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Republic of the Philippines =
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 3 RECEIVED

Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BiLt No, 8711

Introduced by Hon. Joaquin M. Chipeco, Jr.

AN ACT
CREATING THE PHILIPPINE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL
AND PREVENTION, DEFINING ITS POWERS AND FUNCTIONS,
AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE

Covid-19, an unprecedented development, has pushed the
country into uncharted waters. It has upended almost every aspect of
life, resulting into a new normal of doing things. With thousands of
infections and hundreds of deaths, the continuing tragedy is that the
end of the pandemic is still nowhere in sight.

Recent experience has shown that the Philippines is ill prepared
for this kind of contagion. Inadequate medical and safety protocols,
facilities, equipment and supplies have been compounded by
insufficient testing and contact tracing and loose enforcement of
quarantine measures.

What is very much needed is a centralized and expertly run
agency that will address all the foregoing concerns. Like in the United
States, this bill intends to create a Center for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) that would lead and coordinate all government
efforts in fighting diseases which have assumed epidemic proportions.
We are now faced with an existential threat and we need to rely on
time-tested solutions that will enable us, as a people, not only to
survive but to prevail.

yEP RESEN

LATEMAY 1 1 21



For these reasons, the approval, at the earliest time, of this bill is
earnestly requested.


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. _6711

Introduced by Hon. Joaquin M. Chipeco, Jr.

AN ACT
CREATING THE PHILIPPINE CENTER FOR DISEASE
CONTROL AND PREVENTION, DEFINING ITS POWERS AND
FUNCTIONS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

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

CHAPTER I
TITLE AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES

SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Philippine Center for
Disease Control and Prevention Act” or the "Philippine CDC Act.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the
State:

(a) To protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill
health consciousness among them;

(b) To adopt, support, establish and maintain an effective health
mechanism responsive to the country’s health, needs, emergency
and other emerging health problems;

{c) To ensure the health and well being of Filipinos and protect them
from infectious diseases, chronic diseases and other public health
threats;



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(a)

(e)

(0)

To prevent the emergence and transmission of serious and
communicable diseases;

To provide a framework for control and prevention of diseases in the
country; and

To establish a health protection agency that will increase the health
security of the Filipinos and protect them from diseases and other
Public health threats, domestically and internationally.

{In the implementation of the foregoing, the Government shall devote
Significant material and institutional resources to provide for an effective disease
control and prevention program through a high-level public institution imbued with
the capacity, competence and authority to confront global and local public health risks.

SEC. 3. Objectives. -The objectives of this Act are to:

(a)

(b)

(9)

(d)

(e)

1)

Protect the Filipino people from the impact of communicable and
non-communicable diseases of public health importance;

Maintain the highest state alertness to detect and respond to disease
Outbreaks, public health disasters, mass morbidity and mortality due
to pathogenic, chemical or biological agents;

Develop and coordinate capabilities, measures and activities to
control outbreaks and mitigate the health impact of public health
disasters;

Develop and coordinate an information network for the reporting,
notification of communicable and chronic diseases;

Develop and make accessible guidelines and standards for relevant
Public health activities at all levels in the country;

Communicate information to the public on the need to protect
themselves from public health threats as well as health professional
on the need to safely manage their patients and protect themselves;
and


10

(g)

SEC.
shall mean:

(a)

(b)

(c)

(a)

(e)

lead the country’s implementation of International Health
Regulations and coordinate its participation in international disease
Prevention and control activities by establishing and maintaining

close communication and collaboration with relevant international
health organizations, as well as other foreign States.

CHAPTER II
DEFINITION OF TERMS.

4. Definition of Terms- As used in this Act, the following terms

Apprehension - the temporary taking into custody of an individual
or group for purposes of determining whether quarantine, isolation,
or conditional release is warranted.

Communicable / Infectious diseases - infectious diseases or
illnesses due to infectious agents or their toxic products, which may
be transmitted from a reservoir to a susceptible host either directly as from

an infected person or animal or indirectly through the agency of an
intermediate plant or animal host, vector, or the inanimate

environment.

Detention- the temporary holding of a person, ship, aircraft, or
other carrier, animal, or thing in such place and for such period of
ime as may be determined by the Executive Director.

Disease - an illness due to a specific toxic substance, occupational
exposure or infectious agent, which affects a susceptible individual,
either directly or indirectly, as from an infected animal or person, or
indirectly through an intermediate host, vector,or the environment.

