Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Quezon City

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. _ 4814

Introduced by Representative Joseph Gilbert F. Violago

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This commendable bill had been filed in the past Congress and the present proponent is
acknowledging the wisdom and hard work of his predecessors.

‘The cost of dental care in the Philippines may range from a couple hundred pesos to thousands
of pesos, depending on the service needed. Most Filipinos, especially in far flung provinces, do not
have the access to these services due to financial and logistical constraints. This aggravates the fact
that based on the dental problems statistics provided by the Department of Health, “about 92.4% of
Filipinos have tooth decay (dental caries) and 78% have gum diseases (periodontal diseases).”"

According to a study, there is a high prevalence of oral health problems across all age groups
among Filipinos. However, there is only a 1:53,000 dentist to population ratio in the Philippines, which
reflects the insufficiency of dental health providers in the country.” One of their recommendations is
to “change the maldistribution of oral health professionals. Incentivize through salary, CPD units, and
involvement in urban to rural setting practices”

With the emphasis on incentivizing the salary of dentists, particularly increasing the salary
level or scale of the public dentists, this measure believes that by doing so will address the shortage of
Filipino dental professionals in the public sector. By encouraging more dentists to join the public sector
will alleviate the needs of many Filipinos to access quality yet affordable dental services, especially in
the far-flung areas of the country.

In view of the foregoing, the urgent passage of this measure is soughs

JO} ILBERT F. VIOLAGO

* Department of Health. “What are the latest dental problems statistics in the Phlippines?”. DOK gov.ph. Accessed on 05 September 2022
-<htts://doh zou ph/faas/What-arethe-latest dentl-problems-statsics-o-the-Phlippines>

2 Mendoza, arsueo, etal. “Examining the Oral Health of Flipinos: Policy Analysis”. Acta Medica Philippina. Vol. 54, No. 6, 2020. Accessed on OS
September 2022. <htts://actamedicaphligpin.upm.edu ph/index.oho/acta/article/download/2590/1885 >

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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. _ 4814

Introduced by Representative Joseph Gilbert F. Violago

AN ACT UPGRADING THE SALARY SCALES OR LEVELS OF PUBLIC DENTISTS,
PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

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

SECTION I. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Salary Increase for Public Dentists
Act of 2022”,

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. — Article ll, Section 15 of the 1987 Constitution provides
that “the State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health
consciousness among them.” Under Section 2 of Republic Act No. 7305 or the Magna Carta of
Public Health Workers, it is the declared policy of the State to “instill health consciousness among
our people to effectively carry out the health programs and projects to the government essential
for growth and health of the nation.™ Towards this end, the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers
aims to, among others, “promote and improve the social and economic well-being of the health
workers, their living and working conditions and terms of employment.”>

Pursuant to these, \ereby declared the policy of the State to recognize the important role played
by government dentists in maintaining and promoting the oral health of the people. Thus, the
government must ensure that these government dentists are properly compensated and their
working and living conditions continuously improved.

SECTION 3. Coverage. — This Act shall cover all dentists, regardless of employment status, in

all public health institutions, whether national or locally funded, as well as those assigned in or
working for national government agencies (NGAs) including state universities and colleges

* Section 2, Republic Act No. 7308, Magna Carta of Public Health Workers, 26 March 1992.
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(SUC), government owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) and local government units
(LGUs).

SECTION 4. Upgraded Salary Scales or Levels. ~The following salary scales or levels of Dentist
position in the government are hereby upgraded upon the effectivity of this Act:

Position Title Old Salary Grade | New Salary Grade

Dentist I 13 7

Dentist IT 16 20

Dentist III 19 2B
Dentist IV 2 25

Dentist V 24 27
Dentist VI 26 29
Dentist VII 28 30

SECTION 5. Appropriation. - The Government shall appropriate such amount as may be
arry out the objectives of this Act. Initial funds required for the implementation of
il funds required for the implementation of this Act shall be sourced from the savings
of the Executive Branch of the government and other possible sources that may be determined by
the Office of the President. The subsequent funds needed shall be included in the General
Appropriations Act for the year following the implementation of this Act.

SECTION 6. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within sixty (60) days from the
promulgation of this Act, the necessary rules and regulations for the proper implementation of its
provisions shall be formulated by the appropriate government office or agency in coordination
with all stakeholders and covered establishments and institutions,

SECTION 7. Repealing Clause. — All laws, executive orders, administrative orders, rules,
regulations, decrees, and other issuances or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with the
provisions of this Act are hereby revoked, repealed, or modified accordingly.

SECTION 8. Separability Clause. ~ If any provision of this Act is held unconstitutional or invalid,
the other provisions not affected thereby shall continue in operation and remain in full force and
effect.

SECTION 9. Effectivity Clause. ~ This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication
in the Official Gazette or in the two (2) national newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,