MANILA -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday recognized the contributions of the country’s health workers, saying the passage of Magna Carta for Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) will greatly uplift their condition.

“I’m also happy to say, I was with the PLLO [Presidential Legislative Liaison Office] yesterday and kasama na doon sa napasa na na mga batas ay isa doon was the Magna Carta for Barangay Health Workers. Kaya’t malaking bagay ‘yan,” President Marcos said in a meeting in Malacañang.

“Kami na dumaan sa local government… will never argue with the importance of the barangay health workers and for that matter all the volunteers at the barangay level at ang BHW– siyempre kayo pinakamarami. Lalo na ngayon na maraming sakuna, we know that we can always count on the BHW,” the President pointed out.

The Magna Carta for Barangay Health Workers is one of the House bills under the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) approved on third reading at the House of Representatives.

The country’s BHWs played a major role at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, providing services, conducting house-to-house visits and deciding who among the population have to be sent to hospitals and isolation facilities, the President said.

They are also an important source of information for the national government in its policy decisions, Marcos said, highlighting their presence at the grassroots level.

“At kaya’t para naman magkaroon kami ng magandang decision sa national level ay kailangan pa rin namin ng tulong ng BHW,” the chief executive said.

“I do not know how the government will function without the barangay health workers, without the lupon, without the daycare center workers, lahat ng volunteer workers natin. ‘Yun ang inaasahan talaga ng pamahalaan, ang mga volunteers na tumutulong sa gobyerno at nagdadala ng serbisyo sa gobyerno,” the President explained.

Following initial discussions, President Marcos said his government made sure that the Magna Carta for BHW becomes a priority measure and he expects there will be no opposition to the bill because of the importance of health workers’ work.

“I hope that the passage of the Magna Carta bill will be the beginning of tuloy-tuloy na aming maibibigay na makabawi naman kami, makabawi naman kami sa inyong trabaho, sa inyong volunteer work at to recognize the importance of the work of the barangay health workers,” President Marcos said.

“We cannot do this without you. Please keep up the good work. And the government and most importantly, our people, are counting on you,” the President said. (PND)