BONTOC, Mountain Province – Regular employees of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) are now entitled to hazard pay.
The sangguniang bayan passed Ordinance 330, s. 2021, granting other bonuses and allowances (hazard pay) to regular employees of the MDRRMO.
The ordinance stipulates most of the time, MDRRMO personnel stake their lives to assist or save the lives of those affected by calamities.
Mayor Franklin Odsey approved the ordinance recognizing that MDRRMO employees are among the human resource of the municipal government who are exposed to hazardous work areas as they attend to emergency operations where their lives are placed at risk.
He added the hazard pay is an equitable compensation for the services they provide.
The ordinance states all regular employees of the MDRRMO shall be entitled to a hazard duty pay which shall be P1,000 per month regardless of their period of exposure.
Personnel shall be entitled to receive their hazard pay starting February irrespective of the date of its approval and effectivity.
Section 3, Article 8 of the Constitution provides that the State shall protect labor; promote full employment; provide equal opportunities regardless of gender, race, or creed; and regulate employee-employer relations.
Department of Budget Management Budget Circular 451, s. 1996 provides that compensation premium or allowance may be provided for officials and employees, who, because of the nature of their work, are exposed to hazards.
Provisions of the circular explain those in work areas where rescue operations or evacuations had to be carried out due to natural calamities, where the rescuers are directly and exposed to harm, danger, or occupational risk or perils to life in the course of performing their duties, may be covered with the prescribed hazard duty pay.
Under the circular, officials and employees who are directly involved in rescue operations shall be entitled to hazard duty pay at the maximum rate per month regardless of the period of exposure. – Alpine L. Killa
