FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
First Regular Session 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
"7 
.Itit4 30 
2 " 
c 
Introduced by Senator Manuel "Lito" M. Lapid 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
To date, hidden among the 88 million people and the 7100 islands of the 
Philippines, are an estimated more than 600,000 people who are blind, and many 
more who are visually impaired to a lesser degree. By far, the leading cause of 
blindness among adults in the Philippines is cataract, accounting for around 
550,000 cases. The treatment for cataract is simple and effective but is not 
readily available or affordable for those living in the rural areas. 
Studies indicate that 100 children lose their sight every week in the 
Philippines. Sadly, almost half of these cases are either treatable or preventable. 
Poor nutrition, measles and premature birth are among the leading causes of 
preventable blindness in children in the country. Studies further indicate that 
early detection and treatment can save the sight of most of these children, which 
is why there is an urgent need to improve the skills of our health providers so that 
we can better prevent the occurrence of sight loss and visual impairment problem 
in the country. 
The National Survey of Blindness conducted on June 1995 indicates that 
the prevalence of bilateral blindness in Filipinos is 0.7%, meaning that there are 
478,968 out of 68.4 million Filipinos who are blind by World Health Organization 
(WHO) definition or are unable to count fingers at 3 meters. This would mean 
that there are about 616,000 Filipinos today who are blind based on the 88 
million current population for 2006. 
From a global perspective, many people do not know that every five 
seconds, one person in the world goes blind. Moreover, there are 45 million 
people all over the world who are blind and there are 124 million more people 


with significant loss of vision. Studies further indicate that eighty percent (80%) of 
blindness incidence in the world is avoidable: twenty percent (20%) is 
preventable and sixty percent (60%) is treatable. Moreover, ninety percent (90%) 
of the world’s blind people live in developing countries. Additionally, the WHO 
estimates that the number of blind and visually impaired people in the world will 
double by 2020 unless concerted action is taken by the various countries 
affected by this problem. 
The loss of sight deprives a person with a wide horizon of opportunities for 
economic undertaking in order to become a productive citizen. This situation 
limits the person’s mobility and prospects for employment. Moreover, sight loss 
deprives a person with the ability to nurture and nourish the colorful beauty of life 
and the magnificent existence. 
The restoration of sight and the prevention of blindness, therefore, is a 
noble endeavor in promoting the holistic health and total well-being of the citizens 
of this nation. 
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
& 
MANUEL “LITO” M. LAPlD 
yJf Senator 


FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
First Regular Session 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
7 
J@4 30 1’3‘. f )  
Introduced by Senator Manuel “Lito” M. Lapid 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING FOR THE ENABLING MECHANISMS FOR THE PREVENTION 
OF SIGHT AND VISUAL IMPAIREDNESS IN THE COUNTRY AND FOR 
OTHER PURPOSES 
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 “Blindness 
Prevention Act of 2007”. 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State 
to promote the right to health and health consciousness of its people. Towards 
this end, the State shall provide the enabling mechanisms to help promote the 
prevention of the increasing incidence and prevalence of sight loss and visual 
impairment problem in the country. 
SEC. 3. Mainstreaming Blindness Prevention in the National Health 
Agenda. - In order to provide an impact in addressing the increasing incidence 
and prevalence of sight loss and visual impairment in the country, the 
Department of Health (DOH), in consultation with the Department of Social 
Welfare and Development (DSWD), is hereby tasked to formulate a Strategic 
Plan, Time-Bound Implementation Plan and Action Plan which will mainstream 
the issue of blindness and visual impairment prevention in the Long-Term and 
Medium-Term Health Development Plan of the country 
SEC. 4. Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Campaign on 
Blindness Prevention. - The DOH, in coordination with the Department of Social 
Welfare and Development (DSWD), National Council for the Welfare of Children 
(NCWC) and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), shall conduct year-round 
information, education and communication (IEC) campaigns against blindness 
and visual impairment problems. The year-round information, education and 
communication (IEC) campaign, shall (a) guidelines on the various measures in 
the prevention of sight loss; (b) the raising public awareness of the importance of 
vision as a basic human the dissemination of publications and other resources on 
the prevention of information on educational initiatives and programs for the 
prevention of the raising of public awareness on the need to-,detect and correct 
early include, among others: right; (c) blindness; (d) sight loss; and (e) any visual 
impairment during childhood development. 
SEC. 5. LGU Participation in Community-Based Services. - The local 
government units, in coordination and in cooperation with concerned government 


