SP Kalinga supports House Bill for lump sum retirement pay to barangay officials and employees

Tabuk City, Kalinga – Members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan in Kalinga gave their support to house bill providing lump sum retirement pay equivalent to one year honorarium to barangay officials, tanods, lupong tagapamayapa, barangay health workers and day care workers.

During their previous session, the SP members headed by Vice Governor Dave Odiem backed Benguet Provincial Resolution. 2021-1213, a resolution ‘strongly supporting House Bill No. 9455’ or the house bill passed before the 18th Congress to give lump sum retirement pay equivalent to one year honorarium to barangay officials and workers.

Odiem, through his official Facebook page, stated that they supported the House Bill for the benefits of the barangay officials and workers in Kalinga, as they will be covered with the said bill should it become a law.

The resolution will be forwarded to Senate President Vicente Sotto and House of Representative Speaker, Allan Velasco, for information and their action.

Meantime, in his explanatory note, Representative Eric L. Olivarez, House Bill 9455 author stated that these barangay officials and employees are the ones who are tasked to respond quickly to the immediate needs of the people in their area and that they are the ones in charge of delivering ‘first level assistance’.

However, he mentioned that the compensation of these workers and officials is ‘disproportionate to the workload they have’ and that their retirement benefits are also ‘menial’.

“In order to recognize the efforts exerted by the barangay officials and employees, this bill aims to grant them a lump sum retirement pay equivalent to their one-year honorarium. This is to give due recognition to barangay workers who not only served diligently but also have served their respective barangays for many years,” Olivarez explained.