Senators want security of tenure for barangay health workers

Aside from providing barangay health workers (BHWs) the appropriate allowances and benefits, several lawmakers on Monday said that they should also be given security of tenure, so they are not affected by the change of leadership in the city or barangay.

Senator Raffy Tulfo, author of Senate Bill No. 1682 or the “Barangay Health Workers and Services Reform Act of 2023,” said that the Department of Health’s (DOH's) local health board should be responsible for reviewing the performance of BHWs, and not a government official.

“Tuwing may bagong chairman or mayor, nade-delikado ang trabaho ng isang barangay health worker. Maraming instances na sila ay napu-pulitika,” Tulfo said during a Senate hearing of the Health and Demography Subcommittee on the Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers.

(Every time there is a new chairman or mayor, the job of a barangay health worker is put in danger. There were many instances when BHWs were being politicized.)

“‘Pag bagong chairman bagong pasok o bagong mayor, pwede silang paalisin anytime. If gusto ni chairman na palitan ang magandang performance ng isang BHW, gagawin niya lang rason na ayaw na niya kasi meron siyang ipapasok na bata niya,” he added.

(When there is a new chairman or a new mayor, the BHWs can be fired anytime. If the chairman wants to change a well-performing BHW, he or she could just replace the BHW with an ally.)

National Confederation of Barangay Health Workers of the Philippines President Zenaida Pulido testified that some barangay captains, before or after the elections, were removing elderly BHWs from their positions without giving retirement benefits.

“Pinaglaban ko, nagsumbong ako sa DILG… Binalik naman,” she said.

(I fought for them and sought the DILG’s help. They were brought back.)

Public Attorney's Office (PAO) chief Persida Acosta said there was a need to ensure that BHWs could continue their work without being harassed by the barangay chairman, barangay captains, or any politician.

“‘Yung problema na natatanggal kapag nagpapalit ng administrasyon ang barangay, makakatulong ang PAO lawyers natin para bigyan sila ng due process at pagtatanggol para ma-retain sila sa trabaho,” she said.

(Regarding the problem that BHWs are being removed when the barangay changes administration, our PAO lawyers can help give them due process and defense so that they can be retained at work.)

Senator JV Ejercito, meanwhile, stressed that BHWs in the country were “overworked but underpaid” despite being considered frontliners at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Aside from the health issues o health concerns, minsan napapakiusapan pa ng mga LGUs—hindi minsan, baka madalas pa—sa mga programa na hindi konektado sa health. ‘Yan ang realidad,” he said.

(Aside from health-related work, BHWs are sometimes being asked by LGUs to do work that is not connected to health.)

In January, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. pushed for the passage of a Magna Carta for barangay health workers in recognition of their valuable service to local communities.

House Bill No. 6557 which provides BHWs a monthly honorarium of P3,000 among other benefits, was approved by the House of Representatives on third and final reading last December 2022. — DVM, GMA Integrated News