CAGAYAN de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez yesterday said the House of Representatives approved a bill creating a reinforcement unit for health emergencies.
Rodriguez said the Lower House last week approved the third and final reading of House Bill 6518 which seeks to create the Health Emergency Auxiliary Reinforcement Team (Heart), formerly the Medical Reserve Corps.
The approved bill is a consolidation of thirty-four different versions filed by representatives, including Rodriguez.
The proposed unit shall augment the health workforce and improve response in disasters, public health emergencies, and health threats, according to Rodriguez.
He said it shall be composed of the following individuals who shall voluntarily register with the Department of Health such as licensed physicians, medical students who have completed four years of a medical course, graduates of medicine, registered nurses, and licensed allied health professionals.
Other health support workforce, including barangay health workers, whose services are necessary in times of disasters, public health emergencies, and health threats.
The bill also calls for the creation of the Heart Board, chaired by the DOH, which shall be composed of representatives from the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of National Defense, Commission on Higher Education, Professional Regulatory Commission, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Office of Civil Defense, and one representative from a non-governmental health organization.
“The Board shall perform different functions to ensure the effectivity and efficiency of the response of the Heart to national and local disasters, public health emergencies, and health threats,” said Rodriguez.
The proposed law likewise grants the Philippine President the power to order a nationwide mobilization of the Heart to augment the health workforce in case of a declaration of a state of a public health emergency, a state of calamity, and other threats to public health.
The mobilization centers shall also be established in each province for Heart members to report to in times of emergencies.
Rodriguez calls for the passage of this bill in the Senate to improve the country’s nationwide response to a health crisis, applying the lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic.
![Graphic showing a gold 2026 Gawad Kalasag award shield next to text announcing Cagayan de Oro City as a Gold Recognition winner in the Highly Urbanized City Category for Northern Mindanao. The graphic includes official city seals and information on DRRM compliance under RA 10121[cite: 13].](https://uploads.mindanaogoldstardaily.com/2026/09/cagayan-de-oro-gawad-kalasag-2026-gold-award-highly-urbanized-city-medium-696x392.webp)
