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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Proposed center for disease control inches closer to enactment

Proposed center for disease control inches closer to enactment

Published Dec 12, 2022 07:17 pm

The proposed Philippine Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) may soon become a reality this 19th Congress.

(Fusion medical animation/ Unsplash)


This, after the House of Representatives unanimously approved on third and final reading House Bill (HB) No.6522 during Monday night's plenary session.

The measure--which received 255 affirmative votes, zero negative votes, and zero abstentions during nominal voting--pursues the creation of the CDC, the envisioned lead agency in addressing public health emergencies like the Covid-19 pandemic.

It is one of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.’s priority legislation that he bared during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA), along with the establishment of a Virology and Vaccine Institute to boost the country’s defense against pandemics. Both were subsequently identified as priority legislation by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).

"The State shall adopt an integrated, comprehensive, and evidence-informed approach ... and adopt a framework that shall foster a whole-of-system, whole-of-government, and whole-of-society approach, ensuring clear delineation of tasks between existing agencies and maximizing current mandates,” the measure read

“The State shall also allot the necessary support and institutional resources to provide for effective disease prevention and control through a high-level public institution imbued with the capacity, competence, and authority to confront global and local public health risks,” it added.

“There is hereby established an agency to be known as the Philippine Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, hereinafter referred to as ‘CDC'. The CDC shall be an agency directly under the Office of the Secretary of the DOH,” the measure further stated.

The bill said the CDC shall be the technical authority on “forecasting, analysis, strategy, and standards development for theprevention and control of all diseases of public health importance and health security events, whether domestic or international in origin".

Once established, the CDC will also coordinate with global CDCs and act as the national focal point of the Philippines for International Health Regulations (IHR) hazards.

HB No. 6522 enumerates the objectives of the proposed law as follows:

(a) Protect the Filipino people from the impact of all diseases of public health importance;
(b) Develop policies, plans, and protocols to improve on all identified areas in the International Health Regulations (IHR) hazards;
(c) Clarify governance, decision-making, communication, and coordination processes and protocols related to identifying, diagnosing, forecasting, preventing, controlling, eliminating and eradicating, and monitoring diseases of public health importance;
(d) Ensure swift, coordinated, and data-driven surveillance and response through the Department of Health (DOH), Epidemiology and Surveillance Units (ESUs), public health laboratory systems, points of entry, and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) system;
(e) Provide the overall national framework and strategic direction for the establishment of a health laboratory system;
(f) Maintain a pool of in-house experts that shall serve as the technical authority who shall provide evidence-informed guidance on standards, technologies, and analytics for epidemiology, disease control, prevention, elimination, eradication, health emergency preparedness and response; and
(g) Ensure the development and implementation of a shared risk and crisis communication plan with the DOH and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Related Tags

19th Congress CDC 121222 disease prevention and control Third and Final Reading
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