HOUSE YW REPRESENTATIVES

Republic of the Philippine FEVED
HOUSE OF REPRESENTAT|VES REGEN 2018
ATE:

+ Quezon City
TINE: za
Iss By: veu\

REGIST? (TIN UNIT
3336) puis ano ince x SERVICE

SEVENTEENTH CONG!
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by Hon. Tricia Nicole Q. Velasco-Catera

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bill seeks to establish the Philippine Eye Center which is envisioned to provide
comprehensive, high quality, affordable and specialized eye care services to our countrymen. It shall
also serve as a venue for advancing the field of ophthalmology by undertaking and supporting ,
research, education, and training efforts that will improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of
eye and allied diseases in the country.

In this regard, Section 11, Article XIII of the 1987 Constitution provides, in pert, that “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 people at affordable
cost, There shall be priority for the needs of the underprivileged sick, elderly, disabled, women, and
children.”

This bill is in consonance with constitutional: mandate to promote and protect the right of
people to health. It is the policy of the State to secure the well-being of the people by providing them
with specialized health services.

A large segment of the Philippine population consists of indigent people, or those who cannot
afford quality eye care services. Despite the prevalence of eye diseases, disorders, and other related
ailments, and their tremendous effect on the health of the general population, these conditions have not
been given enough attention and priqrity. In the Philippines, statistics om blindness are staggering -
approximately one million Filipinos are blind in one or both eyes. The common causes of blindness
include cataracts, retinal and macular diseases, optic nerve diseases, glaucoma, and trauma. It is further
worth noting that cataracts, which are generally considered curable, are responsible for over eighty
percent (80%) of blindness.


Visual impairment can not only affect quality of life, it can also prevent persons from reaching
their full potential. For this reason, and in keeping with the global initiative for the reduction of
avoidable visual impairment, the establishment of the Philippine Eye Center is of paramount
importance.

In view of the foregoing, approval of the bill is earnestly sought.

TRICIA PICOLE Q. VELASCO-CATERA


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

3336

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by Hon. Tricia Nicole Q. Velasco-Catera

AN ACT CREATING THE PHILIPPINE EYE CENTER, APPROPRIATING
FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be 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 “Philippine Eye Center Act of
2016".

SEC. 2, Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State to promote and
protect the right of the people to health by providing specialized health and medical services that will
secure their well-being. Towards this end, the State shall establish a medical institution that shall
provide comprehensive, high quality, affordable and specialized medical services for the prevention,
control, and treatment of eye and allied diseases.

SEC. 3. Creation of the Philippine Eye Center, - There is hereby created a body corporate to
be known as the Philippine Eye Center, which shall have its principal office in Metro Manila,

SEC. 4. Purposes and Objectives. - The purposes and objectives of the Philippine Eye Center
are:

(a) To construct, establish, equip, maintain, administer and operate a medical institution
which shall specialize in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care, rehabilitation and/or
relief of eye and allied diseases, as well as provide medical care, rehabilitation, and relief
therefor;

(b) To undertake, promote, encourage, engage and assist in medical and scientific research
relative to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of eye and allied diseases;


©

@

©

@®)

‘To conduct fact-finding investigations, and to report, publish and disseminate information
on eye and allied diseases; : F

To enhance nationwide awareness for eye and allied diseases, as well as the prevention,
diagnosis and treatment thereof, by financing, sponsoring, holding, or participating in
congresses, conventions, conferences, seminars, workshops, and training programs in eye
diseases and/or related fields in the Philippines or abroad;

To encourage and assist in the education and ‘raining of physicians, nurses, health
officers, social workers and other medical and technical personnel in the practical and
scientific conduct and implementation of services to eye patients;

‘To assist universities, hospitals and research institutions in their studies on eye and allied
diseases and other related fields, to encourage and grant scholarships for advanced
training and specialization in ophthalmic and related fields, and to support educational
programs of value to general public health; and

To extend medical services to the general public, especially the poor and less fortunate in
life without regard to race, creed, color or political belief. ~

SEC. 5. Powers and Functions. - For the attainment and/or furtherance of its stated purposes
and objectives, the Philippine Eye Center, as a body corporate acting through its Board of Trustees,
shall have all the powers pertaining to a juridical person, and is therefore authorized, among others:

