Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano on Monday hailed the Senate’s approval on third reading of the Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers, saying the measure is key to addressing the country’s high rate of child stunting.
“It’s an honor to see this measure passed today. Marami pang kailangan gawin, pero napakalaking step nito,” Cayetano, a co-author of Senate Bill No. 1905, said during the August 3, 2026 plenary session.
“This (bill) is a recognition na walang healthy na nation kapag hindi healthy ang mamamayan,” he added.
The bill seeks to strengthen Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) in delivering primary healthcare services. If signed into law, the measure gives registered BHWs at least P3,000 in monthly benefits, with eligible workers also entitled to transportation and hazard allowances, free legal assistance, loyalty incentives, cash gifts, insurance coverage, and mental health services.
The bill also establishes formal rules for local health worker registration, certification, professional growth, and training.
Cayetano said BHWs play a critical role in preventing child stunting through their work with pregnant women, infants, and young children.
“We have again and again emphasized that stunting or pagkabansot is a national security problem or a big problem for our country. Statistics show that almost one-fourth ng ating mga kababayan are in danger of falling into stunting,” he said, citing data from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II).
“The antidote or the solution to stunting really has to do with the Barangay Health Workers,” he stressed.
Drawing from the City of Taguig’s experience, Cayetano cited the city’s low stunting rate as an example of the impact of strong community-based health programs led by BHWs and Barangay Nutrition Scholars.
“Taguig is proud to have the lowest stunting incidence in Metro Manila, and through God’s grace, much credit is given to the barangay nutrition scholars and the BHWs,” the senator said.
“Kasi sa isang tingin pa lang (ng BHW), kapag nakita po or sa isang tanong or sa isang tingin kapag nakitang buntis, nandyan na y’ung programa para sa mga buntis. At kapag nanganak na, lalo ‘pag tinitimbang na ang mga bata, y’ung ibang indicators ng malnutrition, magkakaroon ng maagang intervention,” he added.
Since 2024, the senator has consistently raised concern about the devastating effects of child stunting and the lasting consequences it poses for the next generation of Filipinos. He is author of the Anti-Stunting Action Plan (ASAP) Council Act of 2025, which seeks to establish a high-level council that will formulate and lead a strategic, whole-of-government and whole-of-society action plan to reduce and prevent stunting nationwide. The measure remains pending at the committee level.
Cayetano is also the author of Mahal Ko, Barangay Health Worker Ko Law, which aims to strengthen healthcare delivery at the grassroots level and institutionalize greater legal protection and support for BHWs. His proposal was consolidated into the approved measure.
His version sought to entitle BHWs to fair compensation and full benefits equivalent to their employment status, ensuring that these vital grassroots health workers are properly supported.
He also pointed to Taguig as a model for supporting BHWs through formal employment and comprehensive benefits. In the city, BHWs receive regular salaries, bonuses, training, overtime pay, hazard pay, and other incentives. They are also formally employed by the local government as Job Order and Casual employees, which Cayetano said he hopes can be replicated nationwide.
“In a perfect world, they (BHWs) should really be national government employees getting full benefits and getting everything from training and equipment,” he said.
Cayetano also underscored the vital role BHWs play in the country’s healthcare system and local communities.
“We took a giant step today (for BHWs), but there is so much more that we can do to build a health system that we can all be proud of that can really be relevant sa bawat Piliipino,” the senator said.
“And kung sino ang nasa grassroots talaga — y’ung primary health care or the barangay health center, barangay nutrition volunteers, barangay health workers – they are as important as our surgeons, hospital administrators, engineers that build our hospital medical technician. So it’s about time that we look at the health system holistically,” he added.
He urged the Senate to pass complementary measures that would further strengthen the country’s healthcare system alongside the Magna Carta for BHWs.
“I join my dear colleagues, especially the sponsors and the authors in not only voting for this bill, but to encourage this chamber to follow it up with the other bills that will actually bring us to a world-class health system,” he said.