The Palliative and End of Life Care Act
Filed on September 2, 2025, and referred to the Committees on Health and Demography, Ways and Means, and Finance; it has been pending in committee since then with no recorded action.
The bill addresses the need for comprehensive care for patients nearing the end of life, which is a growing concern in healthcare.
The bill responds to increasing awareness and need for palliative care services in the healthcare system.
The Palliative and End of Life Care Act
The bill aims to provide palliative and end-of-life care in all medical facilities across the country and includes provisions for funding these services.
Compared with current law:
Limited access to palliative care in medical facilities.
Establishes palliative and end-of-life care in all medical facilities.
The purpose of the act is to provide palliative and end-of-life care in all medical facilities, ensuring that patients with terminal illnesses receive appropriate care and support.
Source · full text✦ Dashed tags are AI-suggested nuance; solid tags follow the committee taxonomy.
Stalled: the bill has sat in committee for over a month with no action since its referral on September 17, 2025.
No floor deliberations yet — this measure has not reached plenary. Its committee-stage actions appear under Legislative history above.
2% Offier of the Sherriarp TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES First Regular Session SEP -2 A10:02 SENATE RECEIVED BY: S. No. - 1324 Introduced by Senator MARK A. VILLAR AN ACT PROVIDING PALLIATIVE AND END-OF-LIFE CARE IN ALL MEDICAL FACILITIES AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR EXPLANATORY NOTE The 1987 Constitution mandates Congress to give highest priority to the enactment of measures that protect and enhance the right of all the people to human dignity. Further, the State is mandated to adopt an integrated and comprehensive approach to health development which shall endeavor to make essential goods, health and other social services available to all the people at affordable cost.2 The Mayo Clinic defines Palliative care as specialized medical care that focuses on providing relief from pain and other symptoms of a serious illness. Usually synonymous with "end-of-life" care, it aims to provide comfort and improve quality of life for people and their families. Although palliative care has increased in popularity worldwide, its access in the Philippines remains limited. This is evidenced by a 2020 study, which noted that only a fraction or 10% of the hospitals in the country have palliative and hospice care units.3 ' CoNsT. art. XIII, sec. 3. 2 Const. art. XIII, sec. 11. 3 Jerome C. Dael & Erwin Faller, Lived-Experiences of Nurses in Providing Care for the Dying and Terminally-Ill Patients in the Selected Level One Private Hospital, 5 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH PUBLICATION REVIEWS 2284 (September 2024), available at https://ürpr.com/uploads/V5ISSUE9/IJRPR33315.pdf.
This bill seeks to alleviate this situation by increasing the accessibility of Filipinos to these essential services and facilities. In particular, all public and private hospitals and health centers will be mandated to provide palliative care. To bolster and sustain the ability of our healthcare professionals to provide palliative care, education, training, and continued research shall be supported. Additionally, all employees, whether public or private, shall be entitled to compassionate care leave benefits to help alleviate their burdens while they care for their ailing relatives. This will allow Filipinos to face their toughest challenges with dignity and an improved quality of life. In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. MARK A. VILLAR
Senate TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) First Regular Session SEP -2 AlU -UZ SENATE RECEIVED B) 10. S. No. 1324 Introduced by Senator MARK A. VILLAR AN ACT PROVIDING PALLIATIVE AND END OF LIFE CARE IN ALL MEDICAL FACILITIES AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as " The Palliative and End of
Life Care Act.
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - The State guarantees the right of the people to
4 quality health care; ensuring that the health status of the people is to be made as 5 good as possible over the entire life cycle. As the Constitution mandates, an integrated 6 and comprehensive approach to health development shall endeavor to make essential 7 goods, health, and other social services available to all people at an affordable cost, even to patients suffering from life-threatening illnesses.
Sec. 3. Palliative and End-of-Life Services. - For purposes of this Act, "Palliative
and End-of-Life Services" shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following: (a) Pain management; (b) Support for terminally ill patients to live as comfortably as possible life; (c) Prolong as far as practicable, the life span of critically-ill patients through therapies, such as chemotherapy, radiation, and other natural or alternative methods of healing; (d) Provide support and counseling to the families of terminally-ill patients, especially in times of distress and bereavement;
(e) Integrate physiological, emotional and spiritual assistance to patients and their families; and (t) Enhance the quality of life for patients and their families.
Sec. 4. Mandatory Palliative Care and End-of-Life Services. - All government
5 and private hospitals and health centers shall provide palliative care and end-of-life services to all patients with life-threatening illness. Provinces, cities, and municipalities 7 shall jointly establish community-based hospice units and palliative care centers in 8 their respective jurisdictions.
Sec. 5. Education and Training of Health Care Professionals and Volunteers. -
Physicians, nurses, midwives, social workers, pharmacists, occupational therapists, nutritionists, private volunteers, caregivers, or members of religious communities shall undergo multidisciplinary education and specialized training with respect to an integrated and coordinated approach towards palliative and end-of-life care support services.
Sec. 6. Continuing Research. - There shall be continuing research and collection
of information on palliative and end of life care. The public shall have access to good health data, including, socioeconomic issues of palliative and end-of-life care, including the physical, mental and economic impact on the patients, their families, and informal caregivers.
