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SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution, Article 11, Section 15, provides that "the State shall protect and 
promote the right to health ofthe people and instill health consciousness among them." 
A "public health emergency" is defined as an occurrence or imminent threat of an illness 
or health condition, caused by bio terrorism, epidemic or pandemic disease, or a novel and highly 
fatal infectious agent or biological toxin, that poses a substantial risk of a significant number of 
human facilities or incidents or permanent or long-term disability (WHO/DCD, 2001). 
History has seen the occurrence of plagues, calamities, and outbreaks which have claimed 
huge parts of the population. For instance, the Black Death (also known as the Black Plague or 
Bubonic Plague) was one of the deadliest pandemics in human history, widely thought to have 
been caused by a bacterium named Yersinia ,pestis, but recently attributed by some to other 
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diseases. The total number of deaths worldwide was estimated at 75 million people, 
approximately 25-50 million of which occurred in Europe. 
In June 2013, health experts started emergency international meetings to devise ways of 
combating a mysterious virus that has been described as the single biggest worldwide public 
health threat. Officials and doctors gathered in Cairo to examine ways of tackling the Middle 
East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), feared to be a new pandemic deadlier than SARS. SARS 
refers to Severe acute respiratory syndrome, Ii viral respiratory disease of zoonotic origin caused 
by the SARS coronavirus (SARS-Co V). Between November 2002 and July 2003, an outbreak of 
SARS in Southern China caused an eventual 8,273 cases and 775 deaths reported in multiple 
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countries. 
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The MERS virus has displayed an alarmingly high fatality rate. It has caused death in 
about 60 percent of patients so far, with 75 percent of cases in men and most in people with 
serious health conditions. There are currently no known treatments. Margaret Chan, WHO 
director-general, previously called MERS a "threat to the entire world". 
There is an old adage that states that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." 
This bill is built upon such wisdom by seeking to strengthen national response and preparedness 
for public health emergencies, such as those which result from natural disasters and severe. 
weather, recent outbreaks and pandemics, bioterrorism, mass casualties, chemical emergencies, 
and radiation emergencies. 
Preparedness refers to activities and measures taken in advance to ensure effective 
response to the impact of hazards, including the issuance of timely and effective early warnings 
and the temporary evacuation of people and property from threatened locations. It also refers to 
pre-disaster activities, including an o~erall slfategy, policies, and institutional and management 
structures, that are geared to helping at-risk communities safeguard their lives and assets by 
being alert to hazards and taking appropriate action in the face of an imminent threat or the 
actual onset of a disaster. 
This bill gives the Department of Health the mandate to undertake measures, such as 
evaluation, planning, organizing, and training, to improve national preparedness for public health 
emergencies. 
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MIRIAM DEF 
SOR SA"NTI¥O 
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SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
S.No. 1573 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
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AN ACT 
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STRENGTHENING NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE TO PUBLIC HEALTH 
3 
EMERGENCIES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
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SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Pandemic and All-Hazards 
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Preparedness Act." 
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SECTION 2. Creation of a National Health Strategy for Public Health Emergencies. -
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The Secretary of Health shall spearhead the creation of a national health strategy to address 
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public health emergencies. This strategy shall provide for integrated policy coordination and 
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strategic direction with respect to all matters related to national public health and medical 
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preparedness and execution and deployment of national response before, during, and following 
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public health emergencies. 
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SECTION 3. Components of a National Health Strategy. - The National Health Strategy 
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shall include: 
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(A) 
Provisions for increasing the preparedness, response capabilities, and surge 
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capacity of ambulatory care facilities, dental health facilities, and critical care service systems; 
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(B) 
Plans for optimizing a coordinated and flexible approach to the medical surge 
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capacity of hospitals, other health care faciliti,es, critical care, and trauma care and emergency 
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medical systems; 
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(C) 
Provisions taking into account the unique needs of individuals with disabilities in 
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a public health emergency; 
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(D) 
Strategic initiatives to advance countermeasures to diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or 
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treat harm from any biological agent or toxin or any chemical, radiological, or nuclear agent or 
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agents, whether naturally, occurring, unintentional, or deliberate; 
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(e) 
Conduct OF periodic evaluations of national and local preparedness and response 
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capabilities which shall include drill~ and exercises to ensure'medical surge capacity for events· 
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without notice. 
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SECTION 4. Creation of Task Force on Public Emergencies, - (A) A task force under 
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the control of the Secretary of Health shall be established in order to conduct research necessary 
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for the creation of the Strategy. The Task Force shall be composed of representatives from: 
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(I) 
(2) 
(3) 
(4) 
(5) 
(B) 
(1) 
(2) 
(3) 
(4) 
The Department of Health; 
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC); 
The Department ofInterior and Local Government (DILG); 
The National Security Adviser; and 
The Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC). 
The Task Force shall: 
Monitor emerging issues and concerns as they relate to medical and public health 
preparedness and response for at-risk individuals in the event of a public health 
emergency; 
Identify and minimize gaps, duplication and other inefficiencies in medical and 
public health preparedness and response activities and the actions necessary to 
overcome these obstacles; 
Disseminate and update novel and best practices of outreach to and care of at-risk 
individuals before, during, and, following public health emergencies in as timely a. 
manner as is practicable, including from the time a public health threat is 
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identified; and 
Ensure that public health and medical information distributed by the government 
during a public health emergency is delivered in a manner that takes into account 
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the range of communication needs of the intended recipients, including at-risk 
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individuals. 
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SECTION 5. Creation of Medical Reserve Corps. - The Secretary of Health shall 
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establish a medical reserve corps composed of volunteer health professionals. The Medical 
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Reserve Corps shall be called into duty if needed during public health emergencies. 
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SECTION 6. Authorization of Appropriations. - To carry out the provisions of this Act, 
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there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each fiscal year; 
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SECTION 7. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part thereof is held invalid or 
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unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall remain 
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valid and subsisting. 
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SECTION 8. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
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order, letter of instruction, administrative' order, rule, or regulation contrary to or inconsistent 
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with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly. 
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SECTION 9. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
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publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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