NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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First Regular Session 
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V. -'affs;;- on''.' "T -f
•22 JUL 12 P5 :07
SENATE 
S. No. 421
Introduced by Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" T. Go
AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING AN EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES SYSTEM, 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
At all times, especially during times of emergencies, it is necessary to have a 
well-coordinated, fast and effective response mechanism to prevent loss of lives and 
property. This bill provides for a comprehensive Emergency Medical Services (EMS) 
System that will allow the effective, coordinated, and timely delivery of health and 
safety services to victims of sudden illness or injury in the pre-hospital setting.
In 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order (EO) No. 56 to 
establish the Emergency 911 Hotline as the nationwide emergency hotline number 
which acts as a call center linking people needing assistance to emergency resources 
of the government such as the police, firefighters, medical workers and rescue 
services.
This proposed legislation seeks to institutionalize the nationwide emergency 
hotline number and mandates mobile phone service providers to provide access to the 
hotline number free of charge.
This bill also proposes the setting up of a dedicated dispatch center in all local 
government units equipped with emergency vehicles and trained personnel.


An EMS Council is also established to ensure the development of national 
standards and programs for the provision of emergency medical services to include, 
among others, the skills and competencies required for EMS personnel and the 
development of mandatory national emergency medical services treatment protocols 
to be observed by EMS personnel.
In view of the foregoing, the immediate enactment of this measure is sought.
SENATOR CHRISTOPHE
lWRENCE "BONG" T. GO


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
.vjj5f(irr of I:)! 
»n>
*22 JUL12 P5 -07
S. No.
SENATE
421
Rl:CH!'a01T
Introduced by Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" T. Go
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AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING AN EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES SYSTEM, 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
CHAPTER I
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Emergency Medical 
Services System (EMSS) Act of2022."
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State to 
protect and promote the right to health of the people. Pursuant to this national policy, 
the government shall institutionalize a comprehensive, accessible, integrated and 
standardized system of emergency medical services and provide an environment that 
will maximize the capability and potential of emergency medical services (EMS) 
personnel.
Sec. 3. Objectives. - This Act has the following objectives:
a) To create a national Emergency Medical Services System Council;
b) To develop and institutionalize an emergency medical services system at 
the national and local government;
c) To encourage and promote the active participation of the private sector in 
the provision of emergency medical services;


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d) To establish a national standard for an emergency medical services such as 
training of EMS institutions and personnel, and establishing standards for 
design, accreditation and regulation of emergency medical vehicles;
e) To institutionalize the use of a Nationwide Emergency Hotline Number;
f) To establish and provide support services to emergency medical services;
g) To promote public safety and accessible emergency medical services to the 
people especially those in need of emergency medical services and give 
priority for the under-served and unserved communities; and
h) To adopt an emergency medical service protocol in times of natural and 
man-made disasters.
Sec 4. Definition of Terms. - For purposes of this Act, the following terms are 
hereby defined:
a) Accredited training and assessment institutions refer to organizations 
accredited by the EMSS Council to offer training programs, courses, 
continuing education and competency-based assessment in Emergency 
Medical Services for EMS personnel;
b) Ambulance or Emergency medical vehicle refers to a vehicle designed and 
equipped for transporting sick or Injured patients to, from, and between 
places of treatment by land, water or air, affording safety and comfort to 
the patients and avoiding illness or injury;
c) Basic Life Support (BLS) refers to a group of actions and interventions used 
to resuscitate and stabilize victims of cardiac and respiratory arrest. These 
BLS actions and interventions includes the recognition of a Cardiac or a 
Respiratory emergency or Stroke, activation of the emergency response 
system, CPR and relief of foreign-body airway obstruction;
d) Emergency medical services (EMS) refer to:
(1) Emergency care which refers to the independent delivery of pre-hospital 
emergency medical services by appropriately trained and certified EMS 
personnel, usually in a mobile or community setting, in full accordance 
with the Emergency Medical Services Treatment Protocols established 
by the EMSSC;


