Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _______ 
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE PM VARGAS 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING THE NATIONAL CANCER CENTER OF THE 
PHILIPPINES AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The State provides that it shall protect and promote the right to 
health of the people and instill health consciousness among them and 
as such it enacted legislations such as the National Health Insurance 
Act of 1995 as well as the Philippine Universal Health Care Act.  
Cancer remains a significant health concern in the Philippines, 
as it ranks second leading cause of death in the country according to 
the Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Cancer Society. The 
Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN) 2020 estimates that there 
were over 150,000 new cases of cancer and over 90,000 cancer-related 
deaths in the country in that year alone. 
Among the most common cancer types in the country include 
breast, lung, colorectum, liver, and prostate cancers. Breast cancer is 
notably the leading cancer among Filipino  women with about 1 in every 
13 pinays at risk of developing the disease in her lifetime. Many of these 
cases are diagnosed at later stages due to the limited access to early 
detection, diagnosis, and treatment services—especially in undeserved 
communities.  
Despite the enactment of National Integrated Cancer Control Act 
(NICCA) in 2019, implementation remains challenged by insufficient 
infrastructure, underfunded programs and the lack of a centralized 
facility dedicated to cancer care, research and training. 
The proposed bill seeks to establish the National Cancer Care of 
the Philippines, a state-of-the art institution that will lead the country’s 
fight against cancer through coordinated research, patient-centered 
August 4, 2025
8:00 am
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care, specialized training, and equitable access to services. It aims to 
consolidate cancer initiatives under one roof, improve early detection 
and diagnosis, strengthen cancer data collection and policy planning, 
and ensure that cancer services are accessible and affordable, 
especially among the marginalized sectors. 
 
By institutionalizing a dedicated national cancer center, we 
empower our health system to proactively respond to the cancer crisis 
and improve survival outcomes. It also aligns with the Philippines’ 
commitments to global health targets such as the Sustainable 
Development Goals (SDG 3.4), which aim to reduce premature mortality 
from non-communicable diseases by one-third by 2030. 
 
In view of the foregoing, immediate passage of the bill is earnestly 
sought.  
 
 
 
 
REP. PM VARGAS 
Fifth District of Quezon City 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _______ 
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE PM VARGAS 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING THE NATIONAL CANCER CENTER OF THE 
PHILIPPINES AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
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 as the “National 
Cancer Center of the Philippines”. 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. It is declared a policy of the State 
to protect and promote the right to health of every Filipino by ensuring 
equitable access to comprehensive, quality, and affordable cancer 
prevention, detection, treatment, and care services. Recognizing the 
increasing burden of cancer as a major public health concern, the State 
shall establish a specialized institution that will serve as the premier 
center for cancer research, diagnosis, treatment, and patient support.  
As such, the state shall allocate adequate resources, enhance the 
healthcare workforce capacity, and ensure the accessibility and 
affordability of cancer-related services, particularly for marginalized 
and underserved populations.  
SECTION 2. Purposes and Objectives. – The National Cancer Center 
shall be a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to advancing cancer care 
through multidisciplinary and patient-centered approaches, innovative 
research, and capacity-building programs with the following purposes 
and objectives: 
(a) promote specialized, multidisciplinary, and comprehensive
cancer research, dissemination, and/or utilization of the
results of the research and development, including the
formulation, 
updating, 
and 
implementation 
of 
a
comprehensive cancer control plan to overcome cancer;
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(b) enhance 
cancer 
prevention 
through 
education, 
and 
information dissemination to the public by healthcare 
professionals and institutions; 
 
(c) create awareness on cancer prevention, treatment and 
control through public information dissemination; 
 
(d) strengthen training programs for physicians, nurses, 
medical  technicians, health officers and social workers on 
the practical  and scientific conduct and implementation of 
services, and related activities;  
 
(e) provide assistance to universities, colleges, hospitals and 
research institutions in their studies of cancer and 
encourage advanced training and specialization on matters 
of, or affecting cancer;  and 
 
(f) consolidate the information from other related organizations 
for the purpose of aiding government’s efforts, policies and 
programs 
relative 
to 
the 
purposes 
and 
objectives 
enumerated herein. health system and infrastructure of the 
country that will enable it to serve all Filipinos and withstand 
any unforeseen events. 
 
SECTION 3. Board of Trustees of the Philippine National Cancer 
Center. The National Cancer Center of the Philippines shall be governed, 
directed, controlled, and managed by the Board of Trustees, which shall 
be composed of a Chairman and six (6) members, all of whom to be 
appointed by the President of the Philippines upon the recommendation 
of the Department of Health. 
 
 
The members of the Board of Trustees shall serve for a period of five 
(5) years and until their successors have been appointed to fill the 
vacancy shall hold office for the unexpired term of the member. 
Whenever a vacancy shall occur in the  Board, the person appointed to 
fill the vacancy shall hold office for the unexpired term of the member.  
 
