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Republic of the Philippines
House of Representatives
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

House Bill No. 8629

Introduced by REPRESENTATIVE ERIC L. OLIVAREZ

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Our medical doctors are no doubt among the selfless heroes who have
been fighting our nation’s battle against the Covid-19 pandemic since the
early part of the year 2020. Since May of the aforementioned year, doctors
accounted for two (2) out of five (5) deaths among health workers infected

for the disease as of October 3. This means that the case fatality rate for
doctors was at 1.48% which is the highest among the health workers who
contracted the virus.

indeed, doctors who treat Covid-19 patients are highly at risk not just of
contracting the virus but also of suffering demise therefrom. While there is
not much study or discussion on the direct link or causation between the
profession and the higher risk of death, it cannot be denied that the job
entailed by the profession does require close proximity and, more often than
not, direct contact with the patient, whether for Covid-19 or other non-covid-
19 diseases that need to be attended to in the midst of the pandemic.

As a way to repay the heroic efforts of our medical doctors, this bill
proposes an incentive in the form of extending the validity of their medical
licenses from three (3) years to five (5) years to somehow minimize their


costs and allow them to practice their profession for a longer, but still
reasonable, period of time.

This bill anchors its objective in the belief that extending the validity of
the licenses of medical doctors for another two (2) years will not in any way
diminish their competence or knowledge with regard to the practice of their
profession. After all, the Continuing Professional Development Program as
mandated by Republic Act 10912 still stands, with the structure, units, and
other related concerns being subject to adjustment by the Professional
Regulatory Board of Medicine in consultation with the Professional
Regulatory Commission and other relevant authorities in the event that this
bill is passed.

It is for these reasons that the approval of this bill is being sought.

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Republic of the Philippines
House of Representatives
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

House BillNo,__ 9829

Introduced by REPRESENTATIVE ERIC L. OLIVAREZ

AN ACT EXTENDING THE VALIDITY OF LICENSES OF MEDICAL
DOCTORS FROM THREE YEARS TO FIVE YEARS

Be it enacted in the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Republic of the
Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the “Medical
Doctors’ F License Validity Act”.

SECTION 2. Coverage. This Act shall cover all licensed medical
doctors and passers of the Medicine Board Examinations who are about to
obtain their certificates of registration otherwise known as professional
licenses from the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC).

SECTION 3. Extension of Validity of Licenses. The validity of the
certificate of registration, otherwise known as license, to be issued by the
PRC to recent passers of the Medicine Board Examinations shall be
extended from three (3) years to five (5) years.

SECTION 4, Validity of Licenses Issued Before the. Enactment of this
Act. Licenses issued to medical doctors before the enactment of this Act



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shall follow the existing three-year validity and application for renewal thereof
shall be done before the expiration of the said three-year period. Thereafter,
the five-year validity of their licenses shall start to apply.

SECTION. 5. Continuing Professional Development. The Continuing
Professional Development Program as mandated by Republic Act 10912
may be adjusted with respect to the medical profession by the Professional
Regulatory Board of Medicine in consultation with the Professional
Regulatory Commission and other relevant authorities Accredited Integrated
Professional Organization (AIPO) and Accredited Professional Organization
(APO), in line with the extension of the validity of the licenses for medical
doctors.

SECTION. 6. Separability Clause. If any part or provision of this Act is
declared invalid or unconstitutional, the other parts thereof not affected
thereby shall remain valid.

SECTION. 7. Repealing Clause. All laws, acts presidential decrees,
executive orders, administrative orders, rules and regulations inconsistent
with or contrary to the provisions of this Act are deemed amended, modified
or repealed accordingly.

SECTION. 8. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days
after completion of its publication in the Official Gazette or at least in two (2)
newspapers of general circulation.

Approved.