Major health workers’ organizations expressed deep frustration over the total absence of frontline health workers in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), calling it a glaring omission that underscored continued government neglect of those who kept the nation afloat during the pandemic.
Representatives from the UNI Global Union–Philippine Liaison Council (UNI-PLC), the National Federation of Barangay Health Workers (NFBHW), the Unified Filipino Service Workers (UFSW), and Ugnayang Nagkakaisang Manggagawa – UST Hospital (UNM-USTH) delivered a united message: the President’s speech failed to recognize the very workers who form the backbone of the public health system.
“Despite the administration’s many health programs, we heard not a single word about barangay health workers (BHWs),” lamented Myrna Gaite, NCR BHW Federation President. “We were promised the Magna Carta for BHWs—where is it now?”
More than 251,000 barangay health workers, most of whom are women, continue to serve communities without job security, adequate pay, or legal protection.
Their contributions, Gaite emphasized, are routinely taken for granted.
UFSW President Jesus Obien highlighted the irony in the President’s call for foreign investors to trust Filipino workers, while the government itself fails to invest in its own healthcare workforce.
“How can we attract investment when our own workers—especially in healthcare—are underpaid, overworked, and ignored?” Obien asked, citing a national shortfall of 220,000 health workers.
Ronald Ignacio of UNM-USTH and UPHUP didn’t mince words either. “We were hailed as heroes during the pandemic. Now, we’re not even worth a mention. Worse, many of us still haven’t received our Health Emergency Allowances, even two years after the state of emergency ended.
”The Department of Health recently admitted it still needs ₱6.8 billion to fully settle HEA claims, on top of ₱103.5 billion already disbursed. Despite continued appeals, President Marcos vetoed HEA funding in the 2025 national budget—leaving thousands of frontline workers unpaid.While the UNI-PLC acknowledged a few promising initiatives in the SONA—such as zero billing in DOH hospitals, free dialysis, and increased access to medicines—it emphasized that these should not overshadow the complete disregard for labor and health sector concerns.
“There was no mention of wage hikes, security of tenure, or any of the pending pro-worker bills,” the group said. “If this is the President’s vision of Bagong Pilipinas, it’s one that clearly leaves workers behind.”
Among the neglected priorities were the Magna Carta for BHWs, the security of tenure bill, a legislated wage increase, and amendments to strengthen the Universal Health Care Law.Despite being sidelined, all four groups reaffirmed their commitment to fighting for the rights of health workers.
Their legislative priorities for the 20th Congress include institutionalizing hazard pay in the private sector, enacting the Comprehensive Nursing Law, conducting a congressional inquiry into unpaid HEAs, and overhauling the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Law.
“The health sector won’t back down,” UNI-PLC concluded. “We will keep pushing until the dignity, rights, and welfare of all health workers are recognized—not just in speeches, but in action.”