Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILLNO.243

Intioduced by Rep. Witfride Mark M. Enverga

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Bill is a proposed legislation filed by the author during the 15t*
Congress in 2010. For decades eye diseases have been a priority concern
because of the gradual increase of cases being treated in various eye clinics
and hospitals due to aging population, improper eye care, and complication
from other diseases, environmental factor, accidents and other related
factors.

Yet the more common eye diseases are, to a great extent, preventable,
and curable with early and adequate medical care, prompt and intensive
prevention and health education programs.

Hence there is an urgent need to consolidate and reinforce existing
programs, strategies and efforts at preventing, treating and rehabilitating
people affected by eye diseases and to undertake research and training on the
cure and prevention of eye diseases, through the National Eye Center which
will house and nurture the above and related activities and provide tertiary-
level care for more difficult and problematic cases.

In view of the foregoing considerations, approval of this bill is highly

and earnestly recommended.
ILFRIDO MARK O29)


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 543

Introduced by Rep. Wilfride Mark M. Enverga

AN ACT CREATING THE NATIONAL EYE CENTER
AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the

Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION. 1. There is hereby created a National Eye Center which is a quasi-

government institution attached to the Office of the President.

SEC. 2. The Center shall have its principal office in Metro Manila, and may
have such branch offices, hospitals, clinics or subsidiaries in other areas in the

Philippines as it may deem proper and necessary.
SEC. 3. The Center shall have the following purposes and objectives:

(a)To specialize in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment,
rehabilitation and/or relief of eye and allied diseases;

(b) To promote medical and scientific research relative to the prevention
and treatment of eye and allied diseases, and to encourage planning,
invention and development of artificial means of eye support and

transplantation;

(0) To conduct fact finding investigations on eye diseases, and related field

throughout the country or elsewhere, and to report, publish and
disseminate information on eye and allied diseases;

(d) To finance, sponsor, hold or participate in congresses, conventions,

conferences, seminars, work-shops and training programs on eye
diseases and/or related field in the Philippines or abroad; and

(e) To stimulate the formation of other organizations on the national,

provincial, city and/or local levels, and to coordinate the various efforts
and activities of such organization for the purpose of achieving a more
effective approach to the common problem relative to the purposes and

objectives enumerated herein.


SEC. 4. For the attainment and/or furtherance of the above-enumerated
purposes and objectives, the Center as a body corporate acting through its Board of
Trustees, shall have the following powers and functions:

(a) To adopt and use a corporate seal;
(b) To sue and be sued in its corporate name;

() To adopt its by-laws, rules and regulations as it may deem proper
and necessary for implementation of the purposes and objectives of
this Act;

(a) To succeed by its corporate name, and to acquire and possess
properties, rights and interests of whatever kind and nature, and
mortgage, pledge, alienate, encumber or otherwise dispose of the
same;

(e) To award, enter into, make, execute, perform and carry out domestic
or foreign contracts of whatever kind and nature;

(0 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, notes, securities and
other evidences of indebtedness or obligations of other
corporations, whether domestic or foreign, and whether government
or private;

(g) 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;

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

(i) To exercise such other powers and functions as may be incidental or
necessary to carry out the purposes and objectives of this Act.


SEC. 5. The Center shall be governed, and its activities and properties shall
be directed, controlled and managed, by a Board of Trustees, hereinafter referred to as
the Board, which shall be composed of a Chairman and ten (10) members, all of whom.
shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines. The Chief Executive Officer of
the Center, who shall be appointed from among the members of the Board in
accordance hereof, shall be the ex-officio Vice-Chairman of the Board.

The members of the Board shall serve for a term of three (3) years, with a
right to hold-over until their respective successors shall have been duly appointed and
qualified. The President of the Philippines may, however, remove any member of the
Board for cause. 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 replaced.

SEC. 6. The Board shall have the following powers and functions:

(a) To formulate policies, guidelines and programs to effectively
implement and carry out the purposes and objectives of this Act;

(b) To prescribe, review and revise the amount of the fees, charges, and
assessments levied and collected for the support and maintenance of
the operations of the Center;

(©) To control the management, operation and administration of the
Center;

(d) To promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary or
proper for the effective exercise of power and functions as well as
the discharge of the duties, responsibilities of the Center, its officers
and employees;

(e) To authorize such expenditures of the Center as may be necessary
or proper for the effective management, operation and
administration of the Center;

(8 To determine and organize the Center's organizational and
administrative structure or pattern, and to establish and fix, review,
revise and adjust the appropriate compensation scheme of the
officers and employees of the center with reasonable allowances,
bonuses and other incentives;

(g) To adopt the annual and supplemental budget of receipts and
expenditures of the Center;

(h) To appoint, remove, suspend or otherwise discipline officers of the
center occupying executive and senior management positions;

(i) To exercise all the general powers necessary or incidental to the
attainment of the purposes and objectives of this Act; and


(i) To do any and all acts as may be necessary or proper for the
attainment of the powers and functions of the Center.

SEC. 7. The 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 need in the pursuit of the purposes and
objectives of this Act;

SEC. 8 The Center is hereby authorized to solicit and receive donations,
grants, contributions, gifts or endowments from all sources whether foreign or
domestic, and whether government or private, without the need of securing a permit,
approval or registration from any government agency;

SEC. 9. The books and accounts of the Center shall be under the charge of a
Resident Auditor, subject to periodic auditing by the Chairman of the Commission on
Audit, or his duly authorized representative;

SEC. 10 The Center and its officers and employees shall be covered by the
Civil Service Law, rules and regulations;

SEC 11. The Center shall render to the President of the Philippines an annual
report on its operations and accomplishments;

SEC. 12. The provisions of the general corporation law, insofar as they are not
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act of with the purposes and objectives for
which the Center is formed, shall apply to the Center;

SEC. 13. If for any reason, the Center is dissolved, its properties and assets
shall revert to the National Government for disposition in accordance with law;

SEC. 14. The amount of One Hundred million pesos (P100,000,000.00) is

hereby appropriated for the necessary initial operating expenses and maintenance of

the National Eye Center. Thereafter, such sum as maybe necessary for the continued

operation of the Center shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
SEC. 15. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

APPROVED,