Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

House Bill No. 8158

Introduced by Representative Camille A. Villar

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The 1987 Philippine Constitution is clear on its declaration with regard to the
primacy of health:

“The State shall adopt an integrated and comprehensive approach to health
development which shall endeavor to make essential goods, health and other social
services available to all the people at affordable cost. There shall be priority for the
needs of the underprivileged, sick, elderly, disabled, women, and children. The State
shall endeavor to provide free medical care to paupers.”!

Cancer is the third feading cause of morbidity and mortality in the Philippines,
and the leading causes of cancer related deaths in the country are lung, liver, breast,
colon cancers and leukaemia*. It is outranked only by communicable and
cardiovascular diseases, claiming one death for every two new cases within a year,
while cancer, which afflicts 189 per 100,000, kills four Filipinos every hour or 103
every day.

The incidence and mortality rate of cancer in the Philippines has been
increasing in the past decades. This trend is expected to continue if organized and
sustained specialized care and preventive measures against cancer are not initiated.

The chemotherapy for cancer patients may cost about P100,000 per session.
The cost of treatment by radiation, or even examination by MRI, is burdensome even
to middle-income patients, and often beyond the reach of the poor.

This is why cancer has gained a reputation as the disease for the rich. The
painful truth is that it can afflict anybody, regardless of economic status.

Considering that one of the goals of the national economy is a more equitable
distribution of opportunities and raising the quality of life for all, especially the

41987 Philinnine Constitution Article XI Section 11


underprivileged, it is high time that those who are less in life be given the lifeline to
fight the cancer disease despite their lack of resources.

The passage of this legislation is earnestly sought.

aN
CAMILLE A. VILLAR


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

Introduced by Representative Camille Villar

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING A CANCER MEDICINE
AND TREATMENT ASSISTANCE FUND FOR INDIGENT AND

UNDERPRIVLEGED FILIPINOS
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives in Congress of
the Philippines assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the “Cancer Medicine
and Treatment Fund for Filipinos of 2020.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. Itis hereby a policy of the State to protect and
promote the right to health of the people and to adopt and implement a system of
effecting the delivery of free medicine and free treatment to indigent and
underprivileged cancer patients.

SEC. 3. Establishment of a Php 10 Billion Cancer Fund and Free Medicine
Assistance Program. There is hereby created a Ten Billion Cancer Fund that can be
availed by indigent and underprivileged cancer patients. For the purpose, a Cancer
Treatment Program, hereinafter referred to as the "Program," is established and to
be administered by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) through
its accredited government hospitals in each particular congressional district, to be
known as the health district.

The program shali be limited to indigent and underprivileged cancer
patient beneficiaries to be identified by the Philhealth in close coordination with
the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Department of
Health (DOH) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).


The Philhealth, jointly with the DSWD, DOH and DILG and the relevant
private groups including the association of hospitals and medical institutions and
groups of patients, shall prescribe such rules and regulations as may be necessary
to carry out the provision of this Act within six (6) months from the effectivity
hereof.

SEC. 4. Appropriations. - There is hereby appropriated the sum of Ten
Billion Pesos (F10,000,000,000.00) for the impiementation of the Program. The
National Government shall subsequently include in the budget of the Department of
Health in the General Appropriations Act such amount as may be necessary to carry
out the objectives of this Act.

SEC 5. Repealing clause. - All provisions of laws, orders, decrees,
including rules and regulations inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed and/or
modified accordingly.

SEC 6. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days following
its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two newspapers of general
circulation.

Approved.