Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE!
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

OA
HOUSE BILLNO, £941

Introduced by HON. GUS S. TAMBUNTING

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The barangay is the smallest unit of the government, making the barangay leaders the
foundation of governance at the community level especially in the remote and far flung areas
of the country.

As defined by the Local Government Code, the barangay serves as the primary planning
and implementing unit of government policies, plans, programs, projects, and activities in the
community, and as a forum wherein the collective views of the people may be expressed,
crystallized and considered, and where disputes may be amicably settled. Officials and
volunteers of the country’s 42,036 barangays are not only the frontliners in delivering various
government services, they are also the primary facilitators of citizen empowerment and
engagement so that the government is responsive to the true needs of the citizens it serve.

This bill aims to give additional benefits in the form of free trainings and workshops for
barangay officials, employees and volunteers on how to effectively dispense their duties and
responsibilities, provide free PhilHealth coverage to our Barangay Health Workers, free legal
assistance to our Tanods and regular honoraria from the national government for the BHWs
and Tanods because being in the frontline, they should be equipped with the necessary tools
and support so that they can function to their fullest capacity.

With the limited budget of our barangays, augmentation from the national government
will greatly increase their capability to provide more services for their constituency and also
boost their morale. We are also empowering them to do more and to do better.

Tt is for these reasons that the passage of this bill is earnestl



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by HON. GUS S. TAMBUNTING

AN ACT
STRENGTHENING THE BARANGAYS THROUGH SUPPORT FOR BARANGAY
OFFICIALS AND VOLUNTEER WORKERS

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in the
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the “Barangay Officials and Volunteer
Workers incentives and Benefits Act of 2016.”

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. It is hereby declared the policy of the State to
strengthen the barangays by providing adequate support to barangay officials and volunteer
workers and improve the provision of line government services to the people at the barangay
level. The State acknowledges the need to provide incentives and benefits in order to properly
compensate and equip our barangay officials and volunteer workers with the necessary
training and enable them to efficiently and effectively carry out their mandated tasks for the
great benefit of our people.

SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. AS used in this Act, the following terms will mean:

a) Barangay Officials refer to the officials enumerated under Section 387 (a) of
Republic Act No. 7160 as amended, otherwise known as the Local Government
Code of 1991 namely, the punong barangay, sangguniang barangay members,
sangguniang kabataan chairperson, secretary and treasurer;

c

Volunteer Workers refer to Barangay Health Workers and member of the
Barangay Tanod Brigade;

©

Barangay Health Worker (BHW) refers to a person who has undergone training
Programs under any accredited government and non-government organizations
and who voluntarily renders primary health care services in the community after
having been accredited to function as such by the local health board in
accordance with the guidelines promulgated by the Department of Health
(DOH); and


d) Barangay Tanods refer to all duly appointed members of the barangay tanod
brigades, which shall number not more than twenty (20) in each barangay as
prescribed under the Local Government Code of 1991.

SECTION 4. Honorarium of BHWs and Barangay Tanods. In order to ease the financial
burden on our barangay volunteer workers, one (1) BHW in each barangay and barangay
tanods, which shall not be more than twenty (20) in each barangay, shall receive a monthly
honorarium of at least five hundred pesos (P500.00) chargeable against the budget of the
Department of Health (DOH) and the department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)
respectively. Provided, that barangays may opt to give additional honorarium equally to all
barangay health workers, which shall be charged against the local budget of each barangay.
Provided, further, that nothing herein contained shall diminish or remove the honorarium
already granted to voluntary workers before the effectivity of this Act.

SECTION 5. Other Incentives and Benefits of Barangay Officials and Volunteer Workers.
In recognition of their services, the national government, shall, in addition to financial benefits,
provide barangay officials and volunteer workers with the following incentives and benefits:

a) Trainings and workshops on how to effectively exercise their duty provided by
the DILG for Barangay Tanods and DOH for BHWs, and such other trainings fit
for barangay officials and volunteer workers;

b:

PhilHealth coverage for BHWs, which shall include medical examination and
treatment in government hospitals, and fully subsidized by the national
government through the DOH: Provided, that indigent barangay volunteer
workers shall be covered through the full national government subsidy scheme;
and

c) Free legal services from government lawyers of the Public Attorney’s Office
(PAO) for cases arising out of or in connection with the performance of their
duties as such. Provided, that such legal services shall continue even after the
expiration of the term of the barangay officials until its final disposition.

SECTION 6. Jmplementing Rules and Regulations. The Department of the Interior and
Local Government, in consultation with the National Liga ng mga Barangay and the
Department of Health, shall issue the necessary rules and regulations to implement this Act.

SECTION 7. Separability Clause. If any of the section or provision of this Act is held
invalid, all other provisions not affected thereby shall remain valid and effective.

SECTION 8. Repealing Clause. Section 393 of the Local Government Code of 1991,
Republic Act No. 7883 otherwise known as the “Barangay Health Workers Benefits and
Incentives Act of 1995”and all laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations which are
inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

SECTION 9. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from the date of its
publication in the Official Gazette or in any newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,