The Dismal State of Eastern Samar’s Barangay Health Workers
November 24th, 2007 | by Ced Solidon |If you want to see some of the most dedicated people on the planet, look for the Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) of Eastern Samar.
In a feature written by Alice Nicart, a depressing picture is drawn of volunteer BHWs who receive a measly honorarium of 50 pesos every month. Such an amount is expected to compensate for their work in rendering primary health care services in their respective communities.
That is, if they receive the amount at all.
For example, Esperanza Morallos of the town of Arteche said that she hasn’t received any amount for the past ten years of her volunteer work. But despite of that, she said that she is content having a healthy family.
However, it is not enough since according to Nicart, the BHWs need, “a little assistance from concerned parties.”
That is why if knowing about their lives can be a step closer to helping them, then read Nicart’s article by following this link.
===
Here’s more information about the work of BHWs:
http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno7883.htm
===
Ced Solidon started the team blog. He currently works as a freelance writer. Aside from that, he also maintains a writing blog, Write Like a Rock Star! He loves to read books and play music.
14 Responses to “The Dismal State of Eastern Samar’s Barangay Health Workers”
By Medora on Nov 25, 2007 | Reply
i once wrote this feature about Can-aga, an interior barangay in Borongan. the BHW also described how hard it is for them to do what they do considering the meager allowance they receive. There are towns where 1 bhw serves 3 barangays.
By Maverickjockey on Nov 26, 2007 | Reply
This is not in any way to demean or belittle the work of BHWs (which is admittedly valuable), however, we must not forget the true nature of their work which is voluntary.
By Haruan on Nov 26, 2007 | Reply
The same is true with other health workers in other places around the country. When I was still doing a foreign-funded project in Northern and Southern Mindanao, I had a personal account of the dreary and wretched experience of rural health workers. Some would even shell out their own resources just to sustain their activities.
Rural health workers, particularly the BHWs, are boon to depressed communities. The absence of access to sufficient and advance primary healthcare in the province is compensated by their presence. The decline of mortality and morbidity rates in the province could be attributed to their work.
There is enough funds to sustain rural health programs but not all of these serve their real purpose.
By Ced Solidon on Nov 26, 2007 | Reply
maverick: yes, it is voluntary (and some volunteer workers do work for free), but since they’re giving honorariums can’t they give it regularly? i just can’t believe people can’t give a woman her honorarium for 10 long years.
haruan: that’s the depressing thing, they shell out their own money to sustain their activities.
By Fhen Macabasag on Nov 27, 2007 | Reply
During our 2007 popcen (census of population) enumeration period, I overheard from one of my co-enumerators that there was only one BHW who served many barangays in the northern part of Borongan.
We had also visited (or enumerated to be more precise) other interior barangays of Borongan and the same is true to what Med’s testify pertaining to the uneven ratio of BHW per barangay.
At certain extent, I concur to Haruan that funds allocated for rural health programs do “not all of these serve their real purpose.” There is truth in Ced’s revelation about a [BHW] woman who, despite a volunteer BHW, fails to received her honorarium for 10 long years. And this is the saddest part of the BHW’s life.
By Maverickjockey on Nov 27, 2007 | Reply
Well, in the first place these BHWs know what they were getting into at the beginning and that their work pays no remuneration from the very start and if ever they receive any pay, it is only an honorarium or allowance, meaning a token of appreciation for the work they perform, not salary. Otherwise, they would not have bene taken in because by their very qualifications and the irregular hours of their work, they cannot be subjected to control and supervision. But basically, the ultimate issue there is the financial capacity of the local government unit/s concerned : can they afford to pay?
By Ced Solidon on Nov 27, 2007 | Reply
Fhen: it was written by Alice Nicart. I merely wrote an intro and linked to that artik. Bangin kita pag-isgan. Hehe.
By Maverickjockey on Nov 27, 2007 | Reply
Maybe the real issue here is the civic duty of every Boronganon to pay their taxes “honestly” and “promptly” because that is what determines the capacity of the local government to render its obligations to its constituents.
“Honestly” because many Boronganons maybe paying their taxes but is the amount they pay the correct one?
“Promptly” because even if many Boronganons ultimately pay the correct amount of tax (usually after being forced to do so due to threat/s of penalty or because of personal necessity), it deprives others who may need the social services that timely collection of revenues afford the local government unit to deliver them.
The fact is, almost all businessmen in Borongan engage in tax avoidance by under-declaration of their gross revenues. So how do you think will the local government be able to afford to deliver basic services to its constituents when the very resources upon which it relies is not forthcoming?
(You may add to that group of tax cheats the bellyachers and whiners among the populace who do nothing but see fault in every aspect of public governance but do not pay any taxes at all but instead extort money from the hardworking masses in the form of “revolutionary taxes”.)
By Fhen Macabasag on Nov 28, 2007 | Reply
Ced: Awh, amo ba? heheheh I failed to read the whole article written by Alice Nicart. My bad. I stand corrected!
By Maverickjockey on Nov 28, 2007 | Reply
“My bad”? That’s what I was saying before, trying very hard to be profound but instead ends up being non-sensical.He he he!
By Fhen Macabasag on Nov 28, 2007 | Reply
I am glad Sinirangan.com has a critic, acting as if he/she is ’somebody’ yet when cornered by his/her own numerous critics, he/she cites his/her last resort with the statement “an exquisite manifestation of a lynch mob.” He he he!
By Maverickjockey on Nov 29, 2007 | Reply
He he he! Cornered by whom, by you? With your puerile attempts at literary discourse that only ends up making you look exteremely trying hard, I donot wonder any longer the company you keep who get their guts from their lynching mob.
For your information, I was just busy these past few days earning my keep, so to speak. Perhaps, unlike you who has nothing better to do than to pine about the moon and the stars in a stormy sky (these past few days), ha ha ha!
By Fhen Macabasag on Dec 1, 2007 | Reply
He he he! As to your query on “cornered by whom?”, please browse [in this site] and review your own words dated Oct. 16 and Nov 15 this year alone.
If you could not remember it well, it’s just a click away, so don’t hesitate to revisit your own seemingly forgotten comments.
As far as I am concern, you employed the phrase “lynch mob” twice. And I won’t be surprise if you utilize that said phrase again in the coming days, because as you once said, “I’ve been all by my lonesome self here.” He he he!
I won’t question the spelling of your “exteremely” and “donot” because as you said last time, it does not matter to you…
Before we got things out of our hand, let’s make our comment relevant to this specific article.
So here is mine:
Obviously, this article generally speaks of the current condition and grim situation of a BHW’s life. And seemingly, someone attempted to offer a solution to the BHW’s dilemma, and that is: to pay their taxes “honestly” and “promptly.”
Whew! Sinirangan has a wise adviser now! Good for you. In anyway, thank you for your wisdom! He he he!
By Maverickjockey on Dec 3, 2007 | Reply
No wonder you take the payment of taxes to the duly-constituted government lightly because Communist sympathizers impose only “revolutionary taxes” on the hapless Filipino masses but never pay for the social services they demand from the duly-constituted authorities. Besides, what can the government collect from “poets” : air? He he he!
As to your claim of me being cornered because of my attribution to yoiur ilk of being a lynch mob, it only goes to show that you’re really hard in the head; you7 really can’t pick up the allusion to your taking courage from the courage of mob - not unlike a yellow dog that is so brave only in front of its master’s house.
Also, you really have so much ego to claim that someone is afraid of you in cyberspace when in the first place you don’t even know me, yet I can very well find you anywhere, anytime, anyday! Ha ha ha!