RECOGNIZING their sacrifices and crucial role during disasters, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go has filed a bill seeking to provide hazard pay to disaster response personnel nationwide, stressing that the least the government can do is to properly compensate them.

Senate Bill No. 1709, which Go filed on January 23, proposes to amend the provisions of the “Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010″ to mandate the local government units to grant hazard pay to the personnel of their respective Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices (LDRRMOs) and Barangay Risk Reduction and Management Committees (BRRMCs), as well as all accredited community disaster volunteers (ACDVs) enlisted to their respective territorial jurisdictions during the State of Calamity declared by the President.

As the country is positioned along the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire”, an area where earthquakes and volcanic activities are more frequent than in any other part of the world, the Philippines was ranked as the third most disaster-prone country in the world, according to the World Risk Report published by the United Nations University Institute of Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS).

Go reiterated that the lives of disaster relief teams and volunteers are always at risk.

“Alam naman po natin na palaging tinatamaan ng bagyo, lindol, at ano pang sakuna ang ating bansa kaya napakalaki ng papel na ginagampanan ng ating mga rescuers at volunteers sa mga panahon na ito dahil sila ang nagbubuwis ng buhay para ilagay sa kaligtasan ang kanilang mga kababayan,” Go said.

“Marapat naman talagang mabigyan sila ng tamang compensation. Give what is due to them. All government personnel should be entitled to hazard pay, particularly yung talagang mga delikadong trabaho tulad nito,” he added.

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