The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), in line with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to strengthen grassroots health systems and sustain community-based health response mechanisms beyond the pandemic, renewed its call for all local government units to support and strengthen their Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs). The DILG emphasized the vital role of BHERTs as the country’s frontline defense in protecting communities from health emergencies, ensuring immediate response during crises, and addressing everyday public health concerns at the barangay level.

 

To date, more than 43,000 BHERTs nationwide continue to actively serve and respond at the grassroots level. Their ongoing efforts remain crucial in promoting community health, ensuring immediate response during emergencies, and supporting local healthcare initiatives across the country.

 

Years after the height of the pandemic, BHERTs continue to quietly serve on the frontlines of community health response across the country. Originally organized during the COVID-19 pandemic, these teams became one of the closest links between government health services and ordinary Filipinos, especially in communities where immediate access to healthcare remains limited.

 

From monitoring residents and assisting during medical emergencies to supporting vaccination drives and local health initiatives, BHERTs continue to play an important role in helping communities respond to day-to-day health concerns.

 

As of February 2026, data from the DILG-National Barangay Operations Office showed that 88.83 percent of barangays nationwide have organized BHERTs, with more than 43,000 teams actively supporting community-level health response.

 

To strengthen these teams further, the Department has continued efforts to organize, reactivate, and capacitate BHERTs across the country, particularly through the BHERT-FRIENDS Project, which focuses on providing frontline responders with practical guidance, coordination support, and tools necessary for their work on the ground.

 

The Department added that strong barangay health systems remain essential not only during large-scale emergencies, but also in addressing everyday health concerns faced by Filipino families and communities.