The Senate has approved on third and final reading a bill seeking to institutionalize greater benefits, protection and recognition for the country’s volunteer barangay health workers (BHWs).
Senate Bill No. 1905, or the proposed Magna Carta for Barangay Health Workers, was approved with 20 affirmative votes, no negative votes and no abstentions.
Under the proposed measure, registered and certified volunteer BHWs will receive a minimum monthly honorarium of P3,000, subject to review every three years. It also establishes a standardized system for the registration, certification, training and continuing professional development of barangay health workers.
The bill further guarantees transportation support, hazard allowance, annual cash gifts, loyalty incentives, insurance coverage, free medical checkups, scholarship opportunities, plantilla positions and recognition of years of service for retirement benefits.
Senator Risa Hontiveros, the bill’s sponsor, said the measure formally recognizes the indispensable role of barangay health workers in the country’s healthcare system.
‘Sa ating Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers, malinaw nating kinikilala ang mga BHW bilang mahalagang bahagi ng ating sistemang pangkalusugan. Sila ang pangunahing katuwang sa primary health care at sa pagpapatupad ng Universal Health Care,’ Hontiveros said.
She also thanked barangay health workers for their years of volunteer service.
‘Maraming, maraming salamat sa inyong araw-araw na sipag, tiyaga, boluntaryismo at serbisyo. Dahil ang mga nag-aalaga sa kalusugan ng ating komunidad ay dapat ding maalagaan,’ she added.
Aside from the monthly honorarium, the proposed Magna Carta grants a P10,000 loyalty incentive after 15 years of continuous and satisfactory service, Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) insurance coverage, free legal assistance from the Public Attorney’s Office, educational assistance or scholarship for one child of a qualified BHW, and sub-professional civil service eligibility after five years of continuous service.
The measure also directs the Department of Budget and Management to create plantilla positions and corresponding salary grades for qualified barangay health workers.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health, in coordination with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), will institutionalize continuing education and skills training programs and establish a National Barangay Health Worker Information System to strengthen the country’s primary healthcare workforce.
The bill likewise designates April 7 as Barangay Health Workers Day in recognition of the sector’s vital contribution to community health and the implementation of the Universal Health Care program.
Senator Loren Legarda, a co-sponsor of the measure, described the bill as long-overdue recognition for barangay health workers, noting that they have long served as the first point of contact for healthcare services in communities despite receiving limited compensation.
Senate President Win Gatchalian also welcomed the bill’s approval on third reading.
‘Ang ating mga barangay health workers ang nagsisilbing frontliners upang tugunan ang pangangailangang pangkalusugan ng ating mga komunidad. Ipinasa natin ang Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers bilang pagkilala sa kanilang mahalagang papel, at bilang pagtataguyod sa kanilang kapakanan,’ said Gatchalian, a co-author and co-sponsor of the measure.
If enacted into law, the Magna Carta is expected to strengthen the welfare, security and professional development of thousands of barangay health workers nationwide while reinforcing the country’s primary healthcare system.
National Nutrition Council (NNC)-7 Regional Program Coordinator Archie Labordo welcomed the Senate’s approval of the measure, saying it would also support the implementation of Republic Act No. 11148, or the “Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act.”
‘This will help improve the health and nutrition landscape of the country particularly the implementation of RA 11148,’ said Labordo.
Republic Act No. 11148, signed into law on Nov. 29, 2018, serves as the country’s cornerstone legislation for improving the health and nutrition of mothers and young children by strengthening interventions during the critical first 1,000 days of life.
The law seeks to reduce malnutrition, stunting, wasting and micronutrient deficiencies among Filipino children through the delivery of integrated maternal and child health and nutrition services.
It focuses on the period from pregnancy until a child reaches two years old, which health experts consider the most crucial stage for physical growth, brain development and lifelong health.
Under the law, the government is mandated to provide comprehensive maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition services, including the promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding, complementary feeding, proper infant and young child feeding practices, micronutrient supplementation and regular growth monitoring.
The measure also strengthens nutrition education and counseling for pregnant women, mothers and caregivers while promoting coordinated implementation of nutrition interventions among national government agencies, local government units and other stakeholders.
RA 11148 complements the government’s First 1,000 Days (F1KD) Program, which seeks to ensure that pregnant women and young children receive adequate nutrition and health services during the most critical stage of development.
Health officials have emphasized that proper nutrition during the first 1,000 days significantly influences a child’s physical growth, cognitive development, school performance and overall health later in life, making early nutrition interventions essential in preventing childhood malnutrition and improving long-term health outcomes.