Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
          NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ______________ 
_______________________________________________________________________ 
  Introduced by Rep. Wilfrido Mark M. Enverga 
         _____________________________________________________________________________________ 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
This Bill is a proposed legislation filed by the author during the 15th 
Congress in 2010. For decades eye diseases have been a priority concern 
because of the gradual increase of cases being treated in various eye clinics 
and hospitals due to aging population, improper eye care, and complication 
from other diseases, environmental factor, accidents and other related 
factors. 
Yet the more common eye diseases are, to a great extent, preventable, 
and curable with early and adequate medical care, prompt and intensive 
prevention and health education programs.  
Hence there is an urgent need to consolidate and reinforce existing 
programs, strategies and efforts at preventing, treating and rehabilitating 
people affected by eye diseases and to undertake research and training on the 
cure and prevention of eye diseases, through the National Eye Center which 
will house and nurture the above and related activities and provide tertiary-
level care for more difficult and problematic cases. 
In view of the foregoing considerations, approval of this bill is highly 
   and earnestly recommended. 
WILFRIDO MARK M. ENVERGA 
July 28, 2022
5:11 pm
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
         NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ______________ 
__________________________________________________________________________________________ 
  Introduced by Rep. Wilfrido Mark M. Enverga 
__________________________________________________________________________________________ 
AN ACT CREATING THE NATIONAL EYE CENTER 
AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
Philippines in Congress assembled: 
SECTION. 1.  There is hereby created a National Eye Center which is a quasi-
government institution attached to the Office of the President. 
SEC. 2. The Center shall have its principal office in Metro Manila, and may 
have such branch offices, hospitals, clinics or subsidiaries in other areas in the 
Philippines as it may deem proper and necessary.  
SEC. 3.  The Center shall have the following purposes and objectives: 
(a) To specialize 
in the 
prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care,
rehabilitation and/or  relief of eye and allied diseases;
(b) To promote medical and scientific research relative to the prevention
and treatment of eye and allied diseases, and to encourage planning,
invention and development of artificial means of  eye support and
transplantation;
(c) To conduct fact finding investigations on eye diseases, and related field
throughout the country or elsewhere, and to report, publish and
disseminate information on eye and allied diseases;
(d) To finance, sponsor, hold or participate in congresses, conventions,
conferences, seminars, work-shops and training programs on eye
diseases  and/or related field in the Philippines or abroad; and
(e) To stimulate the formation of other organizations on the national,
provincial, city and/or local levels, and to coordinate the various efforts
and activities of such organization for the purpose of achieving a more
effective approach to the common problem relative to the purposes and
objectives enumerated herein. 
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                       SEC. 4.  For the attainment and/or furtherance of the above-enumerated  
 purposes and objectives, the Center as a body corporate acting through its Board of    
Trustees, shall have the following powers and functions:  
 
(a) To adopt and use a corporate seal; 
 
(b) To sue and be sued in its corporate name;  
 
(c) To adopt its by-laws, rules and regulations as it may deem proper 
and necessary for implementation of the purposes and objectives of 
this Act;  
 
(d) To succeed by its corporate name, and to acquire and possess  
                                properties, rights and interests of whatever kind and nature, and 
                                mortgage, pledge, alienate, encumber or otherwise dispose of the  
                                same;  
 
(e) To award, enter into, make, execute, perform and carry out domestic 
or foreign contracts of whatever kind and nature; 
                      
(f) To invest in, and purchase or otherwise acquire, own, hold, use, lease, 
grant, mortgage, pledge, sell, assign, convey, transfer, exchange or 
otherwise deal with, real and/or personal properties of every kind 
and nature, including shares of stock, bonds, notes, securities and 
other evidences of indebtedness or obligations of  other 
corporations, whether domestic or foreign, and whether government 
or private;  
 
(g) To obtain loans, borrow funds and/or arrange financing or credit 
assistance of whatever kind and nature from all sources, whether 
domestic or foreign and whether government or private, and to 
mortgage, pledge or otherwise encumber any of its properties and 
assets for the purpose of securing or guaranteeing the performance 
or fulfillment of any obligation it may undertake for itself or for other 
entities in which  it may be interested;  
 
