Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
‘Quezon City

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House eitno.__7198_

Introduced by: REPRESENTATIVE ARNULF BRYAN “ARNIE” B. FUENTEBELLA

EXPLANATORY NOTE

COVID-19 surged to the third leading cause of death among Filipinos in 2021,
accounting for 74,008 deaths’. The pandemic severely strained our healthcare system as
hospitals everywhere breached high occupancy rates while our doctors and health workers
focused their energies and attention treating patients afflicted with the virus. Hospitals were
filled to the brim, rendering emergency medical services nonexistent due to the increased
focus on the pandemic.

Our experience with the pandemic has prompted me to file this measure, the
provisions of which will ensure the availability of emergency medical services (EMS) when
needed. It also seeks to strengthen our local government units (LGUs) by providing them the
capacity and capability to provide EMS, which will be critical in far-flung areas which have
little to no access to medical services and facilities. Most importantly, it will ensure the
availability of EMS should pandemics of scale occur and recur.

At the core of this proposed legislation is the intent to carry out the state policies
embodied in the 1987 Constitution, particularly Sec. 15 of Art. I! of the Constitution and Sec.
11 of Art. XIll, which provide respectively:

ARTICLE II
STATE POLICIES

“Section 15. The State shall protect and promote the right to health of
the people and instill health consciousness among them.”

Xxx

ARTICLE XiIll
SOCIAL JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS

“Section 11. 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 under-privileged, sick, elderly,
disabled, women, and children. The State shall endeavor to provide free
medical care to paupers.”

This measure in particular will allow the government to make emergency
medical services available where the same are needed. Though it is preferable to
move on in hopes of a return to a ‘normal life’, it bears learning from lessons from the

lar, “PH ends 2021 with heart disease still the top cause of death; COVID-19 in 3 Spot”, CNN
Philippines, httos://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2022/3/29/PSA-top-causes-of-death-PH-20211 html, 29 March 2022
(Accessed 29 November 2022)

? Gotinga, JC, “We've Cried Ourselves Dry’: COVID overwhelms Manila hospitals", Al Jazeera,
hhttos://wwow.cnnphilippines. com/news/2022/3/29/PSA-top-causes-of-death-PH-202'1.html, 19 April 2021 (Accessed
29 November 2022)


past, one of which is the crucial role of EMS in our healthcare system, especially in
the ‘new normal’

In light of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly so

NIE” B. FUENTEBELLA
Representative
Fourth Digifict, Camarines Sur


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bit no, 7198

Introduced by: REPRESENTATIVE ARNULF BRYAN “ARNIE” B, FUENTEBELLA

ANACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING AN EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES SYSTEM (EMSS), CREATING
FOR THE PURPOSE THE NATIONAL EMSS COUNCIL, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFOR

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 "Emergency Medical Services
‘System (EMSS) Act".

‘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 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 personnel.

SEC. 3. Objectives. - This Act shall have the following objectives:
(a) To create the National Emergency Medical Services Council (NEMSSC);

(b) To develop and institutionalize an EMSS at the national, regional and local levels of
government;

(c) To encourage and promote the active participation of the private sector in the provision
of emergency medical services (EMS);

(d) To establish a national standard for an EMS such as accreditation of EMS institutions,
training of EMS personnel, establishing standards for design, accreditation and regulation
of emergency medical vehicles;

(e) To adopt an EMS protocol in times of natural calamities and manmade disasters;

(f) To promote public safety and accessible EMS to the people especially those in the
underserved and unserved communities; and

(g) To establish and provide support services, both internal and external, to EMS.
SEC. 4. Definition of Terms. — As used in this Act:

(a) Accredited training and assessment institutions refer to organizations, in good standing
with the NEMSSC, accredited to offer training programs, courses, continuing education
and competency-based assessment in EMS for EMS personnel that meet the standards
established by the NEMSSC, created under Section 5 of this Act and, in case of uniformed
personnel, in coordination with the Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC).

(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 the aggravation of
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. BLS actions and
interventions include the recognition of a cardiac or respiratory emergency and stroke
activation of the emergency response system, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and
relief of foreign-body airway obstruction.

(d) Competency-based assessment refers to the confirmation of capability and capacity to
an EMS personnel in the performance of the duties and responsibilities through the
process of collective evidence and judgment, in accordance with the standards and
guidelines established by the NEMSSC

(e) Emergency medical dispatch refers to the immediate identification or prioritization of
‘emergency situation and the timely dispatch of appropriate resources, providing essential
pre-arrival medical instructions and full endorsement to the receiving hospital. Dispatch
encompasses all aspects of communication including request and processing,
coordination and support, and the documentation and monitoring.

