By Chito Chavez
An ordinance approved by Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista will soon allow the city’s contractual public health workers eligible to receive hazard pays.
Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista
(FACEBOOK / MANILA BULLETIN)
Ordinance SP 2816-2019, authored by Councilor Godofredo T. Liban II, grants hazard pays to the contractual public health workers of Novaliches District Hospital, Quezon City General Hospital, and Quezon City Health Department in accordance with Republic Act No. 7305.
The law, also known as the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers, mandates the giving of hazard pay to “all persons engaged in health and health-related work, employed in all hospitals, sanitation, health centers, and other health-related establishments, owned and operated by the government or its political subdivisions, regardless of their employment status.”
The law also provides that public health workers in hospitals shall be compensated hazard allowances equivalent to at least 25 percent of the monthly basic salary of health workers.
Under the Department of Budget and Management and Department of Health Joint Circular No. 01, series of 2016, hazard pay may be granted to public health workers if the nature of their duties and responsibilities, their actual services, and location of work expose them to great danger, occupational risks, perils to life and physical hardships, as determined by the Secretary of Health or by the Head of Agency or the Local Chief Executive.
The necessary funds for the Ordinance shall be appropriated annually by the respective hospitals.
Also, Bautista signed an ordinance acknowledging the Kyusi Employees Multi-purpose Cooperative (KEMPCO) as a legitimate cooperative movement of Quezon City government employees.
City Ordinance 2828-2019, introduced by Councilor Precious Hipolito-Castelo, states that KEMPCO is aimed at uplifting the welfare of the employees of the Quezon City Government by improving its members’ economic well-being.
It added that KEMPCO is committed to working with government and non-government organizations and stakeholders for the effective and efficient implementation of the provisions of the Cooperative Code, hence its support of the movement.
The cooperative lists 2,840 city hall employees as its members while its assets total to P89,988,164.72 as of August 2018.
“The movement is still striving to work for the enhancement and growth of the cooperative in order to provide more services for the employees of Quezon City,” the ordinance added.