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

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. 2964

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES RALPH WENDEL P. TULFO
AND JOCELYN P. TULFO

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING A COLLEGE OF MEDICINE IN THE POLYTECHNIC
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-QUEZON CITY CAMPUS, METRO
MANILA AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bill seeks to establish a College of Medicine in the Polytechnic University
of the Philippines-Quezon City Campus (PUP-QC).

Section 17, Article II of the 1987 Constitution provides:

“The State shall give priority to education, science and technology, arts,
culture, and sports to foster patriotism and nationalism, accelerate social
progress, and promote total human liberation and development.”

Furthermore, Section 2 of Republic Act No. 11509, otherwise known as the
“Doktor Para sa Bayan Act” provides:

“Section 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy
of the State to protect and promote the right of health of the people
through the formulation and implementation of policies and strategies
for the appropriate generation, recruitment, retraining, regulation,
retention and reassessment of the health workforce making it more
attuned to the needs of the population. It is also the declared policy of
the State to promote social justice by expanding access to quality
education and creating opportunities for underprivileged individuals.

Towards this end, the State shall establish a medical scholarship and


return service program that will help deserving medical students
pursue medical education and training in the field of health and
medicine who shall eventually render services in government public
health offices or government hospitals in their hometown or in any
municipality in their home province or in any underserved municipality
in any province, as part of their integration into the public health and
medical service system. This shall ensure the availability of doctors who
will provide quality basic, promotive, preventive and curative health
care services in every municipality in the country, especially the
underserved, remote, economically underdeveloped, distressed,
conflict-afflicted and geographically disadvantaged areas.”

In 2023, there are 159,283 registered physicians in the Philippines but only
59.70% or 95,039 are actively practicing, according to the Professional Regulation
Commission. This figure does not meet the ratio the World Health Organization set.
The standard is 14.3 physician for every 10,000 population. With the country’s
111,572,254 population in 2023, there is a need for 116,032 physicians to meet the said
ratio.!

This bill offers a solution to the alarming lack of doctors in the country by
providing a medical school that shall extend quality education to the youth of the
marginalized sector. Further, this bill seeks to lay the foundation for a comprehensive
medical education program that encompasses cutting-edge medical training, research
opportunities, and community engagement initiatives. Likewise, the establishment of
a College of Medicine at the PUP-QC branch will serve as a transformative step
towards producing a skilled and diverse workforce of medical practitioners who are
not only academically competent, but also deeply committed to serving the health
needs of our communities.

The establishment of a College of Medicine in PUP-QC supports the plan of the
National Government to augment the capacity of existing state universities and
colleges that offer medical programs to the youth of the marginalized sector.

In view of the foregoing, the urgent passing of this bill is earnestly sought.

' “PRC: Only 59.7 of Philippines’ doctors practicing; nurses, only 53.55%", NB, GMA News Online, 27 Mar
2023, https://www.amanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/865 188/pre-only-59-7-of-phlippines-doctors-
racticing-nurses-only-53-55/story/.


RALPH WENDEL P. TULFO JOCE! TU)
Representative Represéntati
2n4 District of Quezon City ACT-CIS Partylist


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

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. 2564

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES RALPH WENDEL P. TULFO
AND JOCELYN P. TULFO

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING A COLLEGE OF MEDICINE IN THE POLYTECHNIC
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-QUEZON CITY CAMPUS, METRO
MANILA AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 1. Establishment. - There is hereby established a medical school in
the Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Quezon City Campus (Branch), Metro
Manila, which shall be known as the “Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Quezon
City Campus College of Medicine”.

SEC. 2. General Mandate. - The Polytechnic University of the Philippines
(PUP)-Quezon City Campus College of Medicine, hereinafter referred to as the
“College”, shall primarily offer a Doctor of Medicine Program, including an
Integrated Liberal Arts and Medicine Program consisting of basic science and clinical
courses, and using a learner-centered, competency-based, and community-oriented
approach. The primary goal of the College shall be to develop a corps of professional
physicians to strengthen the healthcare system of the country, as well as to respond to
the human resource development needs of Quezon City, Metro Manila and the
National Capital Region.

The College is also mandated to undertake research and extension services and
provide progressive leadership in these areas.

SEC. 3. Governance. - Being an integral unit of the PUP System, the governance
of the College shall be vested in the Board of Regents of the PUP, whose powers and
functions are defined under Republic Act (RA) No. 8292, otherwise known as the
“Higher Education Modernization Act of 1997”, and other applicable laws and
regulations, unless otherwise provided or amended elsewhere in this Act.

4


Corvanewne

SEC. 4. Administration. - The administration of the College shall be vested in
the Dean of the College insofar as may be authorized by its Board

SEC. 5. The College Dean. - The College shall be headed by a Dean who shall
be appointed by the Board, subject to the guidelines, qualifications, and standards set
by the Board, and upon the recommendation of the President with qualifications
pursuant to the policies, standards, and guidelines of the Commission on Higher
Education (CHED). The Dean shall render full-time service, serve a term of three (3)
years, and may be reappointed to another term.