(f) EMS shall relate to Emergency Care and Advanced Life Support, defined as follows

(1) Emergency care refers to the independent delivery of pre-hospital EMS by
certified and appropriately trained EMS personnel, usually in a mobile or
community setting and in full accord to the emergency medical services treatment
protocols established by the NEMSSC.

(2) Advanced life support refers to a set of life saving protocols and skills that
extend beyond BLS to further provide support to the circulation of an advanced
airway and adequate ventilation.

(g) Emergency medical services personnel refers to the certified and/or licensed and
appropriately trained personnel engaged in the provision of EMS during emergencies.

(h) Emergency Medical Services Medical Director is a licensed physician with expertise in
EMS whose qualifications and functions are determined by the NEMSSC.

(i) Emergency Medical Services System refers to the arrangement and coordination of
personnel, facilities, and equipment for the effective delivery of EMS required in the
management of medical 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.

() Emergency Medical Technician refers to the EMS personnel who provide basic
emergency medical care and transportation for critical and emergent patients who access
EMSS.

(k) Emergency response and care refer to the arrival of resources at the scene and the
timely initiation and provision of appropriate medical interventions.

(1) Emergency transport refers to the transportation of a patient to the most appropriate
and definitive health facility with continued provision of care and appropriate interventions
en route to the appropriate health facility.

(m) Facility Categorization \s the classification of facility capabilities against accepted
standards. Categorization should be initiated before formal facility designation occurs.

(n) Facility Designation Is the formal selection for patient referral and transfer by an
organized body that has the authority to do so, typically both governmental as well as
specialty designation bodies. A. minimum set of standards exists for the various
specialty designation areas that a facility must meet to become as a specialty receiving
center.


(0) Inter-facility referral and transport refers to the transport of patient with medical escort,
from one referring health care facility or institution to another receiving facility or institution
for definitive care, as the patient requires, in an event that further appropriate services are
not available in the referring health care facility.

(p) Medical direction refers to the communication between an EMS personnel and a
physician from the field via radio or other means to obtain instruction for the continuous
care of a patient.

(q) Medical emergency refers to any acute or life-threatening condition that requires
immediate intervention by competent medical personnel.

(1) Medical Oversight is typically performed by a medical director(s) at the local, regional,
and national levels, in collaboration with regulatory authorities, regional/iocal medical
directors, and advisory committees in many jurisdictions. In addition to the duties
described under off-line medical control and medical direction, medical oversight involves
interaction with local, regional, and state authorities and stakeholders. Medical oversight
requires a broad understanding of the emergency medical system as a whole and
ensuring proper policies and procedures exist to ensure safe transitions of care and the
utilization of appropriate resources in the field.

(s) National emergency medical services treatment protocols refer to emergency medical
Procedures outlining approved clinical practices and therapies to be observed by EMS
Personnel, as established by the NEMSSC.

SEC. 5. Creation of the National Emergency Medical Services Systems Coun
There is hereby created a body to be known as the "National Emergency Medical Services
Systems Council (NEMSSC)" under the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

‘SEC. 6. Powers and Functions of the NEMSSC. - The NEMSSC shall perform the
following functions:

(a) To formulate policies on EMS systems;

(b) To develop national standards of EMS 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 and
‘such other entities as it may consider appropriate;

(©) To promulgate a code of ethics for EMS personnel;
(d) To develop appropriate standards of operation for EMS personnel;

(e)To develop standards and protocols for the design, accreditation, construction, outfitting
and operations of emergency medical vehicles;

(f) To develop an internationally acceptable standard to ensure that transport of patients
on an emergency situation is vital to patients’ survival to merit PhilHealth coverage; A
mechanism shall be developed to include ambulance services in the reimbursement
packages of PhilHealth;

(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 establish a secretariat, pursuant to Section 9 of this Act, headed by an Executive
Director to handle the administrative and day-to-day operations of the NEMSSC;

(i) To create committees and other mechanisms to help expedite the implementation of
plans and strategies;

() To generate resources from local, national and international organizations and
agencies, whether government or private sector, for its operation; and receive and accept
donations and other conveyances including funds, materials and services by gratuitous

5


title: Provided, That not more than thirty percent (30%) of said funds shall be used for
administrative expenses;

(k) To prepare an annual budget of the NEMSSC, through the DILG, and submit the same
to the President for inclusion in the annual General Appropriations Act (GAA);

(1) To advise the President on matters pertaining to EMS;

(m) To conduct motu proprio investigation on complaints and impose applicable penalties
for the violation against any of the provisions of this Act;

(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;

(0) To regulate activities inimical to the delivery of EMS; and

(p) To promulgate rules and regulations and policies and enforce the provisions of this
Act.