Disease control - the reduction of disease incidence, prevalence,
morbidity or mortality to a focally acceptable level as a result of
deliberate efforts and continued intervention measures to maintain
the reduction.

© Disease surveillance the ongoing systematic collection, analysis,
interpretation, and dissemination of outcome-specific data for use in the
planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health



(9)

(h)

0}

10)

(k)

0}

practice. A disease surveillance system includes the functional

capacity for data analysis as well as the timely dissemination of these
data topersons who can undertake effective prevention and control
activities;

Disinfection - the killing of infectious agents or inactivation of their
toxic products outside the body by direct exposure to chemical or
physical agents.

Disinfestation - any chemical or physical process serving to
destroy orremove undesired small animal forms, particularly
arthropods or rodents, present upon the person, the clothing, or the
environment of an individual, or upon animals and carriers.

Emerging or re-emerging infectious diseases - are diseases
that have recently appeared within a population or those whose
incidence or geographic range is rapidly increasing or threatens to
increase in the near future, that:

(1) have not occurred in humans before;

(2) have occurred previously but affected only small numbers of
people in isolated areas;

(3) are caused by previously undetected or unknown infectious

agents;

(4) are due to mutant or resistant strains of a causative organism or
bacteria;and

(5) Re-emergence of agents whose incidence of disease had
significantly declined in the past,but whose incidence of disease
has reappeared.

Epidemic/outbreak - an occurrence of disease in excess of
normal expectancy within a specific place or group of people over a
given period of time;

Epidemiological investigation - refers to an inquiry to the
incidence, prevalence, extent, source, mode of — transmission,
causation of, and other information pertinent to a disease
occurrence;

Epidemiology - the study of the distribution and deter
health-related states or events (including disease), and the

ants of


(m)

(n)

(0)

(p)

(@)

application of this study to the control of diseases and other health
problems;

Executive Director refers to the Executive Director of the CDC.

Isolation- the separation of an individual or group reasonably
believed to be infected with a quarantinable communicable disease

from those who are healthy to _ prevent the spread of the

quarantinable communicable disease.

Health event of public health concern/Public health event -
refers to either a public health emergency or a public health threat
due to biological, chemical, radio-nuclear and environmental agents;

Notifiable disease - a disease that, by legal requirements, must be

reported to the public health authorities.

Public health emergency - refers to an occurrence or imminent
threat of an illness or health condition that:

(1) _ Is caused by any of the following:

(i) Bioterrorism;

(ii) (Appearance of a novelor previously controlled
eradicated infectious agent or biological toxin;

i) Anatural disaster;

(iv) A chemical attack or accidental release;

(vy) Anuclear attack or accidentjor

{vi) _ An attack or accidental release of radioactive materials;and

(2) Poses a high probability of any of thefollowing:

(i) A large number of deaths in the affected population,

(li) A large number of serious injuries or long-term disabilities in
the affected population;

{ili) Widespread exposure to an infectious or toxic agent that
Poses a significant risk of substantial harm to a large number
of people in the affected population;

(iv) International exposure to an infectious or toxic agent that
Poses a significant risk to the health of citizens of other
countries;or

(v) Trade and travel restrictions.

or


(9) Port- means any place in the Philippines and any navigable river or
channel leading to such place under the Revised Charter of the
Philippine Ports Authority and includes an airport.

(s) Public health threat - any situation or factor that may represent a
danger to the health of the people due to biological, chemical, radio-
nuclear and environmental agents,

(t) Public health prevention measures - the assessment of an
Individual through non-invasive procedures and other means, such as
observation, questioning, review of travel documents, records
review, and other non-invasive means, to determine the individual's
health status and potential public health risk to others.

(u) Quarantine - the compulsory detention in isolation or separation of .
an individual or group reasonably believed to have been exposed to
2 quarantinable communicable disease, but who are not yet il, from
others who have not been so exposed, to prevent the possible
Spread of the quarantinable communicable disease.

