WHEREAS, it is the policy of the State to secure the well-being of the people by providing them specialized health services;

WHEREAS, the incidence of heart disease in the country and elsewhere has become prevalent, causing economic dislocations and curtailing the enjoyment of normal active and productive life;

WHEREAS, it is imperative that specialized medical services should be provided for those suffering from heart and allied diseases; and

WHEREAS, it is the concern of Government to assist and provide material and financial support in the establishment and maintenance of a Philippine Heart Center for Asia, primarily to benefit the people of the Philippines, and further enhance the noble undertaking of research in heart and allied diseases, particularly those affecting the people of Asia; of training of medical and technical personnel therefor; and of rendering specialized medical services for the prevention and treatment of heart and allied diseases;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippine, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby order and decree :

SECTION 1. Creation of the Philippine Heart Center; Board of Trustees. There is hereby created and trust, for the benefit primarily of the Filipino people, under the name and style of "Philippine Heart Center for Asia" hereinafter referred to as the Philippine Heart Center.

The Philippine Heart Center shall be administered by a Board of Trustees, composed of seven (7) members, to be appointed by the President of the Philippines. The Director of the Center shall be appointed by the Board of Trustees.

The six appointive members of the Board of Trustees shall serve without compensation for a period of four (4) years and until their successors shall have been appointed and qualified. Any vacancy in the Board shall be filled by appointment by the President of the Philippines, and the appointee shall serve for the unexpired term. The Board of Trustees of the Philippine Heart Center shall elect a Chairman from among themselves, who shall be presiding officer of the Board of Trustees.

The Director of the Philippine Heart Center shall serve as Vice-Chairman of the Board. The Director shall act as the chief executive officer of the Philippine Heart Center, with authority, among others, to appoint, remove, and fix the compensation of the personnel thereof, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees.

Four (4) members of the Board of Trustees shall constitute a quorum to transact business and any decision of such four members on any matter duly presented to the Board of Trustees shall constitute a valid and binding act of the Philippine Heart Center.

SEC. 2. Government contributions. The Government shall contribute the necessary land, building, equipment and facilities, to the Philippine Heart Center, and shall pay such obligations for real, personal and mixed properties arising from such undertaking under a deferred payment arrangement within 5 years, at a preferred rate of interest.

SEC. 3. Property of the Center. The property of the Philippine Heart Center shall consist of such real, personal, mixed, and other type of property, now owned or reserved for, or may hereafter be given, donated, acquired, transferred or conveyed to, the Philippine Heart Center by the Philippine Government, its branches and instrumentalities, any foreign government, as well as by trust, foundations, corporations, or persons, alien or domestic, in order to carry out its purposes and objectives as set forth herein.

SEC. 4. Purposes and objectives. The purposes and objectives of the Philippine Heart Center are:

1. To construct, establish, operate and maintain a heart center for the public welfare, including a specialized heart hospital;

2. To promote, encourage and engage in scientific research on the prevention of cardio-vascular diseases and the care and/or treatment of heart patients and related activities, including sponsorship and conduct of relevant congresses, conventions, seminars, and conferences;

3. To stimulate and/or underwrite scientific researches on the biological, demographic, social, economic, eugenic, physiological aspects of cardio-vascular disorders and abnormalities and their control; and gather, compile, and publish the findings of such researches for public dissemination;

4. To facilitate and encourage the dissemination and exchange of ideas and information on the prevention, treatment and control of heart diseases; to arouse, enhance and develop public interest on heart consciousness or awareness, general health and physical fitness, especially on human cardio-vascular requirements and other relevant or related fields;

5. To encourage and/or undertake the training of physicians, nurses, medical technicians, health officers and social workers on the practical and scientific conduct and implementation of cardiac services, and related activities;

6. To assist universities, hospitals and research institutions in their studies of cardio-vascular anomalies, to encourage advanced training on matters of, or affecting the heart, and related fields and to support educational programs of value to general health;

7. To encourage the formation of other organizations on the national, provincial, city, municipal or barangay level and to coordinate their various efforts and activities for the purpose of achieving a more effective programmatic approach on the common problems relative to the objectives herein enumerated; and 8. To extend medical and cardiological services to the general public, to help prevent, relieve or alleviate the innumerable cardio-vascular afflictions and maladies of the people specially the poor and less fortunate in life, without regard to race, creed, color or political belief.