SEC. 7. Membership of the Council. - The members of the NEMSSC shall be composed
of the following:

(1) The Secretary of the DILG or his duly authorized representative as Chairperson of the
NEMSSC;

(2) The Secretary of the Department of Health (DOH) or his duly authorized representative
as Co-Chairperson;

(3) The Secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology
(DICT) or his duly authorized representative;

(4) The President of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) or his duly
authorized representative;

(5) The Director-General of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
(TESDA) or his duly authorized representative;

(6) The Chairperson of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) or his duly authorized
representatives;

(7) The Executive Director of the Emergency 911 Office or his duly authorized
representative;

(8) The National Chairman of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) or
his duly authorized representative;

(9) The Chairman of the Philippine Red Cross or his duly authorized representative;

(10) The President of the Philippine College of Emergency Medicine (PCEM) or his duly
authorized representative; and

(11) One (1) representative of a national organization or society of emergency medical
technicians (EMT's) who will undergo a nomination and selection process by the
NEMSSC;

Relevant stakeholders from the different government offices, private entities and civil
society organizations (CSOs) who are involved in the practice and implementation of emergency
medical services may be invited as resource persons or representatives in the NEMSSC’s
meetings.

SEC. 8. Compensation and Remuneration. — The Secretaries of the DILG, DOH and
DICT and the President of PhilHealth and the Chairperson of the CSC shall perform their duties
as such without compensation or remuneration. The payment of per diem and allowances for
members from the government and the non-government organizations shall be charged against


the DILG funds, as approved by the Council, and shall be subject to existing rules and regulations
of the DBM.

SEC. 9. The Secretariat. — The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), an attached agency of
the DILG, shall act as the secretariat of the NEMSSC. The BFP shall be strengthened by
‘augmenting its manpower and the budget for its operations.

‘SEC. 10. Meetings. - The NEMSSC shall meet at least, once every quarter or as may be
necessary.

SEC. 11. Developmental Programs. - The NEMSSC shall within six (6) months after
having been officially constituted and finally staffed, adopt and implement, in coordination with
medical and related agencies, a one (1) year short-range program in support of relevant existing
Projects and activities and a five (5) year long-range development program. This development
Program shall be developed and subjected to annual review and revision by the NEMSSC, in
coordination with relevant public and private medical agencies and organizations

SEC. 12. Accreditation. - The NEMSSC, in coordination with other concerned agencies,
shall issue authorization for the following:

(a) Accreditation of training institutions for EMS personnel; and
(b) Accreditation of emergency medical vehicle providers.

SEC. 13. Creation of Plantilla Positions for Emergency Medical Services Personnel.
- There shall be created a minimum number of plantilla positions for EMS personnel in the
following government hospitals and health facilities within the next five (5) years upon approval of
this Act:

(a) Level 3 Hospitals — Five (5) EMS personnel and at least one (1) Ambulance Assistant;

(b) Level 1 and 2 Hospitals — Three (3) EMS personnel and at least one (1) Ambulance
Assistant;

(c) Local Government Units: -

(1) Highly-urbanized city (HUC) — One (1) EMS Medical Director Ten (10) EMS.
personnel and at least one (1) Ambulance Care Assistant;

(2) Component city — One (1) EMS Medical Director Eight (8) EMS personnel and
at least one (1) Ambulance Care Assistant;

(3) Province - One (1) EMS Medical Director Ten (10) EMS personnel and at least
one (1) Ambulance Care Assistant;

(4) First to third class municipality — Four (4) EMS personnel and at least one (1)
Ambulance Care Assistant;

(5) Fourth to sixth class municipality — Two (2) EMS personnel and at least one
(1) Ambulance Care Assistant; and

(d) Other Health Facilities - as may be deemed necessary by the NEMSSC.

Relative to the creation of EMS positions in the LGUs, a waiver on the enforcement of
Section 325 (a) of R. A. No. 7160 otherwise known as the “Local Government Code”, on the
Limitations to the use of local government funds shall henceforth be allowed in so far as to ensure
compliance to this Act.

