Question & AnswerQ&A (PROCLAMATION NO. 1276)
The board established is called the Board of Health for the Philippine Islands.
The Commission appoints the members of the Board of Health.
The Commissioner of Public Health must be a duly qualified physician with a doctor's or licentiate's degree in medicine from a reputable medical school.
The Board consists of the Commissioner of Public Health, the Chief Health Inspector, the Sanitary Engineer, the Superintendent of Government Laboratories ex officio, and the Secretary of the Board.
No, honorary members, such as the Chief Surgeon of the US Army in the Philippine Islands and presidents of the Association of Physicians and Pharmacists, may attend but do not have voting rights.
It has power to make and enforce regulations to prevent and suppress contagious or epidemic diseases of humans and animals, abate nuisances, and enforce interior quarantine regulations where no local boards exist or where sanitary laws are not enforced.
Refusal to provide information is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars or imprisonment not exceeding three months, or both, at the court's discretion.
He supervises and controls the Board's work, appoints employees, submits expense estimates, demands reports from officers, oversees hospitals for contagious diseases, and is responsible for vaccination and epidemic suppression efforts.
He inspects municipal boards of health, employee work, sanitation of public places and institutions, and may enter buildings to perform such inspections.
The Sanitary Engineer prepares plans and specifications for waterworks, drainage, sewer systems, crematories, and disinfecting apparatus in Manila and supervises their construction or installation. He also advises municipalities on such projects.