FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
First Regular Session 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
S E W A T E  
S. 6. No. 
Introduced by Senator Manuel “Lito” M. Lapid 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The most popular college degree in the Philippines today is nursing. More than 100,000 
Filipino nurses have lefl the country to seek better opportunities. According to the Department of 
Health (DOH), 85 percent of the country’s total number of licensed nurses are to be found in the 
hospitals of other countries. 
Demand for Nurses 
The great demand for nurses in the first world countries is caused by the fact that the 
First World Countries of the world are now experiencing longer lifespan and the graying of their 
population. These factors create increasing pressure on their health systems for greater 
response mechanisms to the health problems of a growing proportion of the elderly. However, 
while the developed countries are experiencing a longer lifespan and the “graying” of their 
population, their youth population is not interested in the nursing profession because of the 
difficult and risky work conditions such as evening duties, taking care of the chronically ill and 
exposure to HIWAIDS. 
Based on available data, the US alone would need around 10,000 nurses per year, while 
the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands and other European countries would need another 10,000 
nurses per year. Furthermore, Canada would need around 10,000 while the Netherlands and 
the United Kingdom would need around 7,000. Additionally, Austria and Noway have also 
announced their need for foreign nurses in the coming years. Japan also is expected to open its 
doors to foreign nurses by the coming years. 
S u ~ p l v  
of Nurses 
One of the reasons why the Philippines is a top supplier of nurses in the world is 
because it produces skilled nursing graduates who can speak good English. The country also 
supplies 25 percent of all overseas nurses worldwide. 
In the year 2001, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), reported 
the departure of 13, 536 Filipino nurses to 31 countries. The majority of them went to the U.K. 
with 5, 383 nurses; Saudi Arabia with 5, 045 and Ireland 1,529. This data is definitely a gross 
underreporting since the International Union of Nurses reported that close to 10,000 Filipino 
nurses were directly hired by US-based hospitals in 2001 alone through their nursing job fairs 
held in various parts of the Philippines. In 2002, the POEA further reported that a total of 11,911 
Filipino nurses left for 33 countries. In 2003, POEA initially reported 8,968 nurses leaving. 
Clearly, the trend is here to stay. Sadly, this situation is no longer “brain drain” but more 
appropriately a “brain hemorrhage” of our skilled Filipino nurses. 


Reasons for Leaving 
Sometimes, leaving the country may be the best way to help because by staying here, 
nurses do not have the means to sustained their families. Many of the nurses want to take care 
of our people but they also have families to feed. The limited career ladder opportunities here 
are also a push factor. In the Philippines, nurses are not recognized as equal health care 
partners. In the US., it's a collaborative task. 
One of the most common reasons why nurses leave the country are the low salary, lack 
of professional opportunities, the need for adventure, sense of obligation to family, desire to 
seek foreign citizenship and health reasons. The Philippines will never be able to compete with 
the salaries offered to nurses in the developed countries. Basic monthly pay abroad ranges from 
$3,000 to $4,000 compared to the $169 average monthly pay in most cities here. In the rural 
areas, nurses receive from $75 to $95 a month. When one compares the net monthly pay of a 
nurse in the Philippines and US. pay, the choice is certainly understandable. Even dentists are 
now taking up nursing courses. Yes, our Filipino nurses are globally competitive in professional 
nursing care and practice but our Filipino salaries will never be competitive. 
Nursina Shortage in the Philippines 
The annual outflow of Filipino nurses for Years 2001-2002 is two to three times greater 
than the annual production of licensed nurses during the same two year period. Since 1999, the 
Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) through the Board of Nursing gives licenses to only 
5, 784 to 8,419 nurses annually. So very soon, the Philippines will be bled dry of nurses. 
In the last 10 years, the Philippines exported close to 90,000 nurses overseas. In 
addition, in the last four years alone, 3,500 doctors left the country to take on nursing posts 
abroad. As a result, we are now exporting more nurses than we are producing, resulting in 
substandard patient care and a real crisis in hospitals. Dr. Jaime Z. Galvez - Tan, Executive 
Director of the National Institutes of Health in the Philippines noted that the migration of Filipino 
nurses is now three times greater than the number of nurses licensed every year. The ones 
leave the country are the skilled and experienced nurses. Most of those who are still here are 
relatively unskilled and inexperienced, and this poses serious implications on the quality of 
health care that they provide. The lack of skilled nurses left in the country will have serious 
negative implications on the quality of health care in the Philippines. 
Qualitv Education of Nurses 
With the proliferation of nursing schools, the quality of nursing education has shown 
signs of deterioration as measured by the proportion of nursing graduates who pass the Board 
of Nursing licensure examinations. In 2001. only 54 percent (4,430 nurses) passed the nurse 
licensure examinations. In 2003, only 45 percent (4, 227 nurses) passed. Compare this with the 
average proportion who passed the nurse licensure examinations from 1994-1998 which was 57 
percent. 
In the last few years, less than half of those taking the nursing board exams passed. 
Many substandard schools have been set up, and many of these play on the dreams of those 
who aspire for a job abroad. As more nurses leave and as fewer are qualifying for the job, the 
quality of health delivery in our hospitals is deteriorating. To date, we have a proliferation of 
unskilled and untrained nurses in our hospitals. One reason is due to a shortage of well trained 
nursing faculty and nursing instructors. The primary reasons for lack of faculty is the inability to 
recruit, hire and retain faculty in the current competitive job market, and lack of nursing faculty 
available in different geographic areas. Our health care system faces unprecedented workforce 
and health access challenges with forthcoming shortages of deans, nursing teachers and 
nursing instructors. The shortage of skilled nursing teachers and nursing instructors 
compromises the quality of patient care. 
In view of the foregoing, there is an urgent need to improve the quality of nursing 
education in order to ensure the production of quality and well trained nurses in the future. 
As such, this proposed measure seeks for the institutionalization of the post-graduate 
training program for nursing teachers and nursing instructors. Under this proposal, those 


