TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE 
S. No. 912
j'.', •";%
of tor T
25 ftUG-5 P2--22
Introduced by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada
AN ACT
STRENGTHENING THE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES OF STATE UNIVERSITIES 
AND COLLEGES, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER 
PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The 1987 Philippine Constitution, Article II, Section 15 declares that "The State 
shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health 
consciousness among them."
A study conducted by the University of the Philippines Population Institute 
(UPPI) published on October 10, 2022 revealed that Filipino youth is in worse mental 
shape today, with close to one in five persons aged 15-24 have ever considered ending 
their life.1 Ironically, the country does not have enough mental health professionals 
to provide support and assistance to the youth in need. Data from the World Health 
Organization states that "for every 200,000 Filipinos, there are only two mental health 
professionals (one psychologist and one psychiatrist). In the Department of Health's 
data, however, there are three mental health professionals (one psychologist, one 
psychiatrist, and one nurse) for every 100,000 Filipinos. What's more alarming is that 
there is only one guidance counselor for every 14,000 students."2
1 Pinov youth in worse mental shape today, nationwide survey indicates I UP Population Institute
2 Mental health concerns are rising among Filipino youth


These facts emphasize the need to establish Mental Health Offices (MHOs) in 
all our SUCs, and to strengthen our already existing campus MHOs to ensure easy 
access to mental health care for the well-being not only of our vulnerable youth 
population, but of the faculty, teaching and non-teaching staff and other personnel in 
the campuses of our SUCs all throughout the country.
The "State Universities and Coiieges (SUCs) Mental Health Services /Icf "i ntends 
to uphold the basic right of every Filipino to sound mental health and wellness and 
ensure access to appropriate support, therapy, and treatment as needed down at the 
level of our campuses, as early intervention strategy.
In this light, the immediate passage of this bill Is highly recommended.
INGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA


TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
S. No.
SENATE
912
tr*;- ',0’^
25 RUG-5 ?2 22
ftaeiVLi) „
Introduced by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada
AN ACT
STRENGTHENING THE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES OF STATE UNIVERSITIES 
AND COLLEGES, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER 
PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
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Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "State Universities and
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Colleges (SUCs) Mental Health Services Act'.
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Sec. 2. Declaration of Policies. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State to
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uphold the basic right of every Filipino to sound mental health and ensure access to
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appropriate and needed interventions, therapy, and treatment. Pursuant to this
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mandate, the State shall institute policies to promote the mental health and wellness
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of students, faculty, teaching and non-teaching staff, and other personnel in the
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campuses of SUCs through, among others, the establishment of a Mental Health Office
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in all SUCs, and recruitment, deployment and training of additional SUC-based mental
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health service personnel.
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All SUCs shall ensure the provision of proper and adequate mental health
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services to their respective students, faculty, non-teaching staff and other personnel.
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In this regard, all SUCs, through their Mental Health Offices, shall design programs
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and provide services to assist in the resolution of emotional, behavioral, and
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psychosocial issues and to foster an enabling environment for knowledge acquisition
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and intellectual development.
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Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act:


