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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO.____________ 
Introduced by 
Representative Jose Manuel F. Alba 
___________________________________________________________________________________ 
AN ACT TO FURTHER PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE AND 
ENHANCE THE STATUTORY BENEFITS AND INCENTIVES OF PUBLIC 
HEALTH WORKERS, 
AMENDING 
FOR THE PURPOSE 
CERTAIN 
PROVISIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7305, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE 
MAGNA CARTA OF PUBLIC HEALTH WORKERS 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
On March 26, 1992, Republic Act (RA) No. 7305, otherwise known as 
The Magna Carta of Public Health Workers was signed into law in order to 
promote the social and economic well-being of health workers, their living and 
working conditions and terms of employment, to develop their skills and 
capabilities to be better equipped to deliver health projects and programs, and 
to encourage those with proper qualifications and excellent abilities to join 
and remain in government service 
R.A. No. 7305 is a more than three decades old law, and prevailing 
economic conditions warrant a review of the statutory benefits and incentives 
afforded by the said law to our health workers.  It is worthy to state that such 
benefits and incentives can no longer be considered as subsisting and 
commensurate to the nature of their services to the people. 
Our public health workers (PHWs) are the country’s solid front-liners 
when it comes to public health service delivery. Undeniably, their valuable and 
indispensable contribution in the national efforts to combat the COVID-19 
have earned them the nation’s gratitude and admiration for staying in the 
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country to serve the Filipino nation even to the point of risking their own lives 
and that of their families. They deserve not just accolades, but commendable, 
commensurate and living benefits and incentives for their sacrifices in public 
service delivery.  
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of the bill is earnestly 
sought. 
JOSE MANUEL F. ALBA 
Representative, 1st District, Bukidnon 


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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____________ 
Introduced by 
Representative Jose Manuel F. Alba 
___________________________________________________________________________________ 
AN ACT TO FURTHER PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE AND 
ENHANCE THE STATUTORY BENEFITS AND INCENTIVES OF PUBLIC 
HEALTH WORKERS, 
AMENDING 
FOR THE PURPOSE 
CERTAIN 
PROVISIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7305, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE 
MAGNA CARTA OF PUBLIC HEALTH WORKERS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
Philippines in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Section 3 of Republic Act No. 7305 is hereby amended to 
read as follows: 
“SEC. 3. Definition. - For purposes of this Act, "health workers" 
shall mean all persons who are engaged in health and health-
related work, and all persons employed in the Department of 
Health 
(DOH) 
Central 
Office 
(CO), 
Centers 
for 
Health 
Development (CHD), Treatment and Rehabilitation Centers (TRC), 
Attached Agencies (AA), Provincial Health Office (PHO), City 
Health Office (CHO), Municipal Health Office (MHO) and all public 
hospitals, sanitaria,  health centers, rural health units, barangay 
health stations, clinics,  and other health-related establishments 
owned and operated by the Government or its political 
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subdivisions with original charters and shall include medical, 
allied health professionals, administrative and support personnel 
employed in other national government agencies (NGAs), 
including State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), Government-
Owned and Controlled- Corporations (GOCCs), Government 
Finance Institutions (GFIs) and Local Government Units (LGUs) 
holding permanent or temporary status; casual or contractual 
whose salaries are charged against Personal Services (PS) lump 
sum appropriation, rendering services on full-time or part-time 
basis and whose positions are covered by Republic Act No. 6758 
otherwise 
known 
as 
the 
“Compensation 
and 
Position 
Classification Act of 1989.” 
SEC. 2. Section 9 of Republic Act No. 7305 is hereby amended to read 
as follows: 
“SEC. 9. Discrimination Prohibited. - A Public Health Worker 
(PHW) shall not be discriminated against with regard to political 
or religious affiliations, sex, sexual orientation and gender 
identity, civil status, age, disability, or ethnicity in the exercise of 
his or her profession.”  
SEC. 3. Section 11 of Republic Act No. 7305 is hereby amended to read 
as follows: 
“SEC. 11. Administrative Charges. - Administrative charges 
against a national public health worker shall be heard by a 
committee or officer designated by the disciplining authority or its 
delegated officer or officers under its jurisdiction, in accordance 
with 
Executive 
Order 
292, 
its 
implementing 
rules 
and 
rregulations, and other pertinent civil service laws, rules and 
regulations. 
For local public health workers, administrative charges shall be 
heard by a committee or officer created or designated by the 
Provincial or City Health Board, in accordance with pertinent rules 
and regulations.  
The committee or hearing officer shall submit recommendation to 
the appropriate disciplining authority within thirty (30) days from 
the termination of the investigation and hearings. 
Where the provincial health officer or head of health facilities has 
been determined to be a party-in-interest, the members of the 


