Dental Care Reform for AFP Personnel

The Medical Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines must be reorganized within three months after enactment to provide greater autonomy of the dental service (Section 1).
The reorganization must be made in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act No. 481 (Section 1).

The Secretary of National Defense must issue regulations necessary to carry out the intent of Republic Act No. 481 (Section 2).
The law directs that the procedure for the performance of the dental functions of the Dental Corps must be defined and prescribed by appropriate directions issued by the Chief of Dental Corps (Section 2).
All matters within the Dental Corps’ cognizance must be studied, planned, and directed by the Dental Corps (Section 2).
Matters relating to dentistry must be referred to the Dental Corps (Section 2).

The Dental Corps must establish professional standards and policies for the conduct of the dental service (Section 3).
The Dental Corps must issue instruction and conduct inspections and surveys to maintain those standards (Section 3).
The Dental Corps must initiate and direct all actions relating to the dental service and matters concerning facilities, equipment, supplies, research, tables of organization, planning, and personnel (Section 3).
The Dental Corps must handle personnel actions involving appointment, training, classification, assignment, transfer, promotion, and decoration (Section 3).
The Dental Corps must submit estimates of the funds needed to maintain the Dental Service (Section 3).

Section 3 requires that Medical Service Budgets must provide for a separate allocation of funds for the maintenance of the Dental Service.

The Chief of the Dental Corps must be an officer of the Dental Corps of the regular force of the AFP who is not below the rank of Lt.-Colonel and credited with fifteen or more years of continuous service (Section 4).
All matters relating to the Dental Service as a whole must be administered by the Chief of the Dental Corps (Section 4).
While serving, the Chief must have a rank, pay, and allowances not lower than Colonel (Section 4).
In every AFP headquarters and installation having dental facilities, the dental surgeon must be directly responsible to the Commanding General/Officer for administering all matters relating to the Dental Service (Section 4).

The Dental Corps officer complement must be not less than two officers for every thousand of the total strength of the AFP authorized from time to time (Section 5).
In time of war or other emergency, the Dental Corps must consist of commissioned officers of the same grades and proportionately distributed among such grades as are now or may be provided for the Medical Corps (Section 5).
In time of war or other emergency, Dental Corps officers must have the rank, pay and allowances of officers of corresponding grades in the Medical Corps (Section 5).

Section 6 repeals all laws and parts of laws in conflict with Republic Act No. 481.
Section 6 provides that nothing in Republic Act No. 481 reduces the grade or rank of any person.