Sec. 7. Compassionate Care Leave Benefits. - Notwithstanding any laws, rules,
and regulations to the contrary, immediate family members or relatives who actually look after or take care of critically-ill patient family members or relatives, shall be entitled to a compassionate care leave benefit of sixty (60) days a year with full pay, whether in public or private employment sector. Employees availing of this leave privilege shall submit to their employers the following: (a) Name of the patient-relative undergoing palliative treatment; (b) Copy of Medical Abstract of the patient-relative; (c) A Certification from the hospital or hospice providing palliative services to a critically-ill patient; and (d) The nature of the care that is required of them under the circumstances.
Sec. 8. Disqualification from Compassionate Care Leave Benefits. - The
following employees shall not be allowed to avail of compassionate care leave: (a) Those who are absent from work without official leave; (b) Those who are on vacation, sick, forced or study leave; and (c) In times of emergency, those whose services are necessary to prevent loss 6 of life or damage to property, brought about by serious accidents, fires, floods, 7 typhoons, earthquake, epidemic or other disasters.
Sec. 9. Establishment of Palliative Care Trust Fund. - A Palliative Care Trust
9 Fund (PCTF) is hereby established exclusively for the financial support and assistance for the medical needs of indigent patients. Indigent patient who needs palliative and end of life care who has no money or property sufficient and available for food, shelter, and basic necessities for him and his family, shall be eligible for assistance in payment for palliative care treatment. The PCTF shall be subject to the following rules: (a) The contribution to the PCTF shall be sourced from the following: (i) The amount of Fifty million pesos (Php50,000,000.00) shall be allotted in the annual General Appropriations Act (GAA) for the next five (5) years starting from the enactment of this law; (ii) The amount of Fifty million pesos (Php50,000,000.00) shall be taken from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) fund at Five million pesos (Php5,000,000.00) per month for ten (10) months; (iii) Another amount of Fifty million pesos (Php50,000,000.00) shall be taken from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) at Five million pesos (Php5,000,000.00) per month for ten (10) months; (iv) Ten percent (10%) of the health budget of all local government units shall be contributed annually to the fund. (b) Only the interest drawn from the PCTF from sources cited in Section 9 (a) (i), (ii), and iii) shall be awarded as grants to qualified patients; (c) The grants can be awarded only after one (1) year from the organization of the PCTF. (d) Government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) are authorized to give grants to the PCTF at their discretion;
(e) Private donations and other conveyances, including funds, materials, 2 property and services, by gratuitous title are also allowed and encouraged under this 3 Act; (t) Contributions to the PCTF shall be exempt from the donor's tax and the 5 same shall be considered as allowable deductions from the gross income of the donor, in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act No. 8424 or the "National Internal Revenue Code of 1997", as amended.
Sec. 10. The Palliative Care Assistance Board. - There is hereby created for
9 every province, city, or municipality a Palliative Care Assistance Board, hereinafter referred to as the "Board". The Board shall be composed of five (5) members, who shall be chaired by the Governor or the Mayor of the local government unit concerned. The other four (4) members of the Board shall be composed of (1) a representative from the Department of Health (DOH); (2) the Chair of the Committee of Health of the Sangguniang concerned; (3) a representative of the opposition party or parties in the Sangguniang concerned; and (4) a representative of the families or family associations mentioned in Article XV, Section 3 (3) of the 1987 Constitution. The members of the Board shall receive such per diems and allowances as may be authorized for every meeting actually attended and subject to pertinent laws, rules and regulations. For the sound and judicious management of the PCTF, the Board shall appoint a government financial institution with a sound track record on fund management, as portfolio manager of the PCTF, subject to guidelines promulgated by the Board. The Board shall prepare the implementing guidelines and decision-making mechanisms, subject to the following: (a) No part of the seed capital of the PCTF, including earnings thereof, shall be used to underwrite overhead expenses for the administration; and (b) There shall be an external auditor to perform an annual audit of the PCTF's performance.
Sec. 11. Accreditation of Private Hospices. - The DOH, with the participation of
the duly authorized members of families or family associations mentioned in Article 32 XV, Section 3 (3) of the 1987 Constitution, shall promulgate the rules and guidelines
1 for the accreditation of private hospices providing palliative and end of life care to patients to ensure standard quality services.
Sec. 12. Quality Assurance. - Key elements necessary to ensure quality
palliative care services in accredited hospitals and hospices include the following: (a) Adequate number of multi-specialty personnel; (b) Assured financing for health and custodial services; (c) Clear and practical standards for facilities and services; (d) Appropriately designed and equipped facilities; and (e) Regular and systematic supervision and reporting to the DOH.
Sec. 13. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90) days after
the effectivity of this Act, the DOH shall issue the rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act.
Sec. 14. Appropriations. - For the initial implementation of this Act, the amount
of One hundred million pesos (Php100,000,000.00) shall be appropriated and shall be included in the budget of the DOH. Thereafter, the amounts necessary for the continuous implementation of this Act shall be included in the General Appropriations 17 Act.
Sec. 15. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is held
unconstitutional or invalid, such holding shall not affect other provisions not affected thereby.
Sec. 16. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, issuances,
rules, and regulations that are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or amended accordingly.
Sec. 17. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. Approved,
Reproduced from the Senate document. The official PDF is the authoritative version.