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committee or the designated officer shall be appointed by the 
Secretary of Health.”                        
SEC. 4. Section 18 of Republic Act No. 7305 is hereby amended to read 
as follows: 
“SEC. 18. Night Shift Differential. - (a) Every Public Health Worker 
shall be paid a night shift differential of twenty percent (20%) of 
his or her regular wage for each hour of work performed between 
six (6) o'clock in the evening to six (6) o'clock in the morning.  
(b) Every health worker required to work on the period covered 
after his or her regular schedule shall be entitled to his or her 
regular wage plus the regular overtime rate and an additional 
amount of twenty percent (20%) of such overtime rate for each 
hour of work perform between six (6) o'clock in the evening to six 
(6) o'clock in the morning.” 
SEC. 5. Section 21 of Republic Act No. 7305 is hereby amended to read 
as follows: 
“SEC. 21. Hazard Allowance. - By the nature of their work, which 
subject them to health hazards and occupational risks, all public 
health workers regardless of the degree of their exposure to such 
hazards and risks shall be entitled to a monthly hazard allowance 
of Twenty – Five Percent  (25%) of their basic monthly salary across 
the board without prejudice to increase of this amount as may be 
warranted in the future by the Secretary of Health.” 
SEC. 6. Section 22 of Republic Act No. 7305 is hereby amended to read 
as follows: 
“SEC. 22. Subsistence Allowance. - All Public Health Workers shall 
be entitled to full subsistence allowance equivalent to Php 500.00 
per day for rendering actual services and shall be increased based 
on the prevailing economic circumstances as may be warranted in 
the future by the Secretary of Health in consultation with the 
Management-Health Workers Consultative Council.” 
SEC. 7. Section 24 of Republic Act No. 7305 is hereby amended to read 
as follows: 


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“SEC. 24. Laundry Allowance. - All Public Health workers who are 
required to wear uniforms regularly shall be entitled to laundry 
allowance equivalent to One Thousand Pesos (1,000.00) per month 
and shall be increased based on the prevailing economic 
circumstances as may be warranted in the future by the Secretary 
of Health in consultation with the Management-Health Workers 
Consultative Council.” 
SEC. 8. Section 34 (b) of Republic Act No. 7305 is hereby amended to 
read as follows: 
 “b.) opportunity for health workers to grow and develop their 
potentials and experience a sense of worth and dignity in their 
work. Public health workers who undertake relevant post-
graduate studies in a degree course shall be entitled for an 
upgrade in  position or promotion, or a raise in pay: Provided, That 
it shall not be more often than every two (2) years: Provided, 
further, That upon promotion to a higher position, the public 
health worker shall carry over and retain the step increment in the 
position held before the upgrade  in position or promotion, or a 
raise in pay.” 
SEC. 9. Section 35 of Republic Act No. 7305 is hereby amended to read 
as follows: 
“SEC. 35. Implementing Rules and Regulations. -  The Secretary 
of Health after consultation with appropriate agencies of the 
Government as well as professional health workers' organizations 
or unions, shall formulate and prepare the necessary rules and 
regulations to implement the provisions of this Act, which shall 
take effect thirty (30) days after publication in a newspaper of 
general circulation.” 
SEC. 10. Section 36 of Republic Act No. 7305 is hereby amended to 
read as follows: 
“SEC. 36. Periodic Review of the Magna Carta for Public Health 
Workers. - All provisions with monetary implications shall be 
reviewed by the council periodically to be recommended to the 
Secretary of Health for approval in consultation with the 
appropriate government agencies concerned under existing laws, 
rules and regulations. and prevailing practices. 


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SEC. 11. Section 38 of Republic Act No. 7305 is hereby amended to 
read as follows: 
“SEC. 38. Budget Estimates. - For National Government Agencies 
(NGAs) including SUCs: 
The amounts required for the payment of Magna Carta benefits 
shall be charged against the respective agency’s appropriations or 
budget. The payment Magna Carta benefits of the public health 
workers in the government shall be charged to the appropriations 
authorized in the General Appropriations Act (GAA). Augmentation 
thereof from any available savings of the agency shall be subject to 
the approval of the DBM. 
The Magna Carta benefits for contractual and casual personnel 
shall be charged against the respective agency lump sum 
appropriations from which their salaries or wages are drawn.  For 
GOCCs and GFIs, the amounts required shall be charged against 
their respective corporate funds in the approved corporate 
operating budget. 
SEC. 12. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act or part 
thereof is declared unconstitutional, the other provisions or parts not 
affected thereby shall remain valid and effective. 
SEC. 13. Repealing Clause. -  All other laws, decrees, orders, rules 
and regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with this Act are hereby 
repealed or modified accordingly. 
SEC. 14. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after 
its complete publication in the Official Gazette and in at least two (2) national 
newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved,