NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
F/rst Regular Session 
)
SENATE
S. No. 1131
of lii ■ 
• 'i,!
*22 AUG 11 A10 34
Introduced by Senator MARK A. VILLAR
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING A MEDICAL RESERVE CORPS, AND APPROPRIATING
FUNDS THEREFOR
EXPLANATORY NOTE
This bill seeks to reinforce our country's preparedness to respond to public 
health emergencies.
According to the World Health Organization, the Philippines only has six (6) 
doctors per ten thousand (10,000) Filipinos. The doctor-population ratio is below the 
recommended, which is ten (10) doctors per ten thousand (10,000) persons. Thus, 
the necessity to increase the ranks of our health workers.
This measure aims to ease the burden of our dear healthcare workers and 
enhance the capacity of our healthcare human resource by establishing a Medical 
Reserve Corps who shall be adequately trained and shall be called upon to swiftly 
respond during times of disasters and public health emergencies, in order to add to 
the ranks of our existing health worker human resources.
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.
MARK A. VILLAR
Senator


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
)
SENATE' 1
S. No. J'-i-’J-l-
'•3H'n r*.
-X ►. V'SiUze of ii;>. 
• ->t.''vr>
72 AUG 11 A10 34
RliCE.v.rng':
Introduced by Senator MARK A. VILLAR
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING A MEDICAL RESERVE CORPS, AND APPROPRIATING
FUNDS THERFOR
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
1 
Section 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the "Medical Reserve
2 
Corps Act."
3 
Sec 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is hereby declared the policy of the State
4 
that it shall protect and promote the right to health of the people. Thus, the State
5 
shall give utmost importance to the health of its people and shall swiftly and
6 
effectively respond to public health emergencies.
7 
The State recognizes the need for a reserve force of highly skilled and
8 
medically trained professionals and volunteers who can be mobilized to maintain the
9 
capacity to meet surges in the demand for the country's healthcare system and
10 
provide assistance as may be needed in times of health crises.
11 
It is the policy of the State to maintain a strong, proactive and responsive
12 
healthcare system at all times, the workforce complements of which can be
13 
expanded rapidly by a well-trained and well-equipped Medical Reserve Corps (MRC)
14 
in times of public health emergency and health threats. Towards this end, the State
15 
shall enhance the capacity of the nation to produce and call on the needed
16 
manpower and expand its human health resources in times of disasters and public
17 
health emergencies through the mobilization of the MRC.
18 
Sec. 3. Medical Reserve Corps. — A medical reserve corps shall be established
19 
whose primary mission is to support the country's health system in times of public
20 
health emergencies or health threats, which shall be composed of the following:
1


1 
a. Licensed physicians including those who are retired and those who are no
2 
longer practicing in the hospital setting. The Department of Health (DOH)
3 
may coordinate and collaborate with the accredited integrated professional
4 
organization or accredited professional organization of physicians for the
5 
engagement of private practitioners;
6 
b. Medical students who have completed four (4) years of medical course,
7 
graduates of medicine, and registered nurses who may be issued by the
8 
Secretary of Health with a limited and special authorization to render
9 
medical service pursuant to Republic Act No. 2382; and
10 
c. Licensed allied health professionals.
11 
The MRC shall be organized, trained, developed and maintained so as to
12 
ensure their readiness to immediately respond to the call to service.
13 
Sec. 4. Organization. - The MRC shall be under the control and supervision of
14 
the Health Emergency Management Bureau (HEMB) of the DOH.
15 
The DOH shall develop an effective and efficient MRC organization and
16 
structure that is responsive to national and local disasters and other public health
17 
emergencies, under such rules and regulations as the Secretary of Health may
18 
prescribe.
19 
Sec. 5. Registration and Training. - The DOH shall draft guidelines for the
20 
recruitment, selection, compensation, and provision of incentives for joining and
21 
continued membership, and length of service of the MRC members.
22 
The DOH shall also prescribe a continuing training program for the MRC
23 
recruits and members, through written, practical and simulation activities on various
24 
aspects of health emergency management and response and on the different health
25 
emergency situations and scenarios, such as natural and man-made disasters,
26 
epidemics, pandemics, and other threats to public health. To this end, all recruits
27 
must undergo:
28 
a. Compulsory basic training for a period to be set by the DOH on disaster
29 
and health emergency response, the organization and structure of the MRC, and
30 
such other areas as may be prescribed by the DOH. Recruits shall be given
31 
compensation for their attendance thereto; and