(v) Response - refers to the implementation of specific activities to
control further spread of infection, outbreaks or, epidemics and
Prevent re-occurrence. It includes verification, contact tracing, rapid
risk assessment, case measures, treatment of patients, risk
communication, conduct of prevention activities, andrehal

CHAPTER III
CREATION AND FUNCTIONS
OFA NATIONAL CENTER FOR DISEASE
CONTROL AND PREVENTION

SEC. 5. Creation of the Philippine Center of Disease Control and
Prevention.-(a)There is hereby created an independent body to be known as
the Philippine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, hereinafter referred to
as "CDC"

(b) The CDC shall be the country's epidemiology and surveillance body
sufficiently funded and equipped with bio-safety level 2 to 4 laboratories,


(c) The CDC shall be the principal agency tasked to identify, assess

and communicate current and emerging threats to human health posed by
diseases of national and international importance and other health risks of public
concern.

(d) The CDC shall carry out activities for the prevention and control of

communicable diseases for promotion of public health.

(e) The CDC shall be attached to the Department of Health for policy

and program coordination.

SEC. 6. Functions. - The CDC shall have the following functions:

{a) Prevent, detect, monitor and control diseases of national and
international public health importance, including emerging and re-
emerging diseases;

(b) Maintain active surveillance of diseases through epidemiologic and
laboratory investigations and data collection, analysis, and distribution,

(c) Develop, maintain and coordinate systems of and database for
epidemiological surveillance, in order to detect public health threats,
guide health interventions and set public health priorities;

(d) _ Investigate disease outbreaks and other threats to public health;

(e) Develop and maintain anetwork of reference and specialized
laboratories for pathogen detection, disease surveillance and outbreak
response;

(f) Strengthen diagnostic capacity for and laboratory surveillance of
Infectious

ases;

{g) Develop and maintain guidelines and processesfor specimen
collection and transportation to reference laboratories;



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Conduct, collate, synthesize and disseminate public health research to
inform policy and guide on diseases of public health importance, and
put in place a national public health research agenda and databases;
Maintain a Registry of Notifiable Diseases, which shall be published
and updated online;

‘Strengthen national health information systems to support prevention

and control measures of communicable diseases;

Provide information to the public through multiple platforms on

diseases and public health events;

Coordinate the operationalization of, and ongoing international health

regulations, including regional disease surveillance and
control
ies and lead the collaboration with global health agencies;

Provide support and coordinate the control of national and trans-

border responses to mass public health emergencies, such as mass

casualties, floods, nuclear, biological, and chemical terrorism, disease

outbreaks and heavy metal poisoning;

Develop and maintain a communication network with all public health

institutions, with roles in mitigating the impact of diseases;


(p)

Provide scientific guidelines for local production of vaccines and other
biological agents, such as diagnostic kits, sera and anti-sera, food

science and nutritional products, and other elated substances useful
for health services, through locally developed technology

technology transfer;

Provide support to the Department of Health for the development of
evidence-based guidelines and policies, as well as the implementation
of programmes relating to disease prevention and control, in line with
international guidelines and recommendations;

or


(@) Provide guidance, technical and logistic support to the Local

Governments preventing and managing the _ emergence
transmission of communicable diseases;

{r) Provide technical support to relevant government institutions on
environmental health activities, as it relates to disease prevention,
control and emergency disaster response;

(s) Provide technical support for health disaster risk-reduction and
management in collaboration with other major stockholders in the
country;

(t) Implement relevant decisions and regulations of the Department of
Health as regard to disease control, prevention and disaster
management;

(u) Recommend to the Secretary of Health the parameters for the
declaration of the existence of an epidemic;

(v) Set the standards and the process for the establishment
Epidemiology and Surveillance Units, as required under Section 8 of
Republic Act No. 11332, and assist DOH-retained hospitals, local
health facilities and private hospitals and laboratories in establishing
ESUs and assess their performance

(w) Lead the training of field epidemiologists through the Philippine Field
Epidemiology Training Programme; and

(*) Perform such function as may mandated by law or duly delegated by
relevant authorities, as well as those that may be necessary or
expedient for the performance of its functions under this Act.

CDC shall submit an annual detailed cost of work plans relating to its

functions to the Secretary of Health for approval.

