Press Release
February 15, 2010

LOREN: MORE BENEFITS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH WORKERS

Stressing the health sector as one of her pillar programs for governance when elected, Vice-Presidentiable Loren Legarda assured the Filipino public health workers of her support to ensure their rights and welfare.

"On top of the LGUs' compensation package given to public health and day care center employees and volunteers, there should be an established mandate that guarantees these workers' rights. Many of them are not from rich families, and hence their need for a more stable compensation to help them defray their household expenses," she said.

Speaking to groups of rural health care workers and volunteers in Cavite, Loren called on Congress to amend RA-7305, or the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers, to include day care workers under the category of public health workers. This would address the issue of low allowances provided by LGUs, and will then recognize them fully as public servants by providing them the rights compensation and benefits.

The current Magna Carta covers only public health workers in the country, defined as all persons who are engaged in health and health-related work, and all persons employed in all public hospitals, sanitaria, health centers, rural health units and barangay health clinics. It does not include day care workers, who are paid under the LGUs' discretion.

"There are more than 35,000 day care centers in the country's 41,943 barangays, and still counting. With the annual rise of our population, the evolving standards of education and health care and the rising cost of living, it is very important that we provide due compensation to our day care employees and volunteers that would suffice decent household necessities," Loren explained.

She concluded, "This is part of one of the pillars of governance that Manny and I will be working on in office. Our country is vulnerable to diseases and social problems for children; it is only right that we give utmost attention to the ones who provide care for our children. We will do this because we are deeply concerned at the varying trends in which Filipino children grow up. So this is not only for our day care workers, but also for our children."

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