@

(b)

©

@

©

©

To acquire and hold any property of whatever nature or description, and to dispose of such.
property under any mode of conveyance or encumbrance;

To contract and be contracted with;
‘To mortgage, lease, sell, transfer, convey or otherwise dispose of its properties:

To solicit and receive donations, endowments and funds in the form of contributions,
whether in cash or in kind, from both the public and private sectors and from domestic or
foreign sources;

To open such accounts in banks and other financial institutions, and to disburse such
funds or invest the same as the Board may direct to advance or accomplish the purposes
or interest of the Philippine Eye Center;

‘To invite foreign eye specialists and similar experts in various medical fields to train the
personnel or trainees or residents of the Philippine Eye Center;



(g) To send the personnel of the Philippine Eye Center to research or medical institutes or
universities for advanced training or observation and to attend regional or international
conventions, conferences, congresses, and seminars as the Board may deem necessary to
accomplish the purposes and objectives of the Philippine Eye Center;

(h) To invest in, and purchase or otherwise acquire, own, hold, use, lease, grant, mortgage,
pledge, sell, assign, convey, transfer, exchange or otherwise deal with, real and/or
personal properties of every kind and nature, including shares of stock, bonds, debentures,
notes, securities and other evidences of indebtedness or obligations of other corporations,
whether domestic or foreign, and whether government or private;

(To obtain loans, borrow funds and/or arrange financing or credit assistance of whatever
kind and nature from all sources, whether domestic‘or foreign and whether government or
private, and to mortgage,, pledge or otherwise encumber any of its properties and assets
for the purpose of securing or guaranteeing the performance or fulfillment of any
obligation it may undertake for itself or for other entities in which it may be interested;

@ To levy, assess and collect such fees, charges and assessments as may be necessary or
proper to support, finance and maintain its operations; and

(&) To exercise such other powers and functions as may be necessary or incidental for the

accomplishment of the purposes and objectives of the Philippine Eye Center,

SEC. 6. Board of Trustees. - ThePhilippine Eye Center shall be governed, and its activities
and properties shall be directed, controlled and administered by a Board of Trustees, hereinafter
referred to as the Board, which shall be composed of seven (7) members to be appointed by the
President of the Philippines upon the recommendation of the Department of Health, subject to the
provisions of Republic Act No. 10149.

The members of the Board shall receive no salary. They shall, however, receive a per diem of
not exceeding five thousand pesos (P 5,000.00) for every meeting of the Board actually attended:
Provided, however, that the total amount of per diem for all the meetings of the Board in a single
month shall not exceed one hundred thousand pesos (P 100,000.00).

‘The members of the Board shall serve for a period of four (4) years and until their successors
shall have been appointed and qualified. Any vacancy in the Board shall be filled by the appointment
of the President of the Philippines upon recommendation of the Department of Health, and the
appointee shall serve the unexpired term.


SEC. 7. Powers and Functions of the Board. - The Board shall have the following powers and *

functions:

@
)

©

@

‘To elect a Chairman from among them, who shall be the presiding officer of the Board;

To appoint an Executive Director of the Philippine Eye Center who shall serve as Vice-
Chairman of the Board;

To formulate policies and adopt measures which are necessary to carry out the provisions
of this Act; and

To perform such other functions as may be necessary to achieve the objectives of this
Act.

A majority consisting of four (4) members of the Board shall constitute a quorum to transact
business, Any decision of the majority of such four (4) members on any matter duly presented to the
Board shall constitute a valid and binding act of the Philippine Eye Center, except on matters where
existing laws of the by-laws, rules and regulations adopted by the Board require a greater number.

