Councilor Diosdado Mahipus Jr. articulating a point in a plenary via Zoom meeting during the Davao City Council session on Tuesday, July 21,2020. (Kath M. Cortez/davaotoday.com
DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The Davao City Council is pushing for the grant of hazard pay for 1,200 barangay health workers (BHW) who had rendered service in combating the Covid-19 pandemic in communities.
This resolution was filed by Councilor Mary Joselle Villafuerte, chair of the city council’s committee on health, in which she request the finance committee to consider granting the hazard pay to health workers.
“BHW’s are the front lines in the city’s general public health mechanism as well as it COVID-19 response, and are thus exposed to situations, conditions, or factors in the work environment or place where foreseeable but unavoidable danger or risks which adversely endanger health or life,” said Villafuerte during the City Council’s session on Tuesday.
The councilor explained that the resolution was the result of her meeting with the Davao City local health board asking to support the BHWs who have not been given hazard pay since the start of the community quarantine in March.
Last March, President Rodrigo Duterte has signed an administrative order granting hazard pay to government personnel who rendered service during the period of implementation of community quarantine relative to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A similar resolution was already submitted last April by Councilor Diosdado Mahipus, Jr, chair of the council’s committee on environment, and added a request for additional budget of P500 per day to all barangay chairpersons and kagawad, and Sangguniang Kabataan officers.
The motion also includes all government employees with regular positions or under job order or contract of service or other similar schemes who are detailed or assigned to the barangay or field duties, garbage collectors, barangay volunteer workers, barangay health workers, barangay nutrition scholars, barangay tanods, purok leaders, or daycare teachers. (davaotoday.com)