nursing teachers who have availed of the post-graduate and doctoral scholarship program will 
be required to teach nursing courses in the country equivalent to two (2) years for every year of 
scholarship grant. With this, the country will be able to ensure that the future generation of 
nursing students in the country will be given quality education. Given that their post-graduate 
nursing studies have been subsidized with the taxes paid by the Filipino people, it is but 
reasonable that they repay the country with their services. 
Moreover, this proposed measure seeks for the creation of a Philippine Cabinet Bilateral 
Negotiation Team for Nursing Concerns which will be in-charged with bilateral negotiations 
pertaining to aid packages to the Philippines and financial assistance to continuously train 
globally competitive nurses in the country, and to improve the quality of our nursing education. 
This is being envisioned given that eventually, the receiving countries for our nurses will be the 
ones benefiting from the services of our nurses. The proposed Philippine Cabinet Bilateral 
Negotiation Team will be tasked to come up with concrete program plan for nursing which will 
be discussed with the receiving countries in order to ensure the sustainable approach in 
managing the nursing human resource situation in the country. 
This proposal is seen as reasonable since these receiving countries do not spend a 
single centavo in the production, training, education and licensure of these Filipino nurses. At 
the very least, they should be able to give grants-in-aid to our country since they are benefiting 
from the services of our highly skilled nurses. While we cannot stop the outflow of nurses 
outside the country, the government has to provide the mechanism in order to ensure that we 
still have qualified and highly trained nursing teachers to educate the future stock of nursing 
graduates in this country. 
This proposed measure also mandates the Department of Health (DOH) to conduct a 
national study on the nursing situation in the country in order to identify the constraints and 
factors encountered by schools of nursing in educating our nursing students in order to meet the 
health care needs of the country. 
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this measure is earnestly sought. 


FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
First Regular Session 
1 
S E N A T E  
S. B. No. 13 
Introduced by Senator Manuel "Lito" M. Lapid 
AM ACT 
TO INSTITUTE A MECHANISM THAT WILL PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE 
AND QUALITY NURSING EDUCATION 1N THE COUNTRY AND FOR 
OTHER PURPOSES 
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 "Sustainable 
Nursing Education Program of 2007". 
SEC. 2. 
Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to promote the 
right to health and ensure the high standards in the practice of the nursing profession in 
the country. As such, the State shall institutionalize a comprehensive program for the 
nursing profession in order to ensure the production of quality and well trained nurses 
for the future generation of this country. 
Towards this end, the State shall provide the holistic mechanisms to update and 
improve the scientific knowledge and technical skills of our nursing graduates in order to 
promote quality health care service delivery to our patients. 
SEC. 3. 
Nursing Faculty Post Graduate Training Program. - To ensure 
that the future generation of nursing students in the country will be given quality 
education, there is hereby established a Nursing Faculty Post Graduate Training 
Program envisioned to provide post-graduate and doctoral training program for our 
nursing teachers and instructor in order for them to become effective nursing educators. 


