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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
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First Regular Session 
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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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SENATE 
s. B. NO. 1866 
Introduced by SENATOR EDGARDO J. ANGARA 
Explanatory Note 
There is no integrated medical professional organization in the Philippines. There 
exists the Philippine Medical Association, Inc. (PMA), which is an organization of doctors 
licensed to practice medicine in the Philippines. 
The PMA is one of the most prestigious organizations in the Philippines, the umbrella 
organization of the medical profession of the country. It is duly registered with the 
Securities and Exchange Commission as a non-stock, non-profit organization and is the 
mother association of all medical organizations in the Philippines. It was founded 
September 15, 1903, at a time when the country was under American rule. The Philippine 
Medical Association brings together the entire medical profession under one roof to serve 
as an authoritative source of information on health, disease and medical practice. It is 
responsible for the Training of Specialists through its Specialty Societies. It is responsible 
for the sustained excellent quality healthcare delivery through its continuing medical 
education, formulation of clinical practices, guidelines, directly or through the specialty 
societies. It polices its ranks through the rigid Code of Ethics of the medical profession. 
The PMA has eight specialty divisions such as Pathology, Radiology, Anesthesiology, 
Surgery, Physicians, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology and Family Medicine. All of 
these specialty divisions have several sub-specialty societies. There are 28,000 
physicians who are members of the PMA. Membership in the Philippine Medical 
Association is coursed through the Component Society. There are presently 128 
Component Societies, which is the basic unit of the Association, equitably distributed in all 
regions of the country. All provinces and cities in the Philippines have component 
societies, more popularly known as medical societies. A group of these medical societies 
form a region or regional council. The Board of Governors exercise control and 
supervision over the regional councils and the component societies. The Board of 
Governors h ave the power to realign regions a nd component societies and further the 
power to create new component society or delist existing one. 
Aside from its by-laws, duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, 
the PMA has codes governing its affairs and the conduct of its members. Among its 
codes are the Administrative Code, the Code on Continuing Medical Education, Code of 
Ethics, the Election Code and Mutual Aid Code and Guidelines on Protocol and 
Procedures and Guidelines on Affiliate Societies. 
For the benefit of its members, the PMA and its specialty societies conduct 
periodically seminars, workshops and conventions educating its members on the latest 
medical technology and medicine. Its specialty societies determine who the specialists in 
several fields of medicine are. 


There is no other medical organization that possesses the breadth, composition, 
membership and nationwide coverage of the PMA. In almost all matters affecting health 
or the medical profession, the government seeks the advice of the PMA. This bill will put 
the PMA as a partner of the Government in the improvement of the health delivery system 
to include the alleviation of the Exodus of Doctors to foreign lands. 
Further, this bill will rid the medical profession of so called misfits found to be negligent 
in their practice. The negligent acts of doctors led to a spate of incidents wherein patients 
either died, were maimed, scarred or suffered physical injuries. 
Under present laws, a patient has three options to remedy or punish such negligent 
acts, one is the filing of a criminal action under the Revised Penal Code under Article 365 
(reckless imprudence), the second is the filing of a civil case for the recovery of damages 
and the third is the filing of a case before the Professional Regulations Commission for 
the revocation of the license of the doctor. 
Patients might find the current options not suitable for his need because of 
a) 
b) 
c) 
court or administrative actions are mired in technicalities especially those 
concerning evidence, the presentation and weighing of which must adhere to the 
strict technical rules of procedure and evidence 
court or administrative actions are time consuming as the courts and the PRC are 
clogged with other cases 
filing of such actions are financially burdensome on the patient. 
This bill will provide a patient with a fourth option, that of filing a case with an 
integrated prbfessional medical organization. If the bill is passed, the medical profession, 
just like the legal profession, will be integrated into one accredited organization. No doctor 
can practice his profession unless he becomes a member of such integrated professional 
organization. An aggrieved patient may now seek for the revocation of membership of the 
doctor from the integrated professional medical organization. The threat of revocation will 
carry a lot of weight since the livelihood of the doctor depends on his continued 
membership in the Organization. 
This bill seeks to accredit the Philippine Medical Association as the integrated 
professional medical organization and all physicians wanting to practice medicine will be 
required to become members of the PMA. If the bill is passed into a law, we will be 
creating a professional medical organization already in place without the government 
spending a single centavo that can serve as an extension of the government in regulating 
the medical profession, maintaining the high ad, ethical conduct of the medical 
professionals and help in the continued delivery of quality health care. 
Approval of this bill is earnestly recommended, 
EDGARDO J. ANGARA 
Senator 


