NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE
S. No. 1427
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■22 OCT 27 P3 59
RECEIVED BV:
Introduced by SENATOR RAMON BONG REVILLA, JR.
AN ACT
CREATING THE PHILIPPINE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND 
PREVENTION, DEFINING ITS POWERS AND FUNCTIONS, APPROPRIATING 
FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The world has been ravaged by the global health pandemic brought about by 
the 2019 novel CoronaVirus (2019-nCoV) or "COVID-19," which has infected more 
than 572.24 million people in the world and killed more than 6.39 million. In the 
Philippines, there are already 3,995,967 confirmed cases and 63,814 deaths as of 24 
October 2022. It is timely and in the nation's best interest to join the global fight in 
combating infectious diseases and other potential health threats, by creating a 
competent National Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
On 29 July 2022, the first confirmed case of Monkeypox was already detected 
in the country, only a week later, it was declared a global health emergency by the 
World Health Organization (WHO). In 2019 alone, the country was deluged with 
various disease outbreaks, including dengue, diphtheria, measles and polio. The 
recent onslaught of communicable diseases in the country have resulted in a high and 
alarming morbidity and mortality rates that calls for a focused and timely response.
Clearly, despite the existing structures and staff under the Department of Health 
(DOH), there are gaps in capacity to undertake and coordinate a range of interventions 
to monitor disease patterns, investigate outbreaks, conduct research and provide 
adequate facilities needed to prevent and control these public health emergencies.


With these circumstances, the bill aims to establish the Philippine Center for 
Disease Control and Prevention, which shall serve as the principal disease surveillance 
agency of the country, tasked to monitor the nation's health in order to prevent, 
protect and manage diseases through networks of scientists and practitioners with the 
proven expertise in public health, epidemiology, medicine and other allied disciplines.
Considering that this measure is one of the priority legislations of President 
Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr., the immediate passage of this bill is urgently 
sought.
RAMON TONG'REVILLA, JR.


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE
S. No. 1427
Senate
ot tiif ^pcvfspvr
72 OCT 27 P3S9
RtCEiVI:D EV:
Introduced by SENATOR RAMON BONG REVILLA, JR.
AN ACT
CREATING THE PHILIPPINE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND 
PREVENTION, DEFINING ITS POWERS AND FUNCTIONS, APPROPRIATING 
FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
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Section 1. Short Tide. - This Act shali be known as the "Philippine Center for Disease
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Control and Prevention (PCDC) Act."
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Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State:
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a. To protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health
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consciousness among them;
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b. To adopt, support, establish and maintain an effective heaith mechanism
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responsive to the country's health, needs, emergency and other emerging
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health problems;
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c. To ensure the health and well-being of Filipinos and protect them from
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infectious diseases, chronic diseases and other public health threats;
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d. To prevent the emergence and transmission of serious and communicable
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diseases; and
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e. To establish a health protection agency and framework that wiil increase the
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heaith security of the Fiipinos and protect them from diseases and other
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public health threats.
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In implementing these policies, the Government shall devote significant resources
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to provide for an effective disease controi and prevention program through a high-levei


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public institution imbued with the capacity, competence and authority to address public 
health risks.
Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act, the following terms shall mean:
a. Communicable or 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;
b. 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;
c. Disease control - 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;
d. 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 practice. It 
includes the functional capacity for data analysis and timely 
dissemination of these data to persons who can undertake effective 
prevention and control activities;
e. Emerging or re-emerging 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:
i. 
Have not occurred in humans before;
ii. 
Have occurred previously but affected only small numbers of 
people in isolated areas;
Hi. Are caused by previously undetected or unknown infectious 
agents;