(h) To levy, assess and collect such fees, charges and assessments as may 
be necessary or proper to support, finance and maintain its 
operations; and 
 
(i) To exercise such other powers and functions as may be incidental or  
      necessary to carry out the purposes and objectives of this Act. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


                     SEC. 5. The Center shall be governed, and its activities and properties shall 
be directed, controlled and managed, by a Board of Trustees, hereinafter referred to as 
the Board, which shall  be composed of a Chairman and ten (10) members, all of whom 
shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines. The Chief Executive Officer of 
the Center, who shall be appointed from among the members of the Board in 
accordance hereof, shall be the ex-officio Vice-Chairman of the Board.  
 
                   The members of the Board shall serve for a term of three (3) years, with a 
right to hold-over until their respective successors shall have been duly appointed and 
qualified. The President of the Philippines may, however, remove any member of the 
Board for cause. Whenever a vacancy shall occur in the Board, the person appointed to 
fill the vacancy shall hold office for the unexpired term of the member replaced.  
 
                  SEC. 6. The Board shall have the following powers and functions:  
 
(a) To formulate policies, guidelines and programs to effectively 
implement and carry out the purposes and objectives of this Act;  
 
                            (b) To prescribe, review and revise the amount of the fees, charges, and  
                                  assessments levied and collected for the support and maintenance of  
                              the operations of the Center;  
 
(c)  To control the management, operation and administration of the   
       Center;  
 
                            (d) To promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary or  
   proper for the effective exercise of power and functions as well as   
   the discharge of the duties, responsibilities of the Center, its officers  
  and employees; 
 
(e) To authorize such expenditures of the Center as may be necessary  
     or proper for  the effective management, operation and 
     administration of the Center;  
 
                             (f) To determine and organize the Center's organizational and  
                                       administrative structure or pattern, and to establish and fix, review,  
                                   revise and adjust the appropriate compensation scheme of the  
                                   officers and employees of the center with reasonable allowances,  
                                   bonuses and other incentives; 
 
                             (g) To adopt the annual and supplemental budget of receipts and 
                                    expenditures of the Center; 
                        
                             (h) To appoint, remove, suspend or otherwise discipline officers of the 
                                  center occupying executive and senior management positions;  
 
      (i) To exercise all the general powers necessary or incidental to the  
           attainment of the purposes and objectives of this Act; and  
 
                       (j)  To do any and all acts as may be necessary or proper for the  
                             attainment of the powers and functions of the Center.  


            
                 SEC. 7.  The Center may call upon any Department, Bureau, Office, Agency or 
instrumentality of the Government, including government-owned or controlled 
corporations, for such assistance as it may need in the pursuit of the purposes and 
objectives of this Act; 
 
               SEC. 8  The Center is hereby authorized to solicit and receive donations, 
grants, contributions, gifts or endowments from all sources whether foreign or 
domestic, and whether government or private, without the need of securing a permit, 
approval or registration from any government agency;     
 
                SEC. 9.   The books and accounts of the Center shall be under the charge of a 
Resident Auditor, subject to periodic auditing by the Chairman of the Commission on 
Audit, or his duly authorized representative; 
 
               SEC. 10  The Center and its officers and employees shall be covered by the 
Civil Service Law, rules and regulations;  
 
                SEC 11. The Center shall render to the President of the Philippines an annual 
report on its operations and accomplishments; 
   
               SEC. 12. The provisions of the general corporation law, insofar as they are not 
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act of with the purposes and objectives for 
which the Center is formed, shall apply to the Center; 
    
              SEC. 13. If for any reason, the Center is dissolved, its properties and assets 
shall revert to the National Government for disposition in accordance with law;  
 
               SEC. 14. The amount of One Hundred million pesos (P100,000,000.00) is 
hereby appropriated for the necessary initial operating expenses and maintenance of 
the National Eye Center. Thereafter, such sum as maybe necessary for the continued 
operation of the Center shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act. 
 
               SEC. 15.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.  
                
                 APPROVED,