The House Committee on Health said it will work double time for the swift approval of a bill creating a public health council that would strategize government steps in dealing with epidemics, including those caused by the dreaded Influenza A (H1N1) virus.

South Cotabato Rep. Arthur Pingoy, chairman of the committee, said they will prompt the House leadership to include the bill in the of priority measures in view of the dangers posed by the flu virus, which has now reached the global pandemic level.

He said his committee would also ask the Senate leadership to convince the Palace into certifying the bill as urgent so that it could be immediately approved on the same day its passes second reading, which the Lower House plans when session reopens on July 27.

House Bill 72 or the proposed Emergency Health Powers Act authored by Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon earned the support Pingoy after hurdling his committee's scrutiny.

Pingoy said the bill has become more urgent with the sharp increase in the number of AH1N1 cases in the country which, according to the Department of Health, has already totaled 147 in just a few weeks.

He said the Biazon bill, once enacted, will essentially institutionalize the country's strategies in addressing health threats.

The lawmaker said the proposed law will be in compliance with recommendations of the World Health Organization and agreements reached by members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

“We will no longer be reactive in dealing with these cases since we'll have a permanent council that will be drawing up the strategies and battle plans ahead,” he said.

A Senate version of the bill has been filed by Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, father of the Lower House bill proponent.

The bill provides that the proposed Public Health Emergency Council will convene within six months of its activation, draw up a plan and launch briefings for all local government units regarding its framework for public health emergency responses.

Pingoy said the measure will effectively strengthen and expand the response mechanisms being implemented by the national government in dealing with the swine flu problem.

Meanwhile, the government should have already declared a “public health emergency” with the high flu incidence in the country, Rep. Ruffy Biazon said Tuesday.

Unfortunately, he said, this cannot be done as “there is no policy covering such a declaration.”

Biazon said Congress has yet to approve House Bill (HB) 72 which he filed earlier that would have allowed the State to declare a public health emergency.

“With the rapid spread of A(H1N1) infections, it is urgent for the government to consider the declaration of a public health emergency,” he said. “However, there is no policy covering such a declaration since HB 72 is still pending in Congress.”

The three-term lawmaker said HB 72 provides for particular powers which would enable the government to deal with extreme cases of disease outbreaks.

He noted that in one of the committee hearings about the bill, Health Undersecretary Eric Tayag said such law is what they really need to strengthen their fight against outbreaks.