Upon the approval of the necessary plantilla positions for EMS personnel, the NEMSSC
shall proposed qualification standards for positions to the CSC for its approval, pursuant to
Section 22, Chapter 5, Title 1-A, Book V of E.O. No. 292, entitled "The Revised Administrative
Code of 1987” The annual financial requirements needed to pay for the salaries of EMS personnel
shall be included in the annual general appropriations of the respective hospitals, health facilities
and LGUs.


SEC. 14. Authorized Training Institution. - Training programs, courses and continuing
education for EMS personnel shall be conducted by an institution that has been granted a TESDA
Certificate of Program Registration (COPR) for technical non-degree courses, and the PPSC for
uniformed personnel. The requirements prescribed by the NEMSSC shall serve as the minimum
requirement for program registration. The DOH may provide training programs for EMS
personnel: Provided, That these shall be in accordance with the standards set by the NEMSSC.

SEC. 15. Emergency Medical Vehicles. - The NEMSSC shall develop minimum
requirements for the design, construction, performance, equipment, testing and appearance of
emergency medical vehicles. As such, only authorized and accredited emergency medical
vehicles shall be allowed to display the word "Ambulance" and the universally-accepted "Star of
Life" symbol. It shall also provide for the operation protocols of said vehicles. The NEMSSC shall
design a specification and an accreditation systems and procedures, subject to the existing
regulations of the DOH on licensure of medical vehicles.

SEC. 16. Emergency Dispatch. - All local government units are mandated to establish
their dispatch centers where constituents can call for all cases of emergencies which shall have
adequate and qualified personnel. The dispatch centers shall follow the prescribed guidelines on
dispatch protocol as determined by the NEMSSC. LGUs with existing centralized command
centers, such as multi-agency dispatch center and emergency operations center (EOC) shall
continue to operate.

SEC. 17. Emergency Response, Care, and Transport. — All LGUs shall ensure the
availability of adequate emergency transport vehicles or ambulances with qualified EMS
personnel. Emergency transport vehicles shall be equipped with basic communication devices.
All emergency transport vehicles operations and the procedure to be undertaken on patient's
emergency response and care shall follow the prescribed guidelines of the NEMSSC.

SEC. 18. Inter-facility Referral and Transport. — The NEMSSC shall establish the
Prescribed protocols and guidelines on inter-facility referral and transport, in accordance with
appropriate medical direction.

SEC. 19. Adoption of the Free National Emergency 911 Hotline Number. - There shall
only be one (1) free national emergency 911 hotline number to enable the public to access EMS.
The operations of the national emergency 911 hotline number shall be under the DILG, in
coordination with the NEMSSC. All LGUs are mandated to fully utilize their local call centers
(LCCs) or 911-PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) for their emergency dispatch.

SEC. 20. Participation of Telecommunications Companies. - It shall be the duty of
every telecommunications companies to provide its subscribers with access to the national
emergency 911 hotline number in accordance with the implementing rules and regulations to be
adopted pursuant to this Act.

SEC. 21. Prohibited Acts and Penalties. -

(a) Any person making a telephone call to an emergency hotline number with the intent to
annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any person who is answering the telephone call shall be held
liable with a 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 (P2,000.00) but not more than
Five Thousand Pesos (P5,000.00), or both, at the discretion of the court.

(b) Any person making a telephone call to an emergency hotline number and, upon the
call being answered, making or soliciting 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 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 (5,000.00), or both, at the discretion of the court.

(c) A person giving false report of a medical emergency or giving false information in
connection with a medical emergency, or making false alarm of a medical emergency, knowing
the report or information or alarm to be false; or making 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.

(d) Any hospital, physician and/or EMS personnel who, through negligence, shall fail to
properly endorse under acceptable standard practices, any patient subject of an EMS run to a
receiving hospital or any other medical facility; fail to provide appropriate, available, and
necessary stabilizing treatment to any patient under a medical emergency; or transfer or cause
to transfer inappropriately any patient to any hospital or medical facility in a manner contrary to
acceptable standard practices, be imposed with a fine of not less than Fifty Thousand Pesos
(P50,000,00), but not more than Three Hundred Thousand Pesos (P300,000,00) without
Prejudice to any other criminal action that maybe brought against the responsible hospital officers,
physician, and/or EMS personnel under existing laws, as well as to any action for damages that
any person may collect as a result of such negligence.