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(2) Advanced Life Support which refers to a set of life saving protocols and 
skills that extend beyond BLS;
e) Emergency Medical Services Personnel refers to a trained and certified 
personnel engaged in the provision of emergency medical services during 
emergencies. Responders may either be health professionals or non-health 
professionals;
f) Emergency Medical Services System refers to the arrangement and 
coordination of personnel, facilities, and equipment for the effective delivery 
of emergency medical services required in the management of 
emergencies; for the management and prevention of further incidents or 
accidents and the broad range of emergency care from emergency care to 
transport in an intensive care setting;
g) Emergency Response and Care refers to the arrival of resources at the scene 
and the timely initiation and provision of appropriate medical interventions; 
and
h) Medical Emergency refers to any acute or life-threatening condition that 
requires Immediate intervention by competent medical personnel.
CHAPTER II
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES SYSTEMS COUNCIL
Sec. 5. Creation of the Emergency Medical Services Systems Council. - There 
shall be a council to be known as the "Emergency Medical Services Systems Council", 
hereinafter referred to as the Council.
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Sec. 6. Powers and Functions of the EMSSC - The Council shall perform the
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following functions:
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(a) To formulate policies governing the field of emergency medical services and
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related institutions;
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(b) To develop national standards for the provision of emergency medical
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services to include, among others, the skills and competencies required for


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EMS personnel and the development of mandatory national emergency 
medical services treatment protocols to be observed by EMS personnel and 
such other entities as it may consider appropriate;
(c) To promulgate a Code of Ethics for EMS personnel;
(d) To develop high standards of operation for EMS personnel;
(e) To develop standards and protocols for the design, construction, outfitting 
and operations of emergency medical vehicles
(f) To integrate the training and study of standard Basic Life Support and First 
Aid in different kinds of situations and emergencies in the curriculum of all 
public and private educational institutions.
(g) To ensure the establishment of a system of networking and coordination 
among all existing government health agencies, LGUs, and private and non­
government medical institutions for the effective implementation of this 
Act;
(h) To monitor compliance by all LGUs and government and private health 
facilities, of the standards and requirements set out in this Act;
(i) To create committees and other mechanisms to help expedite the 
implementation of plans and strategies;
0) To generate resources from local, national and international organizations 
and agencies, whether government or private sector, for its operation;
(k) To receive and accept donations and other conveyances including funds, 
materials and services by gratuitous title: Provided, that not more than 
twenty percent (20%) of said funds shall be used for administrative 
expenses;
(l) To advise the President on matters pertaining to EMS;
(m) To investigate complaints against violators of this Act, Its rules and 
regulations and policies of the Council;
(n) To request any department, instrumentality, office, bureau or agency of 
the government, including LGUs, to render such assistance as it may 
require in order to carry out, enforce or implement the provisions of this 
Act;
(o) To meet at least once every quarter; and


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(р) To promulgate rules and regulations and policies of the Council and enforce 
the provisions of this Act.
Sec. 7. Membership of the Council. - The members of the Council shall be 
composed of the following:
(a) The Secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) 
as Chairperson of the Council;
(b) The Secretary of the Department of Health (DOH) as Co-Chairperson;
(с) The Secretary of the Department of Information, Communication and 
Technology (DICT);
(d) The Head of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD);
(e) The President of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP);
(f) The President of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP);
(g) The President of the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP);
(h) The Chief of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP); and
(i) Three (3) representatives from civil society organizations (CSOs) who are 
involved in the practice and implementation of emergency medical services.
Sec. 8. Compensation and Remuneration. - Public officials or employees who 
are members of the Council shall perform their duties as such without compensation 
or remuneration, subject to reasonable per diem allowances as approved by the 
Council and subject to existing rules and regulations of the Department of Budget and 
Management (DBM). Members who are not public officials or employees shall be 
entitled to necessary traveling expenses, per diem and representation allowances 
chargeable against funds of the Department of Interior and Local Government, as 
approved by the Council, subject to existing rules and regulations of the DBM.
Sec. 9. The Secretariat. - The BFP shall serve as the Secretariat of the Council.
Sec. 10. Program Plans. - The Council shall within six (6) months after having 
been officially constituted, shall adopt and immediately cause to be implemented an 
Emergency Medical Services development program for the implementation of the 
objectives of this Act.