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iv. Are due to mutant or resistant strains of a causative organism or
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bacteria; and
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V. Re-emergence of agents whose incidence of disease had
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significantly declined in the past, but whose incidence of disease
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has reappeared.
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f. Epidemic or outbreak - an occurrence of disease in in excess of normal
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expectancy within a specific place or group of people over a given period
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of time;
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g. Epidemioiogy- the study of the distribution and determinants of health-
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related states or events (including disease), and the application of this
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study to the control of diseases and other health problems;
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h. Executive Director- refers to the Executive Director of the PCDC;
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i. Notifiabie disease - a disease that, by legal requirements, must be
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reported to the public health authorities;
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j. Pandemic - an epidemic that is spread over multiple countries or
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continents;
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k. Public health emergency- refers to an occurrence or imminent threat of
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an illness or health condition that is caused by any of the following:
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bioterrorism, appearance of a novel or previously controlled or
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eradicated infectious agent or biological toxin; a natural disaster; a
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chemical attack or accidental release; and nuclear attack or accident;
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and poses a high probability of any of the following: large number of
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deaths or serious injuries or long-term disabilities in the affected
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population; widespread exposure to an infectious or toxic agent that
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poses a significant risk of substantial harm to a large number of people
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in the affected population and a significant risk to the health of citizens
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of other countries; or trade and travel restrictions.
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I. Response - actions to break the chain of transmission, prevent or
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manage diseases that affect groups or populations.
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Sec. 4. Creation of the Philippine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. -
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There is hereby created an independent body to be known as the Philippine Centers
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for Disease Control and Prevention, hereinafter referred to as "PCDC".


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The PCDC shall be the country's epidemiology and surveillance body sufficiently
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funded and equipped with a network of high containment laboratories that can
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develop tests and processes to limit the spread of microbes that could negatively
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impact on the population;
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The PCDC shall be the principal agency tasked to identify, assess and
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communicate present and emerging threats to human health posed by diseases of
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national and international significance and other health risks of public concern.
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The PCDC shall be an attached agency of the Department of Health (DOH) for
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policy and program coordination. It shall have a separate budget under the General
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Appropriations Act (GAA).
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Sec. 5. Functions. - The PCDC shall have the following functions:
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a. Undertake real-time surveillance and maintain data to establish trends
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and to inform the government and the public of health risks, threats and
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emergencies;
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b. Lead the investigation of disease outbreaks and other threats to public
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health as these relates to national interest;
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c. Develop and maintain a network of reference/specialized high
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containment laboratories for control of outbreaks and epidemics;
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d. Support the development of protocols for preparedness and response to
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biological, chemical, radiation and nuclear events;
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e. Coordinate work on the International Health Regulations and engage in
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efforts to protect global health security;
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f. Develop networks of stakeholders in public health and epidemiology at
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national and local levels;
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g. Coordinate relevant health sectors on the preparation and response to
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public health emergencies and disasters in the country, including
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networking and liaising with relevant establishments within and outside
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the Philippines, pursuant to the functions of PCDC;
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h. Engage in efforts to advance biotechnology, including the development
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of tests for new microbes, collaborate in clinical trials for vaccines and
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develop long term strategies for pandemic preparedness and response;


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i. Set the standards and the process for the establishment of Epidemiology
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and Surveillance Units, as required under Section 8 of Republic Act No.
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11332, and assist DOH-retained hospitals, local health facilities and
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private hospitals and laboratories in establishing ESUs and assess their
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performance;
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j. Lead the training of field epidemiologists through the Philippine Field
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Epidemiology Training Program and the Field Management Training
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Program; and,
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k. Perform such functions as may be mandated by law or duly delegated
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by relevant authorities, as well as those that may be necessary or
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expedient for the performance of its functions under this Act.
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Sec. 6. Local Centers and Field Offices. - PCDC shall have local centers and field
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offices with a system of laboratories and an appropriate number of high level
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containment laboratories geographically dispersed across the Philippines.
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Sec. 7. Executive Director. -
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a. Appointment The PCDC shall be headed by an Executive Director, with
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the rank of Undersecretary, who shall be appointed by the President,
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upon the recommendation of the Secretary of Health, on the basis of
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technical expertise, academic background 
and appropriate 
work
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experience.
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b. Eligibility. The Executive Director shall be a public health professional
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with at least 10 years of exemplary achievements in the fields of public
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health, epidemiology and/or medicine. The Executive Director should
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have solid experience in the management of public health emergencies.
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The Executive Director shall also possess at minimum, a Masters Degree
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in Epidemiology or Public Health or its equivalent.
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c. Tenure. To ensure and uphold the independence of PCDC, the Executive
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Director shall have security of tenure and shall not be removed from
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office unless for just cause.
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d. Removal. The Executive Director may be removed from office by the
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President of the Philippines, as evaluated and recommended by the Chair


