THE chairman of the House Committee on Local Government on Tuesday said the approval of Magna Carta for Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) is a “giant step” towards improving the conditions of BHWs who have been at the frontlines of healthcare at the grassroots level.
According to Valenzuela 1st District Rep. Rexlon T. Gatchalian, the Magna Carta of BHWs—one of the priority measures of the Marcos administration—was approved on final reading last Monday evening by the House with an overwhelming 258 votes.
“It is time to recognize the vital role that our BHWs play in the delivery of health services in the communities, especially in the rural areas of the country,” Gatchalian said.
He considered lawmakers’ “collective efforts to ensure the passage” of the measure is how Congress expresses “gratitude for their diligence and sacrifices.”
“We hope that in this small way, we are taking a giant step towards improving the conditions of our BHWs,” said Gatchalian, who is also one of the primary authors and sponsor of House Bill (HB) 6557.
The lawmaker said BHWs are close to his heart as, he said, his 9-year stint as Valenzuela City Mayor has allowed him “to be on the ground and personally see, among others, the extreme sacrifices made by BHWs as community educators in preventing simple diseases, monitors and data gatherers for policy-makers, and primary healthcare providers.”
During his sponsorship speech, Gatchalian cited the case of Aling Pacita, a 58-year-old mother of four, and a BHW in her free time.
“She has been working for the past 16 years as a BHW. She tirelessly walks around her neighborhood to give primary health care services and gathers data on the overall health status of the community. She is the one administering vaccines in the barangay hall, facing the risk of infection but always keeping in mind the health of the community. Ever since she began to volunteer her time as a BHW, she has been at the frontlines of healthcare,” he said.
“Our BHWs have been at the frontlines of healthcare since time immemorial. Aling Pacita is a symbol of the thousands of BHWs who risk their own personal safety and sacrifice their personal comfort to improve the health of the community. They have always done their role, it is now time to do ours,” Gatchalian said.
HB 6557, which is a consolidation of 49 measures, seeks to provide BHWs with a comprehensive set of compensation and benefits that include hazard allowance, transportation allowance, subsistence allowance, one-time retirement cash incentive, health benefits, insurance coverage and benefits, vacation and maternity leaves, cash gifts, and disability pay, among others.
The measure also mandates that an accredited BHW who has rendered at least five (5) years continuous service shall be conferred with a first grade Civil Service Eligibility; and mandates the Department of Health (DOH) to provide continuing education and training programs for BHWs.
It mandates the municipal, city or provincial government and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to establish a grievance mechanism to address complaints regarding acts of discrimination and unjust removal of BHWs from the service;
With HB 6557 now on its way to the Senate, Gatchalian expressed optimism on its eventual enactment into law this 19th Congress.
A similar act providing a Magna Carta for Barangay Health Workers has been approved by the House of Representatives during the 18th Congress, but failed to pass in the Senate for “lack of material time.”