​SEN. Robinhood Padilla has filed Senate Bill (SB) 1615, proposed legislation seeking to establish a Magna Carta for Barangay Health Workers (BHWs). ​The measure aims to grant benefits, incentives and legal protection to frontline community health workers across the country. ​SB 1615 underscores the State’s constitutional duty under Article XIII, Section 11 of the 1987 Constitution to ensure accessible and affordable health services for all Filipinos. ​”Barangay (village) health workers are the first point of contact for our people within the health system. Yet, despite the risks they face and the responsibilities they carry, they remain classified as volunteers and receive only minimal incentives,” Padilla said in the bill’s explanatory note. ​BHWs are tasked with a wide range of responsibilities, including maternal and childcare support, immunization campaigns, nutrition monitoring, disease surveillance and health education. Their role became even more pronounced during the Covid-19 pandemic, when they served as the first line of defense in communities — monitoring vulnerable individuals, assisting in contact tracing and linking households to health facilities. ​Despite their contributions, BHWs are not formally recognized as government employees, leaving them without standardized compensation, security of tenure or adequate social protection. ​Under SB 1615, active and regularly performing BHWs would be entitled to a package of incentives and benefits, including hazard allowances, retirement cash incentives, insurance coverage and access to government-backed loan facilities. The bill also seeks to institutionalize additional benefits that may be provided by local government units, subject to national standards.​The proposed Magna Carta further prohibits any form of discrimination against BHWs in the performance of their duties, recognizing the risks they face in the field, including exposure to infectious diseases and community-related threats. ​The bill affirms the right of BHWs to self-organize. It allows them to freely form, join or assist organizations and associations to protect their welfare and seek redress for grievances through peaceful and lawful means. ​Health advocates have long pushed for such legislation, noting that formal recognition and adequate benefits would not only improve the welfare of BHWs but also strengthen the country’s primary health care system.