Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 2587 
Introduced by HON. JORGE DANIEL S. BOCOBO 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Medical record keeping plays an essential role in any healthcare system. For Filipinos in 
general, it is not a usual practice to keep such documentation – whether of previous check-
ups, diagnostic test results, medications, treatments, and procedures done, among others. 
Thus, government intervention in incorporating technological advancements in healthcare is 
imperative to assist Filipinos as well as healthcare professionals and providers in record-
keeping and making medical history readily available when needed. 
The Health Passport System can help address this gap as its purpose is to provide each 
Filipino with a document that reflects each individual’s full medical history and other relevant 
data, providing both the medical practitioner and the patient a full picture of the latter’s 
condition. In the event of emergencies, this will also be a handy tool that can be essential in 
saving lives.  
Also, medical data recorded in the health passport cautions the patient to be aware of his 
congenital or hereditary illness consistent with the saying that to be forewarned is to be 
forearmed. Hence, an individual can make the necessary preparations to prevent further 
complication of his illness. In addition, couples will know the medical history of his or her 
partner and give them the chance to take steps to ensure the health of their children. The 
health passport will also help doctors and dentists monitor if their patients are being compliant 
with their scheduled health check-ups and undergo recommended medical tests.  
The importance of diagnostic tests may be emphasized by the fact that many suffer from 
misdiagnosed illnesses due to the absence of proper information. Through these tests, 
illnesses, medication, and other medical procedures are accurately determined. Recording of 
the results of these tests to one’s health passport will guide physicians in making proper 
diagnosis, give other physicians a better perspective of the medical history of the patient, and 
prevent duplication of tests being done on the same patient. Furthermore, most modern 
hospitals in the Philippines are already using digitalized results of diagnostics tests, which 
makes it easier for patients, especially if they have more than one doctor, to look at their 
medical results.  
To use the health passport, all the patient has to do is to present it whenever he/she avails of 
the medical services of any public hospital, clinic, or diagnostic and treatment facilities.  This 
document also intends to assist the doctor examining the patient’s medical condition, either in 
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a private or public medical facility. However, the health passport, along with PhilHealth, will 
not be fully and seamlessly functional if the primary health care system is not established.  
Moreover, this measure fully harnesses the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) by 
integrating every Health Passport to the holder’s PhilSys Number and, at the holder’s option, 
embedding a machine-readable QR code on the physical or digital PhilSys ID. This is 
envisioned to provide efficient information flow, which in turn, could streamline enrolment, 
shorten queues, and fortify data security.  
For these reasons, more than the provision of the Health Passport System, this bill’s objective 
is to strengthen the primary healthcare system to effect change that is felt by all. Evaluation 
and monitoring systems will be in place to guarantee that our Rural Health Units will meet the 
world’s standard of primary healthcare.  
Finally, the bill also institutionalizes an Annual Comprehensive Check-Up Program by 
mandating the Department of Health and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation to 
provide every Filipino with a free, full medical examination once a year, the results of which 
will be automatically encoded in the Health Passport. Although universal screening may 
appear expensive at the beginning, it will ultimately cost far less to detect illnesses early, 
preventing costly hospitalizations and keeping the population healthier and more productive 
in the long run.  
In view of the foregoing, it is my earnest desire that this measure will be expeditiously passed.
JORGE DANIEL S. BOCOBO 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 2587 
Introduced by HON. JORGE DANIEL S. BOCOBO 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL HEALTH PASSPORT SYSTEM INTEGRATED WITH THE 
PHILIPPINE IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM (PHILSYS), STRENGTHENING PRIMARY 
HEALTHCARE BY MANDATING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND THE PHILIPPINE 
HEALTH INSURANCE CORPORATION TO ENSURE THAT EVERY INDIGENT OR 
DISADVANTAGED FILIPINO CITIZEN RECEIVES, FREE OF CHARGE, A 
COMPREHENSIVE EXECUTIVE CHECK-UP AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR, 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Health Passport System Act”. 
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. The State 
guarantees universal access to affordable and quality health care services from the 
government, especially to the underprivileged. 
Also, the State recognizes the need to adopt an integrated and comprehensive approach to 
health development, which shall endeavour to make essential goods, health and other social 
services available to all the people at affordable costs. 
It is also the policy of the State to promote scientific and technological research and 
development, foster invention, and utilize scientific knowledge as an effective instrument for 
the promotion of national progress. This includes the full utilization of the latest technology in 
the delivery of basic services to Filipinos, including healthcare services.  
In pursuit of an integrated approach to health development, the State shall harness the 
Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) created under Republic Act No. 11055 as the 
foundational digital identity for every Health Passport holder, thereby avoiding duplicative 
enrolment and ensuring seamless authentication across all public-health facilities. 
SECTION 3. National Health Passport System. – Consistent with the above policies, the 
Department of Health (DOH), in joint coordination with the Department of Information and 
Communications Technology (DICT), the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), 
the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Department of the Interior 
and Local Government (DILG), the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and the Local 
Government Units (LGUs), shall design and implement the National Health Passport System. 


SECTION 4. Content and Purpose. – For purposes of this Act, the Health Passport shall be 
the personal record booklet containing: 
 
a. A patient’s medical and dental history as recorded by a duly-licensed healthcare 
professional; 
b. The names of duly-licensed healthcare professionals which the patient consulted, 
including the date of such consultation; 
c. Results of laboratory examinations; 
d. Diagnosis; 
e. Immunization records; 
f. 
Drugs and medical devices prescribed, including the quantity and frequency of 
intake or use, as the case may be, of the same; 
g. Information on all medical and health related benefits provided by laws, including 
benefits from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth);  
h. Information regarding the patient’s medical rights and privileges under the 
passport system; and 
i. 
Such other details which the DOH may deem appropriate.  
 