SEC. 7. Powers. - The CDC shall have the following powers:

(2) Lead the response to disease outbreaks, public health emergencies
and disasters in order to minimize the impact on health;

and

of


(b)

«©

(da)

(e)

©

(e)

(h)

Obtain or require submission of information, data, clinical samples and
report on diseases of public health relevance and control of public
health events, including communicable diseases, emergencies and

disasters within the Philippines;

Develop and enforce the use of standards, protocols and guidelines for
disease prevention and control, including diagnostics, disease
detection and reporting in compliance with international best
practices;

Collaborate with the Ports and Airports Health Services Division of the
Department of Health to operate quarantine services, including
inspection, isolation, detection and management of quarantine
stations at points of entry into the Philippines to prevent the entry of
communicable diseases from foreign countries into and within the
Philippines;

Implement and coordinate disease detection, prevention and control
activities, including international health regulations, _ surveillance,
disease preparedness and response, capacity building for health
workers, research and ethical standards as it relates to disease of
public health importance;

Coordinate relevant health sectors on the preparation and response to
public health emergencies and disasters in the country, including
networking and liaising with relevant establishments within and
outside the Philippines pursuant to the functions of CDC;

Accredit Epidemiology and Surveillance Units based on thestandards
set by CDC;and

Perform such acts as may be necessary for or incidental to discharge
Its functions unde rthis Act.

CHAPTERI V
OPERATIONAL STRUCTURE,
MANAGEMENT AND STAFF OF THE CENTER


1 SEC. 8. Local Centers and Field Offices. The Center shall have local
Centers and field offices with concomitant laboratories with at least bio-safety

2
3 levels 2, 3 and 4 (BSL 2, BSL 3 and BSL 4) geographically dispersed across the
4 Philippines.
5
6 SEC. 9. Operational Structure. Subject to the determination of the
7 Secretary of Health, in consultation with public health experts, the operational
8 structure of CDC may comprise of:
9 (a) Office of theExecutive-Director;
10 (b) ions headed by Directors:
I (1) Outbreak and Health Emergencies Preparedness and Response
2 (2) Epidemiology and Surveillance
13 (3) Planning, Research and Statistics
4 (4) Laboratory and Diagnostic Services,
Is (5) Infectious Diseases
16 (6) Non-Infectious Diseases;
1" (7) Finance and Accounts, and
18 (8) Human Resources and Administration,
9
20 (¢) Suchother departments as may be required for the proper
2 performance and functions of CDC.
22
23 SEC. 10. Transfer of Agencies. - (a) Functions and Properties.the

24 following offices and agencies are hereby abolished and their powers and
25 functions, applicable funds and appropriations, records, equipment and property
26 are transferred to the CDC:

2”
28 (1) __ Disease Prevention and Control Bureau of the Department of
2» Health

30 (2) The Epidemiology Bureau of the Department of Health

31 (3) The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.

32

3 (b) Personne! Employees of the abolished agencies or offices that occupies

34 non-technical positions shall be transferred to CDC. Officers and employees
35 occupying technical positions must qualify and shall comply with the eligibility

36 requirements set forth in Section13.

7

38 SEC. 11. Executive Director. ~ (a) Appointment The CDC shall be
38 headed by an Executive Director, with the rank of Undersecretary, who shall be



appointed by the President, upon the recommendation of the Secretary of Health,
on the basis of technical expertise, academic background and appropriate work
experience.

(b) Eligibility. The Executive Director shall be a public health professional
with at least 15 years of post-graduate qualification experience in relevant
fields of medicine or public health. The Executive Director shall also possess
‘a masteral or PhD degree in Epidemiology or other allied sciences. No
person shall be eligible for appointment as Executive Director without
satisfactorily passing the examination referred to in Section 13.

(c)_ Powers and functions. The Executive Director shall perform the
following functions and powers:
(1) Manage and direct the activities of cbc;
(2) Coordinate COC response to health emergencies;
(3) Certify to the existence of an epidemic, which shall be treated as
a public health emergency;
(4) Recommend to the President the exercise of special powers in
the case of an epidemic;
(5) Coordinate international health activities relating to disease
prevention and control;
iaise with other government agencies, international
organizations, including the World Health Organization, learning
institutions and other outside groups;
(7) Appoint employees of COC in accordance with civil service law,
Ins and Section 13 of this Act;

(6)

rules and regul:

(d) Tenure. To ensure and uphold the independence of CDC, the
Executive Director shall have security of tenure and shall not_be removed
from office unless for cause.

{e) Removal. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection 11 (d), the
Executive Director may be removed from office by the President of the
Philippine on the following grounds:

(1) Inefficiency and incompetence in the performance of official

duties, Provided, that the performance of the Executive Director
shall be evaluated by a panel formed for that purpose,which

2


shall be composed of the Chairman of the Civil Service
Commission and public health experts; and

(2) Inability to discharge the duty of the office, whether arising from
the infirmity of the mind or body, grave misconduct or in the
Public interests, upon the recommendation of the Secretary of
Health and the Civil Service Commission.