 
The Board shall elect a Chairman from among themselves, who 
shall be the presiding officer of the Board of Trustees. The Medical 
Director of the Philippine National Cancer Center shall also function as 
Vice-Chairman of the Board.  
 
 
The Director of the National Cancer Center of the Philippines shall 
serve as Vice Chairman of the Board. The Director shall act as the Chief 
Executive Office of the National Cancer Center of the Philippines with 
authority, among others, to appoint, remove, and fix the compensation 
of the personnel thereof, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees 
and in accordance with Republic Act no. 10149, otherwise known as 
the “GOCC Governance Act of 2011”. 


 
Four (4) members of the Board of Trustees shall constitute a 
quorum to transact business and any decision of such four (4) members 
on any matters duly presented to the Board of Trustees shall constitute 
a valid and binding act of the National Cancer Center of the Philippines.  
 
SECTION 4. Powers of the National Cancer Center of the 
Philippines. The National Cancer Center of the Philippines, as 
corporate body acting through its Board of Trustees, shall have the 
following powers: 
 
(a) to acquire and hold in any property of whatever nature of 
description, and to dispose such property under any mode of 
encumbrance or conveyance; 
 
(b) to contract and be contacted with; 
 
(c) to mortgage, lease, sell, transfer, convey or otherwise dispose of 
properties;  
 
(d) to solicit and receive donations, endowments and funds in the 
form of contributions, whether in cash or in kind, form both 
public and private sectors; 
 
(e) to open accounts in banks and other financial institutions, and 
to disburse such funds or invest the same as the Board may 
direct to accomplish or advance the purposes or interest of the 
National Cancer Center of the Philippines; 
 
(f) to invite foreign cancer specialists and similar expert in various 
medical fields to train the personnel or trainees or residents of 
the National Cancer Cetner of the Philippines; 
 
(g) to send the personnel of the National Cancer Center of the 
Philippines to research institutes, medical institutes or 
universities for advance training or observation and to attend 
international or regional conventions, conferences, congresses, 
and seminars as the Board may deem necessary to accomplish 
the purposes and objectives of the National Cancer Center of the 
Philippines; 
 
(h) to adopt a set of By-Laws , rules and regulations consistent with 
the laws and provisions hereof to govern the administration and 
operation of the affairs of the National Cancer Center of the 
Philippines; and 
 
(i) to do all such other acts and things as are or may be necessary 
for the accomplishment of the purpose and objectives of the 
National Cancer Center of the Philippines.  
 


SECTION 5. Government Counterpart. – The Government shall 
constitute the necessary land, building, equipment, and facilities to the 
National Center of the Philippines, and shall pay such obligations for 
real, personal and mixed properties arising from such undertaking 
under a deferred payment arrangement within five (5) years, at a 
preferred rate of interest. 
 
SECTION 7. Property of the Center. - The property of the National 
Cancer Center of the Philippines shall consist of such real, personal, 
mixed, and other donated types of property, now owned or reserved for, 
or may hereafter be given, donated, acquired, transferred or conveyed 
to the National Cancer Center of the Philippines by the Philippine 
government, 
its 
branches 
and 
instrumentalities, 
any 
foreign 
government, as well as by trust, foundations, corporations or persons, 
alien or domestic, in order to carry our its purpose and objectives as set 
forth herein.  
 
SECTION 8. Assistance from Other Government Offices. The 
National Cancer Center of the Philippines may call upon any 
department, bureau, office, agency, or instrumentality of the 
government, including government-owned and controlled corporations, 
for such assistance it may need in pursuit of its purposes and objectives. 
 
 
SECTION 9. Tax Exemptions. All donations, contributions, or 
endowments made by entities or persons to the National Cancer Center 
of the Philippines shall be exempt from income and donor taxes, and 
the same shall be further deductible in full for purposes of computing 
the maximum amount deductible under Section 101 of the National 
Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended. 
 
 
The National Cancer Center of the Philippines shall also be exempt 
from the payment of all taxes, charges, and fees imposed by the 
government or any political subdivision or instrumentality thereof for a 
period of (10) years. 
 
SECTION 10. Appropriations. An initial amount of Five Hundred 
Million Pesos (Php 500,000,000.00) shall be allocated for the initial 
construction, operation, and maintenance of the National Cancer 
Center of the Philippines, which shall be sourced from the General 
Annual Appropriations (GAA). Subsequent funding for the years 
thereafter shall be included in the GAA under the Budgetary Support 
for Government Corporations. 
 
SECTION 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The 
Department of Health (DOH) in collaboration with the Department of 
Budget and Management  (DBM) shall promulgate the necessary rules 
and regulations to effectively implement this Act within ninety (90) days 
from its effectivity. 


SECTION 12. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is 
declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions shall 
continue to be in full force and effect. 
 
SECTION 13. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, 
proclamations, rules and regulations, and issuances, or parts thereof 
which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, are hereby 
repealed, amended or modified accordingly. 
 
SECTION 14. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general 
circulation. 
 
Approved,