MMDA night shift personnel to get free medical insurance

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will provide free medical insurance for its night-duty traffic enforcement and rescue and emergency personnel. MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said the insurance benefit will initially be given to 350 disaster response volunteers and 60 traffic enforcers on the "graveyard shift." “These men perform extraordinary tasks and it is only proper that we take care of them and their family. This is the least we could give them in exchange for their hard work and sacrifice," Tolentino said on the MMDA website. MMDA’s Public Safety Office is now training 350 volunteers for its 24-hour rescue and emergency units to be deployed when there are floods or other disasters. As they are volunteers, they will receive no other compensation from the MMDA except allowances, Tolentino said. On the other hand, he MMDA will soon sign a memorandum of agreement with an insurance company and the Rotary Club of Pasig, which will shoulder the insurance premiums of the employee-beneficiaries. Tolentino said they are still ironing out the terms and conditions of the insurance coverage. He explained that the employees will receive a P50,000 insurance coverage, which will increase to P250,000 after one year. “The beneficiaries and the MMDA will not pay a single centavo. The Rotary Club of Pasig will shoulder all the costs," Tolentino said. He said the certificates of insurance or the insurance policy, will be given to the volunteers after they graduate from their extensive training. Aside from the night-duty traffic enforcers, those who will receive free insurance are the members of Rescue and Road Emergency Group, especially those who do nighttime duties, and other field employees doing hazardous work. –VVP, GMANews.TV