FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
S. No. 1589 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE' 
The Constitution, Article XIV, Section 2 (3) provides that: 
SEC. 12. The State shall: 
xxx 
(3) Establish and maintain a system of scholarship grants, student loan 
programs, subsidies and other incentives which shall be 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. 1 
Due to the increase in enrollment, our nursing education system is hard pressed to catch 
up with the demand. The cun-ent faculty shortage will be greatly compounded in the next few 
years by the retirement or migration of many of the cun-ent 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. 
1 Evangelista, Katherine and Kristine L. Alave. Demand for Nurses Abroad Slowing Down, Philppine Daily 
Inquirer. July 3, 2008. 


This bill seeks (0 mandate the Department of Health to encourage programs that will 
engage the cooperation of private institutions not only in producing better nursing faculty but 
also in raising the level of nursing education altogether. 2 
2 This bill was originally filed in the Fourteenth Congress, Second Regular Session 
2 


FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
) 
) 
) 
1 " 
\.1 
"J'L 19 P 4 :47 
,J~ 
SENltIE 
s, No,· 1\)89 
REC\::IVEO H'I 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
I 
AN ACT 
!~ 
, 
2 
TO CRE'ATE A PILOT PROGRAM TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF GRADUATE 
3 
EDUCATED NURSE FACULTY TO MEET THE FUTURE NEED FOR QUALIFIED 
4 
NURSES 
5 
6 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of representatives of the Philippines in 
7 
Congress assembled: 
8 
'SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall' be known as the "Nurse Faculty Higher 
9 
Education Act 0[2008." 
10 
SECTION 2. Purposes. - The purposes of this part are to create a pilot program: 
11 
A. to provide scholarships to qualified nurses in pursuit of an advanced degree with the 
12 
goal of becoming faculty members in an accredited nursing program; and 
13 
B. to provide grants to partnerships between accredited schools of nursing and hospitals 
14 
or health facilities to fund release time for qualified nurse employees, so that those 
15 
employees can earn a salary while obtaining an advanced degree in nursing with the 
16 
goal of becoming nurse faculty. 
17 
SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. - For purposes of this Act, the term: 
18 
(a) "Secretary" means the Secretary of Health; 
19 
(b) "Health facility" means a health center, a rural health clinic, a nursing home, a home 
20 
health agency, a hospice program, a public health clinic, a national or local department of public 
21 
health, a skilled nursing facility, or ambulatory surgical center. 
22 
SpCTION 4. Competitive Grants Authorized. - The Secretary may, on a competitive 
23 
basis, award grants to, and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with, partnerships 
1 


I 
composed of an accredited school of nursing at an institution of higher education and a hospital 
2 
or health facility to establish not more than 5 pilot projects to enable such hospital or health 
3 
facility to retain its staff of experienced nurses while providing a mechanism to have these 
4 
individuals become, through an accelerated nursing education program, faculty members of an 
5 
accredited school of nursing. 
6 
SECTION 5. Duration, Evaluation and Dissemination. -
7 
A. DURA TION- Grants under this part shall be awarded for a period of 3 to 5 years. 
8 
B. MANDATORY EVALUATION AND DISSEMINATION- Grants under this part 
9 
shall be primarily used for evaluation, and dissemination to other institutions of 
10 
higher education, of the information obtained through the activities described in 
11 
Section 2 (B). 
12 
SECTION 6. Considerations in Making Awards. - In awarding grants and entering into 
13 
contracts and cooperative agreements under this section, the Secretary shall consider the 
14 
following: 
15 
A. QEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION- Providing an equitable geographic distribution of 
16 
such grants. 
17 
B. RURAL AND URBAN AREAS- Distributing such grants to urban and rural areas. 
18 
C. RANGE AND TYPE OF INSTITUTION- Ensuring that the activities to be assisted 
19 
are developed for a range of types and siz~s of institutions of higher education. 
20 
D. PRIOR EXPERIENCE OR EXCEPTIONAL PROGRAMS- Institutions of higher 
21 
education with demonstrated prior experience in providing advanced nursmg 
22 
education programs to prepare nurses interested in pursuing a faculty role. 
23 
SECTION 7. Uses of Funds. - Funds made available by grant, contract, or cooperative 
24 
agreement under this part may be used: 
25 
A. to develop a new national demonstration initiative to align nursing education 
26 
with the emerging challenges of health care delivery; and 
27 
B. for anyone or more of the following innovations in educational programs: 
2 


1 
1. 
to develop a clinical simulation laboratory in a hospital, health 
2 
facility, or accredited school of nursing; 
3 
2. 
to purchase distance learning technologies; 
4 
3. 
to fund release time for qualified nurses enrolled in the graduate 
5 
nursmg program; 
6 
4. 
to provide for faculty salaries; and 
7 
5. 
to collect and analyze data on educational outcomes. 
8 
SECTION 8. Applications. - Each partnership desiring to receive a grant, contract, or 
9 
cooperative agreement under this part shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in 
10 
such manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary may require. Each 
II 
application shall include assurances that: 
12 
A. the individuals enrolled in the program will be qualified nurses in pursuit of a 
13 
master's or doctoral degree in nursing and have a contractual obligation with the 
14 
hospital or health facility that is in partnership with the institution of higher 
15 
education; 
16 
B. the hospital or health facility of employment would be the clinical site for the 
17 
accredited school of nursing program; 
18 
C. individuals will also maintain their employment on a part time basis to the hospital or 
19 
health facility that allowed them to participate in the program, and will receive an 
20 
income from the hospital or health facility, as a part time employee, and release times 
21 
or flexible schedules to accommodate their class schedule. 
22 
D. upon completion of the program, individuals agree to teach for 2 years in an 
23 
accredited school of nursing for each year of support the individual received under 
24 
this program 
25 
SECTION 9. Appropriations. - To carry out the provisions of this Act, such amount as 
26 
hereby necessary is hereby authorized to be appropriated from the National Treasury. 
3 


, . 
SECTION 10, Separability Clause, - If any provision or part hereof, is held invalid or 
2 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall remain 
3 
valid and subsisting, 
4 
SECTION I 1.. Repealing Clause, - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
5 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or is inconsistent 
6 
with the provision of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly. 
7 
SECTION 12, Effectivity Clause, - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
8 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation, 
9 
Approved, 
iapm081508 
4