SEC. 12. Staffing Pattern. -. the Secretary of Health, in consultation
with the public health experts and the Department of Budget and Management
(08M), shall determine the qualification standards, staffing pattern and
compensation of the newly created CDC, in accordance with existing laws, rules
and regulations.

SEC. 13. Examination for Appointment and Promotion. - (a).The
OH, in consultation with the National Institute for Health-Center for
Epidemiology Unit (NIH..CEU) of the University of the Philippines Manila, other
academic institutions and public health experts, is mandated to prescribe and
conduct a system of examination of:

(2) _ all persons applying for any position requiring technical expertise
and special skills to determine their fitness and aptitude to
Perform the functions or duties of the position applied for.

(2) all employees andofficersto determine their _ fitness for
promotion to an officer-level position,

(b) The Executive Directors, Deputy Directors, Officers and technical
employees shall only be appointed or promoted upon conferment of eligibility by
the Department of Health, which shall be granted after undergoing and passing
the examination referred to in subsection13(a).

(c)___No officer or employee who fails to pass. the examination
satisfactorily and reported unfit for Promotion shall be eligible for appointment or
Promotion to a managerial/officer level position,

CHAPTER V
LABORATORIES, EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTER AND EARLY
WARNING AND RESPONSESYSTEM.


SEC.15. Biological Laboratories. (a) Establishment. There shall be
established High Containment Laboratories or Bio-Safety Level 3 and 4 (BSL..3
and BSL-4) laboratories that are accessible and concomitant to the CDC national
offices and local centers. The State shall endeavor to construct and fund at least one (1)
BSL-4 laboratory and at least five (5) BSL-3 laboratories within ten (10) years from the
effectivity of this Act. CDC shall also construct, equip and
maintain such number of Bio-Safety Level 2 (BSL-2) laboratories as necessary. For
Purpose, the CDC may partner with academic institutions, private
companies, non-profit institutions, foreign states or international organizations.

(b) Funding. Appropriations for the construction and maintenance of
biological laboratories referred to in subsection 15(a) of this Act shall be provided

in the General Appropriations Act.

(¢) Oversight and regulatory functions. The CDC shall exercise supervisory
and oversight functions over bio safety levels 2 laboratories in the country. High..
containment (BSL-3 and BSL 4) laboratories must be registered with and shall be
regulated by the CDC.

SEC.16. Emergency Operation Center. - There shall be established
an Emergency Operations Center (EOC), which isa central control tower to
respond to infectious disease emergencies.

SEC. 17. Early Warning and Response System. ~ The CDC shall
operate an Early Warning and Response System, which will ensure that the
rational government and local government units are able to respond in a timely
and coordinated manner to emerging health threats in the country.

The CDC shall take action to ensure that the early warning and response
system is efficiently and effectively linked with other forms of community alert

systems.

CHAPTER VI
DISEASE MONITORING AND SURVEILLANCE

SEC. 18. Public Health Surveillance Programme. (a) TheExecutive
Director may, from time to time, institute public health surveillance programmes
or undertake epidemiological investigations or surveys of people, animals or



vectors in order to determine the existence, prevalence or incidence, or to
determine the likelihood of a possible outbreak,

1. any infectious disease;or

2. any other disease which the CDC or the Secretary of Health, by
notification in the Official Gazette and in the official website of CDC and
the Department of Health, declares to be a disease which this section
applies.

(b) For the purpose of any public health surveillance programme,
epidemiological investigation or survey under subsection 17(a), the Executive
Director may issue an order requiring any person to furnish CDC, within the
Period stated therein, with:

1. such information as he may require and

2. any sample of any substance or matter in the possession of that
Person or control of that person, whether taken pursuant to this
‘Act or otherwise, as he may consider necessary or appropriate.

SEC. 19. Obligation of Local Government Units - Local government
units must provide the CDC in a timely manner available health and technical
data relevant to the prevention and control of diseases.