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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
1 
First Regular Session 
1 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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SENATE 
S. B. No. 
Introduced by SENATOR EDGARDO J. ANGARA 
AN ACT ACCREDITING THE PHILIPPINE MEDICAL ASSOCIATION AS THE 
PHILIPPINES 
INTEGRATED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION OF THE 
Be enacted by the Senate and the House of Represenfafives of the 
Philippines in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known and cited as the 
"INTEGRATED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION ACT OF 2007." 
SECTION 2. Membership - All physicians duly registered by the 
Professional Regulations Commission shall become members of the Philippine 
Medical Association, Inc. (PMA) Membership in good standing of the PMA shall 
be a condition precedent for his renewal of license and for the continuous 
practice of medicine. It shall be the only Integrated Medical Professional 
Organization of the Philippines. 
SECTION 3. Organization - The organizational structure of the PMA, 
including the specialty d ivisions, specialty a nd s ub-specialty societies a nd the 
component medical societies and as a non-stock, non-profit corporation duly 
registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission shall be retained. 
SECTION 5. Rules and Regulations - The PMA shall prescribe rules 
and reguiations to implement the integration of the medical profession including 
the various specialty divisions, the specialty and subspecialty societies and their 
training program, and the component and affiliate medical societies. 
SECTION 6. Complaints - The PMA shall hear complaints against its 
members. The PMA shall prescribe its rules to govern the conduct of its 
proceedings and the rules of its procedures. The rules shall be liberally construed 
and the technical rules of procedure on evidence shall not be strictly applied. 
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SECTION 7. Grounds - A person may file a verified complaint before the 


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PMA against a PMA member based on the following grounds: 
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a) gross negligence, ignorance or incompetence in the practice of 
hisfher profession resulting to death, physical injury to a person; 
b) conviction by a court of competent jurisdiction of any criminal 
offense involving moral turpitude; 
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c) immoral or dishonorable conduct; 
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d) insanity; 
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e) fraud in the acquisition of the certificate of registration, and 
professional license or renewal thereof; 
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9 addiction to alcoholic beverages or to any habit-forming drug 
rendering him or her incompetent to practice his or her profession; 
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g) false or extravagant or unethical advertisement; 
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h) performing or aiding in any criminal abortion; 
i) knowingly issuing any false medical certificate; 
j) Issuing any statement or spreading any news or humor which is 
derogatory to the character and reputation of another physician 
without justifiable motive; 
k) Aiding or acting as a dummy of unqualified or unregistered person to 
practice medicine; 
, I) 
Violation of the Code of Ethics of the PMA. 
SECTION 8. Penalties - . The PMA may impose penalties of reprimand, 
suspension or expulsion. All cases filed or pending under this act shall not be 
discussed or taken in any forum until after the same shall have been 
decided with finality. 
SECTION 9 .  Implementing Rules - The PMA shall promulgate the 
implementing rules and guidelines of this act within 80 days after the enactment 
of this act. 


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SECTION I O .  Separability Clause - if any provision of this Act is 
declared unconstitutional or not valid, other provisions not affected herein 
shall remain in full force and effect. 
SECTION 11. Repealing Clause - Provisions on the integration 
of professionalslprofessions in the professional regulatory laws and all 
provisions of laws, decrees, order, rule and regulations that are inconsistent with 
this Act are hereby repealed and/or modified accordingly. 
SECTION 12. Effectivity - This act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
after its publication in the Official Gazette or in any major leading newspaper 
of national circulation, which ever is earlier. 
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Approved,