Article 141Labor and Agrarian Laws and Social Legislation, p. 141

LABOR LAWS AND SOCIAL LEGISLATION SPECIAL LAWS AND IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS

services shall be entitled to additional honorarium and

allowances.

SECTION

11.

Administrative

Charges .

—

Administrative charges against a public health workers

shall

be

heard

by

a

committee

composed

of

the

provincial health officer of the province where the public

health worker belongs, as chairperson, a representative of

any existing national or provincial public health workers'

organization or in its absence its local counterpart and a

supervisor of the district, the last two (2) to be designated

by the provincial health officer mentioned above. The

committee

shall

submit

its

findings

and

recommendations to the Secretary of Health within thirty

(30) days from the termination of the hearings. Where the

provincial health officer is an interested party, all the

members of the committee shall be appointed by the

Secretary of Health.

SECTION 12. Safeguards in Disciplinary Procedures .

— In every disciplinary proceeding, the public health

worker shall have:

a) the right to be informed, in writing, of the charges;

b) the right to full access to the evidence in the case;

c) the right to defend himself/herself and to be

defended by a representative of his/her choice and/or by

his/her organization, adequate time being given to the

public

health

worker

for

the

preparation

of his/her

defense;

d) the right to confront witnesses presented against

him/her and summon witnesses in his/her behalf;

e) the right to appeal to designated authorities;

f) the right to reimbursement of reasonable expenses

incurred in his/her defense in case of exoneration or

dismissal of the charges; and

g) such other rights as will ensure fairness and

impartiality during proceedings.

SECTION 13. Duties and Obligations . — The public

health workers shall:

a) discharge his/her duty humanely with conscience

and dignity;

b) perform his/her duty with utmost respect for life;

and

c) exercise his/her functions without consideration to

race, gender, religion, nationality, party politics, social

standing or capacity to pay.

SECTION 14. Code of Conduct . — Within six (6)

months from the approval of this Act, the Secretary of

Health,

upon

consultation

with

other

appropriate

agencies, professional and health worker's organization,

shall formulate and prepare a Code of Conduct for Public

Health Workers, which shall be disseminated as widely as

possible.

SECTION 15. Normal Hours of Work . — The normal

hours of work of any public health worker shall not

exceed eight (8) hours a day or forty (40) hours a week.

Hours worked shall include: a) all the time during

which a public health worker is required to be on active

duty or to be at a prescribed workplace; and b) all the

time during which a public health worker is suffered or

permitted to work; Provided , That, the time when a public

health worker is placed on " On Call " status shall not be

considered as hours worked but shall entitle the public

health worker to an " On Call " pay equivalent to fifty

percent (50%) of his/her regular wage. " On Call " status

refers to a condition when public health workers are

called upon to respond to urgent or immediate need for

health/medical

assistance

or

relief

work

during

emergencies such that he/shall devote the time for

his/her own use.

SECTION 16. Overtime Work . — Where the exigencies

of the service so require, any public health worker may be

required to render service beyond the normal eight (8)

hours a day. In such a case, the workers shall be paid an

additional compensation in accordance with existing

laws and prevailing practices.

SECTION 17. Work During Rest Day . — a) Where a

public

health

worker

is

made

to

work

on

his/her

scheduled rest day, he/she shall be paid an additional

compensation in accordance with existing laws.

b) Where a public health worker is made to work on

any special holiday he/she shall be paid an additional

compensation in accordance with existing laws. Where

such holiday work falls on the worker's scheduled rest

day,

he/she

shall

be

entitled

to

an

additional

compensation as may be provided by existing laws.

SECTION 18. Night-Shift Differential . — a) Every

public health worker shall be paid a night-shift differential

of ten percent (10%) of his/her regular wage for each hour

of work performed during the night-shifts customarily

adopted by hospitals.

b)

Every health worker required to work on the

period covered after his/her regular schedule shall be

entitled to his/her regular wage plus the regular overtime

rate and an additional amount of ten percent (10%) of

such overtime rate for each hour of work performed

between ten (10) o'clock in the evening to six (6) o'clock in

the morning.

SECTION 19. Salaries . — In the determination of the

salary scale of public health workers, the provisions of

Republic Act No. 6758 shall govern, except that the

benchmark for Rural Health Physicians shall be upgraded

to Grade 24.

a) Salary Scale — Salary scales of public health

workers shall be provided progression: Provided , That the

progression from the minimum to maximum of the

salary scale shall not extend over a period of ten (10) years:

Provided, further , That the efficiency rating of the public

health worker concerned is at least satisfactory.

b) Equality in Salary Scale — The salary scales of

public health workers whose salaries are appropriated by

a city, municipality, district, or provincial government shall

not be less than those provided for public health workers

of the national government: Provided , That the national

government shall subsidize the amount necessary to pay

the difference between that received by nationality-paid

and locally-paid health workers of equivalent positions.

c) Salaries to be Paid in Legal Tender — Salaries of

public health workers shall be paid in legal tender of the

Philippines

or

the

equivalent

in

checks

or treasury

warrants: Provided, however , That such checks or treasury

warrants shall be convertible to cash in any national,

provincial, city or municipal treasurers' office or any

banking institution operating under the laws of the

Republic of the Philippines.

d) Deductions Prohibited — No person shall make

any deduction whatsoever from the salaries of public

health workers except under specific provision of law

authorizing such deductions: Provided, however , That

upon written authority executed by the public health

worker concerned, a) lawful dues or fees owing to any

organization/association where such public health worker

is an officer or member; and b) premiums properly due all

insurance policies, retirement and medicare shall be

considered deductible. cdt

SECTION

20.

Additional

Compensation .

—

Notwithstanding Section 12 of Republic Act No. 6758 ,

public

health

workers

shall

receive

the

following

allowances:

hazard

allowance,

subsistence

allowance,

longevity pay, laundry allowance and remote assignment

allowance.

SECTION 21. Hazard Allowance . — Public health

workers in hospitals, sanitaria, rural health units, main

health

centers,

health

infirmaries,

barangay

health

stations, clinics and other health-related establishments

located in difficult areas, strife-torn or embattled areas,

distressed or isolated stations, prison camps, mental

© Compiled By RGL

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