(Malacañang photo by Richard Madelo)
President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, February 20, signed into law the Universal Health Care (UHC) Bill, which seeks to give all Filipinos health care coverage and benefits.
In his speech during a special ceremony in Malacañang, Duterte acknowledged the importance of the Universal Health Care Law, a measure that intends to provide free and affordable medical consultations and medicine for the benefit of all Filipinos, especially the indigent.
The law allows Filipinos to be automatically enrolled in the proposed National Health Insurance Program (NHIP). Members can either be direct contributors (those who can pay health premiums), or indirect contributors (those who are sponsored like senior citizens or indigents).
The program, which would be handled by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), also aims to expand the PhilHealth coverage to include free consultation tests and other diagnostic services.
Other benefits that Filipinos can enjoy under the law include possessing “immediate eligibility” for and have access to the full spectrum of health care such as preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative care for medical, dental, mental, and emergency health services; and choosing their primary health care provider for outpatient care, medicines, and laboratory tests.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday, February 21, welcomed the passage of the Universal Health Care Act, which would enable Filipinos to have access to quality health services at lesser cost.
Gundo Weiler, WHO country representative, said the landmark legislation has a “tremendous potential for expanding quality and affordable health services for every Filipino.”
“We are very happy to see in this act that there are very important provisions addressing financial protection and increasing access to the services. We do believe this is an excellent basis for realizing universal health coverage in the Philippines,” Weiler said.
He added: “This is not the end point but just a starting point for major reform effort in the Philippines.”
New laws
Duterte also announced the other new laws he signed including the Mobile Number Portability Act that would permit “qualified subscribers” to keep their mobile number should they decide to change their network provider.
The newly signed law, otherwise known as the Republic Act 11202 or the Lifetime Cellphone Number Act, mandates public telecommunication entities (PTEs) to have the mobile number portability (MNP) feature accessible among all users.
PTEs are also ordered to transfer their subscribers to their chosen PTE free of charge. The fine for violating such law ranges from P10,000 to one million in fines and revocation of telecommunication franchise.
Human Settlements Department
Duterte also signed the law establishing the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), an agency that would address concerns regarding housing, human settlement and urban development.
The said department merged two other agencies—Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB).
Under the law, the DHSUD has administrative supervision over National Housing Authority (NHA), National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC), Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) and the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC).
Four other national laws were signed by the president, including the Special Protection of Children in Situations of Armed Conflict Act, the National Integrated Cancer Control Act, the Philippine Sports Training Center Act and the Secondary School Career Guidance and Counseling Act.
Republic Act 11188 is said to mandate the prevention of the “recruitment, re-recruitment, use, displacement of, or grave child rights violations against children involved in armed conflict, taking into considerations their gender, cultural, ethnic and religious background.”
“(The Act serves as a protection for) children in situations of armed conflict from all forms of abuse, violence, neglect, cruelty, discrimination and other conditions prejudicial to their development,” the law stated as reported by The Philippine Daily Inquirer.
National Integrated Cancer Control Program, on one hand, seeks to provide “affordable and accessible” medical treatment by strengthening cancer control policies, programs, systems, interventions and services at all levels of the existing health care delivery system.”
The Philippine Sports Training Center Act, on the other, provides a P3.5 billion funding for the 18-month construction of a center “suitable and conducive to high-level training of athletes, coaches and referees.”
While the Secondary School Career Guidance and Counseling Act mandate a national counseling program to be administered by the Department of Education.
Holiday declarations and franchise grants
Two holiday declarations were signed namely the special working national holiday for the surrender of General Tomoyuki Yamashita in Baguio City on September 3 and the special non-working holiday in Olongapo for James Leonard Tagle Gordon on January 17.
The president also signed bills granting franchises to four institutions Malindang Broadcasting Network, More Electric and Power Corporation, Ermita Electronics Incorporated and religious group Iglesia ni Cristo.
Local bills
Three local bills that were signed include the integration of Cebu City Mountain Extension Campus as a satellite campus of the Cebu Technological University; conversion of the Northwestern Mindanao State College of Science and Technology in Tangub to the University of Northwestern Mindanao; conversion of Zamboanga City State Polytechnic College to the Zamboanga Peninsula Polytechnic State University.
The president also signed the act that establishes the Cordillera State Institute of Technical Education and integrating it with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) training centers and TESDA-supervised state-run technical-vocational institutions in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
The bill to change Lupon School of Fisheries in Lupon, Davao Oriental into the Davao Oriental Polytechnic Institute and the recognition of the British School of Manila as an international educational institution were also signed by the Chief Executive.
Duterte also signed the bill that increases bed capacity to two hospitals specifically in St. Anthony Mother and Child Hospital in Cebu from 25 to 200 and in Rizal Medical Center in Pasig from 300 to 500.
Palace applauds multiple laws signed
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo called the move to sign the multiple laws a “decisive and compassionate leadership” as he dubbed the said mandates as “landmark measures.”
“Indeed, all these landmark measures, not to mention the laws on special protection of children in situations of armed conflict, secondary school career guidance and counseling and the establishment of a sports training center, underscore that we have a decisive and compassionate leadership that will be the mark of the administration until the remainder of the president’s term,” Panelo said.
