MAY 30, 2015

NR # 3847

Incentives for disaster volunteers pushed

A bill seeking to reward disaster volunteers with financial, medical and other nonpecuniary benefits was filed in the House of Representatives.
House Bill 5658, authored by Rep. Winston Castelo (2 nd District, Quezon City),
grants incentives to the volunteers in recognition of their unique role of providing timing
and actual services of saving people from harm or possible death from disasters,
calamities and other emergencies.
By doing so, the bill to be known as the Volunteer Responders Incentives Protection
Act of 2015 hopes to retain the services of the volunteers and encourage others to render
selfless services to the country and the people in times of emergencies.
In filing the bill, Castelo, chairman of the House Committee on Metro Manila
Development, said the country is prone to disasters, calamities or emergencies that
threaten limbs and lives of the people.
When such phenomenon, man-made or natural, strikes, not few individuals or
families are affected, become victims, get injured and suffer socio-economic dislocation
which may be temporary or even permanent, Castelo said.
At times like this, the service of volunteers to respond to the needs of the affected
people is a great help to the government. Their services become a third way for
government, Castelo said.
However, Castelo said, the reality is that volunteers who undertake the challenge to
save and bring the lives of people to safety and away from harm become victims
themselves of disasters, calamites or emergencies.
Either they become injured in the process or at times they also become casualties
leaving behind their families unable to carry on with their daily lives, Castelo said.
It is for this reason that the bill seeks to incentivize volunteers by way of financial
as well as non-financial incentives or benefits such as medical or hospital attention or
treatment, according to Castelo.
The government just cannot turn deaf and blind to the now commonplace fact that
this area of volunteer emergency services must be aggressively tapped given that the
growing challenge that is facing it today is recruitment and retention. If they stop
rendering their selfless dedication to serve, the government might find itself having to
spend more in terms of a variety of related costs, Castelo said.

Volunteer responders deserve to be rewarded by financial, medical and or other

non-pecuniary benefits as a way to retain them for such emergency, disaster or calamity
services, natural or man-made. This is a fitting tribute in exchange for the value of time
donated by our selfless but heroic volunteer responders who are the first line of defense in
all the variety of disasters, calamities or emergencies, Castelo stressed.
The bill provides for the creation of a Volunteer Responders Incentives Protection
Program with the Office of Civil Defense of the Department of National Defense as the
office of primary responsibility.
Under the program, volunteer responders shall be provided financial, medical and
other non-pecuniary benefits or incentives in exchange for their services during
emergency, calamity or disaster. (30) mrs