Lawmakers seek better pay, benefits for environmental workers

MANILA, Philippines — Key administration members of the House of Representatives are pushing for the passage of measures that will not only help protect the country’s resources, but also uplift the lives of personnel who ensure environmental sustainability.

Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero filed House Bill 1334 aimed at creating a magna carta for environment and natural resources personnel, while Rep. Lito Atienza of Buhay party-list filed HB 2597 that seeks to triple the base pay of forest rangers.

The two administration lawmakers made their statements in relation to the country’s observation of Environmental Awareness Month.

Romero said the government must help uplift the lives and personnel from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and include as well agencies in the management and development of environmental related projects and programs.

The 1Pacman party-list congressman is pushing for the immediate passage of HB 1334 to encourage those with proper qualifications and excellent abilities to remain in government service and in the country to work together for a clean and healthy environment.

For his part, Atienza – a former three-term Manila mayor – proposed the tripling of the starting pay of the country’s forest rangers and grant them as well a wide range of new job benefits, including extra wages for working under dangerous conditions.

Under HB 2597, he wants to increase the minimum base pay of forest rangers from Salary Grade 4 (P13,807 per month) to Salary Grade 18 (P42,159 per month).

“Our forest rangers have endured hard work and low pay. Many of them have even sacrificed lives in the line of duty. They deserve these long-overdue benefits,” Atienza, one-time secretary of DENR, said.

“If Congress can earmark billions of pesos every year to renew our denuded forests, surely we can also provide our rangers highly improved compensation and welfares,” he said.

Atienza said the DENR is spending another P5.2 billion in 2021 for the National Greening Program. This seeks to rehabilitate 150,000 hectares of forests and preserve and protect 318,871 hectares of forests and watersheds.

HB 2597 also mandates the creation of enough new positions in the DENR so that the country would have “at least one forest ranger for every 500 hectares of lands classified as forest or timber.”