The Health Passport shall be used as valid identification to avail of free medical services, 
including diagnostics and treatment, in public hospitals, subject to the guidelines to be set by 
the DOH.  
 
The DICT and DOST may utilize the latest available technology, such as, but not limited to, 
the use of a Quick Response (QR) Code which shall be linked with permanent PhilHealth 
membership number and other pertinent details, to implement this Act. 
 
SECTION 5. Integration with the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys). –   The 
National Health Passport System shall be interoperable with the PhilSys registry so that every 
Health Passport is linked to the holder’s PhilSys Number (PSN) and may be accessed or 
presented through PhilSys-enabled credentials, physical or digital. The DOH and all other 
implementing agencies shall verify the PSN prior to the creation of any Health Passport record, 
to prevent duplicate or fictitious enrolments. 
 
Upon the Health Passport holder’s option, a machine‑readable QR code, or any successor 
digital platform approved by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), containing a secure 
Uniform Resource Locator (URL) to the holder’s Health Passport record may be printed or 
embedded on the PhilID. Presentation of said PhilID or its digital equivalent shall constitute 
full compliance with any requirement to present the Health Passport. 
 
SECTION 6. Authority to Access Passport. – All personal and health‑related information 
processed under this Act shall be protected in accordance with Republic Act No. 10173, 
Republic Act No. 11055, and their respective implementing rules and regulations. The DOH, 
PSA, and DICT shall implement a consent‑management mechanism by which data subjects 
may approve or refuse access to their Health Passport records. In the absence of the relatives, 
the physician in charge of the patient shall be authorized to review the patient’s Health 
Passport. 
 
SECTION 7. Scope of the Health Passport Program. – All Filipino citizens shall be entitled 
to a personal Health Passport, which shall be used for availing of medical services or treatment 
provided in public or private medical institutions. 
 
The parents or legal guardians of children born after the effectivity of this Act shall be required 
to enroll their children in the Health Passport System program. Failure to provide the child with 
medical check-ups and immunization shall constitute an act of child abuse or cruelty, 


punishable under Republic Act No. 7610, otherwise known as the “Special Protection of 
Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.” 
 
SECTION 8. Procedure. – Cities, municipalities, and Barangays, together with the DSWD 
and in coordination with the PSA, shall be responsible for the distribution of health passports. 
 
SECTION 9. Annual Comprehensive Check-Up Program. – The DOH, in coordination with 
the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), the Department of the Interior and 
Local Government (DILG) and all LGUs, shall ensure that every indigent or disadvantaged 
Filipino citizen receives, at least once per calendar year, a comprehensive medical 
examination free of charge at any public primary healthcare facility. 
The examination shall cover, as a minimum, physical and dental assessment, laboratory 
diagnostics, routine immunizations, and disease screenings, as specified in a guideline to be 
issued by the DOH. The full results of the examination shall be recorded in the individual’s 
Health Passport. 
 
The cost of the annual check-up package shall be chargeable to the budget of the DOH and 
to PhilHealth’s relevant benefit packages, with such amounts as may be necessary included 
in the annual General Appropriations Act. 
 
SECTION 10. Digitization of Public Health Facility Records. – In the pursuit of seamless 
and efficient health care service, all public health facilities nationwide, with priority for Rural 
Health Units, are directed to digitize all medical records and evaluation results. This is to create 
a shareable database to consolidate all information that will be easily accessible in time of 
need. 
 
SECTION 11. Senior Citizens Privileges. – All privileges granted to senior citizens under the 
Senior Citizen’s Act and other laws shall also apply to senior citizens with health passports. 
Medical institutions shall give priority to senior citizens on their needs. 
 
SECTION 12. Rural Health Units Assessment Report. – DOH shall submit an initial 
assessment report to the House of Representatives and the Senate on the status of every 
Rural Health Unit (RHU) within ninety (90) days of the effectivity of this Act to identify which 
RHUs do not meet the universal standards for quality primary healthcare. 
 
SECTION 13. Roadmap for the Improvement of Rural Health Units. – Based on the Rural 
Health Units Assessment Report, as mandated by the preceding section, the DOH shall 
likewise prepare a comprehensive roadmap elaborating the recommended steps to improve 
the quality of primary healthcare.  
 
Annually thereafter, an update report pertaining to the progress of the RHUs shall be submitted 
to the House of Representatives and the Senate for purposes of monitoring and evaluation. 
 
SECTION 14. Implementing Agency. – The DOH, in consultation with the PSA and 
PhilHealth, shall promulgate the implementing rules and regulations necessary to carry out 
the provisions of this Act, and administer this program in coordination with the local 
government units concerned and other agencies whose functions are bound to affect the 
implementation of this system. 
 
In this connection, the DOH is hereby mandated to conduct further study on this system. The 
Department shall also assess the capabilities of the health institutions in the local government 
units as well as the availability of laboratory apparatuses to put into service the provisions of 
this Act. 
 


SECTION 15. Appropriation. – The sum necessary for the effective implementation of this 
Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act. 
 
SECTION 16. Separability Clause. – If any provision or part of this Act shall be held invalid 
or unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provisions not otherwise affected shall 
remain valid and subsisting. 
 
SECTION 17. Repealing Clause. – All laws, decrees, orders, issuances or portions thereof, 
which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified 
accordingly. 
 
SECTION 18. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following the completion 
of its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation, 
whichever comes earlier 
  
Approved,