“Doktor Para sa Bayan” Medical Scholarship Now Signed into Law

“Doktor Para sa Bayan” or the Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program for Deserving Students was signed into law by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on December 23, 2020.  This was announced by Congressman Mark Go earlier today (Tuesday) January 25, 2021, through a Facebook post.

The Republic Act No. 11509 or Doktor para sa Bayan Act

The “Doktor para sa Bayan Act” or the Republic Act No. 11509 was authored by Senator Joel Villanueva and it was co-authored by Congressman Mark Go.

“Some have dreamed of becoming the first doctor in the family or following trailblazers in the field of medicine and, developing medical breakthroughs and now all these are possible,” stated the congressman.

Furthermore, in a press release published by the Senate of the Philippines earlier today, Villanueva, the principal sponsor and author of the republic act, stated that the 2021 national budget has sufficient funding to support the implementation of the Doktor para sa Bayan Act.

“With the enactment of the Doktor para sa Bayan law, there is no more reason that we cannot have enough doctors to take care of our people. One of our goals in the measure is to eliminate the biggest perceived reason of our youths who aspire to become doctors.” 

– Senator Joel Villanueva

Villanueva added that qualified applicants from municipalities without government physicians would be prioritized in the bill. This is to ensure the assignment of at least one doctor for every municipality in the Philippines.

What Does the Doktor para sa Bayan Scholarship Cover

• Free tuition and other school fees
• Uniform Allowance
• Allowance for dormitory/boarding house accommodation
• Medical board review and Licensure fees
• Allowance for prescribed books, supplies and equipment
• Transportation allowance
• Internship fees, including financial assistance during the mandatory internship
• Annual medical insurance and other education-related miscellaneous subsistence

For More News and Updates

Looking for more news and updates? Feel free to explore our BCG website and our official Facebook page. You may also check out our official BCG YouTube channel to catch a variety of video content.

Source: Public Information Office – City of Baguio, Congressman Mark Go| Official Facebook| Jan. 5, 2021, Congressman Mark Go| Official Facebook| Oct. 26, 2020, Philippine News Agency, Senate of the Philippines 18th Congress