Republic of the Philippines
House of Representatives
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS

First Regular Session

House Bill No. good

Introduced by Representative Jose Enrique S. Garcia III

EXPLANATORY NOTE

In its Mission Report on the Joint External Evaluation (JEE) of International
Health Regulations (IHR) core capacities of the Republic of the Philippines, the
JEE team recognized that the Philippines has developed capabilities in various
programme areas for public health emergency preparedness and response.’ It
highlighted, however, that there are still challenges in achieving a harmonized
approach for implementation of the IHR. Several of the identified challenges are
not only relevant to 1HR implementation but are common across the health sector
and include the implementation of policies and regulations; effective coordination
between national and local levels and among sectors, and investments in
institutional capacities.? The JEE team recommended, among others, that the
government:

+ Foster the institutional capacity of the health sector to lead the
prevention, detection and response to public health events and
emergencies; and

Further optimize the public health emergency preparedness and
response action at regional and local levels, through investing in
advocacy, guidance, training and exercising, to improve
collaboration between national and sub-national levels.

The onset of the coronavirus disease (COVID) - 19 pandemic actually put to
test the capability and preparedness of the Department of Health (DOH) to
respond to a public health emergency of this magnitude. Like the JEE team's
findings, however, the COVID-19 pandemic again highlighted some institutional
weaknesses (e.g. disease surveillance, contact tracing capabilities, etc.) which
needed to be strengthened.

* Joint external evaluation of IHR core capacities of the Republic of the Philippines. Geneva: World
Health Organization; 2019 (WHOMWHE/CPI/2019.57). Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
https://apps.who .nt/iris/btstream/handle/10665/325319/WHO-WHE-CP1-2019.57-enq.pdf?ua=1;
last accessed on 29 Apri! 2020.

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At present, the responsibility for disease prevention and control is lodged
with the Disease Prevention and Control Bureau (DPCB) of the DOH. While the
DOH undoubtedly employed everything within its means to control the spread of
the virus, the need to establish a separate institution attached to the DOH,
especially handling surveillance in support of disease prevention and control and
complemented with exemplary expertise, state-of-the-art facilities and laboratories
and appropriate resources -- is clearly the way forward in building the capacity
and level of readiness of the government to respond to any public health
emergency that could be chemical, biological, radioactive or nuclear in nature.

This bill aims to foster institutional capacity and optimize public health
emergency preparedness by establishing a specialized institution to be called
Philippine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC shall be
primarily responsible for conducting routine disease surveillance, investigating
outbreaks and epidemics and measuring the effectiveness of control and
preventive health measures, monitoring infectious and non-infectious agents, as
well as continuously updating pandemic preparedness planning and readiness
with capacity to deploy personnel and allocate resources within the healthcare
system in the event of a public health emergency. It shall also be responsible in
developing, testing and applying effective disease prevention and control, and
enhancing health promotion and education.

‘Support for this bill is earnestly requested from my colleagues.

annn~

REP. JOSE ENRIQUE S. GARCIA Ill
Seg6nd District, Bataan


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Republic of the Philippines
House of Representatives
Quezon City
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. 6651

Introduced by Representative Jose Enrique S. Garcia Ill

AN ACT
CREATING THE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND
PREVENTION AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

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

SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known and cited as the
“Philippine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Act.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy — It is the declared policy of the State to
protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health
consciousness among them. Towards this end, the State shall protect the people
from public health threats by establishing efficient and effective disease
surveillance and providing an effective response system through a dedicated and
highly-specialized institution imbued with suitable expertise and technological
resources to decisively address epidemics and other public health emergencies.

SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. — As used in this Act, the following terms shall
mean:

(@) “Disease” refers to 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;

(b) “Disease contro!” refers to the reduction of disease incidence,
prevalence, morbidity or mortality to a locally acceptable level as a result of
deliberate efforts and continued intervention measures to maintain the reduction;

(c) ‘Disease surveillance” refers to the ongoing systematic collection,
analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of outcome-specific data for use in the
planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health practice. A disease

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surveillance system includes the functional capacity for data analysis as well as
the timely dissemination of these data to persons who can undertake effective
prevention and control activities;

(d) “Epidemic/outbreak” refers to an occurrence of more cases of disease
than normally expected within a specific place or group of people over a given

period of time;

(e) “Infectious disease” refers to a clinically manifested disease of humans
or animals resulting from an infection;

(f) “Public health emergency” refers to an occurrence or imminent threat of
an illness or health condition that:

(1)

(2)

Is caused by any of the following:
(i) Bio terrorism;

(li) Appearance of a novel or previously controlled or eradicated
infectious agent or biological toxin;

(ii) A natural disaster;

(iv) A chemical attack or accidental release;

(v) A nuclear attack or accident; or

(vi) An attack or accidental release of radioactive material; and
Poses a high probability of any of the following:

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

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

(iii) 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;

(g) ‘Public health threat” refers to any situation or factor that may represent
a danger to the health of the people; and

(h) ‘Response’ refers to the implementation of specific activities to control
further spread of infection, outbreaks or epidemics and prevent re-occurrence. It


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includes verification, contact tracing, rapid risk assessment, case measures,
treatment of patients, risk communication, conduct of prevention activities, and
rehabilitation.

SEC. 4. Creation of the Philippine Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. — There is hereby created the Philippine Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, hereinafter referred to as the “CDC,” a government agency
attached to the Department of Health (DOH) for policy coordination and
administrative supervision.

SEC. 5. Mandate and Functions. - The CDC shall be the principal agency
responsible for tracking and monitoring diseases and risk factors among Filipinos
to inform policy and action at national and local levels. It will be the focal point for
the International Health Regulations and other international initiatives for global
health security and outbreak response. It shall perform the following functions:

(a) Conduct routine surveillance of infectious diseases, non-communicable
conditions, risk factors, violence and injuries, and mental health conditions
throughout the life course;

(b) Formulate programs for preparedness and response to chemical,
biological, radiation and nuclear events, bioterrorism, and global health security;

(c) Investigate reported outbreaks and epidemics through patient
interviews, review of medical records, contact tracing, collection, storage, transport
and testing of samples and specimens, risk assessments, laboratory
investigations, population surveys, and sampling of environmental contaminants,
among others;

(d) Develop and maintain technical cooperation programs with domestic
and international entities;

(e) Conduct research to develop technology and scientific methodology to
test pathogens and participate in randomized clinical trials in line with global efforts
to develop tests, vaccines and medicines for the effective control of infectious
diseases;

() Administer national programs to improve the performance of laboratories
in identifying and classifying infectious diseases as well as other hazardous
‘substances;

(g) Develop and administer health standards to ensure readiness for the
emergence of new infectious diseases and regularly report on the status of
recurrent and new diseases in localities;

(h) Assess and support the capabilities of local government units (LGUs) in
preventing the emergence and transmission of infectious diseases;


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(i) Set the standards and the process for the establishment of Epidemiology
Surveillance Units (ESUs) as mandated under Section 8 of Republic Act No.
11332, assist DOH-retained hospitals, local health facilities and laboratories in
establishing ESUs, assess their performance and accredit them based on the
standards set by the CDC;

() Recommend such measures and policies as may be necessary to
prevent the transmission of infectious diseases and to reduce risk factors for other
diseases and conditions;

(k) Establish the parameters for the declaration of the existence of an
epidemic;

(1) Recommend to the Secretary of Health the declaration of an epidemic or
public health emergency;

(m) Maintain and administer a national stockpile of medical supplies and
equipment to provide medical help in case of an epidemic or a public health

emergency; and

(n) Perform such other functions as may be mandated by law, or as may be
delegated by relevant authorities.

SEC. 6. Disease Surveillance and Response Systems. - The CDC shall
establish real-time disease surveillance and response systems utilizing, whenever
necessary, all technological means available while respecting, to the extent
possible, the rights of the people to liberty, bodily integrity, and privacy. All data or
information collected pursuant thereto shall be used for public health concern
purposes only and shall be exempted from the provisions of the Data Privacy Act
on accessibility of data.

SEC. 7. CDC Executive Director; Deputy Executive Director. - The CDC
shall be headed by an Executive Director with a rank of Undersecretary. He shall
be assisted by a Deputy Executive Director with a rank of Assistant Secretary.

The Executive Director and the Deputy Executive Director shall be
appointed by the President from a list of at least three (3) nominees for each
position to be submitted by the Secretary of Health. No person shalll be appointed
as Executive Director or Deputy Executive Director without at least fifteen (15)
years of exemplary performance, relevant experience and proven expertise in the
fields of public health, medicine and/or epidemiology.

