Republic of the Philippines gy
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, a
‘Quezon City, Philippines > Receven A
owe! 2 AUG 2013
SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

2481

HOUSE BILL NO.

INTRODUCED BY REP. MARCELINO “MARCY” R. TEODORO

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Every minute, and most often in a developing country, a woman dies from
complications related to pregnancy or childbirth. That is 525,600 women, at a minimum,
dying every year. And for every woman who dies, 30 to 50 women suffer injury, infection,
or disease

The Philippines has a high maternal mortality rate of 172 deaths per 100,000 live
births. According to the State of the Philippine Population Report 2000, 10 Filipino
women die every 24 hours from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.

In September 2000, 189 countries at the United Nations Millennium General
Assembly endorsed a series of Millennium Development Goals, one of which is the
reduction of maternal mortality by 75 percent between 1990 and 2015.

To achieve this, the state must respect and uphold the right of all women to:
© make decisions about their own health, free from coercion or violence, and
based on full information; and
© have access to quality services and information before, during, and after
pregnancy and childbirth.

Experts from around the world now acknowledge that almost all maternal deaths
could be prevented with appropriate care. The most essential intervention is to ensure
that all women are cared for by a professional health worker (midwife, nurse, or doctor)
with midwifery skills during the most dangerous period - during and immediately after
childbirth

Yet in the Philippines today, less than half of all deliveries take place with the
assistance of a skilled birth attendant.

Experience shows, however, that the presence of skilled birth attendants needs
to be part of a broader strategy, including functioning referral systems and back-up
professional support. Skilled attendants alone cannot effectively reduce maternal
mortality; they need to be linked up with a larger health care system with the facilities,
supplies, transport and professionals to provide emergency obstetric care when it is
needed.

Since every maternal death is a family and community tragedy, the community
must involve itself in maternal care and guarantee that every resident pregnant woman
will have access to safe delivery services at the time of her childbirth. The state and the
local government unit concerned must be held accountable for the effective delivery of
adequate, affordable and appropriate health services to all their residents.

MARCELINO “MARCY” R. TEQDORO

Representative
4st District, City of Marikina


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Philippines

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILLNO.__ 2.481

INTRODUCED BY REP. MARCELINO “MARCY” R. TEODORO

AN ACT
TO ENSURE EVERY PREGNANT WOMAN'S ACCESS TO A SKILLED BIRTH
ATTENDANT AT THE TIME OF CHILDBIRTH AND IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER

Be it 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 "Bantay Buntis 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. Towards this end, the state shall ensure
universal access to all individuals to a full range of high quality, affordable reproductive
health services, with particular attention to maternal and emergency obstetric care,
especially in underserved areas. Furthermore, the State shall establish or strengthen
safe motherhood programs, within the context of primary health care, with the goal of
reducing maternal mortality.

SEC, 3. Definition of Terms. - For the purposes of this Act, the term:

a) "Maternal death/mortality" means the death of a woman while pregnant or within
42 days of termination of pregnancy, regardless of the site or duration of
pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its
management

b) "Skilled birth attendant" means a nurse, midwife, doctor or other practitioner with
professional training in obstetric care.

) "Referral system” means a mechanism by which the local government unit
ensures that the nearest hospital with adequate emergency obstetric care will
accept the pregnant woman in the event that complications arise from childbirth
or if there is a need for other emergency procedures.

SEC. 4. Responsibilities of the Barangay Chairman. - It shall be the duty of the
Barangay Chairman to ensure that every pregnant woman has access to a skilled birth
attendant at the time of childbirth. The Barangay Chairman must carry out the following
tasks:

a) Draw up a master list of pregnant women in the barangay. Each pregnant woman
must be assisted in drawing up a birth plan which includes pertinent information
such as the mother’s general state of health, expected due date or date of
delivery, and possible blood donors.

b) Ensure that there will be access to the services of a trained professional health
worker.

c) Place transportation facilities on call upon notification that the pregnant mother
has gone into labor.


d) Communicate with the nearest hospital or lying-in clinic that the woman is in
labor. Prior to this, a referral system or mechanism must be in place.

e) All barangay and municipal health workers shall be placed on standby alert. Only
when the outcome of a safe birth transpires will all alert signals be lowered

SEC. 5. Appropriations. —
a) The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act is hereby authorized
to be appropriated from the General Appropriations Act of the year following the
enactment of this law and every year thereafter.

b) All local government units are likewise mandated to allot not less than five
percent (5%) of their gender and development budget for programs, projects and
activities aimed to support maternal health within their jurisdiction.

SEC. 6. Separability Clause. — Should any provision of this Act be declared invalid or
unconstitutional, the validity or constitutionality of the other provisions shall not be
affected thereby.

SEC. 7. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and regulations,
and other issuances or parts thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this
Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

SEC. 8. Effectivity. ~ This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in at
least two (2) newspapers of general circulation

Approved,