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of Civil Service Commission and Secretary of Health on the following
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grounds:
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i. Inefficiency and incompetence in the performance of official
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duties; and
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ii. Inability to discharge the duty of the office, whether arising from
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the infirmity of the mind or body, grave misconduct or for public
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interest.
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Sec. 8. Staffing Pattern. - The Secretary of Health, in consultation with the
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public health experts and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), shall
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determine the qualification standards, staffing pattern and compensation, in
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accordance with existing laws, rules and regulations.
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Sec. 9. Emergency Operation Center. - There shall be established an
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Emergency Operations Center (EOC) linked to other emergency operations centers
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of the Department of Health, the Office of Civil Defense, other national agencies and
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local government units (LGUs).
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Sec. 10. Early Warning and Response System. - The PCDC shall operate an
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Early Warning and Response System, which will ensure that the national government
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and LGUs are able to respond in a timely and coordinated manner to emerging health
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threats in the country.
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The PCDC shall take action to ensure that the early warning and response
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system is efficiently and effectively linked with other forms of community alert
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systems.
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Sec. 11. Public Health Surveillance Program. - TTie PCDC may institute public
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health surveillance programs or undertake epidemiological investigations or surveys
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of people, animals or vectors in order to determine the existence, prevalence or
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incidence, or to determine the likelihood of a possible outbreak, of any infectious
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disease; or any other disease which the PCDC or the Secretary of Health, by
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notification in the Official Gazette and in the official website of PCDC and the DOH,
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declares to be a disease which this section applies.
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For the purpose of any public health surveillance program, epidemiological
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investigations, the Executive Director may issue an order requiring any person to
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furnish PCDC, within the period stated therein, with such information as may be


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required and any sample of any substance or matter in the possession of or control of
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that person, whether taken pursuant to this Act or otherwise, as may be considered
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appropriate.
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Sec. 12. Obligation of Local Government Units- Local government units (LGUs)
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must provide the PCDC, in a timely manner, available health and technical data
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relevant to the prevention and control of diseases.
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Sec. 13. Merging of Existing Related Health Bureaus and Units to PCDC. - In
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consonance to the promotion of streamlined public health service delivery of the
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existing structures and staff of the Epidemiology Bureau, Disease Prevention and
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Control Bureau, Bureau of Quarantine, and the Research Institute for Tropical
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Medicine of the DOH shall be absorbed in PCDC.
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Sec. 14. Measures in the event of inadequate local control of communicable
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diseases. - Whenever the PCDC, through its Executive Director, determines that the
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measures taken by the LGUs are insufficient to prevent the outbreak of an infectious
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disease or spread of any of the communicable diseases, the PCDC may take over
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public health functions of a locality to prevent such spread of the diseases as PCDC
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deems reasonably necessary, including inspection, disinfection, sanitation, pest
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extermination, and destruction of animals or articles believed to be vectors of
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infection.
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Sec. 15. Regular Publication of Reports. - The PCDC shail publish regular
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reports for the public and will provide a monthly status update on notifiable diseases
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by locality. Special reports and bulletins on emerging and re-emerging diseases will
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be published as the needs arise.
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Sec. 16. Detailed Cost Work Plans. - The PCDC shall submit annual detailed cost
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work plans relating to its functions to the Secretary of Health for approval.
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Sec. 17. Appropriations. - The initial appropriation needed for the
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implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
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The funds to be appropriated for the PCDC shall be a distinct and separate budget
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item from the regular appropriation for DOH and shail be administered by the
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Executive Director.


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Sec. 18. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act shall be declared
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unconstitutional or invalid, the other provisions not otherwise affected shall remain in
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full force and effect.
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Sec. 19. Repealing Clause. - All laws, orders, rules and regulations, other
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issuances, or parts thereof, inconsistent with any provision of this Act, are hereby
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repealed or modified accordingly.
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Sec. 20. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days following
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its complete publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general
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circulation in the Philippines.
Approved,