The Executive Director and the Deputy Executive Director may be removed
only for cause.

SEC. 8. Organization and Personnel of the CDC. — Within sixty (60) days
from appointment, the Executive Director shall, in consultation with the Secretary


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of Health, draw up the organizational structure, staffing pattem, qualification
standards, compensation and position classification plan for the CDC. The
qualification standards and the compensation and position classification plan shall
be subject to the approval of the Civil Service Commission and the Department of
Budget and Management, respectively.

Alll subordinate personnel of the CDC shall be appointed by the Executive
Director based on merit, qualifications and competitive examinations. Technical
officers must have a Masters degree in public health, epidemiology, biotechnology
or other relevant areas of scientific endeavor as specified by the CDC.

The CDC shall also be authorized to engage the services of consultants in
highly specialized research programs.

The CDC shall maintain the highest achievable standards for the use of
information technology to track and trace diseases as well as monitor the impact
and effectiveness of interventions.

SEC. 9. Partner Institutions. - The CDC shall develop a network of
scientific partner institutions from existing institutions in the public and private
sector and may designate a research agency or health facility as a “center of
excellence” for research or innovation that becomes part of the “Centers” as a
partner institution.

SEC. 10. Continuing Competency Development Program. - The CDC
performs functions that require knowledge and expertise of superior degree. As
such, it is imperative that all personnel tasked with carrying out its primary
mandate are competent, equipped, and updated with the current developments.
and best practices in relevant fields. For this purpose, the CDC, through the
Executive Director, shall devise and implement continuing competency
development programs such as the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP),
the Field Management Training Program (FMTP) and other initiatives to build
competencies for public health and epidemiology throughout the country.
Technical staff of the CDC are required to participate at regular intervals in
trainings and workshops and will be required to undertake research and publish
results on a yearly basis. Failure to comply or complete the continuing competency
development program without justifiable reason shall constitute a ground for
removal from office.

SEC. 11. Establishment of a Public Health Laboratory Network. - The CDC
shall establish and oversee a network of high containment laboratories with
Biosafety Level 4 and initially five (5) Biosafety Level 3 laboratories to be equitably
located and operated at such strategic places in the country as the CDC may
determine. The network will expand the development of Biosafety Level 2
laboratories throughout the country as part of the national pandemic preparedness
and response plan and as the needs and resources of the CDC warrant.


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The provision of the preceding paragraph, notwithstanding, the CDC shall,
upon the initiative of the LGUs, assist in the establishment of similar laboratories in
their respective localities. The cost of establishing and operating the laboratories
shall be borne by the LGUs concemed.

The specifications of the LGU-operated laboratories and the qualifications
of their personnel complement shall strictly comply with the standards and
qualification requirements prescribed by the CDC.

SEC. 12. Authority to Solicit, Receive Donations, Grants and the Like. —
The CDC may solicit, negotiate with, and receive in trust from any public or private
domestic or foreign sources legacies, gifts, donations, grants, endowments,
contributions or other transfers of ownership andlor possession of real or personal
properties of all kinds in favor and for the benefit of the agency: Provided, That full
disclosure is made by the CDC through annual reports. The Executive Director
shall prescribe the measures necessary for the proper use, maintenance and
safekeeping of said donations, grants, endowments, contributions or transfers and
the compliance of the terms and conditions thereon, if any, in accordance with
pertinent accounting and auditing laws, rules and regulations.

SEC. 13. Appropriation. - The amount of Two Hundred Fifty Million Pesos
(P250,000,000.00) is hereby appropriated and shall be made available from the
funds of the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated. Thereafter, the amount
necessary for the continuous implementation of the provisions of this Act shall be
included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

SEC. 14. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — The Secretary of Health
shall promulgate the necessary rules and regulations within ninety (90) days from
the effectivity of this Act.

SEC. 15. Separability Clause. — If for any reason, any part or provision of
this Act is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the other parts or provisions not
affected shall remain in full force and effect.

SEC. 16. Repealing Clause. - All laws, presidential decrees, executive
orders, rules and regulations contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this
Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 17. Effectivity — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of national circulation.

Approved.