SEC. 4. 
Eligibility Requirement for the Nursing Faculty P ost-Graduate 
Education Program. - To be eligible to receive a scholarship grant under this Act, an 
entity shall- 
possess a comprehensive knowledge of the subject area to be taught as 
evidenced by a satisfactory rating on a standardized test; 
demonstrate mastery in the filed of nursing education and have a strong 
record of positively affecting academic achievement, as demonstrated by observations 
from supervisors and student data; 
has been teaching nursing subjects in colleges and universities for not 
less than three (3) years; 
possess certification in the field and level in which the nursing faculty 
primarily taught during the 3 years preceding the year for which the determination is 
made; 
is employed as a full-time nursing faculty in an academic institution duly 
possess other attributes that are linked to effective teaching, as identified 
(1) 
(2) 
(3) 
(4) 
(5) 
accredited by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED); and 
(6) 
by CHED. 
SEC. 5. 
Distribution of Awards. - The CHED, in awarding the Nursing 
Faculty Post Graduate Scholarship Grants, shall consider the distribution of awards 
among eligible individuals of regions and geographic locations. 
(a) 
Merit Review. - The post-graduate scholarship grants to be given to the 
nursing faculties and instructors, as provided for in this Act, shall be given on a 
competitive and merit-reviewed basis. The criteria for an award under this Act shall 
include the impact of the award on the overall geographic distribution of the program 
with the objective of avoiding undue concentration of scholarship awards in one (1) 
region. 
Use of Granfs. - The Scholarship Grants provided for under this Act shall 
be used by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to develop and implement a 
program to further train our nursing faculty and instructors to become effective nursing 
teachers, through developing and offering post-graduate and doctoral academic degree 
programs in the field of nursing education in order to prepare our nursing teachers to 
become effective educators. 
Application Process. - Any eligible individual who desires to be a recipient 
of the Nursing Faculty Post Graduate Scholarship Program, as envisioned under this 
Act, shall submit an application to any of the Regional and Provincial Offices of the 
Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in such manner and accompanied by such 
information as the Commission will require. 
(b) 
(c) 


(d) 
Recruitment and Selection of Eligible Individuals for the Nursing Faculty 
fosf Graduafe Scholarship Program. - The CHED shall recruit eligible individuals for the 
Nursing Faculty Post Graduate Scholarship Program. The Post Graduate Scholarship 
Grants, envisioned under this Act, shall be awarded to nursing faculties who have been 
teaching nursing education subjects in colleges and universities. 
(e) 
Coverage of the Scholarship. - The coverage of the scholarship to be 
awarded to nursing faculties shall include tuition fees, book allowance, reasonable 
stipend and transportation allowance. The maximum years of scholarship grant shall be 
determined by CHED based on the nature of the post-graduate and doctoral academic 
degree. 
Appropriation. - To implement the provisions of this section, there is 
hereby authorized to be appropriated to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) 
the amount of Php 100,000,000.00 to be used exclusively for the implementation of the 
Nursing Faculty Post Graduate Program, as defined under this Act. 
(9 
SEC. 6. 
Service Obligations of the Scholars. - A recipient of the Nursing 
Post Graduate Training programs, provided for in this Act, shall be required after 
graduation from the post-graduate or doctoral degree program for which the scholarship 
was awarded, to undertake a teaching-year-service as a nursing faculty to hislher 
parent institution equivalent to two (2) years for every year of scholarship grant. 
As a pre-condition of acceptance of the Nursing Faculty Post Graduate Training 
Program, as provided for under this Act, a recipient shall enter into an agreement with 
the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) - 
CHED; 
(a) 
accepting the terms of the scholarship pursuant to guidelines set forth by 
agreeing to teach as a full-time nursing faculty to hislher parent institution 
equivalent to two (2) years for every year of the scholarship award after completing the 
course of study for which the applicant received a scholarship grant; 
agreeing to provide the CHED with annual certification of employment and 
up to-date contact information and to participate in surveys provided by CHED as part of 
an ongoing assessment program; and 
agreeing that in the event that the recipient is determined to have failed or 
refused to carry out such service obligation, the sum of the amounts of such scholarship 
grant will be treated as a loan and collected from the applicant in accordance with 
guidelines and regulations set forth by CHED. 
(b) 
(c) 
(d) 
SEC. 7. 
Philippine National Council for Nursing. - There is hereby 
created a Philippine National Council for Nursing (PNCN) which shall be composed of 