1 
b. Continuing training and other activities to be conducted in coordination
2 
with relevant and qualified agencies in the private and public sector, including the
3 
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and
4 
Management Council, to improve and reinforce skills. All registered members shall
5 
undergo continuing training on a regular basis to upgrade their proficiency.
6 
Successful completion of the compulsory basic training shall be a requisite for
7 
admission into the MRC. Successful completion of activities in the continuing training
8 
program shall be a requisite for promotion within the MRC.
9 
Sec. 6. Registry and Accounting of Members of the MRC. - Registered
10 
members of the MRC shall be issued individual serial numbers which will serve as
11 
their identification in case of deployment.
12 
The DOH shall maintain and update a registry or database containing the
13 
names of the members of the Corps, their serial numbers, address, contact details
14 
and such other information as the DOH may determine, in accordance with
15 
applicable privacy laws. For this purpose, all public and private colleges, universities
16 
and learning institutions shall transmit annually their records of the graduates
17 
covered under this Act to the DOH.
18 
An MRC Identification Card that describes the certification information of
19 
Corps members, as well as other necessary identifying information that may be
20 
determined by the DOH, shall also be issued.
21 
All graduates covered under this Act are required to update their addresses
22 
and contact details on file with the DOH as often as necessary. Orders of
23 
deployment sent to the addresses and/or through the contact details on file with the
24 
DOH shall be sufficient notice for purposes of deployment.
25 
In cases when a graduate has changed address immediately prior to
26 
deployment, the LGU shall immediately exert efforts to locate his known closest
27 
resident kin, who is then mandated to exert similar efforts. The use of digital
28 
communications and social media shall be encouraged in locating such graduates.
29 
Sec. 7. Medical Reserve Corps Mobilization. - The prompt mobilization of the
30 
MRC shall be carried out by authority of the Secretary of Health, upon the
31 
recommendation of the Director of the HEMB or upon the request of national
32 
government agencies or local government units (LGUs), in order to meet the needs


1 
of the populace in times of public health emergencies, whether of local or national
2 
scale, and for such other purposes in response to threats to public health.
3 
The MRC may be mobilized partially or in full as may be necessary. The DOH
4 
shall promulgate the mechanisms by which deployment is efficiently implemented,
5 
including the organization of the Corps to be deployed, their territorial assignments,
6 
how deployment orders are communicated to each member of the Corps and to
7 
which mobilization center they will report.
8 
As defined in Republic Act No. 11332, otherwise known as the "Mandatory
9 
Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act,"
10 
public health emergency refers to an occurrence or imminent threat of an illness or
11 
health condition that:
12 
(1) Is caused by any of the following:
13 
(i) Bio terrorism;
14 
(ii) Appearance of a novel or previously controlled or eradicated
15 
infectious agent or biological toxin;
16 
(iii) A natural disaster;
17 
(iv) A chemical attack or accidental release;
18 
(v) A nuclear attack or accident; or
19 
(vi) An attack or accidental release of radioactive materials; and
20 
(2) Poses a high probability of any of the following:
21 
(i) A large number of deaths in the affected population;
22 
(ii) A large number of serious injuries or long-term disabilities in the
23 
affected population;
24 
(iii) Widespread exposure to an infectious or toxic agent that poses 
a
25 
significant risk of substantial harm to a large number of people in the
26 
affected population;
27 
(iv) International exposure to an infectious or toxic agent that poses a
28 
significant risk to the health of citizens of other countries; or
29 
(v) Trade and travel restrictions.
30 
Sec. 8. Deployment Order. - The President of the Philippines, upon
31 
recommendation of the DOH, may order the nationwide mobilization of the MRC to


