Magna Carta for Barangay Health

The Senate approved on third and final reading Monday a bill establishing the Magna Carta for Barangay Health Workers, seeking to provide standardized benefits, allowances, and job protections to frontline community health volunteers nationwide.

Senate Bill No. 1905, principally authored and sponsored by Senate Senior Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito, passed the chamber after a similar version failed to reach enactment during the 19th Congress when the House of Representatives withdrew the measure in its final week.

“We will not tire of fighting for this bill,” Ejercito said. “We will continue to push for it until we fulfill our promise to our Barangay Health Workers — to recognize their sacrifices and ensure they receive the proper benefits and protection.”

Ejercito cited that health workers serve as the primary link in local health care by making home visits, delivering health education, keeping medical records, and assisting patients at clinics and hospitals.

He added that while their contributions were highlighted during the Covid-19 pandemic, many still receive low compensation and frequently pay out of pocket to assist residents.

“They have given so much, yet received so little,” Ejercito said, adding that community health workers have waited three decades for statutory recognition.

Meantime, Senator Loren Legarda, an author and cosponsor who has pushed for health worker benefits since the 14th Congress, said the bill addresses long-standing inequities faced by village health personnel, particularly in remote areas.

“When it comes to community health, barangay health workers are the first ones turned to,” Legarda said. “For nearly 20 years, we have fought so that they are not treated as temporary volunteers who can be called at any hour and forgotten afterward. Under this measure, their service, rights, and the government’s duty to care for them are clearly recognized.”

Legarda acknowledged Ejercito’s principal authorship and thanked bill sponsor Sen. Risa Hontiveros and fellow senators for supporting the legislation.

Under Senate Bill No. 1905, registered and certified health workers are recognized as key partners in implementing Primary Health Care and the Universal Health Care Act.

The bill mandates a minimum monthly honorarium of P3,000, subject to review every three years; transportation allowances or expense reimbursements; hazard pay for assignments involving health risks or conflict zones; an annual December cash gift; and a one-time loyalty incentive of at least P10,000 after 15 years of continuous service. Local governments in cities and municipalities may also provide subsistence allowances to workers serving in underserved areas outside their residence.