Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
TWENTIETH  CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 965 
___________________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by Rep. Oscar G. Malapitan 
___________________________________________________________________________ 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
This bill seeks to rename the Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital located 
in Tala, Caloocan City, to Jose Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center. Alongside 
the proposed renaming, the bill also mandates the upgrading of the 
institution’s service capabilities, enhancement of professional health care 
services, and an increase in its medical personnel complement. 
The Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital (DJNRMH) traces its roots to 
1940, when it was established as the Central Luzon Sanitarium for the 
treatment of leprosy—a chronic infectious disease that had reached alarming 
proportions in the Philippines during the 1930s. 
In response to the urgent need to control the disease, Commonwealth Act No. 
161 was enacted in 1938, mandating the establishment of leprosaria in 
Manila, Cagayan Valley, and the Ilocos Region. That same year, 808 hectares 
of land from the Tala Estate in Caloocan were acquired for the construction 
of the Central Luzon Sanitarium, which was designated as a reservation and 
resettlement area for persons affected by leprosy (hansenites) and their 
immediate families. 
By 1975, some hospital wards began accepting non-leprosy patients to 
address other health care needs. In 1980, following the passing of Dr. Jose 
Natalio Rodriguez—a distinguished Filipino leprologist, researcher, and the 
first director of the sanitarium—President Ferdinand E. Marcos issued Batas 
Pambansa Blg. 94, officially renaming the institution to Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez 
Memorial Hospital, in recognition of Dr. Rodriguez’s 53 years of devoted service 
to leprosy control and treatment. 
Throughout the 1990s, the hospital expanded its services to meet the 
increasing medical needs of the general public while continuing its mission 
on leprosy control. In 1993, a formal policy shift allowed the hospital to 
officially cater to non-Hansen patients. 
To further institutionalize its evolving role, Republic Act No. 9420 was enacted 
in 2007, converting 200 of the hospital’s 2,000 beds into those designated for 
tertiary general health care. The Department of Health later issued the 
implementing rules and regulations through Administrative Order No. 2008-
0032. 
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In pursuit of excellence, the hospital embarked on the implementation of a 
Quality Management System (QMS) aligned with international standards. 
This effort led to ISO 9001:2008 certification by Certification International 
Philippines, Inc. on July 6, 2015. In 2017, it achieved certification under ISO 
9001:2015, which was later recertified and remained valid until July 15, 
2021. 
In December 2018, the Department of Health granted DJNRMH a license to 
operate as a Level III General Hospital, effectively elevating it to the status of 
a teaching and training medical center. Subsequently, on April 12, 2019, 
Republic Act No. 11286 was signed into law, increasing the hospital’s 
authorized bed capacity from 200 to 800 beds. 
Given the hospital’s transformation from a single-purpose sanitarium to a 
fully integrated, multi-service medical institution and Level III teaching and 
training hospital, this proposed legislation seeks to confer upon it a name that 
accurately reflects its present stature and functions. 
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
HON. OSCAR G. MALAPITAN 


Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
TWENTIETH  CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 965 
___________________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by Rep. Oscar G. Malapitan 
___________________________________________________________________________ 
AN ACT 
RENAMING THE DR. JOSE N. RODRIGUEZ MEMORIAL HOSPITAL IN THE 
CITY OF CALOOCAN INTO JOSE  RODRIGUEZ MEMORIAL MEDICAL 
CENTER, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AMENDING  FOR 
THE PURPOSE BATAS PAMBANSA BLG. 94, ENTITLED “AN ACT 
RENAMING THE CENTRAL LUZON SANITARIUM AT TALA, CITY OF 
CALOOCAN, AS DR. JOSE N. RODRIGUEZ MEMORIAL HOSPITAL”  
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. The Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital in the City of 
Caloocan is hereby renamed as Jose Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center.   
SEC. 2.  The existing service capability, professional health care services 
and medical staff complement of Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital are 
hereby upgraded and increased to  correspond with the requirements of the 
medical center.  
SEC. 3.  The increase in the service capability, professional health care 
services and bed capacity shall conform to the hospital development plan of the 
medical center. 
SEC. 4. The Secretary of Health shall immediately include in the 
Department’s programs the implementation of this Act, the funding of which shall 
be included in the annual General Appropriations Act. 
SEC. 5.  Section 1 of Batas Pambansa Blg. 94, entitled “An Act Renaming 
the Central Luzon Sanitarium at Tala, City of Caloocan, as Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez 
Memorial Hospital” is hereby amended accordingly.    
SEC. 6.   Within ninety (90) days from the approval of this Act, the 
Secretary of Health shall, in consultation with the Secretary of Budget and 
Management, promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the effective 
implementation of this Act. 
SEC. 7.   This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in 
the Official Gazette or in  a newspaper of general circulation. 
Approved,