INCENTIVE. Child Development Workers (CDWs) from the Municipality of Bugasong join the provincial congress at the Binirayan Gymnasium in San Jose de Buenavista, Antique province on June 16, 2023. The Antique Provincial Board is eyeing to increase their annual incentive to PHP10,000 from the current PHP5,000. (PNA photo courtesy of Antique PSWDO)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – The provincial board here is pushing to increase the remuneration or incentive of around 684 Child Development Workers (CDWs) in Antique from PHP5,000 to PHP10,000 annually.
The proposed ordinance authored by Board Member Member Mayella Mae Plameras-Ladislao amending existing Provincial Ordinance 296, series of 2022 likewise pushed for the provision of educational assistance to the CDWs.
Provincial Ordinance 296 which was passed in 2021 mandated the financial remuneration and privileges to CDWs as well appropriation of funds for its implementation.
“I had proposed an amendment in the Provincial Ordinance 296 for the CDWs to receive financial remuneration of not less than PHP10,000 annually from the provincial government,” Ladislao said in an interview on Tuesday.
She added that the amendment was crafted to support the intention of Governor Rhodora Cadiao for an increased incentive to promote the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) program in the province.
CDWs could avail of educational assistance from the provincial government if they would like to pursue further studies, she added.
The amended version was passed by the Provincial Board on first reading during their regular session on Monday and is now with the committees on social services and laws and finance for deliberation.
CDW Antique president Alfred Vacuna said most of the CDWs in the province are job orders or volunteers and only a few occupy permanent positions.
In local government units, only two CDWs have permanent positions and the rest are job order employees.
Vacuna holds a Salary Grade 8 plantilla position equivalent to PHP15,000 per month.
“We are glad that the provincial government is increasing our incentives to support us also,” he said in a separate interview.
He added that CDWs who are high school graduates or undergraduates in college may want to avail of educational assistance.
The provincial government provides education aid of PHP5,000 for college students and PHP6,000 for graduate students per semester under the Provincial Youth Development Office. (PNA)