SEC. 5. Powers. For the attainment and/or furtherance of the above purposes and objectives, the Philippine Heart Center, as a body corporate, acting through its Board of Trustees, shall have all the powers pertaining to a juridical person, and is therefore authorized, among other things:

1. To acquire and hold in any manner property of whatever nature or description, and to dispose of such property under any mode of encumbrance or conveyance;

2. To contract and be contracted with;

3. To mortgage, lease, sell, transfer, convey or otherwise dispose of its properties;

4. To solicit and receive donations, endowments and funds in the form of contributions, whether in cash or in kind, from both the public and private sectors;

5. To open such accounts in banks and other financial institutions, and to disburse such funds or invest the same as the Board may direct to accomplish or advance the purposes or interest of the Philippine Heart Center;

6. To invite foreign heart specialists and similar experts in the various medical fields to train the personnel or trainees or residents of the Philippine Heart Center;

7. To send the personnel of the Philippine Heart Center to research institutes, medical institutes or universities for advance training or observation and to attend international or regional conventions, conferences, congresses, seminars as the Board may deem necessary to accomplish the purposes and objectives of the Philippine Heart Center;

8. To adopt a set of by-laws, rules and regulations not inconsistent with law and the provisions hereof to govern the administration and operation of the affairs of the Philippine Heart Center; and

9. To do all such other acts and things as are or may be necessary or incidental for the accomplishment of the purposes and objectives of the Philippine Heart Center.

SEC. 6. Tax exemptions, etc. All donations, contributions or endowments which may be made by entities or persons to the Philippine Heart Center shall be exempt from income and gift taxes, and the same shall be further deductible in full for purposes of computing the maximum amount deductible under Section 30, paragraph (h), of the National Internal Revenue Code, as amended.

The Philippine Heart Center shall be exempt from the payment of all taxes, charges and fees imposed by the Government or any political subdivision or instrumentality thereof for a period of ten years.

All income earned by foreign doctors who shall use the facilities of the Center shall be tax exempt for a period of ten years from the date of issuance hereof.

SEC. 7. Assistance from government offices, etc. The Philippine Heart Center may call upon any department, bureau, office, agency or instrumentality of the Government, including government-owned or controlled corporations, for such assistance as it may need in the pursuit of its purposes and objectives.

All individuals, entities and institutions are hereby enjoined to render full assistance and cooperation to the Philippine Heart Center in the accomplishment of its objectives and activities.

SEC. 8. Government contribution. The amount of P10,000,000 is hereby appropriated as contribution of the National Government for the initial operations and maintenance of the Philippine Heart Center. Thereafter, the necessary amount to support the continued operation and maintenance of the Philippine Heart Center shall be appropriated and released, subject to the approval of the President of the Philippines.

SEC. 9. Auditing. The books and accounts of the Philippine Heart Center shall be subject to periodic auditing by the Chairman of the Commission on Audit, or his duly authorized representative.

SEC. 10. Annual report. The Philippine Heart Center shall render to the President of the Philippines an annual report of its activities and recommendations.

SEC. 11. Effect of dissolution of the Center. If, for any reason, the Philippine Heart Center is dissolved, its property remaining at the time of such dissolution shall revert to the Philippine Government for disposition in accordance with law.

SEC. 12. Effectivity. This Decree shall take effect immediately.

Done in the City of Manila, this 19th day of March, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-five.

			(Sgd.) FERDINAND E. MARCOS
			President
			Republic of the Philippines
	By the President:
	(Sgd.) ALEJANDRO MELCHOR
		Executive Secretary