The Revised National Apprenticeship Program Act and the Health Emergency Auxiliary Reinforcement Team Law passed the third and final reading in the House of Representatives which would help the labor force and public health of the country.
The proposed Revised National Apprenticeship Program Act and the Health Emergency Auxiliary Reinforcement Team (HEART) bills are now with the Senate after recently passing third and final reading at the House of Representatives.
The two bills are among the five measures proposed by Quezon Province (Third District) Rep. Reynante U. Arrogancia. House Bill (HB) 6299 was combined with 33 other bills to form the Revised National Apprenticeship Program, now known as HB 6523, while HB 3119 was combined with 33 other bills to form the substitute bill, HB 6518.
There are no bills on an apprenticeship in the Senate, but 10 bills proposed the formation of a Medical Reserve Corps. Rep. Arrogancia anticipates smooth Senate passage of HB 6523 and HB 3119, as both bills are likely to become law in the coming months.
HB 6523 is the result of decades of lessons learned from the Labor Code's old apprenticeship or learnership program. Many of the lessons are based on real-world experiences of local governments with the learnership program, specifically on how to avoid labor laws and standards. The apprenticeship contract and its mandatory provisions are among the key updates and upgrades.
Quality apprenticeship programs reduce turnover, increase productivity, and lower recruitment costs. Customized training that meets industry standards and is tailored to the specific needs of businesses results in highly skilled employees and ensures that enterprises will have a continuous supply of skilled workers.
HEART bill
The HEART bill would greatly impact the local governments when it becomes a law as it would help augment the health workforce in times of disasters, public health emergencies, and health threats.
It will be composed of people from the medical field who will be deployed during health crisis situations. These people shall be licensed physicians, medical students who completed their four years of the medical course, graduates of medicine, registered nurses, and licensed allied health professionals.
The bill noted that the establishment of HEART aims to promote the "bayanihan" spirit.
It will also enhance the nation's capacity to expand its human health resources in times of disasters, public health emergencies, and health threats on a national and local scale through the mobilization of the HEART.
He said his field officers served 1,959 medical assistance beneficiaries and last September, assisted 2,358 families and gave 3,059 relief packs during Typhoon Karding.
They also coordinated with national agencies and Local Government Units (LGUs) for 4,331 Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) beneficiaries who were mobilized for mangrove tree planting with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
They also helped 14,783 families during Typhoon Paeng's devastation in November by distributing 5,000 Family Food Packs in collaboration with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
In addition, 3,114 Farmers and Fisherfolk Assistance Beneficiaries were served in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture (DA) Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Farmer Financial Assistance (RCEF-RFFA) Program, as were 1,097 AICS-Education Assistance Beneficiaries which is in coordination with the DSWD.
Tags: #Apprenticeship, #HEART, #Health, #Labor