FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
) 
) 
) 
SENATE 
S.B. No. 2069 
Introduced by Senator EDGARDO J. ANGARA 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
There is no integrated medical professional organization in the Philippines. There 
exists the Philippine Medical Association, Inc. (PMA), which is an organization of doctors 
licensed to practice medicine in the Philippines. 
The PMA is one of the most prestigious organizations in the Philippines, the 
umbrella organization of the medical profession of the country. It is duly registered with 
the Securities and Exchange Commission as a non-stock, non-profit organization and is the 
mother association of all medical organizations in the Philippines. It was founded 
September IS, 1903, at a time when the country was under American rule. The Philippine 
Medical Association brings together the entire medical profession under one roof to serve 
as an authoritative source of information on health, disease and medical practice. It is 
responsible for the Training of Specialists through its Specialty Societies. It is responsible 
for the sustained excellent quality healthcare delivery through its continuing medical 
education, formulation of clinical practices, guidelines, directly or through the specialty 
societies. It polices its ranks through the rigid Code of Ethics of the medical profession. 
The PMA has eight specialty divisions such as Pathology, Radiology, 
Anesthesiology, Surgery, Physicians, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology and Family 
Medicine. All of these specialty divisions have several sub-specialty societies. There are 
28,000 physicians who are members of the PMA. Membership in the Philippine Medical 
Association is coursed through the Component Society. There are presently 128 
Component Societies, which is the basic unit of the Association, equitably distributed in all 
regions of the country. All provinces and cities in the Philippines have component 
societies, more popularly Imown as medical societies. A group of these medical societies 
form a region or regional council. The Board of Governors exercise control and 
supervis,ion over the regional councils and the component societies. The Board of 
GoveJ;11ors have the power to realign regions and component societies and further the 
power to create new component society or delist existing one. 
Aside from its by-laws, duly registered with the Securities and Exchange 
Commission, the PMA has codes governing its affairs and the conduct of its members. 
Among its codes are the Administrative Code, the Code on Continuing Medical Education, 
Code of Ethics, the Election Code and Mutual Aid Code and Guidelines on Protocol and 
Procedures and Guidelines on Affiliate Societies. 
I 
,",' ,,',? 
'\! ' 


For the benefit of its members, the PMA and its specialty societies conduct 
periodically seminars, workshops and conventions educating its members on the latest 
medical technology and medicine. Its specialty societies determine who the specialists in 
several fields of medicine are. 
There is no other medical organization that possesses the breadth, compOSItion, 
membership and nationwide coverage of the PMA. In almost all matters affecting health or 
the medical profession, the government seeks the advice of the PMA. This bill will put the 
PMA as a partner of the Government in the improvement of the health delivery system to 
include the alleviation of the Exodus of Doctors to foreign lands. 
Further, this bill will rid the medical profession of so called misfits found to be 
negligent in their practice. The negligent acts of doctors led to a spate of incidents wherein 
patients either died, were maimed, scarred or suffered physical injuries. 
Under present laws, a patient has three options to remedy or punish such negligent 
acts, one is the filing of a criminal action under the Revised Penal Code under Article 365 
(reckless imprudence), the second is the filing of a civil case for the recovery of damages 
and the third is the filing of a case before the Professional Regulations Commission for the 
revocation ofthe license ofthe doctor . 
. Patients might find the current options not suitable for his need because of: 
a. court or administrative actions are time consuming as the courts and the PRC 
are clogged with other cases 
b. filing of such actions are financially burdensome on the patient. 
c. court or administrative actions are mired in technicalities especially those 
concerning evidence, the presentation and weighing of which must adhere to 
the strict technical rules of procedure and evidence 
This bill will provide a patient with a fourth option, that of filing a case with an 
integrated professional medical organization. If the bill is passed, the medical profession, 
just like the legal profession, will be integrated into one accredited organization. No doctor 
can practice his profession unless he becomes a member of such integrated professional 
organization. An aggrieved patient may now seek for the revocation of membership of the 
doctor from the integrated professional medical organization. The threat of revocation will 
carry a lot of weight since the livelihood of the doctor depends on his continued 
membership in the Organization. 
This bill seeks to accredit the Philippine Medical Association as the integrated 
professional medical organization and all physicians wanting to practice medicine will be 
required to become members of the PMA. If the bill is passed into a law, we will be 
creating a professional medical organization already in place without the government 
spending a single centavo that can serve as an extension of the government in regulating 
the medical profession, maintaining the high ad, ethical conduct of the medical 
professionals and help in the continued delivery of quality health care. 
Approval ofthis bill is earnestly recommended, 
~ 
//1'-v-
EDGARDO J. ANGARA 
2 


FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
S.B. No. 2069 
Introduced by Senator EDGARDO J. ANGARA 
AN ACT 
ACCREDITING THE PHILIPPINE MEDICAL ASSOCIATION AS THE 
INTEGRATED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION OF THE 
PHILIPPINES 
Be it enacted in the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in the 
Congress assembled: 
1 
SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known and cited as the "Integrated Medical 
2 
Professional Organization Act of2010 ". 
3 
4 
SEC. 2. Membership - All physicians duly registered by the Professional 
5 
Regulations Commission shall become members of the Philippine Medical Association, 
6 
Inc. (PMA) Membership in good standing of the PMA shall be a condition precedent for 
7 
his renewal of license and for the continuous practice of medicine. It shall be the only 
8 
Integrated Medical Professional Organization of the Philippines. 
9 
1 0 
S~c. 3. Organization - The organizational structure of the PMA, including the 
11 
specialty divisions, specialty and sub-specialty societies and the component medical 
12 
societies and as a non-stock, non-profit corporation duly registered with the Securities and 
13 
Exchange Commission shall be retained. 
14 
15 
SEC. 4. Rules and Regulations - The PMA shall prescribe rules and regulations to 
16 
implement the integration of the medical profession including the various specialty 
17 
divisions, the specialty and SUbspecialty societies and their training program, and the 
18 
component and affiliate medical societies. 
19 
1 


1 
SEC. 5. Complaints - The PMA shall hear complaints against its members. The 
2 
PMA shall prescribe its rules to govern the conduct of its proceedings and the rules of its 
3 
procedures. The rules shall be liberally construed and the technical rules of procedure on 
4 
evidence shall not be strictly applied. 
5 
6 
SEC. 6. Grounds - A person may file a verified complaint before the PMA against 
7 
a PMA member based on the following grounds: 
8 
9 
(a) gross negligence, ignorance or incompetence in the practice of 
10 
(b) his/her profession resulting to death, physical injury to a person; 
, 
11 
( c) conviction by a court of competent jurisdiction of any criminal 
12 
.(d) offense involving moral turpitude; 
13 
(e) immoral or dishonorable conduct; 
14 
(f) insanity; 
15 
(g) fraud in the acquisition of the certificate ofregistration, and professional license 
16 
or renewal thereof; 
17 
(\i) addiction to alcoholic beverages or to 'any habit-forming dnigrendering him or 
18 
her incompetent to practice his or her profession; 
19 
(i) false or extravagant or unethical advertisement; 
20 
U) performing or aiding in any criminal abortion; 
21 
(k) knowingly issuing any false medical certificate; 
22 
(I) Issuing any statement or spreading any news or humor which is derogatory to 
23 
the character and reputation of another physician without justifiable motive; 
24 
(m)Aiding or acting as a dummy of unqualified or unregistered person to practice 
25 
medicine; 
26 
(n) Violation of the Code of Ethics of the PMA. 
27 
28 
SEC. 7. Penalties - . The PMA may impose penalties of reprimand, suspension or 
29 
expulsion. All cases filed or pending under this act shall not be discussed or taken in any 
30 
forum until after the same shall have been decided with finality. 
31 
32 
SEC. 8. Implementing Rules - The PMA shall promulgate the implementing rules 
33 
and guidelines of this act within eighty (80) days after the enactment of this act. 
2 


• 
1 
SEC. 9. Separability Clause - if any provision of this Act is declared 
2 
unconstitutional or not valid, other provisions not affected herein shall remain in full force 
3 
and effect. 
4 
5 
SEC. 
10. 
Repealing 
Clause 
Provisions 
on 
the 
integration 
of 
6 
professionals/professions in the professional regulatory laws and alI provisions of laws, 
7 
decrees, order, rule and regulations that are inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed 
8 
and/or modified accordingly. 
9 
10 
SEC. 11. Effectivity - This act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
II 
publication in the Official Gazette or in any major leading newspaper of national 
12 
circulation, which ever is earlier. 
13 
14 
Approved 
3