Hazard Pay for Public Sector Workers Act

wafer of the getr TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 25 AUG -7 P 4:36 First Regular Session ) RECE VED 8. SENATE S. No. 1138 INTRODUCED BY SENATOR JV EJERCITO AN ACT PROVIDING HAZARD PAY TO GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES WORKING IN HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR EXPLANATORY NOTE The sheer nature of public service may often demand public servants to perform duties under challenging and hazardous conditions. In fulfilling their commitment to serve the nation, government workers often face higher risks such as health risks, working in remote and difficult to reach areas, or being sent to unsafe and perilous situations. But in spite of these inherent dangers and risks, the State is yet to provide consistent and appropriate additional compensation to recognize the extraordinary sacrifices made by these dedicated public servants in the fulfillment of their duties. By requiring the allocation of hazard pay equal to at least 25% of the worker's base pay each month to government workers exposed to particular hazardous conditions, this measure, which will be known as the "Hazard Pay for Public Sector Workers Act", aims to correct and address this existing disparity. This measure shall underscore the state's policy to protect and promote the welfare of its public servants, ensuring that their responsibilities and exposure to potential dangers are adequately recognized and compensated. The implementation of a standardized hazard pay system is a crucial step toward fulfilling the government's responsibility to its workforce. At present,

compensation for hazardous work is given on an ad hoc basis, or through specific departmental or agency policies, which results in inconsistencies that have also led to inequity. A unified national policy will ensure that all qualified public sector workers shall be guaranteed prompt and equitable compensation for the risks they undertake in the fulfillment of their duties as civil servants. Through its enactment, this measure is a vital investment in the public sector's overall resilience by synergizing the recruitment and retainment of qualified personnel in vital domains such as law enforcement, healthcare, and disaster response by offering just and fair compensation for duties performed in hazardous scenarios. By reaffirming that sacrifices made for the public-good will not go unappreciated and unrewarded, this measure reinforces the social contract between the State and its workforce. In view of the foregoing, approval of this bill is earnestly sought. • • JV EJERCITO

Diner ofte TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES First Regular Session ) AUG -7 P4:36 SENATE RECEIVED BY S. No. 1138 INTRODUCED BY SENATOR IV EJERCITO AN ACT PROVIDING HAZARD PAY TO GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES WORKING IN HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Hazard Pay for Public

2 Sector Workers Act."

Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It shall be the policy of the State to safeguard

4 and advance the well-being of its public servants. This shall be achieved by providing 5 them with additional compensation that takes into account the risky nature of their 6 duties, the potential dangers associated with their roles, the work environment they 7 operate in, and the functions of their offices.

Sec. 3. Coverage - The benefits provided under this Act shall be given to all

9 government employees who are exposed to the conditions identified in Section 4 of this Act, regardless of status, nature of appointment, whether casual, temporary, contract of service (institutional or otherwise), or job order, or place of work (whether in medical or non-medical offices); Provided, that government employees currently receiving hazard pay under other laws, rules or regulations shall only be entitled to one (1) hazard pay or benefit, whichever is higher.

Sec. 4. Hazard Pay. - All employees of the Government shall be paid hazard

pay equivalent to at least twenty five percent (25%) of the monthly basic salary of the employee concerned when stationed or assigned to work as frontline workers in or under the following circumstances or conditions:

a. When a state of calamity or emergency or a public health emergency, as defined under Republic Act No. 11332, otherwise known as the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern, has been declared; b. Hazardous or less hazardous areas, as may be declared by the Secretary of National Defense and other appropriate agencies; c. Difficult areas or hardship posts characterized by distance, inconvenience of travel due to bad roads and conditions of the terrain, isolation, inaccessibility, and extreme weather conditions; d. X-ray units, clinics, laboratories, sanitaria, leprosaria, observation posts and other similar stations which offer risks to health and safety due to exposure to radiation, contagious diseases and, volcanic activity; e. Institutions or facilities that tend or care for persons with mental health conditions; f. Places that are subject to depredation by criminal elements as those in prison reservations and penal colonies without adequate police protection; g. Plants and installations of the Government Arsenal; h. Aboard aircraft and watercraft in crossing bodies of water; and i. Other similar work conditions which the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), in consultation with the Office of Civil Defense and the Civil Service Commission and other appropriate agencies, shall consider as hazardous on the basis of exposure to environment, health and social risks.

Sec. 5. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within sixty (60) days from the

effectivity of this Act, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) in coordination with the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), and other relevant government offices, shall formulate the rules and regulations to effectively implement tile provisions of this Act.

Sec. 6. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the effective

implementation of this Act shall be charged against the appropriations of government agencies where the covered government employees are employed. Thereafter, the

1 funds for the effective implementation of this Act shall be included in the General 2 Appropriations Act (GAA).

Sec. 7. Separability Clause. - If any part, section or provision of this Act is

4 / declared invalid or unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected by such declaration shall remain in full force and effect.

Sec. 10. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules, and regulations,

7 or other issuances or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

Sec. 11. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its

10 publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. Approved,