fulfill the majority of its mandate, some of its functions 
have yet to be fully realized. This is a concern as the PBC is the apex/national blood 
center of the Philippines. A reason for this is that PBC does not have a legal charter 
and therefore relies on the National Voluntary Blood Services Program (NVSBP) 
budget.
This bill aims to institutionalize the PBC which will become the national and 
central hub of blood services in the country, overseeing the collection, testing, 
processing, storage, and distribution of blood and blood components needed during 
peaks and upsurges in demand and critical in augmenting the blood services being


provided by hospitals and partner agencies. Further, it will serve to perform unique 
functions such as but not limited to:
1. Setting of standards for acceptable practices to be replicated in other blood 
service facilities, especially Regional Blood Centers;
2. Becoming the center of training for blood banking and donor motivation 
and counseling;
3. Becoming a coordinating hub for blood services in the Philippines; and
4. Becoming the premier blood service facility in the country in terms of 
collection, testing, processing, storage, and distribution.
Moreover, this bill shall empower regional DOH offices to create, operate, and 
maintain their own Regional Blood Centers as envisioned by Republic Act No. 7719, 
or the "National Blood Services Act of 1994."
In view of the foregoing considerations, approval of this bill is earnestly sought.
LOREN LEGARDA


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
Second Regular Session 
)
SENATE
S.
v',^; 
'iiyf'-:? oi ■ 'r'
24 MAR-4 P3;49
Introduced by Senator Loren B. Legarda
AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE PHILIPPINE BLOOD CENTER AND REGIONAL 
BLOOD CENTERS 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 "Philippine Blood Center
2 
Act."
3 
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to protect and promote
4 
the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them. Towards
5 
this end, the State shall establish a Philippine Blood Center which will become the
6 
national and central hub of blood services in the country, overseeing the collection,
7 
testing, processing, storage, and distribution of blood and blood components.
8 
Sec. 3. The Philippine Blood Center. - There shall be established a Philippine
9 
Blood Center under the direct control and supervision of the Department of Health
10 
(DOH). The Philippine Blood Center shall be the national blood center of the
11 
Philippines.
12 
Sec. 4. Purposes and Objectives. - The Philippine Blood Center, as the premier
13 
blood service facility of the Philippines, will have the capability to:
14 
a. Centrally recruit, motivate, and screen blood donors;


1 
b. Centrally collect, test for transfusion-transmissible infections, process, store,
2 
issue, and transport blood and blood components for transfusion;
3 
c. Perform special immunohematologic tests;
4 
d. Provide information, educate, and counsel on transfusion-transmissible
5 
infections;
6 
e. Create a database for blood donors in accordance with Republic Act No.
7 
10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012;
8 
f. Conduct quality assurance and surveillance;
9 
g. Establish a national hemovigilance system;
10 
h. Conduct training and research in blood banking and related technologies
11 
and fields as basis for national policy-making;
12 
i. Capacitate regional blood centers;
13 
j. 
Administer to the resource stratification for national blood services in
14 
collaboration with regional blood centers; and
15 
k. Other functions assigned by the DOH.
16 
Sec. 5. Regional Blood Centers. - All regions of the Philippines shall have regional
17 
blood centers which shall be under the direct control and supervision of the Philippine
18 
Blood Center. The regional blood centers shall be the local region hub for regional
19 
blood services.
20 
Sec. 6. Non-profit Operations. - The Philippine Blood Center and the Regional Blood
21 
Centers shall operate on a non-profit basis: Provided, that, it may collect blood service
22 
fees not greater than the maximum prescribed by the DOH which shall be limited to
23 
the necessary expenses entailed in collecting, processing and testing of blood. Blood
24 
shall be collected from healthy voluntary donors only.
25 
Sec. 7. Organizational Structure and Staffing Pattern. - The DOH will craft staffing
26 
standards and create new positions as necessary to ensure the appropriate human
27 
resources for the operation of the Philippine Blood Center and Regional Blood Centers
28 
subject to the approval of the Civil Service Commission and the Department of Budget
29 
and Management.


1 
Sec. 8. Directors. - The Philippine Blood Center and the Regional Blood Centers
2 
shall be led by a Director appointed by the President of the Philippines, upon
3 
recommendation by the Secretary of Health.
4 
Sec. 9. Program for Indigents. - The DOH shall ensure that the Philippine Blood
5 
Center shall adopt and enforce a program for indigents needing blood and blood
6 
components in accordance to the implementing guidelines on the classification of
7 
patients and on availing of the Medical Social Services in Government Hospitals.
8 
Sec. 10. Tax Exemptions and other Privileges. - The provision of any general or
9 
special law to the contrary notwithstanding, all donations, grants, contributions, gifts
10 
or endowments received by the Philippine Blood Center and the Regional Blood
11 
Centers pursuant hereto, shall be exempt from income, gift and all other kinds of
12 
taxes, and shall be further considered as allowable deductions from the gross income
13 
of the donor, in accordance with the provisions of the National Internal Revenue Code
14 
of 1997, as amended.
15 
Sec. 11. Establishment of a Trust Fund. - A trust fund shall be established out of the
16 
retained income from collected blood service fees. The trust fund shall be used for the
17 
operations of the Philippine Blood Center and the Regional Blood Centers.
18 
Sec. 12. Annual Report. - The Philippine Blood Center shall submit an annual report
19 
to the President of the Philippines, the Department of Health, the Senate Committee
20 
on Health and Demography and the House Committee on Health, on its activities,
21 
accomplishments and recommendations to better address and improve the safe
22 
supply of blood in the Philippines.
23 
Sec. 13. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The Department of Health in
24 
coordination with the Department of Budget and Management, shall promulgate such
25 
rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of this Act within sixty (60)
26 
days from its effectivity.
27 
Sec. 14. Appropriations. - The amount needed for the initial implementation of
28 
this Act, including maintenance and other operating expenses of the Philippine Blood
29 
Center shall be charged against the current year's appropriations of the DOH. For the
30 
succeeding years, the amount allocated for the Philippine Blood Center in the DOH
31 
budget shall be based on its strategic plan, in coordination with other stakeholders.


1 
Sec. 15. Separability Clause - If any portion or provision of the Act is declared void
2 
or unconstitutional, the remaining portions or provisions hereof shall not be affected
3 
by such declaration.
4 
Sec. 16. Repealing Clause - All laws, acts, executive orders, administrative orders,
5 
rules and regulations inconsistent herewith, are hereby repealed, amended or
6 
modified accordingly.
7 
Sec. 17. Effectivity - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication
8 
in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,