REQUIRING ATTENDING PHYSICIAN OF ANY HOSPITAL, MEDICAL CLINIC, SANITARIUM OR OTHER MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENTS OR ANY MEDICAL PRACTITIONER WHO HAS TREATED ANY PERSON FOR PHYSICAL INJ…

WHEREAS, pursuant to Proclamations No. 1081, dated September
21, 1972 and No. 1104, dated January 17, 1973, martial law has been
declared throughout the Philippines to, among other goals, restore and
maintain peace and order;

WHEREAS, for the attainment of the aforesaid goal, and to
enable the law-enforcement agencies to keep track of all violent crimes,
conduct timely investigations thereon and effect the immediate arrest
of the perpetrators thereof, it is necessary that all persons treating
injuries resulting from any form of violence be required to report such
fact to said agencies; and

WHEREAS, while some of the victims of violent crimes, or
those who may have sustained physical injuries in the act of committing
or as the result of the commission of a crime submit themselves for
medical treatment in hospitals, medical clinics, sanitariums, or other
medical establishments, or to medical practitioners, they do not report
their injuries to the law-enforcement agencies for one reason or
another;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, pursuant to
Proclamations No. 1081, dated September 21, 1972 and No. 1104, dated
January 17, 1973 and in my capacity as Commander-in-Chief of all the
Armed Forces of the Philippines, do hereby order and decree that:

1. The attending physician of any hospital, medical
   clinic, sanitarium or other medical establishments, or any medical
   practitioner, who has treated any person for serious or less serious
   physical injuries as those injuries are defined in Articles 262, 263,
   264 and 265 of the Revised Penal Code shall report the fact of such
   treatment personally or by the fastest means of communication to the
   nearest Philippine Constabulary unit without delay: Provided,
   That no fee shall be charged for the transmission of such report thru
   government communication facilities;
2. The report called for in this Decree shall indicate when
   practicable, the name, age, address and nearest of kin of the patient;
   the nature and probable cause of the injury; the approximate time and
   date when, and the place where, the injury was sustained; the time,
   date, and nature of treatment; and the physical diagnosis and/or
   disposition of the patient.

I do further order and decree that any violation of this Decree
and/or the rules and regulations which shall be promulgated by competent
authorities in accordance herewith, with malicious intent or gross
negligence, shall suffer the penalty of imprisonment for not less than
one year nor more than three (3) years and/or a fine of not less than
P1,000 nor, more than P3,000 pesos, as a military tribunal may direct.
In addition, the government license or permit of the attending physician
to practice his profession shall be cancelled by the Civil Service
Commission after the sentence imposed by the military tribunal has
become final and executory.

The Secretary of Health and the
Secretary of National Defense shall promulgate the necessary rules and
regulations to carry out the purposes of this Decree.

Done in the
City of Manila, this 4th day of April, in the year or Our Lord,
nineteen hundred and seventy-three.