A bill seeking to establish a College of Medicine at Benguet State University has been filed in Congress.
Benguet legislative caretaker Eric Yap filed House Bill 10559 that would establish the BSU College of Medicine, which, aside from a Doctor of Medicine program would also offer an Integrated Liberal Arts and Medicine (Intarmed) program.
The Intarmed program consists of basic science and clinical courses learner-centered and competency-based approaches.
“The primary goal of the college is to develop a corps of professional physicians to strengthen the healthcare system of the country, as well as to respond to the human resource development needs of Benguet and the Cordillera,” the bill stated.
The college shall also provide scholarship programs and other action programs to assist poor but deserving students who qualify for admission to the college.
“No student shall be denied admission to the college by reason of gender, religion, cultural or community affiliation, physical disability, or ethnic origin,” it stated.
The bill also states that the importation by the college of medical books or publications, medical equipment or instruments which are for medical, laboratory or scientific purposes shall be exempt from customs duties, upon certification by the Commission on Higher Education in accordance with the Republic Act 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
All grants, bequests, endowments, donations, and contributions made to and used actually and exclusively for educational purposes by the college shall also be exempt from donor’s tax.
It shall also be considered as allowable deduction from gross income for purposes of computing the taxable income of the donor, in accordance with the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997.
“In the long run, the measure shall also address the shortage of doctors in the country, as the institution becomes more accessible to the youth in Benguet and in neighboring provinces,” Yap said. – Ofelia C. Empian