FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
Second Regular Session 
) 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution, Article XIV, Section 2 (3) provides that: 
SEC. 12. The State shall: 
x x x  
(3) Establish and maintain a system of scholarship grants, student loan 
programs, subsidies and other incentives which shall he available to 
deserving students in both public and private schools, especially to the 
underprivileged. 
Nursing has been one of the fastest rising professions in our country. Due to the increase 
in opportunities to work abroad, nursing graduates have steadily increased over the past few 
years. Fely Marilyn Lorenzo, head of the University of the Philippines' Institute of Health Policy 
and Development Studies, said that in 2006, 397,195 students graduated with a nursing degree, 
up from 296,000 in 2005.' 
Due to the increase in enrollment, our nursing education system is hard pressed to catch 
up with the demand. The current faculty shortage will he greatly compounded in the next few 
years by the retirement or migration of many of the current nurse faculty. Without sufficient 
nurse faculty, schools of nursing cannot expand enrollments, and the nursing shortage will 
continue to cripple our nation's health care delivery system. 
' Evangelista, Katherine and Kristine L. Alave. Demand for Nurses Abroad Slowing Down. Philppine Daily 
Inquirer. July 8,2008. 


This bill seeks to mandate the Department of Health to encourage programs that will 
engage the coopikation of private institutions not only in producing better nursing faculty but 
also in raising thd level of nursing education altogether. 
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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
Second Regular Session 
1 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
TO CREATE A PILOT PROGRAM TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF GRADUATE 
EDUCATED NURSE FACULTY TO MEET THE FUTURE NEED FOR QUALIFIED 
NURSES 
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 “Nurse Faculty Higher 
Education Act of 2008.” 
SECTION 2. Purposes. - The purposes of this part are to create a pilot program: 
A. to provide scholarships to qualified nurses in pursuit of an advanced degree with the 
goal of becoming faculty members in an accredited nursing program; and 
B. to provide grants to partnerships between accredited schools of nursing and hospitals 
or health facilities to fund release time for qualified nurse employees, so that those 
employees can earn a salary while obtaining an advanced degree in nursing with the 
goal ofbecoming nurse faculty. 
SECTION 3. Dejinition of Terms. -For purposes of this Act, the term: 
(a) “Secretary” means the Secretary of Health; 
(b) “Health facility” means a health center, a rural health clinic, a nursing home, a home 
health agency, a hospice program, a public health clinic, a national or local department of public 
health, a skilled nursing facility, or ambulatory surgical center. 
SECTION 4. Competitive Grants Authorized. - The Secretary may, on a competitive 
basis, award grants to, and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with, partnerships 
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composed of an accredited school of nursing at an institution of higher education and a hospital 
or health facility to establish not more than 5 pilot projects to enable such hospital or health 
facility to retain its staff of experienced nurses while providing a mechanism to have these 
individuals become, through an accelerated nursing education program, faculty members of an 
accredited school of nursing. 
SECTION 5. Duration, Evaluation and Dissemination. - 
A. DURATION- Grants under this part shall be awarded for a period of 3 to 5 years. 
B. MANDATORY EVALUATION AND DISSEMINATION- Grants under this part 
shall be primarily used for evaluation, and dissemination to other institutions of 
higher education, of the information obtained through the activities described in 
Section 2 (B). 
SECTION 6. Considerations in Making Awards. - In awarding grants and entering into 
contracts and cooperative agreements under this section, the Secretary shall consider the 
following: 
A. GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION- Providing an equitable geographic distribution of 
such grants. 
B. RURAL AND URBAN AREAS- Distributing such grants to urban and rural areas. 
C. RANGE AND TYPE OF INSTITUTION- Ensuring that the activities to be assisted 
are developed for a range of types and sizes of institutions of higher education. 
D. PRIOR EXPERIENCE OR EXCEPTIONAL PROGRAMS- Institutions of higher 
education with demonstrated prior experience in providing advanced nursing 
education programs to prepare nurses interested in pursuing a faculty role. 
SECTION 7. Uses of Funds. - Funds made available by grant, contract, or cooperative 
agreement under this part may be used: 
A. to develop a new national demonstration initiative to align nursing education 
with the emerging challenges of healthcare delivery; and 
B. for any one or more ofthe following innovations in educational programs: 
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1. to develop a clinical simulation laboratory in a hospital, health 
facility, or accredited school of nursing; 
2. to purchase distance learning technologies; 
3. to fund release time for qualified nurses enrolled in the graduate 
nursing program; 
to provide for faculty salaries; and 
to collect and analyze data on educational outcomes. 
4. 
5. 
SECTION 8. Applications. - Each partnership desiring to receive a grant, contract, or 
cooperative agreement under this part shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in 
such manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary may require. Each 
application shall include assurances that: 
A. the individuals enrolled in the program will be qualified nurses in pursuit of a 
master's or doctoral degree in nursing and have a contractual obligation with the 
hospital or health facility that is in partnership with the institution of higher 
education; 
B. the hospital or health facility of employment would be the clinical site for the 
accredited school of nursing program; 
C. individuals will also maintain their employment on a part time basis to the hospital or 
health facility that allowed them to participate in the program, and will receive an 
income from the hospital or health facility, as a part time employee, and release times 
or flexible schedules to accommodate their class schedule. 
D. upon completion of the program, individuals agree to teach for 2 years in an 
accredited school of nursing for each year of support the individual received under 
this program 
SECTION 9. Appropriations. - To carry out the provisions of this Act, such amount as 
hereby necessary is hereby authorized to be appropriated from the National Treasury. 
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SECTION 10. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof, is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall remain 
valid and subsisting. 
SECTION 11. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or is inconsistent 
with the provision of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly. 
SECTION 12. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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