Hazard pay, on call compensation eyed for first responders

A bill providing for hazard pay, standby on call compensation, and free hospital care for work-related injuries for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) workers has been filed in the House of Representatives.

Quezon City Fifth District Rep. Patrick Michael Vargas made the proposal under House Bill 2269 or the Magna Carta for Public DRRM Workers.

Vargas said his bill will cover all public disaster personnel, ranging from permanent status to Contract of Service (CoS) and Job Order (JO) workers, noting that such benefits are fitting to those who put their lives at risk to save others, as seen during the ongoing heavy rainfall and flooding brought about by monsoon rains in Luzon and Metro Manila.

“We have seen their sacrifices to keep our people safe and lead them to evacuation centers for shelter. With their lives on the line, it is only right for us to take care of them,” Vargas said in a statement.

Specifically, the bill states that responders conducting high-risk search, rescue, or retrieval operations will receive a hazard allowance equivalent to up to 25% of their daily basic salary, alongside an "On-Call" pay rate of 50% of regular wages when placed on standby alert.

Likewise, field personnel will also receive full subsistence allowances, monthly laundry allowances, a five-percent longevity pay increase for every five years of service, and free living quarters or housing allowances when deployed away from home.

“They deserve to be compensated well. If we are able to take care of them, they will be able to do their jobs well,” Vargas said.

Further, the bill mandates free compulsory annual medical, mental, and psychosocial examinations, alongside full coverage for hospitalization, treatment, and medicines for work-related injuries or illnesses.

Responders and their immediate families will also be provided with complete personal protective equipment, free vaccinations, and medical prophylaxis against contagious diseases in deployment zones. —AOL, GMA News