all the major national organizations involved in the nursing profession, namely: the 
Philippine Nurses Association, the Association of Deans of Colleges and Schools of 
Nursing, the Board of Nursing, the League of Government Nurses, and the Private Duty 
Nurses Association. 
The Philippine National Council for Nursing shall perform the following functions, 
namely: 
a) 
to develop a IO-year strategic and operational plan for nursing education 
and human resource development in the Philippines; 
b) 
to act as an oversight body for the implementation of all nursing policies, 
legislations and regulations; 
c) 
d) 
e) 
to be the locus for the national data bank on nurses and nursing; 
to be the national sounding board for all nursing issues and concerns; and 
to coordinate all efforts in uplift and upgrade the nursing profession. 
SEC. 8. 
Purpose and Objectives of the Council. - 
The Philippine 
National Council for Nursing shall be instituted to serve the following objectives and 
purposes, namely: 
profession in the country; 
providers to discharge their responsibilities effectively; 
competence, and medical conduct in the practice of the nursing profession; 
a) 
to elevate the standards of health service delivery in the nursing 
b) 
to improve the health service delivery and enable the nurse health 
c) 
to foster and maintain high ideals of integrity, learning, professional 
d) 
to provide forum and avenue for discussion of new nursing techniques and 
equipments in the delivery of health provider - patient relationship; 
e) 
to promote a continuing program of nursing research, and disseminate the 
same through Information, education and communication (IEC) campaigns; 
9 
g) 
to bring together and unite the entire nursing profession in the Philippines; 
to serve as an authoritative source of information regarding the practice of 
to promote the practice of the nursing profession in the context of 
the nursing profession; and 
Philippine setting. 
For this purpose, there is hereby created a position of an Undersecretary of 
Health for Nursing Concerns, who should be a nurse, to chair the Philippine National 
Council for Nursing. 
h) 
SEC. 9. 
Sources offunds - The funds of the Philippine National Council 
for Nursing shall be derived from dues and assessments, donations, bequests, 


contributions of members, affiliation fees, as well as income from conventions, 
investments and projects of the Philippine National Council for Nursing, and income- 
generating activities of the Council. 
SEC. IO. 
Philippine Cabinet Bilateral Negotiation Team for Nursing 
Concerns. - There is hereby created and institutionalized, under this Act, a Philippine 
Cabinet Bilateral Negotiation Team to be composed of the Secretaries of the 
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), 
the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Commission on Higher 
Education (CHED), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of 
Health (DOH). 
The Philippine Cabinet Bilateral Negotiation Team for Nursing Concerns is 
tasked with the primary duty to conduct bilateral discussions with the receiving countries 
of our nursing graduate, whose discussion will on issues concerning partnership 
approach between the Philippines and these receiving countries. 
Philippine Cabinet Bilateral Negotiation Team for Nursing Concerns will be in- 
charged with negotiations pertaining to aid packages to the Philippines and financial 
assistance to continuously train our nursing students, constantly improve the quality of 
our nursing education, to offer nursing scholarship grants to our nursing faculties and 
nursing instructors. The negotiating team shall be tasked to come up with concrete 
programs for nursing and health human resource development for discussions with the 
receiving countries in order to ensure the sustainable approach in managing the nursing 
human resource situation in the country. 
SEC. 11. 
Long Term Study on the State of Nursing Education in the 
Country. - The Department of Health (DOH) is hereby mandated to conduct a 
comprehensive study on the state of the long-term nursing supply and demand in the 
country, which shall include the following variables: 
The trends in applications for attendance at schools of nursing, including 
trends regarding applicants who are accepted for enrollment in nursing; 
The number and demographic characteristics of entry-level and graduate 
students currently enrolled in our schools of nursing, the retention rates at the schools, 
and the number of recent graduates from the schools, as compared to previous years 
and to the projected need for registered nurses based on two-year, five-year, and ten- 
year projections; 
(3) 
The number and demographic characteristics of nurses who pursue 
graduate education in nursing and non-nursing programs but do not pursue faculty 
positions in schools of nursing, the reasons thereof, including any regulatory barriers to 
(1) 
(2) 


