Councilor Van Dicang has proposed an ordinance institutionalizing a 24-hour On-Call Social Workers System under the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) to ensure uninterrupted and professional crisis intervention services beyond regular office hours.
Under the proposed measure, an On-Call Social Workers System will be formally created under the direct supervision of the City Social Welfare and Development Officer (CSWDO). The system will ensure that licensed social workers are available on a 24-hour, seven-day basis to respond to urgent situations including rescue and protective custody of abused, trafficked, neglected, or abandoned individuals; crisis intervention and psychosocial first aid; disaster and calamity response; and other emergencies requiring immediate professional social work services.
The ordinance covers all licensed social workers assigned to the CSWDO, regardless of position title or rank. In times of national or local state of calamity, the City Government may mobilize registered social workers employed in non-social worker positions from other city departments as force multipliers, subject to the issuance of an Executive Order by the City Mayor for the executive branch and a City Council Resolution for the legislative branch.
The CSWDO will implement a rotational on-call schedule through an official Office Order. The ordinance mandates compliance with occupational safety and health standards, civil service regulations on work hours and rest periods, and fatigue management protocols. It also requires coordination with the City Human Resource Management Office and the City Health Services Office for periodic health assessments and mental wellness programs for social workers exposed to high-risk or trauma-inducing cases.
Designated on-call social workers must remain reachable and ready to respond outside regular office hours, coordinate with agencies such as the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), Baguio City Police Office (BCPO), City Health Services Office (CHSO), and barangay councils, and submit incident reports within 24 hours after intervention. They are likewise required to observe occupational safety protocols during field operations.
In accordance with Republic Act No. 9433 and related laws, the ordinance provides for lawful compensation and benefits including on-call pay equivalent to 50% of the regular daily wage for each day on-call, overtime pay or compensatory time-off when actual work is rendered beyond regular hours, and hazard pay of not less than 20% of the monthly basic salary when duties are performed under hazardous or emergency conditions.
Subsistence, transportation allowances, and reimbursement of actual expenses for fieldwork are also mandated.
The measure further requires the provision of personal protective equipment, secure transport, emergency communication tools, and mandatory psychosocial debriefing in compliance with the Mental Health Act.
Within 60 days from the effectivity of the ordinance, the CSWDO, in coordination with the Human Resource Management Office (HRMO), City Budget Office, and City Accounting Office, must formulate the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).
The proposed ordinance has been approved on first reading by the Baguio City Council and referred to the Committee on Market, Trade, Commerce, and Agriculture for review. **Jordan G. Habbiling
