MANILA, Philippines — The Quezon City government recently hired 256 community health workers as contractual employees to provide them with better compensation.
From receiving a monthly allowance of P3,500 to P7,000, barangay health workers will now be getting at least P13,000 per month.
“Their dedication to the service is deserving of a decent wage that will help uplift their quality of life,” Mayor Joy Belmonte said. “This has been long overdue.”
Belmonte has vowed to increase the salaries of local government employees, especially those receiving below the minimum pay set by the labor department.
City health department head Esperanza Arias underscored the importance of providing support for community health workers.
Arias said some of the barangay health workers have been in the service for more than a decade and have played a key role in community building, such as promoting the city’s programs for maternal care, infant immunization, bed-ridden and homebound elders as well as communicable and non-communicable diseases.
“As volunteers, they have taken a big role in taking care of our communities,” Arias said.
“Through their referrals and reporting, the city health government managed to implement programs and services for qualified beneficiaries,” she added.