Barangay health workers appeal to Marcos: Revive Magna Carta as priority bill

LONG-STANDING PLEA. Barangay health workers submit an appeal letter to Malacañang to seek the passage of their own Magna Carta, July 21, 2026. Eirene Manatlao/Rappler They hope President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. would include the proposed Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers in his upcoming State of the Nation Address on July 27 MANILA, Philippines – Barangay health workers (BHWs) from various cities in Metro Manila submitted an appeal letter to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday, July 21, to reiterate their calls for a Magna Carta ahead of his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA). Representatives of the National Confederation of Barangay Health Workers of the Philippines (NCBHWP) and labor group UNI Global Union–Philippine Liaison Council personally delivered their letter to Malacañang, calling for the proposed Magna Carta of BHWs to be restored as a priority legislative measure. “For more than four decades, BHWs have waited for the enactment of a Magna Carta that would uphold and protect our rights,” they wrote in the letter. APPEAL. The first page of the National Confederation of Barangay Health Workers of the Philippines and UNI Global Union–Philippine Liaison Council’s appeal letter addressed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Photo by Eirene Manatlao/Rappler Myrna Gaite, a barangay health worker and president of the BHW Federation of the National Capital Region, recounted how some of her colleagues have died without ever receiving better compensation. “Ako, 40 years in service na ako. Boluntaryo ako, nagsimula sa wala…. Pinapanalangin ng bawat barangay health worker na magkaroon ng katugunan ang Magna Carta dahil doon napapaloob ang lahat ng mga benepisyo para sa mga BHW,” Gaite said. (I’ve been in service for 40 years. I was a volunteer who started with nothing. Every barangay health worker is praying for the Magna Carta to be realized, as it encompasses all benefits for BHWs.) The Marcos administration previously included the proposed Magna Carta of BHWs as a priority measure of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council in 2023. The bill was nearing approval before the 19th Congress ended, but failed when the House of Representatives withdrew its version’s transmittal. “In 2023, the President gave renewed hope to hundreds of thousands of BHWs when he publicly committed to supporting our Magna Carta. Today, BHWs are humbly appealing to the President to fulfill his promise,” NCBHWP president Khonan Cerial said. BHWs, the primary healthcare providers at the barangay level, are left with a heavy workload and additional responsibilities not in their job description, all while being compensated poorly as volunteers. The Magna Carta bill at the Senate, which has been approved on second reading as of writing, promises to institutionalize the employment of BHWs and give them permanent government positions. Instead of just honoraria and flexible benefits, they would be entitled to receive pay equivalent to Salary Grade 1. Lyma Rico, Marikina BHW Federation president, said: “Ito na ang pagkakataon ng barangay health workers na maipasa ang Magna Carta. Sa tagal-tagal na lumipas na panahon, hindi man lang maipasa. Siguro ito na ‘yung pagkakataon na ibigay niya sa amin ito.” (This is the opportunity for the Magna Carta of BHWs to be finally enacted into law. It has languished for so long. Perhaps the President will now grant our plea.) Marcos is set to deliver his fifth SONA on Monday, July 27. – Rappler.com How does this make you feel? Loading