Within six (6) months from the effectivity of this Act, the President of the PUP
shall constitute the Search Committee for the Deanship.

The powers and duties of the Dean of the College shall include those usually
pertaining to the Office of the Dean of similar state universities and colleges and those
delegated by the President.

The salary of the Dean of the College shall be in accordance with RA No. 11466,
otherwise known as the “Salary Standardization Law of 2019”, and such other laws
amendatory thereto, which may hereinafter be enacted, and shall be comparable to
that being received by the Deans of similar educational institutions.

In case of vacancy in the Office of the Dean by reason of death, compulsory
retirement, resignation, removal for cause, or incapacity of the Dean to perform the
functions of the office, the Board shall, upon the recommendation of the President,
designate an Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the College, pending the appointment of a
new Dean: Provided, That the OIC shall serve only during the unexpired portion of the
term.

The Dean of the College shall be assisted by a College Secretary, who shall be
appointed by the Board.

SEC. 6. The Faculty. - The Board shall, upon the recommendation of the
President of the PUP, appoint the faculty members of the College: Provided, That no
political belief, sex, gender, cultural or community affiliation or ethnic origin, nor
religious opinion or affiliation shall be a matter of inquiry in the appointment of
faculty members of the College: Provided, further, That said appointment shall be
subject to the guidelines, qualifications, and standards set by the Board in accordance
with the policies of the CHED: Provided, finally, That no member of the faculty shall
teach for or against any particular religious denomination.

SEC. 7. Scholarship Programs and Admission. - The College shall provide
scholarships and other affirmative action programs to assist poor but deserving
students who qualify for admission to the College. Students who have availed
themselves of the scholarship program under RA No. 11509, otherwise known as the

5


“Doktor Para sa Bayan Act’, shall render a return service in accordance with the said
law. Students availing themselves of other nationally-funded scholarship programs to
complete the medicine degree program under the College may be required to render
a return service depending on the contract to be signed between the student and the
College.

No student shall be denied admission to the College by reason of sex, gender,
religion, cultural or community affiliation, physical disability, ethnic origin, or any
other forms of discrimination.

SEC. 8. Academic Freedom. - The College shall enjoy academic freedom,
pursuant to Paragraph 2, Section 5 of Article XIV of the Constitution.

SEC. 9. Loan or Transfer of Supplies, Apparatuses, or Equipment, and Detail
of Personnel to the College- Heads of national government agencies and
instrumentalities may, upon the request of the Board through the President of the
PUP, loan or transfer of supplies, apparatuses, or equipment, and detail personnel to
the College: Provided, That such loan, transfer or detail shall not be detrimental to
public service.

The personnel to be detailed to the College shall perform such duties as may
be deemed required by the Dean of the College and the time spent for such duties
shall be counted as part of the detailed personnel's regular service.

SEC. 10. Assets, Liabilities, and Personnel. - All appropriations, assets, both
real and personal, personnel, and records of the College, as well as its liabilities or
obligations, shall be titled or named after the PUP.

Alll parcels of land belonging to the government to be occupied by the College
shall be the property of the PUP and titled under its name: Provided, That should the
PUP cease to exist or be abolished or such aforementioned parcels of land be no longer
needed by the PUP, the same shall revert to the local government unit concerned or
to the Republic of the Philippines, as the case may be.

SEC. 11. Duty and Tax Exemptions. - The importation by the College of
medical books or publications, medical equipment or instruments which are for
medical, laboratory or scientific purposes shall, upon certification by the CHED, be
exempt from customs duties in accordance with the provisions of RA No. 10863,
otherwise known as the “Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA)’.

All grants, bequests, endowments, donations, and contributions made to and
used actually, directly, and exclusively for educational purposes by the College, shall
be exempt from donor's tax and the same shall be considered as allowable deductions
from gross income for purposes of computing the taxable income of the donor in


34

accordance with the provisions of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as
amended.

SEC. 12. Compliance with the CHED Requirements. - The provisions of this
Act notwithstanding, the establishment of the medical course shall become effective
only upon the determination and declaration by the CHED, based on the
recommendation of a panel of experts, which shall constitute for the purpose that the
institution has complied with the policies, standards, and guidelines of the CHED for
the Doctor of Medicine Program: Provided, That the panel of experts may issue such
recommendation when the institution has substantially complied with the
requirements provided in the aforesaid order.

SEC. 13. Suppletory Application. - The provisions of RA No. 8292, otherwise
known as the “Higher Education Modernization Act of 1997”, shall form part of this Act.

SEC. 14. Appropriations. - The amount necessary to carry out the provisions
of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

SEC. 15. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within sixty (60) days from
the approval of this Act, the Board shall, in consultation with the CHED, issue rules
and regulations to implement its provisions

SEC. 16. Separability Clause. - If, for any reason, any part or provision of this
Act is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining parts or provisions not
affected are in full force and effect.

SEC. 17. Repealing Clause. - All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders,
and rules and regulations contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act

are amended, repealed, or modified accordingly.

SEC. 18. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved