Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. 1547
Introduced by HON. MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE, HON. VINCENZO 
RENATO LUIGI R. VILLAFUERTE, HON. TSUYOSHI ANTHONY G. HORIBATA, AND 
HON. TERRY L. RIDON 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Our right to health is enshrined within the 1987 Constitution as stated under Article II, 
Sections 15 and 16, “The State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and 
instill health consciousness among them” and “The State shall protect and advance the right 
of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of 
nature”.  
The COVID-19 pandemic has made the government realize that our country lacked 
the sufficient healthcare professional workers to address national health emergencies. During 
this time, public and private hospitals were overcrowded to the point that they could no longer 
accept additional patients due to lack of medical manpower, facilities and equipment, and was 
further aggravated when treatment and medical items were insufficient. Numerous medical 
professionals got infected and worse, perished from the disease which reduced the assistance 
necessary. This propelled the government to call for medical volunteers nationwide to 
augment the situation. The Philippines, being one of the top exporters of healthcare 
professionals up to this date still faces a chronic shortage of medical practitioners due to 
financial and economic constraints such as low salaries, job insecurities and limited career 
growth.  
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the recommended ratio of doctors 
in any country is 10 doctors per 10,000 population, but in the Philippines alone there are only 
7.92 doctors per 10,000 population as of 2024. This exacerbates any medical situation, even 
without the presence of a national health emergency. 
This bill aims to organize a reinforcement team composed of licensed medical 
professionals such as physicians, nurses, medical technologists, and other health 
professionals from allied health fields, graduates of medicine and allied health courses, 
medical students who have completed a one-year medical internship, and other health support 
workforce that is mandated to be ready for mobilization upon the immediate request of 
municipal and city mayors and provincial governors, or when the entire country requires a 
nationwide mobilization in times of public health emergencies.  
July 8, 2025
10:01 am


This is a re-filed bill from the 19th Congress, and was approved on Third and Final 
Reading and was transmitted to the Senate. Thus, in light of the foregoing, the immediate 
passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
HON. MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE 
HON. VINCENZO RENATO LUIGI R. VILLAFUERTE 
HON. TSUYOSHI ANTHONY G. HORIBATA 
HON. TERRY L. RIDON 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. 1547 
Introduced by HON. MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE, HON. VINCENZO 
RENATO LUIGI R. VILLAFUERTE, HON. TSUYOSHI ANTHONY G. HORIBATA, AND 
HON. TERRY L. RIDON 
AN ACT CREATING THE HEALTH EMERGENCY AUXILIARY REINFORCEMENT TEAM 
UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
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 "Health Emergency Auxiliary 
Reinforcement Team (HEART)".  
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - Article II, Section 15 of the Constitution enjoins the State 
to protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among 
them. Article XIII, Section 11 also provides for the adoption of an integrated and 
comprehensive approach to health development. The State further reiterates its commitment 
to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3, which calls on the State 
to ensure healthy lives and promote the well-being of Filipinos at all ages. 
The State recognizes the need for a reserve force of highly skilled and health-oriented 
professionals and volunteers who can be mobilized to maintain the capacity to meet surges in 
the demand for additional manpower in the country's healthcare system and provide 
assistance as needed in times of health crises. 
Pursuant to this, it is the policy of the State to: 
a) Prioritize the health of its citizens whether in the country or overseas by maintaining a
strong and resilient healthcare system at all times that will immediately, efficiently, and
effectively address all potential and actual public health emergencies; and
b) Promote the spirit of "Bayanihan" and enhance the capacity of the nation to expand its
human health resources in times of disasters, public health emergencies and health
threats of both national and local scale through the mobilization of the Health
Emergency Auxiliary Reinforcement Team.
SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act: 


 
 
a. Allied health professionals refer to professions who are involved with the 
delivery of health or related services such as the identification, evaluation and 
prevention of diseases and disorders, dietary and nutrition services, and 
rehabilitation and health systems management. Allied health professionals, 
shall include, among others, dental hygienists, diagnostic medical 
sonographers, dietitians, medical technologists, occupational therapists, 
physical therapists, radiographers, respiratory therapists, and speech language 
pathologists; 
 
b. Bayanihan refers to the value of communal unity through helping others to 
achieve a certain goal without expecting anything in return; 
 
c. Deployment refers to the actual movement of workforce to the assigned area 
within a prescribed period; 
 
d. Health Emergency Auxiliary Reinforcement Team refers to a group of individual 
volunteers who are in the field of medicine, nursing, medical technology, and 
other allied health-related fields who are ready to be deployed to complement 
the health workforce in the event of a public health emergency and health 
threat; 
 
e. Health threat refers to a condition, agent, or incident that greatly impacts the 
health that leads to disease, accident, injury, and loss of life; 
 
f. Mobilization refers to the process and procedures for activating, assembling, 
and transporting the needed health workforce to respond to a public health 
emergency and health threat; 
 
g. Mobilization center refers to the establishment where the Health Emergency 
Auxiliary Reinforcement Team shall report upon receipt of the order for 
mobilization, coordinate their mission order and mobilization-related issues and 
concerns, and submit their report upon receipt of the order for demobilization; 
 
h. Public health emergency refers to an occurrence that poses an imminent threat 
of an illness or health condition as defined in Republic Act No. 11332, otherwise 
known as Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of 
Public Health Concern Act, that: 
 
1. Is caused by any of the following: 
 
1. Bio terrorism; 
 
2. Appearance of a novel or previously controlled or eradicated 
infectious agent or biological toxin; 
 
3. A natural disaster; 
 
4. A chemical attack or accidental release; 
 
5. A nuclear attack or accident; or 
 
6. An attack or accidental release of radioactive materials; and 
 
2. Poses a high probability of any of the following: 
 


 
 
1. A large number of deaths in the affected population; 
 
2. A large number of serious injuries or long-term disabilities in the 
affected population; 
 
3. Widespread exposure to an infectious or toxic agent that poses 
a significant risk of substantial harm to a large number of people 
in the affected population; 
 
4. International exposure to an infectious or toxic agent that poses 
a significant risk to the health of citizens; or 
 
5. Trade and travel restrictions 
 
i. 
Volunteers refer to those who freely register to be members of the HEART. 
 
SECTION 4. Scope. - This Act provides for the organization of the Health Emergency Auxiliary 
Reinforcement Team, hereinafter referred to as the HEART, the development of policies, 
plans, guidelines, and the implementation of actions pertaining to the mobilization, services, 
and protection of the HEART in times of disasters, public health emergencies and health 
threats. 
 
SECTION 5. Health Emergency Auxiliary Reinforcement Team. - There is hereby 
established a HEART under the Department of Health (DOH) to augment the health workforce 
in times of disasters, public health emergencies and health threats. The HEART shall be 
composed of the following individuals who shall voluntarily register with the DOH: 
 
a. Licensed professionals in the fields of medicine, nursing, medical technology, and 
other allied health fields including those who are retired and those who are no longer 
practicing their professions in a health facility setting. All health and allied health 
professional organizations may be tapped for the engagement of professionals who 
are not affiliated in any healthcare facility; 
 
b. Graduates of medicine and allied health courses and medical students who have 
completed a one-year medical internship and who have not yet been issued licenses 
to practice their respective professions, but due to the need for their services may 
be issued a limited and special authorization to render medical services during 
public health emergencies or health threats pursuant to Republic Act No. 2382, 
otherwise known as the Medical Act of 1959 or as may be amended hereafter; and 
 
c. Other health support workforce, including barangay health workers, whose services 
are necessary in times of disasters, public health emergencies and health threats. 
 
SECTION 6. The Health Emergency Auxiliary Reinforcement Team Promotion Program. 
- There is hereby established the Health Emergency Auxiliary Reinforcement Team Promotion 
Program, which shall refer to the comprehensive set of objectives, targets, strategies and 
activities for the promotion, recruitment and selection of reserve force of highly skilled and 
health-oriented professionals and volunteers. 
 
It shall include, but not be limited to, the following areas of concern: the provision of initiatives 
that shall underscore the importance of volunteerism to improve the health and safety of 
communities; the utilization of medical reserves pool who want to donate their time and 
expertise to prepare for and respond to emergencies and to support ongoing preparedness 
initiatives; and the building of partnerships and ensuring the sustainability of the HEART with 


 
 
the end goal of maintaining its capacity to meet surges in the demand for healthcare system 
and provide assistance in times of public emergencies. 
 
SECTION 7. Creation of the HEART Board. - A HEART Board, hereinafter referred to as 
Board, is hereby created to ensure efficient and effective mobilization of the HEART. It shall 
be chaired by the Department of Health (DOH) and composed of representatives of the 
following, as members: 
 
a. Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG); 
b. Department of National Defense (DND); 
c. Commission on Higher Education (CHED); 
d. Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC); 
e. Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP); 
f. Office of Civil Defense (OCD); and 
g. One representative from a non-governmental health professional organization. 
 
The members of the Board shall designate a representative, with a rank not lower than 
Assistant Secretary or its equivalent, to represent their respective offices in the Board: 
Provided, That the representative must be fully authorized to decide on behalf of the member-
agency. 
 
The AFP shall designate a representative from the Office of the Surgeon General with a rank 
not lower than Colonel as its Board representative. 
The representative from a non-governmental health professional organization shall have a two 
(2) -year term of office. The Board shall select the representative base on the guidelines it 
shall promulgate: Provided, That, the non-governmental health organization is national in 
scope and has a good track record in providing emergency health services. 
 
The Board shall establish close coordination with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and 
Management Council and the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency. It 
may call upon any government office or instrumentality, including government owned or 
controlled corporations and local government units (LGUs), as necessary. The Board may 
likewise closely coordinate and collaborate with non-governmental health organizations and 
the private sector, especially those with actual programs in the delivery of emergency health 
services. 
 
SECTION 8. Powers and Functions of the Board. - The Board shall have the following 
powers and functions: 
 
a)   Define and develop the organization, management, mobilization, demobilization, and 
reporting mechanisms, policies, and guidelines for the HEART; 
 
b)   Oversee the effective and efficient functioning of the HEART in responding to public 
health emergencies and health threats; 
 
c)   Coordinate with concerned national government agencies and other stakeholders in  
responding to public health emergencies and health threats; and 
 
d) Conduct regular meetings every quarter or as often as may be necessary in times of 
disasters, during public health emergencies or in the occurrence of health threats. 
 
SECTION 9. Creation of a HEART Unit. - A HEART Unit shall be created by the DOH which 
shall serve as the secretariat of the Board. It shall oversee program implementation, including 
the maintenance of the database or information system of the HEART. 


 
 
The DOH shall determine the organizational structure and staffing pattern of the HEART unit 
subject to the evaluation and approval of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) 
and in accordance with the civil service laws, rules and regulations. 
 
The regional counterparts of the HEART Unit shall likewise be allocated additional staff and 
personnel to ensure the grassroots implementation of this Act. 
 
All LGUs shall ensure that a HEART Unit shall be operationalized under their respective Local 
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office which shall act as mobilization centers in 
times of disasters, public health emergencies or health threats. 
 
SECTION 10. Registration and Training. - The Board shall prescribe a comprehensive 
guideline for the recruitment and selection of a HEART volunteer. 
 
The Board shall also prescribe a training program through written, practical, and simulation 
activities on various aspects of health emergency management and response in different 
health emergency scenarios. To this end, all volunteers must undergo: 
 
a) Basic training on disaster and health emergency response; and 
b) Skill enhancement activities with relevant agencies in the both public and private sector 
c)  
Completion of the basic training or acceptable substitute or equivalent certification shall be a 
requisite for admission to the HEART. 
 
SECTION 11. Registry and Accounting of Members. - HEART Volunteers shall be issued 
with individual registration numbers which shall serve as their identification during deployment. 
 
A registry or database that contains the names of the volunteers, their registration numbers, 
address, contact details and other personal information as may be necessary, shall be 
maintained and regularly updated in accordance with Republic Act No. 10173, otherwise 
known as the Data Privacy Act. 
 
The HEART registry or database shall be integrated or linked to existing registries such as the 
National Health Workforce Registry pursuant to Republic Act No. 11223, otherwise known as 
Universal Health Care Act, Section 25 (c). 
 
All volunteers covered under this Act are required to update their addresses and contact 
details on file through the registry system or database as necessary. 
 
SECTION 12. Mobilization. - The Board shall approve the prompt mobilization of the HEART 
upon receipt of a request from municipal and city mayors and provincial governors in 
connection with a public health emergency, threats to public health, or a disaster, whether of 
local or national scale. The HEART may be mobilized partially or in full, as may be necessary. 
 
The Board shall promulgate a mechanism that shall ensure efficient implementation of 
deployment, assignment areas, deployment periods, how deployment orders are 
communicated to each volunteer, and to which mobilization center the volunteers will report 
taking into consideration Section 13 on "Accreditation, Mobilization, and Protection of Disaster 
Volunteers and National Service Reserve Corps, CSOs, and the Private Sector" of Republic 
Act No. 10121, otherwise known as the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management 
Act of 2010. 
 
SECTION 13. Deployment Order. - The President of the Philippines, upon the 
recommendation of the HEART Board through a resolution, may order the nationwide 


 
 
mobilization of the HEART to augment the health workforce in case of a declaration of a state 
of public health emergency, state of calamity, and other threats to public health. 
 
Orders of deployment sent to the volunteers' addresses and through the contact details on file 
in the registry system or database shall be sufficient notice for purposes of deployment. 
 
SECTION 14. Mobilization Centers. - Mobilization Centers shall be established in each 
province as needed where volunteers shall report once deployment is ordered. 
 
A mobilization center may be any establishment that can adequately house the volunteers, 
their equipment and supplies during the period of deployment, including a multi-purpose hall, 
gymnasium, and other similar structures. 
 
The Board shall, in consultation with the local executives, prescribe the location of the 
mobilization centers. The concerned municipal and city mayors and provincial governors shall 
disseminate information on the location of mobilization centers to the widest extent possible. 
 
SECTION 15. Essential Emergency Commodities. - The Board shall ensure that the 
minimum essential individual and organizational commodities and medical equipment and 
supplies shall be procured, stored, and managed to enhance the rapid transition to readiness 
required for deployment of HEART teams in the shortest possible time. 
 
The Board shall ensure and maintain its capacity to scale up the procurement of these 
equipment and supplies as needed during the period of deployment. 
 
SECTION 16. Incentives. - In recognition and appreciation of the HEART volunteers' service 
rendered during the period of actual mobilization, implementing agencies may provide 
volunteers with an allowance as may be determined by the Department of Health (DOH), in 
coordination with Department of Budget and Management, subject to availability of funds, and 
other existing civil service, budgeting, accounting and auditing rules and regulations. 
Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this Act, shall be construed as creating an employer-
employee relationship between the government and HEART volunteers. 
 
SECTION 17. Legal Liability. - No volunteer shall be held liable for the death or injury to any 
person or for the loss of, or damage to the property of any person where such death, injury, 
loss, or damage was approximately caused by the circumstance of an actual public health 
emergency or its subsequent conditions. 
 
This Section shall not preclude liability for civil damages because of gross negligence, 
recklessness, or willful misconduct. 
 
SECTION 18. Public Health Emergency Insurance. - The DOH is mandated to secure an 
insurance policy that would insure HEART volunteers from injury, death, damage to, or loss 
of property, and for any legal liability asserted against or incurred by the volunteer arising from 
the lawful performance of his duty. 
 
SECTION 19. Termination of Deployment or Demobilization. - Upon the declaration of the 
President, or as determined by the Board that the need for the HEART is no longer necessary, 
or upon the expiration of the deployment or end of mission there being no approved extension 
thereof, volunteers who are deployed pursuant to the declaration of a public calamity, a public 
health emergency or health threat shall be discharged from the performance of HEART duties. 
 
Upon order of the demobilization of the HEART, the deployed volunteers shall be reverted to 
inactive status. Mobilization Centers shall ensure reports on the mission are duly submitted 
and the certificate of services rendered pertaining to the deployment are promptly issued. 


 
 
 
SECTION 20. Annual Report. - The HEART Unit shall prepare and submit an annual report 
to the Office of the President, through the DOH Secretary, containing the list of 
accomplishments, status of the operations and program implementation of the HEART. 
 
SECTION 21. Appropriations. - The funds necessary for the initial implementation of this Act 
shall be charged against the available funds of the implementing agencies comprising the 
HEART Board. Thereafter, the funding shall be included in the budget of the DOH under the 
annual General Appropriations Act. 
 
SECTION 22. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90) days from the 
effectivity of this Act, the HEART Board shall, in consultation with other stakeholders, 
promulgate the necessary guidelines for the effective implementation of this Act. 
 
SECTION 23. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional 
or invalid, the validity of other provisions shall not be affected thereby. 
 
SECTION 24. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations, other 
issuances, or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or 
modified accordingly. 
 
SECTION 25. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
 
Approved,