The House of Representatives under the leadership of Speaker Faustino Dy III has launched the “Alagang Kongreso,” a three-part institutional care program that brings together continuing assistance for retirees, centralized desk for public requests, and a new executive check-up package for the House workforce – with particular emphasis on the health benefits now being made available across the institution.
The program was rolled out Tuesday, beginning with the launch of Dakilang Yugto for retired Secretariat personnel, followed by the opening of the Suporta sa Bayan Desk at the North Gate Screening Facility, and ending with the formal presentation of the HRep Executive Check-Up Program at the People’s Center Cathedral, where House officials also signed the memorandum circular and the memorandum of agreement with partner hospitals.
House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos of Ilocos Norte said the initiative gives practical shape to the idea that public service works best when the people inside an institution, from its retirees to its current workforce, are cared for well.
“We express our gratitude to Speaker Bojie Dy for initiating the three programs, a clear reflection of his concern and compassion for the plight of House personnel and retirees,” Marcos said in a news release Wednesday.
“Alagang Kongreso is about making care visible. Kapag mas madali ang access sa check-up, mas malinaw ang support system para sa retirees, at mas maayos ang paglapit ng taumbayan para sa tulong, mas nagiging makatao ang institusyon at mas nagiging maayos ang serbisyo (When access to check-up is easier, support system to retirees is clearer, and with orderly accommodation of people asking for help, the institution becomes more humane and the service becomes more appropriate,” Marcos said.
The opening segment made it clear that Alagang Kongreso is not limited to those still actively reporting for work because through Dakilang Yugto, the House formally recognized retired personnel of the Secretariat and laid out a continuing assistance program built on the idea that retirement is not the end of service to the institution.
Built around the pillars of Konektado, Inaasikaso and Asensado, the retiree program offers wellness sessions, learning activities, community events, assistance services and livelihood or skills-building opportunities.
A dedicated microsite serves as a hub where retirees can receive updates, access programs and stay linked with the House community. In substance and tone, the first segment told former employees that the institution still remembers who helped build it.
The second segment shifted from internal care to public-facing service through the Suporta sa Bayan Desk, which was introduced as a central access point for requests coursed through elected representatives and partner offices.
The desk is meant to receive, process and coordinate requests involving medical, financial, social and emergency support, to make assistance more orderly, more transparent and easier to track.
But it was the final segment, focused on health and wellness, that gave the launch its strongest operational core.
The HRep Executive Check-Up Program now provides House members, Secretariat officials, employees and other covered personnel access to comprehensive executive medical examinations through partner hospitals, with the program designed around preventive care, early detection and proactive health management rather than delayed treatment after illness worsens.
The package lays down clear benefit ceilings depending on category, as House members and Executive Committee members are entitled to executive check-up coverage of up to PHP75,000; Secretariat officials are covered up to PHP60,000; and Secretariat employees, coterminous Secretariat personnel, congressional staff and contractual personnel are covered up to PHP30,000.
The program also offers two ways of availing the health package: one is reimbursement, where the beneficiary may go to a hospital of choice and pay first, subject to reimbursement rules; and the other is direct payment through accredited partner hospitals, where the hospital bills the House directly.
For many employees and staff, that second mode carries immediate value because it reduces the need to produce large upfront cash before availing a medical package.
House Secretary General Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil said the health component was designed to answer a common problem in public institutions, where people often delay check-ups because of cost, time or the inconvenience of arranging them on their own.
“The health package is one of the most concrete parts of Alagang Kongreso because it answers a need people feel immediately. Mas nagiging posible ang preventive care at hindi na laging ipinagpapabukas ang pagpapatingin kung may malinaw na proseso at coverage (Preventive care becomes immediately possible and the check-ups are not delayed as always if there is clear process and coverage),” Velicaria-Garafil said.
Meanwhile, Marcos said the three parts of Alagang Kongreso show a House leadership trying to build a fuller culture of care, one that does not stop with ceremonial recognition or one-time assistance but stretches from retirement to workforce wellness to the public’s need for timely support.
“Under Speaker Bojie Dy, the House has been building an institution that not only legislates care but also puts it into practice. May programa at may benepisyong puwedeng maramdaman ng tao,” Marcos stressed. (PNA)