choosing to pursue such positions, and the effect of such decisions on the ability of the 
schools to obtain adequate numbers of faculty members; 
The extent to which entry-level graduates of the schools are satisfied with 
their educational preparation, including their participation in nurse externships, 
internships, and residency programs, and to which they are able to effectively transition 
into the nursing workforce: 
(4) 
(5) 
The satisfaction of nurse administrators with respect to the preparation 
and performance levels of entry-level graduates from the schools after one-year, three- 
year, and five-years of practice; 
(6) 
The extent to which the current salary, benefit structures, and 
characteristics of the workplace, including the number of nurses who are presently 
serving in faculty positions, influence the career path of nurses who have pursued 
graduate education; and 
(7) 
The extent to which the use of innovative technologies clinical nursing 
education might provide for an increase in the ability of schools of nursing to train 
qualified nurses. 
The Department of Health is hereby required to report to Congress the results of 
the study for policy implication purposes to facilitate the recruitment of students into the 
nursing profession; to facilitate the retention of nurses in the workplace; and to improve 
the resources and ability of the education and health care systems to prepare a 
sufficient number of qualified registered nurses in the country. 
SEC. 12. 
Creation of a Nursing Development Trust Fund. - There is 
hereby established in the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) a trust fund in the 
initial amount of Php 100,000,000.00 pesos to be known as the “Nursing Development 
Trust Fund”, hereafter referred to as the “Nursing Fund” to be administered by CHED to 
implement the provisions of this Act. 
a) 
lnvesfment of Trust Fund. - The CHED shall direct the Treasurer of the 
Philippines of the Bureau of the Treasury to invest and reinvest the Nursing Fund in 
public debt securities with maturities suitable for the needs of the Trust Fund, and 
bearing interest at rates determined by the Bureau of the Treasury, taking into 
consideration the current average market yield on outstanding marketable obligations of 
the country of comparable maturities. Interest earned shall be credited to the Nursing. 
b) 
The income accruing from the Nursing Fund principal shall be used to 
contribute to the funding of scholarships awarded pursuant to the provisions of this Act. 
SEC. 13. 
Repod to Congress. - Within three (3) years from the effectivity of 
this Act, the Secretary of the Department of Health (DOH) shall conduct an evaluation of 


the implementation of the provisions of this Act. The Secretary of Health shall submit to 
both Houses of Congress a report, which shall include, among others, the following 
data, namely: 
a) 
An examination of the capacity of nursing schools to meet workforce 
needs on a nationwide basis; 
b) 
An analysis and discussion of sustainability options for the state of nursing 
supply and demand in the country; 
An examination on the implementation of the post graduate nursing 
education training for our nursing faculties and instructors in providing sustainable 
supply of nurses in the country; 
education in the country; 
c) 
d) 
An analysis of the impact of this Act on the production of quality nursing 
e) 
An analysis of the compensation disparities between nursing clinical 
practitioners and nurse faculty and between higher education nurse faculty and higher 
education faculty overall; 
f) 
Policy recommendations to enhance faculty retention and the nursing 
workforce in the country. 
SEC. 14. 
lmplementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). - The Commission 
on Higher Education (CHED), in consultation with the Department of Health (DOH), the 
Philippine Nurses Association, the Association of Deans of Colleges and Schools of 
Nursing, the Board of Nursing, the League of Government Nurses, and the Private Duty 
Nurses Association, shall promulgate the implementing rules and regulations of this Act 
within 90 days after the enactment of Act. 
SEC. 15. 
Repealing Clause. -All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and 
regulations or parts thereof not consistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby 
repealed or modified accordingly. 
SEC. 16. 
Separability Clause. - If any provision or part of this Act, or the 
application thereof to any person or circumstance, is held unconstitutional or invalid, the 
remainder of this Act shall not be affected thereby. 
SEC. 17. 
Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
from the date of its complete publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) 
national newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved,