Barangay Health Workers Welcome Palace Referral of Magna Carta Appeal After SONA Snub

Barangay health workers’ groups on Wednesday expressed dismay over the absence of the Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers in President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA), but welcomed the Palace’s referral of their appeal to reinstate the measure in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council’s (LEDAC) Common Legislative Agenda. The remarks came from a joint statement issued by the National Confederation of Barangay Health Workers of the Philippines (NCBHWP) and UNI Global Union–Philippine Liaison Council (UNI-PLC), which represent the country’s 277,000 barangay health workers (BHWs). “Barangay health workers bear the heavy weight of implementing the country’s universal healthcare (UHC) dreams on the ground, yet our sector was notably missing from the President’s address,” NCBHWP President Khonan Dark T. Cerial said in a statement. “We were hoping for an explicit mention during the SONA, but we appreciate Malacañang’s prompt response to our appeal. This gives us renewed hope that our voice is being heard at the highest levels of government,” he added. In an official letter dated July 27, the Office of the President, Malacañang, recognized the contribution of BHWs to primary healthcare services and acknowledged their longstanding call for fair compensation, benefits, and legal protection. The letter said that it endorsed the groups’ appeal to reinstate the Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers in the LEDAC Common Legislative Agenda and referred the matter to Department of Economy, Planning, and Development Secretary and LEDAC Secretariat Head Arsenio M. Balisacan for appropriate action. The appeal follows the submission of a letter by regional BHW leaders to Malacañang on July 21 seeking the measure’s inclusion among the LEDAC’s priority bills and its certification as urgent. Malacañang said granting the bill executive certification remains premature as companion measures are still pending before House committees, but noted that it would continue to monitor developments in Congress. Labor leaders said the Palace’s endorsement now places the responsibility on Mr. Balisacan and the LEDAC Secretariat to act on the request and consider the bill’s reinstatement in the council’s legislative agenda. “Our focus now shifts to Secretary Arsenio Balisacan and the LEDAC Secretariat. We urge Secretary Balisacan to act favorably on Malacañang’s endorsement and reinstate the Magna Carta of BHWs in the LEDAC Common Legislative Agenda. Institutionalizing fair compensation and legal protections for community health workers is a vital step toward building a sustainable Universal Health Care system,” UNI-PLC President Roland De La Cruz said. The groups said they would continue engaging with the Office of the President, the LEDAC Secretariat, and lawmakers in both chambers of Congress to accelerate committee deliberations and ensure the bill’s speedy enactment. Under the proposed Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers, or Senate Bill No. 1905, it seeks to institutionalize the role of BHWs within the formal public health system. It also seeks to create regular plantilla positions for qualified personnel and guarantee just compensation, security of tenure, access to training, and career progression. The measure has already been approved on second reading, with amendments, and its counterpart measures in the House of Representatives remain pending at the committee level. — Edg Adrian A. Eva