Barangay execs, their families to get free health insurance

Over 1.2 million barangay (village) officials and their families will soon receive free health insurance coverage under a joint project of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) with local government executives. DILG Secretary Ronaldo Puno, who announced this new benefit package for the village officials during the first-ever teleconference conducted by the DILG via the Internet with participants of a Liga ng mga Barangay Congress in Baguio City, said the program covers a total of 31,920 barangays with Internal Revenue Allotments (IRA) of less than P1 million each.

This benefit package, Puno said, is being implemented through a memorandum of understanding (MoU), sealed by the DILG and PhilHealth with the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP), League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), League of Municipalities of the Philippines LMP) and the National Liga ng mga Barangay (NLB).

A total of 9,495 barangays with IRAs of less than P1 million each in the 4th to 6th class municipalities will be the DILG’s first priority under the program, which will cover some 379,800 officials and their families.

A total of 22,425 other barangays with IRAs of less than P1 million each in 1st to 3rd class municipalities and cities, covering another 897,000 officials and their families are on the second priority list, Puno said.

“This means that over 1.2 million barangay officials will eventually enjoy this free health insurance coverage,” he said.

The MoU was signed recently at the SMX Center, SM Mall of Asia by DILG Undersecretary Austere Panadero, NLB president Ricojudge Echiverri and PhilHealth senior vice president Ernesto Beltran.

Panadero said the health insurance benefits, which fall under the sponsored program of the PhilHealth, would be given to barangay officials as soon as the local government units (LGUs) concerned can provide the counterpart funding for the initiative.

The annual premium for each beneficiary is P1,200. Under the MoU, the national government —through PhilHealth — will shell out P1,080 while the balance of P120 will be shouldered by the 4th to 6th class municipalities or province. For the 1st to 3rd class cities and municipalities, the national and local governments will split the premium at P600 each.

Puno told the congress in Baguio of the Cavite-based Liga ng mga Barangay that the DILG is taking steps to enable barangay officials to enjoy the benefits due them under Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code.

Such benefits, as stated under Section 393 of the Local Government Code, include the grant of exemption to barangay officials, during their incumbency, in the payment of tuition and matriculation fees for their legitimate dependent children attending state universities or colleges (SUCs).

Puno said barangay officials should be able to avail themselves of such benefits in a state college or university based in their respective provinces or cities.

Upon learning that many barangay officials had not been able to enjoy this benefit, he said he got in touch at once with Commission on Higher Education Chairman Emmanuel Angeles to alert him about this concern.

He said Angeles then issued a memorandum reminding SUCs about this RA 7160 proviso mandating them to admit as scholars the children of barangay officials.

Besides these initiatives, the DILG is also carrying out various programs for barangays so that their officials could better respond to the needs of their constituents and spur growth in their communities. –Daily Tribune