BY DHEL NAZARIO
*
BARANGAY health workers in Taguig City who continue to attend to the health needs of residents and bring medical services to communities during the enhanced community quarantine will have their monthly pay doubled, the city announced the other day.
This is after Taguig City officially promoted them from volunteers to job order personnel beginning April 1. They will now receive a regular salary instead of allowance and additional benefits.
In the new payment scheme explained by Human Resource Management Office head Jeanette Clemente, BHWs who had previously received P3,000 will now receive P7,900. Those who had taken home P4,000 will now get P8,500. For the ones who had gotten P5,000, the new pay is P9,700.
The variation in monthly pay is according to length of service: One day to three years, three to six years, and above six years, respectively.
“Taguig’s leaders noted how our BHWs worked as frontliners in the COVID-19 response and how they’ve dedicated their lives as implementers of our healthcare programs even before this,” said Clemente.
“This is how they went on to increase the monthly pay. The increase will remain in effect even beyond the enhanced community quarantine,” she added.
Aside from the salary increase, all BHWs will now be entitled to a yearly P15,000 performance incentive.
Taguig currently has the most number of BHWs in Metro Manila. From 600 in 2010, the city now has 854 BHWs deployed in different barangays in Taguig.
Among others, they work in the 31 health centers and three 24/7 “super health venters” of the city, which continue to be fully operational despite the lockdown.