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Sec. 11. Accreditation. - The Council shall issue certifications and licenses for 
the accreditation of training and assessment institutions for EMS personnel.
CHAPTER III
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES PERSONNEL
Sec. 12. Creation of PiantiHa Positions for Emergency Medical Services 
Personnel - In coordination with the DBM, there shall be created a minimum number 
of plantilla positions for EMS personnel in the following government health facilities 
within two (2) years from the approval of this Act:
(a) Level 3 Hospitals - Ten (10) EMS personnel and at least one (1) Ambulance 
Assistant;
(b) Level 2 Hospitals - Eight (8) EMS personnel and at least one (1) Ambulance 
Assistant;
(c) Level 1 Hospitals - Six (6) EMS personnel and at least one (1) Ambulance 
Assistant;
Each province, cit/ and municipality shall also employ appropriate number of 
EMS personnel as it may deem necessary. Local government units shall endeavor to 
have at least (2) EMS personnel in every rural health unit.
In accordance with Republic Act No. 11589, otherwise known as the "Bureau 
of Fire Modernization Act", the BFP shall employ EMS personnel in every municipality 
and city.
Sec. 13. Authorized Training Institution. - Ail EMS personnel shall be duly 
trained by accredited training and assessment institutions. The Council shall develop 
a continuing education program for all EMS personnel.
Training programs, courses and continuing education for an EMS personnel 
shall be conducted by an institution that has been granted accreditation by the 
Council.


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Sec. 14. Code of Ethics of EMS PersonneL - The Council, in coordination with 
the appropriate agencies, shall adopt and promulgate the Code of Ethics and the Code 
of Technical Standards for EMS personnel to include, among others, duties of EMS 
personnel to emergency medical patients, to the community, and to their colleagues.
CHAPTER IV
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES VEHICLES AND DISPATCH
Sec. 15. Emergency Medical Vehicles. - The Council shall develop minimum 
requirements for the design, construction, performance, equipment, testing and 
appearance of emergency medical vehicles.
The DILG, in coordination with the DOH, shall design a specification and an 
accreditation systems and procedures for ambulances and other emergency medical 
vehicles in accordance with the requirements set forth by the Council.
The emergency medical vehicle shall be so designed and constructed to provide 
the patient with safety and comfort, and to prevent aggravation of the patient's injury 
or illness.
Sec 16. Emergency Dispatch. - All provinces, cities and municipalities, in 
coordination with the BFP, are mandated to establish their dispatch centers where 
constituents can call in all cases of emergencies, with adequate and qualified 
personnel. The dispatch centers shall follow the prescribed guidelines on dispatch 
protocol as determined by the Council.
Sec. 17. Emergency Response, Care and Transport. - All provinces, cities and 
municipalities, in coordination with the BFP and DOH, shall ensure the availability of 
adequate emergency transport vehicles or ambulances with qualified EMS personnel. 
All emergency transport vehicles and the procedures to be undertaken in responding


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and caring for patients shall follow the prescribed guidelines of the DOH and the 
Council on ambulance services and on emergency response and care.
The DOH shall include In its Health Facilities Enhancement Program subsidy for 
the emergency transport vehicles and ambulances of local government units with low 
capacity in terms of fiscal resources and local government units with high poverty 
incidence.
Sec. 18. Inter-Agency and Inter-jurisdictional Referral and Transport. - This 
Council shall establish the prescribed protocols and guidelines on inter-agency and 
inter-jurisdictional referral and transport.
CHAPTER V
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
Sec. 19. Adoption of a Nationwide Emergency Hotline Number. - Within two 
(2) years from the approval of this Act, there shall established a nationwide emergency 
hotline number to be operated by the DICT, in coordination with the DILG and the 
DOH. Towards this end, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the 
Council, in consultation with mobile phone service providers, shall develop a program 
for the adoption of a nationwide emergency hotline number. The hotline number shall 
be able to link callers with service responders including, but not limited to, the 
following:
(a) Philippine National Police;
(b) Bureau of Fire Protection;
(c) Public hospitals;
(d) EMS dispatch centers;
(e) Other law enforcement agencies as determined by the DILG.
All mobile phone service providers are mandated to provide access to the 
nationwide emergency hotline number free of charge.


