They hope President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will include the proposed Barangay Health Workers Magna Carta in his upcoming State of the Nation Address on July 27.
MANILA, Philippines – Barangay health workers (BHWs) from various cities in Metro Manila presented a letter of appeal to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday, July 21, to reiterate their call for the Magna Carta ahead of his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA).
Representatives of the National Confederation of Barangay Health Workers of the Philippines (NCBHWP) and the UNI Global Union-Philippine Liaison Council labor group submitted their letter to Malacañang, calling for the proposed Magna Carta of BHWs to be reinstated as a legislative priority.
“For more than four decades, BHWs have waited for the adoption of the Magna Carta that would regulate and protect our rights,” they wrote in the letter.
Myrna Gaite, a barangay health worker and president of the BHW Federation of the Central National Region, recounted how some of her colleagues have died without getting better compensation.
“Me, I have been in the service for 40 years. I am a volunteer, I started with nothing…. Every barangay health worker is praying that the Magna Carta be fulfilled because it has all the benefits for the BHWs,” said Gaite.
(I have been in the service for 40 years. I was a volunteer who started with nothing. Every barangay health worker is praying for the Magna Carta to be implemented, as it includes all benefits for BHWs.)
The Marcos administration previously included the proposed Magna Carta of BHWs as a priority action of the Congress-Executive Development Advisory Council in 2023.
The bill was on the verge of approval before the end of the 19th Congress, but failed when the House of Representatives withdrew its version.
“In 2023, the President gave new hope to hundreds of thousands of BHWs when he publicly pledged to support our Magna Carta. Today, BHWs humbly ask the President to fulfill his promise,” NCBHWP president Khonan Cerial said.
BHWs, primary health care providers at the barangay level, are left with heavy workloads and additional responsibilities that are not in their job descriptions, while being poorly compensated as volunteers.
The Magna Carta bill in the Senate, which has been approved for second reading until written, promises to keep BHWs employed and give them permanent positions in government. Instead of honorarium and variable benefits, they will be entitled to receive pay equivalent to Grade 1 Salary.
Lyma Rico, president of the Marikina BHW Federation, said: “This is the barangay health workers’ chance to pass the Magna Carta. For a long time, it was not passed. Maybe this is his chance to throw it away.”
(This is an opportunity for the Magna Carta of BHWs to finally be passed into law. It has been stalled for a long time. Perhaps the President will now accept our request.)
Marcos is set to deliver his fifth SONA on Monday, July 27. – Rappler.com
