(c) Any employer who shall suggest, require, unduly influence or cause any applicant for
employment or an employee to submit himself/herself to sterilization, use any modern
methods of family planning, or not use such methods as a condition for employment,
continued employment, promotion or the provision of employment benefits. Further,
pregnancy or the number of children shall not be a ground for non-hiring or termination from
employment;
(d) Any person who shall falsify a Certificate of Compliance as required in Section 15 of this
Act; and
(e) Any pharmaceutical company, whether domestic or multinational, or its agents or
distributors, which directly or indirectly colludes with government officials, whether appointed
or elected, in the distribution, procurement and/or sale by the national government and LGUs
of modern family planning supplies, products and devices.
Section 24. Penalties. – Any violation of this Act or commission of the foregoing prohibited acts shall
be penalized by imprisonment ranging from one (1) month to six (6) months or a fine of Ten
thousand pesos (P10,000.00) to One hundred thousand pesos (P100,000.00), or both such fine and
imprisonment at the discretion of the competent court: Provided, That, if the offender is a public
officer, elected or appointed, he/she shall also suffer the penalty of suspension not exceeding one
(1) year or removal and forfeiture of retirement benefits depending on the gravity of the offense after
due notice and hearing by the appropriate body or agency.
If the offender is a juridical person, the penalty shall be imposed upon the president or any
responsible officer. An offender who is an alien shall, after service of sentence, be deported
immediately without further proceedings by the Bureau of Immigration. If the offender is a
pharmaceutical company, its agent and/or distributor, their license or permit to operate or conduct
business in the Philippines shall be perpetually revoked, and a fine triple the amount involved in the
violation shall be imposed.
Section 25. Appropriations. – The amounts appropriated in the current annual General
Appropriations Act (GAA) for reproductive health and natural and artificial family planning and
responsible parenthood under the DOH and other concerned agencies shall be allocated and utilized
for the implementation of this Act. Such additional sums necessary to provide for the upgrading of
faculties necessary to meet BEMONC and CEMONC standards; the training and deployment of
skilled health providers; natural and artificial family planning commodity requirements as outlined in
Section 10, and for other reproductive health and responsible parenthood services, shall be included
in the subsequent years’ general appropriations. The Gender and Development (GAD) funds of
LGUs and national agencies may be a source of funding for the implementation of this Act.
Section 26. Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). – Within sixty (60) days from the effectivity
of this Act, the DOH Secretary or his/her designated representative as Chairperson, the authorized
representative/s of DepED, DSWD, Philippine Commission on Women, PHIC, Department of the
Interior and Local Government, National Economic and Development Authority, League of
Provinces, League of Cities, and League of Municipalities, together with NGOs, faith-based
organizations, people’s, women’s and young people’s organizations, shall jointly promulgate the
rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act. At least four (4) members of the
IRR drafting committee, to be selected by the DOH Secretary, shall come from NGOs.
Section 27. Interpretation Clause. – This Act shall be liberally construed to ensure the provision,
delivery and access to reproductive health care services, and to promote, protect and fulfill women’s
reproductive health and rights.