Magna Carta for emergency responders pushed

Local

A BILL that seeks to provide honoraria and compensation to emergency responders and other risk reduction and management workers has been filed in the Congress.

Cebu 4th District Rep. Sun Shimura filed House Bill No. 10740, providing a Magna Carta for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) workers that would grant them honoraria, social protection, benefits, incentives, security of tenure, and other purposes.

In his explanatory note, Shimura said DRRM personnel play a crucial and critical role in the community, with their work involving disaster prevention, preparedness, response, rehabilitation, and recovery.

However, the majority of them have little or limited compensation.

In Lapu-Lapu City, for example, of over 150 DRRM personnel, 140 are Job Order (JO) workers, government employees with no security of tenure.

Their salaries depend on their role or kind of work. For rescuers and technical staff, though their salaries are above minimum wage, they don't have hazard pay and have limited benefits.

"They are doing critical jobs. They are rescuing, they are saving lives. However, they are not protected by the government," Nagiel Bañacia, head of the Lapu-Lapu City DRRM Office, told MyTV Cebu.

He said Lapu-Lapu City Congressman Ahong Chan had also filed a bill last year for DRRM workers but the measure is not among the government's priority bills.

Bañacia also expressed frustration over how DRRM workers who are doing hazardous work have been taken for granted.

“Kun dunay mga disgrasya, dunay kritikal, dunay mga bagyo, ang frontline dili mangatulog, ang mga DRRM workers man. Kun dunay mga katalagman ang mga tawo manago… However, they are not appreciated by the community. They offer their lives so that others may live,” Bañacia said.

Because of limited compensation, some DRRM workers who are professionals and skilled after undergoing training in the country prefer to go abroad, which, according to Bañacia, is a big loss for a community that is trying to be disaster resilient.

Shimura said DRRM workers deserve to be recognized for their important role as public servants, particularly in strengthening disaster resilience and protecting lives and property.

“This bill seeks to address that gap by providing DRRMO workers with just and reasonable honoraria, allowances, health and retirement protection, leave benefits, training opportunities, preferential access to loan facilities, and safeguards against discrimination and unjust removal,” he said.(MyTVCebu)