SEC. 8. Executive Director. - The Philippine Eye Center shall have an Executive Director who
shall be its chief executive officer. The Executive Director shall have the following powers and

functions:

f@

&)

(o)

@

©

To appoint, remove, and fix the compensation of the personnel of the Philippine Eye
Center, subject to the approval of the Board;

To prepare the agenda for the meeting of the Board and to submit for the consideration of
the Board policies, guidelines, and other important measures ‘itidt may be deemed -
necessary for the effective implementation of the purposes and objectives of this Act;

To execute the policies, guidelines and programs approved by the Board and be
responsible for the efficient discharge of management and operational functions;

To direct and supervise the internal operations and administration of the Philivpine Eye
Center;

To execute, on behalf of the Board, all contracts and agreements which the latter may
enter into, and to execute, accomplish and deliver any and all documents relative to such
contracts and agreements; and


(To exercise such other powers and perform such other dutiés as may be vested by the
Board. :

SEC. 9. Organizational Structure and Staffing Pattern. - The Board shall determine the
organizational structure and staffing pattern of the Philippine Eye Center subject to evaluation by the
Civil Service Commission and of the Organization Position Classification and Compensation Bureau
of the Department of Budget and Management. The Board may reorganize said structure, modify the-
staffing pattern and create or abolish divisions, sections or units of the Philippine Fye Center,

SEC. 10. Government Contribution. - The Government shall constitute the necessary land,
building, equipment and facilities to the Philippine Eye Center, and shall pay such obligations for real,
personal and mixed properties arising from such undertaking under a deferred payment errangement
within five (5) years, at a preferred rate of interest.

SEC. 11. Property of the Philippine Eye Center. - The property of the Philippine Eye Center
shall consist of such real, personal, mixed, and other type of property, now owned or reserved for, or
may hereafter be given, donated, acquired, transferred or conveyed to, the Philippine Eye Center by the
Philippine Government, its branches and instrumentalities, other local government units, any foreign
government, as well as by trusts, foundations, corporations, or persons, alien or domestic, in order to
carry out its purposes and objectives as set forth herein.

SEC, 12. Establishment of Regional Eye Centers. — The Philippine Eye Center shell endeavor
to establish and operate at least one (1) hospital in every region in the country.

SEC. 13. Assistance from Government Offices. - The Philippine Eye Center may call upon
any department, bureau, office, agency or instrumentality of the Government, including government-
owned or controlled corporations, for such assistance as it may peed in the pursuit of its purposes and
objectives. :

Alll individuals, entities and institutions are hereby enjoined to render full assistance and
corporation to the Philippine Eye Center in the accomplishment of its objectives and activities,

SEC. 14. Tax Exemptions and Privileges. — Any provision of law to the contrary
notwithstanding, all donations, contributions or endowments that may be made by ‘entities o* persons to
the Philippine Eye Center shall be exempt from income and donor’s taxes, and shali constitute
allowable deductions in full from the income of the donors or grantors for income tax purposes.

The Philippine Eye Center, its assets, acquisitions, income, importations, operations, and
transactions shall be exempt from any and all taxes, duties, fees, licenses, assessments, imposts, and
other charges imposed directly or indirectly by the Government, or any political subdivision or
instrumentality thereof, .



SEC. 15. Supervision by the Department of Health. — The Philippine Eye Center shall be
under the supervision of the Department of Health.

SEC. 16. Appropriations. - The sum of five hundred million pesos (P 500,000,000.00) is
hereby appropriated out of any funds in the National Treasury not otherwise, appropriated, for the
initial operation and maintenance of.the Philippine Eye Center. Thereafter, such sum as may be
necessary for the continued operation of the Philippine Eye Center shall be included in the Annual
General Appropriations Act.

SEC. 17. Annual Report. - The Philippine Eye Center shall submit an annual report to the
President of the Philippines, Senate Committee on Health and Demography, and the House Committee
on Health on its activities, accomplishments and recommendations to improve the delivery of.
specialized medical services.

SEC. 18. Effect of Dissolution. If for any reason, the Philippine Eye Center is dissolved, its
properties and assets shall revert to the National Government for disposition in accordance with law.

SEC. 19, Applicability of the Corporation Code. ~ The provisions of the Corporation Code,
insofar.as these are not inconsistent with the provisions and policies provided in this Act, shall be
suppletorily applicable.

SEC. 20. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety days (90) after the effectivity
of this Act, the Secretary of Health and the Secretary of Budget and Management shall promulgate the
necessary rules and regulations for the proper implementation of this Act.

SEC. 21. Separability Clause. - If any provision or Section of this Act is held invalid or
unconstitutional, such invalidity or unconstitutionality shall not affect the other provisions or sections
of this Act.

SEC, 22. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof
inconsistent with any provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

SEC. 23. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect thirty (30) days after its publication in the
Official Gazette or in two (2) national newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,