CARTA BILL FOR BHWS PUSHED

If passed into law, De la Cruz said the legislation will help BHWs transition from the informal sector to the formal sector.

The labor leader noted the country owes BHWs such benefits, especially for their invaluable contributions in the country’s pandemic response.

He noted many BHWs were forced to provide aid to Covid-19 patients despite lacking inadequate personal protective equipment such as face masks, gloves and protective suits at the height of the pandemic.

“We will push hard, time is of the essence. We need to give back our much appreciation to our heroes, our barangay health workers who deserve social protection, social dialogue, security of tenure and freedom of association,” De la Cruz said.

The House of Representatives approved on third and final House Bill 6557 last December 12. The Senate, however, has yet to complete its version of the said legislation.

The Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers bill is among the priority bills of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council. Samuel P. Medenilla

Saturday, April 1, 2023

Maritime

THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) aims to improve Filipinos’ mobility and connectivity and lower the cost of food and other goods through various maritime infrastructure projects, Secretary Jaime J. Bautista said.

Speaking before the Rotary District 3830’s District Conference (DISCON) over the weekend, Bautista outlined the future of Philippine transportation and gave an overview of the infrastructure flagship projects approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Board for the four transport sectors-Maritime, Roads, Railways, and Aviation.

DOTr’s approved infrastructure projects are guided by the “CASA” values-Convenient, Accessible, Safe and Affordable transport for Filipinos, Bautista said.

The transportation chief, a Rotarian himself, shared that DOTr under his leadership and the Rotary District practically have the same goal: promoting economic and community development.

Under Bautista, the DOTr’s Maritime sector is actively pursuing projects that connect the archipelago to make the countryside “competitive for trade, investment, and tourism.” Two key projects identified by the transport chief are the Roll-on Roll-off (RORO) Network Upgrade and the Farm-to-Market Ports Network.

RoRo

system up for upgrades,

expansion

KNOWN as the Strong Republic Nautical Highway, the RoRo system was created in 2003 by then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to make the movement of Filipinos and goods more efficient.

“Upgrading the country’s RoRo network is one of the eight priority programs of the recently updated Maritime Industry Development Plan 2019-2028. The upgrade will also “boost the domestic shipping industry in support of the nautical highway development,” Bautista added.