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Sec. 20. Staffing. - The DICT and all service providers, in coordination with the 
DBM, shall formulate a staffing pattern to effectively and efficiently carry out the 
objectives of Section 19 of this Act.
Voice service providers to be employed in accordance with this Act shall be duly 
trained to handle distress and emergency calls. It shall be the duty of every voice 
service provider to provide its subscribers with access to service responders.
Sec. 21. Prohibited Acts and Penalties on Emergency Communications. -
(a) Any person who makes a telephone call to an emergency hotline number 
with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any person who answers 
the telephone call shall be guilty with the first offense and, subject to 
subsection (c) of this section, shall be compelled to attend a seminar on 
the proper use of the nationwide emergency hotline number. Upon 
commission of the offense for the second time, the offender shall, upon 
conviction, be imposed with a fine of not less than Five hundred pesos 
(P500.00) but not more than One thousand pesos (P1,000.00). Upon 
commission of the offense for the third and succeeding times, the offender 
shall, upon conviction, be imposed with a penalty of imprisonment of not 
less than one (1) month but not more than six (6) months or a fine of not 
less than Two thousand pesos 16 (P2,000.00) but not more than Five 
thousand pesos (P5,000.00), or both, at the discretion of the court.
(b) Any person who makes a telephone call to an emergency hotline number 
and, upon the call being answered, makes or solicits any comment, request, 
suggestion, proposal or sound which is obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy or 
indecent, shall be mandated to attend a seminar on the proper use of the 
nationwide emergency hotline number for the first offense. Upon 
commission of the offense for the second time, the offender shall, upon 
conviction, be imposed with a fine of not less than Five hundred pesos 
(P500.00) but not more than One thousand pesos (P1,000.00). Upon 
commission of the offense for the third and succeeding times, the offender 
shall, upon conviction, be imposed with a penalty of imprisonment of not


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less than one (1) month but not more than six (6) months or a fine of not 
less than Two thousand pesos (P2,000.00) but not more than Five thousand 
pesos (PS/OOO.OO), or both, at the discretion of the court.
(c) A person who gives a false report of a medical emergency or gives false 
information in connection with a medical emergency, or makes a false 
alarm of a medical emergency, knowing the report or information or alarm 
to be false; or makes a false request for ambulance service to an ambulance 
service provider, knowing the request to be false, shall be mandated to 
attend a seminar on the proper use of the nationwide emergency hotline 
number for the first offense. Upon commission of the offense for the second 
time, the offender shall, upon conviction, be imposed with a fine of not less 
than Two thousand pesos (P2,000.00) but not more than Five thousand 
pesos (P5,000.00) and payment of damages. Upon commission of the 
offense for the third and succeeding times, the offender shall, upon 
conviction, be imposed with a penalty of imprisonment of not less than one 
(1) year but not more than three (3) years or a fine of not less than Five 
thousand pesos (P5,000.00) but not more than Ten thousand pesos 
(P10,000.00) and payment of damages, or both, at the discretion of the 
court.
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CHAPTER VI 
OTHER PROVISIONS
Sec. 22. Role of the LGUs. - The LGUs are hereby mandated to develop and 
institutionalize an emergency medical service system within their area of jurisdiction. 
The Council shall include in its programs, activities that will support and enable the 
LGUs to accomplish such task.
Sec. 23. Enforcement of the Emergency Medical Sen/ices System. - The DILG, 
DOFI, DICT, local government units and all relevant agencies, instrumentalities, offices 
or bureaus of the government that are involved in the enforcement of emergency
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medical services, are hereby mandated to render its utmost support for the 
implementation of this Act.
Sec. 24. Appropriations. - The amounts necessary for the initial implementation 
of this Act shall be sourced from the appropriations of all concerned agencies and local 
government units. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for its continued 
implementation shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
Sec. 25. Impiementing Rules and Regulations. - Within sixty (60) days from 
the effectivity of this Act, the DILG, BFP, DOH, DICT, DBM and other relevant agencies 
and stakeholders shall issue and promulgate the implementing rules and regulations 
to carry out the provisions of this Act.
Sec. 26. Repealing Clause.- !K\\ laws, decrees, orders, circulars, issuances, rules 
and regulations and parts thereof which are inconsistent with this act are hereby 
repealed, amended or modified accordingly.
Sec. 27. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is subsequently 
declared unconstitutional, the validity of the remaining provisions hereof shall remain 
in full force and effect.
Sec. 28. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen days (15) after its 
complete publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation in the 
Philippines.
Approved,
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