To: Undersecretaries
Assistant Secretaries
Bureau Directors
Regional Directors
Schools Division/City Superintendents
Heads, Public Elementary and Secondary Schools

1. Republic Act No. 7305, otherwise known as the “Magna Carta of Public Health Workers” which took effect in July 1992, with its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) issued to the field offices in DECS Memorandum No. 208, s. 1994 and Revised IRR in DepED Order No. 74, s. 2003 aims to:
   1. promote and improve the social and economic well-being of the health workers, their living and working conditions and terms of employment;
   2. develop their skills and capabilities in order that they will be more responsive and better equipped to deliver health projects and programs; and
   3. encourage those with proper qualifications and excellent abilities to join and remain in government service.
2. Pursuant to the provisions of RA No. 7305, all public health workers (as defined by law) in the Department of Education have been granted their monthly subsistence and laundry allowances since 1992. Other additional benefits for public health workers are hazard pay, medical examination and treatment in government hospitals and salary increase, among others, have not yet been availed of all this time.
3. Cognizant of the positive correlation between good health and academic performance, and the importance and relevance of the services of the public health workers towards better health and nutrition to reduce drop-out rates, and in order to attain the purposes of the law, the payment of hazard pay to all public health workers in this Department shall be enforced as provided for in DepED Order No. 74, s. 2003.
4. Their entitlement to hazard pay is in consideration of the nature of their work, exposing them to high/low risk areas/workplaces as they provide health services to the school populace. A number of them are assigned in provinces identified by the Department of Health as vector – infested with malaria (26 highly endemic provinces) filaria (17 affected provinces and 23 suspected provinces), schistosoma (28 provinces) and capillaria, to name a few. In times of calamities or emergencies, these personnel are in the forefront rendering basic health and nutrition services, and their direct contact with the children, teachers and non-teaching personnel, not to mention their interface with the parents during home visitation, highly exposes them to risks.
5. Officials and employees who are under the following instance of more than one (1) full calendar month shall not be entitled to hazard pay:
   1. Those on vacation, sick and study leave with or without pay;
   2. Those on maternity/paternity and terminal leave; and
   3. Those on full time attendance in training grant/scholarship grant/seminar.
6. Central Office finance officers, regional directors and schools division superintendents are, therefore, directed to provide the hazard pay of the public health workers. The prescribed rates of the hazard pay in accordance with DOH Administrative Order No. 2006.0011 dated May 16, 2006 are as follows:
   For SG 1 to SG 19 – 25% of the actual present salary received
   For SG 20 and above – shall be pegged at the amount of PhP4,989.00/month and no increase shall be made
7. As stated in Section 4 of Rule XXII of the IRR, in case of deficiency in the funds needed to implement RA 7305, the requirements shall be charged against savings in the appropriation authorized for each department, bureau, office or agency concerned. Benefits under RA No. 7305 are mandatory obligations, hence, the appropriation for the Magna Carta benefits in the budget should take precedence over non-mandatory items. For succeeding years, such benefits shall be integrated in the annual budget for each year.
8. Immediate dissemination of and compliance with this Order is directed.

Reference: DepED Order: (No. 74, s. 2003)
Allotment: 1- -(D.O. 50-97)

To be indicated in the Perpetual Index under the following subjects:
BENEFITS
HEALTH EDUCATION
EMPLOYEES
OFFICIALS

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