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(a) Guidance Counselor shall refer to a natural person who has been 
registered and issued a valid Certificate of Registration and a valid 
Professional Identification Card by the Professional Regulatory Board of 
Guidance and Counseling and the Professional Regulation Commission 
(PRC) in accordance with Republic Act No. 9258, otherwise known as 
the "Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004", and, by virtue of specialized 
training, performs the functions of guidance and counseling for a fee, 
salary or other forms of compensation: Provided, That this definition 
shall be without prejudice to those registered as guidance counselor 
pursuant to Section 14 of Republic Act No. 9258;
(b) Mental Health shall refer to a state of well-being in which the individual 
realizes one's own abilities and potentials, copes adequately with the 
normal stresses of life, displays resilience in the face of extreme life 
events, works productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a positive 
contribution to the community;
(c) Mental Health Professional shall refer to a medical doctor, nurse, 
guidance counselor, psychologist, or any other appropriately-trained and 
qualified person with specific skills relevant to, and necessary for, the 
provision of mental health services;
(d) Mental Health Services shall refer to the psychosocial, psychiatric, or 
neurologic activities and programs along the whole range of mental 
health support services including promotion, prevention, treatment, and 
aftercare, which are provided by mental health facilities and mental 
health professionals;
(e) Psychologist shall refer to a natural person who is duly registered and 
holds a valid certificate of registration and a valid professional 
identification card as a professional psychologist, issued by the 
Professional Regulatory Board of Psychology and the PRC pursuant to 
Republic Act No. 10029, otherwise known as the "Philippine Psychology 
Act of 2009", for the purpose of delivering different psychological 
services: Provided, That this definition shall be without prejudice to


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those registered as psychologists pursuant to Section 16 of Republic Act
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No. 10029; and
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(f) SUC-Based Mental Health Service Personnel shall refer to any mental
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health professional who is hired or deployed by, or has a contract with
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an sue to render mental health services in its campus.
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Sec. 4. Establishment of Mental Health Offices in All SUC Campuses. - All SUCs
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shall be mandated to establish a Mental Health Office in their respective campuses to
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be operated by trained mental health professionals serving as the mental health
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service personnel of the SUCs: Provided, That the establishment and operation of
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mental health offices in SUC campuses shall be subject to the policies, standards and
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guidelines issued by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Department of
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Budget and Management (DBM) and Civil Service Commission (CSC).
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The Mental Health Offices in SUCs shall perform the following duties and
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functions:
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(a) Implement mental health programs and projects designed to promote
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mental health and well-being of students, faculty, teaching and non-
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teaching staff, and other personnel employed in SUC campuses;
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(b)Set up twenty-four seven (24/7) campus hotline numbers attended by
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dedicated and trained guidance counselors to provide assistance to the
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whole SUC Community, with special attention paid to the needs of
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students, individuals with history of mental health 
problems or
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conditions, and those who have higher risk factors for self-harm or
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suicide;
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(c) Initiate and sustain a heightened campaign to raise the collective
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consciousness about mental health, with emphasis on preventing
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suicides, handling life stresses, promoting mental health and nutrition,
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and guidance and counseling;
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(d) Create a mechanism for crisis intervention and response, particularly for
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cases Involving suicide and other immediate 
or life-threatening
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emergencies;
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(e) Establish systems to maximize the utilization of existing mental health
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services provided by other government agencies, such as, but not limited


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to: Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Social Welfare
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and Development (DSWD); and
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(f) Perform other duties and functions in relation to mental health
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awareness and promotion as may be identified by CHED
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Sec. 5. Recruitment, Training and Deployment of Mental Health Professionals
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in sue Campuses. — Within five (5) years from the effectivity of this Act, the SUCs
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shall ensure that their respective mental health offices are staffed with mental health
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professionals. For this purpose, the SUCs shall, in coordination with CHED and subject
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to evaluation and approval of the DBM, formulate the appropriate organizational
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structure and staffing pattern for their respective mental health offices.
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Notwithstanding the provisions of Republic Act No. 9258, SUCs shall be
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authorized to recruit individuals with undergraduate degrees in psychology or other
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related disciplines but lack other requisites to qualify as mental health professionals:
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Provided, That the services rendered such individuals shall be performed under the
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supervision of qualified mental health professionals: Provided, further, That the CHED
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and the SUC concerned shall provide for the appropriate training, instruction and
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assistance to enable them to develop the necessary skills to render counselling and
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other mental health services to students, faculty, teaching and non-teaching staff, and
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other personnel employed in SUC campuses: Provided, finally. That individuals
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recruited without the required licenses or certification under this Act shall, within three
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(3) years from the date of recruitment, secure such licenses and certification required
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in the performance of the responsibilities as mental health professionals.
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Sec. 6. Professional and Career Development Program for In-Campus Mental
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Health Professionals. - In accordance with the provisions of Republic Act No. 10912,
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otherwise known as the "Continuing Professional Development Act of 2016", the CHED
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shall formulate continuing professional development and training programs for SUC
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mental health personnel and shall ensure the adoption of the appropriate mental
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health interventions for students, faculty, teaching and non-teaching staff, and other
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personnel employed in SUC campuses.
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The CHED shall, in coordination with the DBM, CSC, DOH, and PRC, perform
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the following:


