Gwen raises BHW allowance Senate bets push for fixed pay, health insurance

CEBU, Philippines - Christmas will be happier for more than 11,000 barangay volunteers from the Province of Cebu who gathered yesterday at the Cebu International Convention Center for their annual general assembly as Governor Gwendolyn Garcia announced the increase in their allowance plus other benefits.

From an annual allowance of P1,500, Garcia gave an increased allowance of P2,400 to barangay health workers, barangay animal health aides, nutrition scholars and day care center workers.

Also, the 200 barangay health workers who are scheduled to retire this month were given P10,000 each by the Provincial Government.

Garcia said that this amount is very minimal considering the effort the barangay volunteers put in and the services they deliver in their respective barangays.

The governor said that the amount is not even commensurate to the work they are doing which is usually round-the-clock.

“That is little compared to their huge contribution to our quest that health services will reach households,” Garcia said.

Garcia added that programs can always be proposed to improve the condition of the constituents. But without “arms and legs” like the barangay volunteers who make sure that the services is attained by households in their respective areas, the programs would remain as plans.

Former Senate president Ernesto Maceda, who is seeking re-election under the United Nationalist Alliance, said that he will look  into the bill proposing fixed salary for barangay workers, at par with the rate of teachers and policemen.

Maceda said that he believes the barangay workers should be given just compensation like those from other industries since they play a big role in improving the community.

Another senatorial bet under UNA, former Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, also supported Maceda’s intention to provide better compensation for the workers as provided in Senate Bill 2359 or Barangay Workers Benefit.

However, Zubiri said the budget to subsidize the program has been a main concern, which has barred the proposal from being passed.

But he said that they will continue in pushing for the bill as well as continually backing the passage of Senate Bill 2849 or the Universal Healthcare Program which is aimed to provide more affordable health care support for poor families on top of the help they will get from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

Zubiri said that they were able to implement this locally when he was still serving Bukidnon where poor families had access to free hospitalization and healthcare.

Zubiri said that if this was made possible in one area, it can also be done in the entire country.

Rep. Pablo John “PJ” Garcia of the third district of Cebu said that

Maceda’s proposal is very good but the annual budget of the government

would need to be taken into consideration since the proposal, if approved, would need a big amount to be implemented.

Pablo John said the universal healthcare, which would possibly need a P10 billion-budget, is “doable” and could be a good start until the budget would allow the provision of salaries to all barangay workers.   —MBG (FREEMAN)