(e) Any hospital officer, physician and/or EMS personnel who detains, or have caused to
detain, without valid and sufficient cause as stated by the rules and standards of the NEMSSC,
any EMS personnel by reason of their delivery of any patient to a receiving hospital or medical
facility, shall be imposed a fine of Fifty Thousand Pesos (P50,000,00), but not more than Three
Hundred Thousand Pesos (P300,000,00) without prejudice to any other criminal action that
maybe brought against the responsible hospital officers, physician and/ or EMS personnel under
existing laws, as well as to any damages the EMS personnel may collect as a result of such
detention.

(f) Any public and/or private official or employee who uses any licensed ambulance as.
office service vehicle, for recreation or for personal use or for any other purpose whatsoever
inconsistent with the purposes of a licensed ambulance; or to allow and direct the use of any
government ambulance by individuals or entities for private use, for a fee or not; or to refuse the
use of any licensed ambulance by any patient entitled to the use of the same as provided in this
Act due to the patient's inability to pay any fee collected for its use; or discriminate in its use on
account of religious beliefs, gender, economic status, political affiliations or whatever cause
contrary to law, public policy or good customs shall be penalized by suspension from office for
thirty (30) days and fine of One Hundred Thousand Pesos (P 100,000.00) for the first offense:
suspension for six (6) months and fine of Two Hundred Thousand Pesos (P200,000,00) for the
second offense; and termination from service with forfeiture of retirement benefits and perpetual
disqualification from public service for any government employee, and an additional fine of Five
Hundred Thousand Pesos (500,000.00), imprisonment of a minimum of 6 months and not more
than 2 years upon the discretion of the Court for both government and private employees for the
third offense.

If the violation of any of the prohibited acts be committed with the knowledge or
Participation of the local chief executive and/or the responsible health officer in case of local
government units or the head of hospital in case of government and private hospitals, the said
Officials shall also be penalized with the same penalty provided in this Act.


Perpetual revocation of driver's license shall be imposed for those ambulance drivers who
committed and violated the misuse of licensed ambulance as enumerated in Section 21 (f) of this
Act.

SEC. 22. Role of the LGUs. - The LGUs are hereby mandated to develop and
institutionalize an EMSS within their area of jurisdiction. The NEMSSC shall include in its
programs, activities that will support and enable the LGUs to accomplish such task. Non-
compliance by public officials of the provisions of this Act shall be subject to administrative
‘sanctions under civil service regulations.

(a) Structure - The City and Municipal Local Chief Executives of the Local Government Units
shall create their local EMSS Councils (LEMSSCs) which shall be under direct
supervision of the Provincial EMSSC, which shall be created for the same purpose.
Highly Urbanized Cities shall likewise create their own LEMSSCs which, for the purpose
of this Order, shall be under the supervision of PEMSSC.

The NEMSSC shall have an overall supervision over the Provincial, City, to include
HUCs, and Municipal EMSSCS and shall create standards as to the composition and
organization of said councils.

(b) Functions. The LEMSSC shall have the following functions:

(1) Ensure the provision of qualified EMS personnel in the system;

(2) Strengthen the existing system of networking, coordination and monitoring among all
existing government health agencies, LGUs, private & non-government medical
institutions;

(3) Establish support systems to EMS; and

(4) Such other functions that may be delegated by the NEMSSC

SEC. 23. Establishment of the EMSS Fund. — There is hereby established an EMSS.
Fund which may be sourced from fees, donations and grants, to be administered by the NEMSSC,
and subject to COA regulations. The amount collected shall be used to augment the budget for
the EMSS operations of LGUs, particularly for geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas
(GIDAs), and the NEMSSC’s administrative functions, provided, that not more than thirty percent
(30%) of said funds shall be used for administrative expenses.

‘SEC. 24. Appropriations. - The amount needed for the implementation of this Act shall
be included in the annual GAA.

SEC. 25. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The DILG, in consultation with the
DOH, DICT, DOJ, TESDA, PhilHealth, CSC, Red Cross and other stakeholders, shall issue and
promulgate the implementing rules and regulations relevant to this Act within one hundred twenty
(120) days upon constitution of the NEMSSC.

SEC. 26. Separability Clause. - If any clause, sentence, paragraph or part of this Act
shall be declared unconstitutional or invalid, such judgment shall not affect, invalidate or impact
any other part of this Act.

SEC. 27. Transitory Clause. — Pursuant to Sections 4 (a) and 14 of this Act, all existing
tules of TESDA pertaining to the accreditation of EMS personnel shall remain effective until new
sets of the rules are established

SEC. 28. Repealing Clause. - Any provision of laws, orders, agreements, rules or
regulations contrary to and inconsistent with this Act is hereby repealed, amended or modified
accordingly.

SEC. 29. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the
Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,

10