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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
Second Regular Session 
1 
9 
11 IC':.' :?8 
Introduced by Senator Loren Legarda 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Philippines is known internationally as a source of competitive, highly 
qualified, and skilled health workers, otherwise known as Human Resources for 
Health (HRH). Filipino doctors and nurses are deployed in various parts of the 
world. But in recent years, the trend among doctors is to train in nursing while 
students of medicine are shifting to nursing. Undeniably, being a nurse in such 
countries as the United States and Canada is much more financially rewarding 
than being a being a doctor in the Philippines. The reduction in the number of 
doctors and the migration abroad of Filipino nurses and other health workers en 
masse are threatening the adequate delivery of health services in the country. 
The Philippine Constitution has foreseen this problem by mandating that "The 
State shall establish and maintain an effective food and drug regulatory system 
and undertake appropriate health manpower development and research, 
responsive to the country's health needs and problems." Several government 
agencies have undertaken this mandate but because they are uncoordinated, 
programs and policies are fragmented, inconsistent and incongruent thereby 
rendering them ineffective and inefficient in promoting the health of the people. 
To address this problem, the Department of Health and the World Health 
Organization developed in 2005 the Human Resources for Health Master Plan 
(HRHMP) to serve as a framework that will support HRH development in the 
country. According to the plan, a network of different organizations relevant to 
HRH will be created. The network will facilitate the implementation of programs 
and activities needing multi-sectoral coordination. To better implement plan, the 
DOH spearheaded in 2006 the creation of the Human Resources for Health 
Network (HRHN), which is composed of government agencies and non- 
government organizations with the common aim of solving and responding to 
HRH issues and problems. 
In two years of its existence, the network has efficiently undertaken projects and 
activities geared at solving the most pressing HRH problem of the moment, 
particularly migration. HRH experts, seeing the potential of the network as a 
solution 
to 
the 
aforementioned 
HRH 
problems, 
recommended 
the 
institutionalization of the network so that its maintenance and continued 
functioning could be ensured until it had already substantially, if not completely, 
attained its objectives. This is to be done without turning the network into a 
government agency because that might result in the usual government 
bureaucracy woes affecting the network. 


It was determined that the best set up for the network is its institutionalization 
and for it to craft and implement programs through different government 
agencies and non-government organizations. 
In view of the foregoing the immediate passage of this bill is sought. 


FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
Second Regular Session 
S E N A T E  
S.B.No. 3060 
Introduced by Senator Loren Legarda 
AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE HUMAN RESOURCES FOR 
HEALTH NETWORK AS A STRUCTURE TO SUPPORT HUMAN 
RESOURCES FOR HEALTH DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHILIPPINES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the "Human Resources for 
Health Network Act of 2009". 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. The Philippine Constitution of 1987 declares 
that the State shall "undertake health manpower development" that will be 
responsive to the health needs of the population. 
SECTION 3. Definition of T e r n  and Abbreviations. The terms and 
abbreviations used in this Act are as follows: 
a. Health manpower development- same term as human resources for health 
(HRH) development. It concerns three aspects particularly planning, 
production and management of HRH. 
b. Human Resources for Health (HRH) - a universal term for health care 
workers. Health care workers as defined by the World Health 
Organization are "people whose job it is to protect and improve the health 
of their communities". 
c. Human Resources for Health Network (HRHN) - a multi-sectoral 
organization composed of different government agencies as well as non- 
government organizations with an aim of supporting HRH development 
in the Philippines. 
d. Human Resources for Health Master Plan (HRHMP) - a 25-year plan with 
a goal of providing the Philippine health care system with an adequate 
number of competent HRH that are equitably distributed all over the 
country. 
SECTION 4. Recognition of the Human Resources for Health Network (HRHN). 
The Human Resources for Health Network shall be recognized as the structure 
or organization that will be responsible for HRH development in the Philippines. 
SECTION 5. Objectives of the HRHN. The HRHN shall have the following 
objectives: 
1 


1. Facilitate implementation of programs of the Human Resources for Health 
Master Plan (HRHMP); 
2. Provide policy directions and develop programs that would address and 
respond to HRH issues and problems; 
3. Harmonize existing policies and programs pertaining to HRH among 
different government agencies and non-government organizations; 
4. Develop and maintain an integrated database containing pertinent 
information of HRH from production, distribution, utilization up to 
retirement and migration; 
5. Advocate human resource development and management in the health 
sector; 
6. Perform workforce planning at the national level; and 
7. Monitor and evaluate sectoral HRH policies and programs. 
SECTION 6. Membership. The Department of Health shall be the lead agency of 
the HRHN. On the other hand, all other government agencies with mandates on 
HRH development such as the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of 
Interior and Local Government, Department of Labor and Employment, 
Department of Budget and Management, Philippine Overseas Employment 
Administration, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Technical Education 
and Skills Development Authority, National Economic and Development 
Authority, Commission on Filipinos Overseas, Commission on Higher 
Education, Professional Regulations Commission, Civil Service Commission, 
Government Service Insurance System and Social Security System shall be 
members of the HRHN. 
Likewise, non-government organizations and the academe which are recognized 
as partners in supporting HRH development are hereby encouraged to be 
members of the HRHN. 
SECTION 7. Organizational Struchrre. The HRHN shall be composed of three 
(3) Technical Working Groups (TWG) and one (1) Oversight Committee. The 
three TWG are composed of the TWG on Entry, TWG on Workforce and TWG on 
Exit. Each TWG shall address HRH problems and issues pertinent to their TWG 
with the TWG on Entry on matters concerning planning, education and 
recruitment; TWG on Workforce on issues involving supervision, compensation, 
systems support and lifelong learning and the TWG on Exit on career choice, 
health and safety, migration and retirement. The main function of the TWG shall 
involve prioritization of HRH issues and problems as well as drafting of policy 
recommendations and or development of programs that are suitable to the 
prioritized HRH issues. 
The TWG shall recommend its draft policies and programs to the Oversight 
Committee which in turn shall be composed of the heads of different member 
organization. The Oversight Committee shall function as the decision making 
body of the H R " .  It shall review and act upon all the recommendations of the 
different TWG. The Department of Health, having spearheaded the creation of 
the HRHN, shall act as the Chair of the Oversight Committee. 
In order to facilitate coordination among members of the HRHN, the Department 
of Health as the lead agency shall provide the Secretariat. The Secretariat shall 
act as the coordinating body of the HRHN and shall provide the following 


functions such as but not limited to setting of meetings, managing of important 
logistics and circulation of information and documents among members. 
SECTION 8. Composition of the Oversigkt Committee, TWG and Secretariat. 
The Oversight Committee shall be composed of the heads of government agency 
and non-government organization or his/ her duly appointed representative who 
has the authority to act on his/her behalf. The TWG, on the other hand, shall be 
composed of a permanent and an alternate member representing each member 
organization. The TWG member shall be at the level of a director, division chief, 
or holder of equivalent position of the concerned bureau/agency/organization. 
A representative of the Health Human Resource Development Bureau of the 
Department of Health shall serve as the secretariat for each TWG and the 
Oversight Committee. 
SECTION 9. Development and Maintenance of an Integrated Database on HRH. 
In relation to objective No.4 of the HRHN in Section 2, the HRHN shall develop 
and maintain an integrated database containing relevant HRH information that 
can be used for evidence based planning and policy making. As such, all 
abovementioned government agencies shall share the necessary HRH 
information in their database to the HRHN integrated database and update these 
data on a periodic basis. 
SECTION 10. Budget appropriation. The Department of Health as the lead 
agency shall appropriate seedjinitial funds for the sustainability of the HRHN. 
The network shall maximize the member agencies’ resources for the network 
projects. All other government agencies shall contribute a part of their budget for 
the development, implementation as well as monitoring and evaluation of all 
policies, programs, projects and activities of the HRHN. Likewise, non- 
government organizations and private sectors organizations are encouraged to 
contribute a part of their budget and other resources deemed necessary for all the 
undertakings of the HRHN. 
SECTION 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations. The Department of Health 
shall spearhead the drafting of the implementing rules and regulations of this 
Act within a year after the effectivity hereof. 
SECTION 12. Separability Clause. If any provision or part hereof, is held invalid 
or unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise 
affected shall remain valid and subsisting. 
SECTION 13. Repealing Clause. Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation 
contrary to or inconsistent with, the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, 
modified or amended accordingly. 
SECTION 14. Eflectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after 
its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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