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By LITO RULONA,
and NITZ ARANCON,

Correspondents

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Senator Risa Hontiveros is pushing a P6,000 basic salary wage for Barangay Health Workers (BHW) as part of Senate Bill No. 214 or the Bibong Barangay Health Workers Act which seeks better pay and benefits.

In her visit to the 2017 Health Summit as guest speaker here, she is also advocating for the inclusion of the BHW to be covered by Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth).

In her proposal, Hontiveros said BHWs should be enrolled with the Government Service Insurance Systrm (GSIS) and the Pag-ibig Fund. The proposed measure also seeks a six-month Community Health Education and Program to turn them into skilled medical professionals.

Hontiveros said her removal as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography might affect her proposal for higher pay for BHWs.

Kahit inalis ako sa aking committee tuloy lang ang laban para sa kaligtasan ng lahat. A healthier Cagayan de Oro is more closer to a healthier Philippines,” she said.

The senator wants counterpart funding from the national government to augment the support for BHWs given by the local government units like Cagayan de Oro and nearby municipalities.

Here, 2017 Health Summit chair and city councilor Maria Lourdes Gaane said that BHWs receive only P1,000 monthly allowance when incumbent City Mayor Oscar Moreno assumed office in 2013.

She said in the current year, members of the city council approved to giving out of P3,000 monthly allowance to BHWs and now includes Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS) in both 80 urban and rural barangays.

“Maayo kini nga giha-tagan gyud og pagtagad sa atong local chief executive in giving out more funds for the additional allowance of our front runners in health services,” she added.

She has also authored Senate Bill 1143 or the “Department of Health Hospital Bed Capacity Rationalization Act.”

“The  recent  reorganization in the  senate will not deter me in campaigning for better health   legislation,” Hontiveros said.

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