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(a) Prepare a uniform career and personnel development plan that includes
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provisions on personal wellness, merit promotion, performance
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evaluation, in-service training, graduate scholarships, research grants,
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and incentive award systems;
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(b) Ensure that compensation of mental health professionals employed by
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SUCs are commensurate with other related plantilla items under the
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provisions of Republic Act No. 6758, otherwise known as the
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"Compensation and Position Classification Act of 1989", as amended;
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(c) Align the qualifications and standards for the qualification outcomes of
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Mental Health Professionals to the provisions of Republic Act No. 10968,
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otherwise known as the "Philippine Qualifications Framework Act";
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(d) Review the organizational structure of the SUCs to ensure the availability
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of competent and professional personnel that can supervise and provide
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technical assistance to the guidance counselors;
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(e) Review, revise and develop the duties and responsibilities of mental
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health professionals in accordance with the laws governing their
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professions;
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(f) Prepare a performance evaluation plan geared towards the improvement
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of the efficiency and effectiveness of each mental health professional:
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Provided, That the employees shall be adequately informed by their
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immediate supervisor of the evaluation of their performance; and
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(g) Provide periodic training, aimed at retooling and upgrading the skills of
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mental health professionals.
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Sec. 7. Salary Scale. - The career and salary scales of mental health
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professionals in SUCs shall provide for a progression from a minimum to a maximum
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salary by means of salary adjustments and/or regular increments, to be given based
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on necessity, merit and competencies: Provided, That the entry level for qualified
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mental health professionals employed by SUCs shall not be lower than Salary Grade
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Sec. 8. Recruitment of Mental Health Personnel on a Contract-of-Service and
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Other Similar Work Arrangements. - In cases where SUCs are unable to engage the
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services of qualified personnel for regular appointment, the SUC concerned shall be


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authorized to engage the services of mental health professionals under a contract-of-
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service and other similar work arrangements, whether full-time or part-time basis,
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subject to existing laws, rules and regulations.
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Sec. 9. Benefits. - All mental health professionals employed in Mental Health
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Offices of the SUCs shall enjoy the rights, privileges, and other benefits provided in
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Republic Act No. 7305, otherwise known as the "Magna Carta of Public Health
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Workers", Republic Act No. 11036, otherwise known as the "Mental Health Act", and
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other pertinent laws.
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Sec. 10. Appropriations. - The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of
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this Act shall be included in the Annual General Appropriations Act or sourced from
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the internally-generated income of the SUCs.
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Sec. 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within sixty (60) days from
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the effectivity of this Act, the CHED shall, in coordination with the DBM, PRC, DOH,
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Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges, and other stakeholders
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concerned, promulgate the rules and regulations to effectively implement the
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provisions of this Act.
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Sec. 12. SuppletoryApplication. - The applicable provisions of Republic Act No.
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11036, otherwise known as the "Mental Health Act", insofar as such provisions are not
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inconsistent with the provisions and objectives of this Act, shall apply suppletorily.
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Sec. 13. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof is declared
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unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act or any provision not affected thereby shall
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remain in full force and effect.
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Sec. 14. Repealing Clause. - All laws, acts, decrees, executive orders,
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issuances, and rules and regulations or parts thereof which are contrary to and
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inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.
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Sec. 15. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect immediately following its
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publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,