AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL HEALTH RESEARCH SYSTEM

Fifteenth Congress

Third Regular Session

Begun and held in Metro Manila, on Monday, the twenty-third day of July, two thousand twelve.

REPUBLIC ACT No. 10532

AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL HEALTH RESEARCH SYSTEM

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

ARTICLE I
GENERAL PROVISIONS

Section 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the "Philippine National Health Research System Act of 2013″.

Section 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is hereby declared the policy of the State to protect and promote the right to health of the people, instill health consciousness among them and improve the quality of life of every Filipino through health research and development initiatives.

Section 3. Definition of Terms. – For the purpose of this Act, the following terms shall be defined as follows:

ARTICLE II
THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL HEALTH
RESEARCH SYSTEM

Section 4. Institutionalization of the Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS). – The PNHRS, initiated through a Memorandum of Understanding between the DOST and the Department of Health (DOH) in 2003 and 2007, is hereby institutionalized within the mandate of the PCHRD, the national coordinating body for health research.

Section 5. Objectives of the PNHRS. – The PNHRS aims to improve the health status, productivity and "the quality of life of Filipinos by:

Section 6. Composition of the PNHRS. – The PNHRS shall be composed of the Governing Council (GC), the Steering Committee, the Technical Working Committees (TWC) and the Secretariat, as described in Section 9 hereof. The whole health research community shall be deemed an indispensable partner and contributor in the effort to strengthen the PNHRS. The interrelationships among these various components shall be described in the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of this Act.

Section 7. The PNHRS Governing Council. – The PCHRD Governing Council, created under Executive Order (EO) No. 784 of 1982 and of 1987, shall be the Governing Council of the PNHRS. The PNHRS Governing Council shall be composed of the following:

Section 8. Powers and Functions of the PNHRS Governing Council. – The PNHRS Governing Council shall:

Section 9. The PNHRS Secretariat. – The PCHRD Secretariat, headed by an Executive Director, shall serve as the PNHRS Secretariat. The Executive Director shall be responsible for, among others, the smooth implementation of programs and projects and shall, in pursuit thereof, exercise an oversight function over the PNHRS.

The Secretariat shall provide technical and administrative support in the following areas:

Section 10. Creation and Functions of the Steering Committee. – (a) The Governing Council (GC) shall create a Steering Committee, to be headed by the PCHRD Executive Director. It shall be composed of the following:

(b) The Steering Committee shall perform the following functions:

Section 11. Creation of the Technical Working Committee (TWC). – The GC shall create TWC aligned with research themes which are based on the country’s health needs and the six (6) building blocks of the World Health Organization (WHO) to attain universal health care.

The Committees shall develop and monitor their respective strategic plans. They shall work closely with the stakeholders and the Secretariat.

Section 12. The Philippine Health Research Ethics Board (PHREB). – The PHREB, created under DOST Special Order No. 091 s. 2006, shall ensure adherence to the universal principles for the protection of human participants in research. It shall, among other, things:

Section 13. Regional Health Research Systems. – The PNHRS framework shall be mirrored in all the regions of the country, forming a network of regional research consortia. The consortium setup varies depending on the culture and resources of the region. Each regional health research system shall address concerns relating to health research agenda, development of human resource in health research, conduct of researches, dissemination of research results, research utilization, resource mobilization, leadership and management.

ARTICLE III
FINAL PROVISIONS

Section 14. Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountabilities and Annual Report. – Regular monitoring and evaluation mechanisms shall be done by the GC through the Secretariat to determine the accountabilities of the PNHRS to the contributing agencies. The specifics/details of monitoring, evaluation, accountabilities and annual reporting shall be provided for in the implementing rules and regulations of this Act.

Section 15. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — The DOST-PCHRD, the DOH, the CHED and the UPM-NIH shall promulgate the implementing rules and regulations of this Act within sixty (60) days after the effectivity hereof.

Section 16. 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 17. 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 18. Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in any newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,

This Act which is a consolidation of Senate Bill No. 3399 and House Bill No. 6735 was finally passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on February 4, 2013.

Approved: MAY 07 2013

(Sgd.) BENIGNO S. AQUINO III
President of the Philippines