agencies and non-government organizations, shall provide and implement 
community based blindness prevention programs and care services to their 
constituents. 
SEC. 6. Annual National Conference on Blindness Prevention. - The 
DOH, in coordination with the DSWD, NCWC and PIA, is hereby mandated to 
conduct an Annual Blindness Prevention National Conference which will be 
participated by the different stakeholders in the health profession, including non- 
government organizations (NGOs) dedicated to preserving and restoring vision of 
all people in the country. The Annual Blindness Prevention National Conference 
is envisioned to enhance the knowledge-sharing capability on the issue of 
blindness prevention and provide greater resources for addressing the increasing 
incidence and prevalence of sight loss in the country. This annual conference will 
provide the venue for medical experts from around the world in sharing available 
best practice in the prevention and treatment of sight impaired patients in the 
country. The conference shall also discuss and review various research and 
development efforts of research institutions and non-government organizations 
(NGOs) in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of sight loss problem in the 
country. 
SEC. 7. Blindness Prevention Month. - In order to mainstream the 
program for the prevention of the increasing trend in the incidence and 
prevalence of blindness and sight loss problem in the country, the month of 
September is hereby declared the "Blindness Prevention Month". All educational 
and health institutions and public offices throughout the country are hereby 
enjoined to give their support to the celebration of Blindness Prevention Month by 
conducting their respective activities with the active participation of all their 
students and workers. 
SEC. 8. Implementation of the Blindness Prevention Month. - To ensure 
the significant impact on the implementation of the Blindness Prevention Month, 
the Department of Health (DOH) is hereby mandated to spearhead, as far as 
practicable, the conduct of simultaneous activities and programs in all provinces 
during the month long celebration. For this purpose, the DOH is hereby tasked 
to implement programs which will: (a) and goals; (b) determine any related 
abnormalities in all of its health service delivery points; include the prevention of 
blindness in national health development plans provide visual screening, 
subjective and objective eye examinations to (c) integrate the prevention of 
blindness program into the primary health care programs of the government; (d) 
formulate effective coordination measures to empower local government units to 
deal with the cataract backlog among their constituents; (e) develop and 
strengthen eye care services and integrate them in the existing health care 
system of the government, including training and re-training of health workers in 
visual health, training of ophthalmologists, training of paramedical staff, and the 
provision for technology and infrastructure necessary to provide eye care; and (9 
make available the essential medicines and supplies needed for the prevention, 
treatment and rehabilitation of preventable visual impairment problems in the 
country 
SEC. 9. Monitoring Program. - A comprehensive blindness prevention 
monitoring program shall be established under the Department of Health to 
determine and monitor the magnitude and prevalence of visual impairment and 
blindness problem in the Philippines, and for the purpose of evaluating the 
adequacy and efficacy of the program interventions being implemented by the 
government. 


SEC. I O .  Annual Appropriation. - The Department of Health (DOH) shall 
include in its annual programming and annual appropriation the amount 
necessary to fully implement the objectives of this Act. 
SEC. 11. Implementing Rules and .Regulations (IRR). - Within three (3) 
months from the date of effectivity of this Act, the Department of Health (DOH), in 
coordination with the Department of Social Wlelfare and Development (DSWD) 
and concerned non-government organizations involved in blindness prevention, 
shall promulgate the necessary implementing rules and regulations to implement 
the provisions of this Act. 
SEC. 12. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules 
and regulations or parts thereof not consistent with the provisions of this Act are 
hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
SEC. 13. Separability Chse. - If any provision or part of this Act, or the 
application thereof to any person or circumstance, is held unconstitutional or 
invalid, the remainder of this Act shall not be affected thereby. 
SEC. 14. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
from the date of its complete publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two 
(2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved,