Readers Views: BHW's honorarium

I praise Governor Gwen Garcia for her program concerning our barangay health workers by giving them an honorarium of P1,500 yearly. I believe this is a very good way of recognizing the tireless efforts of our BHW’s and at the same time rewarding them as indispensable partners in rural health. This is one of the many effective programs of our dear governor.

But what frustrates me is that no matter how noble the intention of our governor it is being perverted by her subordinates. I have learned that there is an irregularity in the disbursement of the honorarium by the IPHO (Integrated Provincial Health Office) headed by Dr. Cristina Giango. Dr. Giango has caused the disbursing of honorariums under an outdated list of BHW’s. Supposedly, it is the barangay captain who certifies a list of active BHW’s. This means that there are BHW’s who are no longer validly appointed by the Barangay Captain but are still receiving the honorarium from the province. Let me remind Dr. Giango, in case her long service in the government has not taught her, that it is illegal to disburse government funds to persons not validly appointed. Dr. Giango has to respect, even how minute she thinks it is, our authority to appoint BHW’s and not replace it with a mayor’s list or whatever.

In so doing, Dr. Giango has deprived those BHW’s who truly deserve the honorarium and at the same time defeated the noble intent of the program. Sadly, this has been the case since the program started some four years ago. While she works at the comfort of her air-conditioned office, she should not forget the BHW’s in the frontlines with their blood and sweat in the service of our communities.

I bet Governor Gwen is not aware of this. Had she known, this would have been corrected immediately with the help of Joey Boy Holganza, ABC President. I’m sure the governor, knowing her integrity, would not allow something like this. Dr. Giango should have acted accordingly, befitting of her position in the government, by verifying the list of BHW’s from the Barangay Captains concerned. Better yet, she should have been a barangay captain.