1 
complement the AFP Medical Corps in case of a declaration of a state of war, state
2 
of lawless violence or state of calamity.
3 
Sec. 9. Mobilization Centers. -There shall be established in each province as
4 
many mobilization centers as needed to which members of the ;MRC shall report to
5 
when mobilization is ordered.
6 
Mobilization centers may be any establishment or facility that can adequately
7 
house the MRC members, and their equipment and supplies during the period of
8 
deployment, including multi-purpose halls, gymnasiums, and other similar
9 
structures, based on other requirements that the DOH shall prescribe. The DOH
10 
shall, in consultation with 
the local executives, prescribe the location of the
11 
mobilization centers. The local executives shall disseminate to the widest extent
12 
possible information to the public on the location of these centers.
13 
Sec. 10. Mobilization Stock. - The minimum essential individual and
14 
organizational and medical equipment and supplies shall be procured, stored, and
15 
maintained to enhance rapid transition to readiness required for employment in the
16 
shortest possible time.
17 
The DOH shall ensure and maintain the necessary capacity to scale up the
18 
procurement of these equipment and supplies as needed during the period of
19 
mobilization.
20 
Sec. 11. Enlistment of the AFP. - The Secretary of Health may enlist the AFP
21 
to provide expertise on the organization and structure of the MRC for efficient,
22 
effective and swift deployment, as well as for training of the MRC recruits on disaster
23 
and emergency response.
24 
The Secretary of Health may also recommend to the President the enlistment
25 
of the AFP to supplement the mobilized MRC for the purpose of providing logistics
26 
and manpower for large-scale operations in times of public health emergency,
27 
contact tracing and monitoring of suspected cases, enforcing-quarantine measures
28 
in specific areas or facilitating the transport' of emerging infectious diseases
29 
patients, and for such other related purposes.
30 
Sec. 12. Protection to MRC Members. - All MRC members shall be accorded
31 
protection as provided by existing labor laws and standards and other relevant.
32 
occupations, safety, environmental, and social legislation.


1 
Sec. 13. Compensation and Benefits. - Members of the MRC who render
2 
service shall receive all the pay and allowances, medical care, hospitalization, other
3 
privileges and benefits during the period of mobilization as prescribed by law or
4 
regulation. They shall also continue to receive all pay, allowances, and other
5 
privileges and benefits from their regular employment during the mobilization period
6 
in accordance with law.
7 
Sec. 14. Legal Liability and Malpractice Insurance. - No MRC member shall be
8 
held liable for the death of or injury to any person or for the loss of, or damage to,
9 
the property of any person where such death, injury, loss, or damage was
10 
proximately caused by the circumstance of an actual public health emergency or its
11 
subsequent conditions, or the circumstances of the formal exercise or training if such
12 
formal exercise or training simulates conditions of an actual emergency.
13 
The Insurance Commission is mandated to develop public health emergency-
14 
specific malpractice insurance policy or modify existing policies that would protect
15 
MRC professionals' efforts from any legal liability as provided for by this Section to
16 
allow them to respond in good faith during public health emergencies.
17 
This Section shall not preclude liability for civil damages as a result of gross
18 
negligence, recklessness, or willful misconduct.
19 
Sec. 15. Termination of Deployment. — Upon the expiration of the period of
20 
deployment, without an extension having been requested and approved by the DOH,
21 
members of the MRC who are deployed pursuant to a public health emergency shall
22 
be discharged from the performance of their duties. The deployment may also be
23 
terminated earlier upon a determination by the DOH, in consultation with the
24 
requesting national government agency or LGU, that such deployment is no longer
25 
required in accordance with this Act.
26 
Sec. 16. Annual Reports. — The DOH shall regularly publish an annual report
27 
containing a list of the accomplishments, status of the operations, demographic
28 
profile of the membership of the MRC, an assessment of readiness for mobilization,
29 
and the incidence and details of each mobilization for the year concerned. The
30 
annual report shall also include the results of the audit investigation on the spending
31 
of funds appropriated, collected, or advanced for the implementation of the
32 
provisions of this Act.


1 
Sec. 17. Failure to Respond to Deployment - Any member of the MRC who
2 
fails to respond to the order of deployment without any justifiable reason despite
3 
due notice shall be required to reimburse the total expenses incurred by the
4 
government in the member's recruitment, selection, training, and compensation, as
5 
may be determined by the DOH.
6 
SEC. 18. Appropriations. -The Secretary of Health shall immediately include in
7 
the Department's Program the implementation of this Act, the funding of which shall
8 
be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
9 
SEC. 19. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90) days from
10 
the effectivity of this Act, the DOH shall promulgate the necessary guidelines for the
11 
effective implementation of this Act.
12 
SEC. 20. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is declared
13 
unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, the validity of the other provisions shall not be
14 
affected thereby.
15 
SEC. 21. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations,
16 
other issuances, or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are
17 
hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
18 
SEC, 22. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after
19 
its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,