SEC. 20. Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Disease and Health
Events of Public Health Concern. (a)Transfer of functions. CDC shall perform
the functions and obligations of the Epidemiology Bureau and the Department of
Health under Sections 5 and 6 of Republic Act No.11332, otherwise known as.
"Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health
Concern Act"

(b) Mandatory reporting. All public and private Physicians, allied
‘medical personnel, professional societies, hospitals, clinics, health facilities,
laboratories, institutions, workplaces, schools, prisons, ports, _ airports,
establishments, communities, other government agencies, and NGOs are
required to accurately and immediately report notifiable diseases and health
events of public health concern to CDi

CHAPTER VII
MEASURES FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION


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SEC. 21. Authority to Promulgate and Enforce Rules and
Regulations and Providing Penalties for Their Violations.- The Executive
Director is authorized to promulgate and enforce rules and regulations as are
necessary to control and prevent diseases within the country and to prevent the
introduction, transmission or spread of communicable diseases from foreign
Countries into the Philippines or from one (1) domestic seaport/airport to another. For
Purposes of implementing these regulations, the Executive Director may provide public
health preventive measures and intervention strategies such as health education and
advisories, apprehensions, detention, isolation, quarantine inspections, fumigation,
disinfection, disinfestation, pest _ extermination, vaccination for international travel,
‘medical examination of aliens/foreigners and destruction of animals or articles found to
be infected or contaminated as to be sources of infection to human beings in
Coordination with other concerned quarantine agencies such as veterinary quarantine,
Plant quarantine, etc. and other measures as the Executive Director's judgment may be
necessary.

SEC. 22. Measures in the Event of Inadequate Local Control of
Communicable Diseases. -Whenever the Executive Director determines that
the measures taken by the health authorities of the Local Government Units are
sufficient to prevent the outbreak of an infectious disease or spread of any of
the communicable diseases, the Executive Director may take such measures to
Prevent such spread of the diseases as he/she deems reasonably necessary,
including inspection, fumigation, disinfection, sanitation, pest extermination, and
destruction of animals or articles believed to be sources of infection.

SEC. 23. Quarantine Stations. - The Executive Director, in
coordination with the Bureau of Quarantine, with the approval of the Secretary of
Health, may establish such additional quarantine stations, grounds and
anchorages if, in the Executive Director's judgement, these are necessary to
Prevent the introduction of diseases of international concern into thecountry.

The Bureau of Quarantine shall retain its jurisdiction and functions provided
under Republic Act No. 9271, otherwise known as "Quarantine Act of 2004."

SEC. 24. Special Supervision over the Bureau of Quarantine. -
During a Public Health Emergency, in the interest of preventing a disease
outbreak, endemic or pandemic, the Bureau of Quarantine shall report directly to
the Executive Director. The CDC shall have full access to information in the
Possession of the Bureau of Quarantine.


‘SEC. 25. Wakes and Disposal of Corpses. (a) When any person has
died whilst being, or suspected of being, a case or carrier or contact of a
communicable disease, the Executive Director may impose such conditions
necessary for the conduct of the wake of the deceased, or the collection,
removal and disposal of the body of that person.

(b) Any Health Officer of the Department of Health or CDC may take
such steps as may be necessary to ensure that the order is complied with.

‘SEC. 26. Penalties. - Any person who violates any regulation prescribed

or order issued pursuant this Chapter, or who enters or departs from the limit of
‘any quarantine station, ground or anchorage in disregard of quarantine rules and
regulations or without permission of the quarantine officer-in-charge shall be
punished by fine of not more than Five Million Pesos (Php 5,000,000.00) or by
imprisonment for not more than two (2) years, or both.

CHAPTER VIII
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

SEC. 27. Annual Report. - CDC shall submit to Congress an annual
evaluation of the current and emerging threats to health in the country and
recommend such measures and policies as may be necessary to prevent the
transmission of communicable diseases

SEC. 28. Appropriations.- The amount needed for the it
implementation of this Act shall be taken from the current fiscal year's
appropriation of the offices and agency herein absorbed by the CDC.Thereafter,
the amount needed for the operation and maintenance of the CDC shall be
included in the General Appropriations Act.

Section 29. Separability Clause. - if any provision of this Act shall be
declared unconstitutional or invalid, the other provisions not otherwise affected
shall remain in full force and effect.

Section 30. RepealingClause.- All laws, orders, rules and regulations,
other issuances, or parts thereof, inconsistent with any provision of this Act, are
hereby repealed or modified accordingly.


aeune

Section 31. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15)
days following its publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of
general circulation.

Approved,

18