Remembering Forgotten Modern-Day Heroes
As the nation marked National Heroes’ Day, labor and health groups strongly urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to recognize the country’s forgotten modern-day heroes. These include health workers who continue to face low wages and unsafe working conditions, along with slain trade unionists who sacrificed their lives defending workers’ rights.
Community members emphasized that honoring these modern-day heroes is crucial amid ongoing challenges in the healthcare and labor sectors. They called for immediate government action to address longstanding issues affecting frontline workers.
Healthcare Workers Demand Fair Treatment and Support
The Alliance of Healthcare Workers (AHW) criticized the government’s failure to resolve persistent problems such as inadequate salaries, job insecurity, unpaid benefits, and understaffing in hospitals. Officials reported that these issues have left many health workers demoralized despite their sacrifices during the pandemic.
To express their dissatisfaction with the administration and relevant agencies like the Department of Health and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), AHW members staged a ‘‘lunch break’’ protest in front of the National Center for Mental Health in Mandaluyong City.
“Despite their sacrifices during the pandemic and beyond, our modern-day heroes have been forgotten. Health workers remain on the front lines, not only in providing care but also in the streets, demanding what is rightfully theirs,” AHW representatives said.
Calls for Timely Bonuses and Livable Wages
Reynaldo Villamater, acting president of the National Center for Mental Health Employees Association-AHW, urged the DBM to release the long-overdue performance-based bonuses for health workers covering 2021 to 2023. “These delays are unjust and demoralizing, especially for health workers who have consistently served on the frontlines. The government must fulfill its obligation without further delay,” he stated.
Moreover, AHW proposed a living wage increase with a P36,000 starting salary for both public and private health workers and a P50,000 entry salary for nurses and other health professionals. They also advocated for a nontaxable medical allowance of P7,000 in cash to help health workers afford medicines for their families.
Overburdened Facilities and Staffing Crisis
Ely Sobinsky, president of the Lung Center of the Philippines Employees Association-AHW, highlighted the strain on public health facilities caused by the government’s ‘‘Zero Balance Billing’’ policy. “We are also calling for the mass hiring of health workers in regular plantilla positions to address the worsening staffing crisis in public hospitals,” he noted.
He added, “The influx of patients due to President Marcos Jr.’s deceptive ‘Zero Balance Billing’ policy has overwhelmed our already understaffed public health facilities.” Sobinsky criticized the recent call by the President for health workers to remain in the country, urging the government to move beyond rhetoric and solve the sector’s deep-rooted problems.
He stressed, “Health workers have long served the country with dedication, even amid the COVID-19 crisis. But without substantial improvements, many will continue to seek opportunities abroad, not because of disloyalty, but out of necessity.”
Labor Groups Demand Justice for Fallen Unionists
Meanwhile, labor coalition Nagkaisa appealed to President Marcos to honor the unsung heroes of the labor movement—trade unionists who lost their lives defending worker rights. “It is not just in history books or in statues built on sidewalks that we can see heroes—they are also the workers who continue to fight, organize and lay down their lives so that the next generation may have dignified and pleasant lives,” said Nagkaisa Chair Sonny Matula.
The group recalled several tragic cases: labor leader Dennis Sequeña, killed after conducting a seminar in Cavite in 2019; Dandy Miguel, shot dead in Laguna in 2021; and Emmanuel “Manny” Asuncion, killed during the controversial “Bloody Sunday” raids in Calabarzon that same year.
They also mentioned Jude Thaddeus Fernandez, a KMU organizer killed in Rizal last year, and Alex Dolorosa, a unionist from the BPO Industry Employees Network who was found dead in Bacolod City in April 2023 after going missing for three days.
Calls for Swift Justice and Accountability
Nagkaisa urged the President, together with the Department of Labor and Employment and the Department of Justice, to expedite investigations and prosecute those responsible for these killings. They warned that without decisive action, more labor leaders could be targeted.
The coalition criticized the Presidential Inter-Agency Committee on Freedom of Association for its slow progress and lack of clear prosecutions. They pointed out that the only case moving forward, Dolorosa’s, was downgraded as a non-union related killing, raising concerns about the committee’s effectiveness.
Community members concluded that honoring modern-day heroes requires not only remembrance but also tangible reforms to protect and uplift those who continue to serve the nation.
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