Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

16" Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILLNO._ 4342

Introduced by Representative WESLIE T. GATCHALIAN

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Philippine Constitution provides that “The State shall protect and promote
the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them”

Also, Art. XIll, Sec. 11, in particular states that “The State shall adopt an
integrated and comprehensive approach to health development which shall
endeavor to make essential goods, health and other social services available to
all the people at affordable cost. There shall be priority for the needs of the
under-privileged, sick, elderly, disabled, women, and children. The State shall
endeavor to provide free medical care to paupers”.

Consequently, the government must ensure that specialty hospitals (level 3)
should be widely distributed geographically across the country being an
archipelagic state instead of its concentration in the National Capital Region.

The Philippine Heart Center for one, is a specialty hospital and research center
with the most modern facilities and state of the art equipment for heart and
related diseases in the country. It has gained the reputations as one of the best
Congenital Heart Surgery Centers not only in the Philippines but in the ASEAN
Region as well. Yet, its location is not as comprehensive or accessible to many
Filipinos in the Visayas and Mindanao.


In a country such as the Philippines, which is archipelagic in nature, the
concern of decentralizing the national government from the National Capital
Region should be addressed. Concomitantly, through the establishment of
public specialty hospitals, particularly the Philippine Heart Center in Visayas
and Mindanao, we can address the needs of less fortunate citizens who are
given the additional burden of travelling to Metro Manila.

This bill therefore seeks to address the noticeable disparity in terms of hospital
locations by establishing its facilities in the Visayas and Mindanao to improve
the much needed medical care and services across the country thereby giving
hope to every Filipinos wherever situated,

The immediate passage of this bill is therefore earnestly sought.



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

16" Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILLNO._4342

Introduced by Representative WESLIE T. GATCHALIAN

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING THE VISAYAS AND MINDANAO HOSPITAL FACILITIES OF THE
PHILIPPINE HEART CENTER, AMENDING FOR THAT PURPOSE PRESIDENTIAL DECREE
NO. 673, PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR , AND OTHER PURPOSES.

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

Section 1. Section 1 of Presidential Decree No. 673, is hereby amended to read as follows:

Section 1. Creation of the Philippine Heart Center; Board of Trustees. There
is hereby created a trust, for the benefit primarily of the Filipino people,
under the name and style of Philippine Heart Center.

The principal office, hospital and place of business shall be in the National
Capital Region. It shall also establish and maintain hospital facilities in
Cebu City for Visayas and Davao City for Mindanao.

The Philippine Heart Center shall be administered by a Board of Trustees,
composed of seven (7) members, to be appointed by the President of the
Philippines who shall be the Governing Board of all the PHC Hospitals
wherever situated. The Executive Director of the Center shall be appointed
by the Board of Trustees.

The six appointive members of the Board of Trustees shall serve without
compensation for a period of four (4) years and until their successors shall


have been appointed and qualified. Any vacancy in the Board shall be filled
by appointment by the President of the Philippines, and the appointee shall
serve for the unexpired term. The Board of Trustees of the Philippine Heart
Center shall elect a Chairman from among themselves, who shall be
presiding officer of the Board of Trustees.

The Executive Director of the Philippine Heart Center shall serve as Vice-
Chairman of the Board. The Executive Director shall act as the chief
executive officer of the Philippine Heart Center, with authority, among
others, to appoint, remove, and fix the compensation of the personnel
thereof, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees.

Four (4) members of the Board of Trustees shall constitute a quorum to
transact business and any decision of such four members on any matter
duly presented to the Board of Trustees shall constitute a valid and binding
act of the Philippine Heart Center.

The Hospital Director for Visayas and Mindanao Hospital Facilities shall be
appointed by the Board of Trustees on the basis of search process for a
period of Six (6) years and until their successors shall have been appointed
and qualified with a reappointment.

Section 2. Funding. To carry out the purpose of this Act, including the operation of PHC-
Visayas, and the PHC-Mindanao, the land acquisition, construction, and the acquisition of hospital
equipments, furniture and fixtures, the sum of One Billion (1,000,000,000.00) pesos for each
hospital is hereby appropriated. Thereafter the expenses for the PHC-Visayas and PHC-Mindanao
shall be provided in the General Appropriations Acts intended for the Philippine Heart Center.

Section 3. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The Board of Trustees shall formulate the
implementing rules and regulations to carry out the implementation of this Act.

Section 4. Separability Clause. — \f, for any reason, any provision of this Act is declared
unconstitutional or invalid, the other parts or provisions hereof which are not affected shall
continue to be in full force and effect.

Section 5. Repealing Clause. ~ All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations or portions
thereof, inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Section 6. Effectivity.— This Act shall take effect on the day following its complete
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Adopted,