THE Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP)urged local executives, that include mayors and barangay chairpersons, to provide a security of tenure to their Barangay Health Workers  (BHWs) whose services are indispensable in this time of the pandemic.

Fourth District Board Member Jeremy Agerico Rosario, SP chairman on the committee on health, filed a resolution after receiving a petition from the BHW provincial federation complaining that some BHWs were not reappointed and replaced by others at the instance of local executives.

Aware that BHWs are appointed by barangay captains, Rosario appealed to the latter to give their BHWs a chance to further prove their worth in this time of health crisis.

In this regard, the SP committee on laws chaired by Sixth District Board Member Noel Bince has scheduled a hearing on the complaint aired by the BHW provincial federation that some BHWs in some towns were harassed and their appointments were not renewed
by barangay captains and mayors, mostly for political reasons.

Rosario said his resolution is only an initial step to protect the BHWs from harassment and he is preparing another resolution to call on Congress to revisit the law that it passed creating and empowering the BHWs that will make the positions of BHWs permanent.

He said each time a change in administration sweeps the barangay, the new barangay captain and the mayor always appoint a new set of BHWs, regardless of the performance of the previously appointed BHWs.

Taking exception to Rosario’s perception, Second District Board Member Von Mark Mendoza said the provincial government recognizes the good work of the BHWs by giving them financial assistance, particularly during the pandemic. (Leonardo Micua)

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