(UPDATED) President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday, June 5, ordered Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III to assemble a team within 24 hours that will focus on the immediate distribution of cash assistance to healthcare workers who contracted or died from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
Duterte issued the directive after Duque blamed DOH personnel for the delay in the distribution of the assistance during a meeting in Davao City Thursday night, June 4, with some members of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Infectious Diseases.
Under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, or Republic Act 11469 that was enacted into law on March 24, 2020, a healthcare worker who contracted the novel coronavirus or Sars-CoV-2 while on duty is entitled to a compensation of P100,000 while the family of a healthcare worker who died from Covid-19 would get P1 million.
Duque, who was in the meeting, said 32 medical frontliners had died from the disease.
The first of the 32 checks was released only on Friday, the DOH said in a statement shortly after the President’s address was aired.
The remaining checks are ready for pick-up and delivery to the recipients, and its distribution will be prioritized in the next two days, the agency added.
During the meeting with the President, Duque said he has instructed his staff to beat the three-day deadline given by the President.
“We will comply, Mr. President, with your deadline. Sabi ko, h’wag silang uuwi (I told them not to go home) tonight, tomorrow, weekend because you gave a three-day deadline to distribute the checks,” he said.
He said the 32 beneficiaries have been identified, although there were some conflicting claims.
Duque blamed his staff for the delay in the distribution of the assistance.
“Kasi, nakakahiya talaga, Sir, eh. Namatayan na nga, tapos nagpa-wardy-wardy ‘yung mga tao ko na parang walang sense of urgency, Sir. ‘Yun ang talagang sama-sama po ng loob ko, Mr. President,” he said.
The DOH signed only recently a Joint Administrative Order (JAO) establishing the implementing guidelines on the grant of compensation to public and private health workers under the Bayanihan law.
Other signatories are the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
Duterte, quoting Duque, said the DOH chief has been reminding his staff to expedite the release of the cash assistance. However, it has been more than two months since the cash assistance was mandated under the law and not one of the 32 families has received the promised P1-million financial assistance.
"Can you just imagine, two months? Tapos ang (DOH) secretary ang binubugbog araw-araw dahil wala siyang nagawa. Sino pala'ng pagawain ni Duque ito? Ang Bureau of...ano...Sino'ng pagawain nya? Ang pagawain nya yung Department of Health, hindi yung Bureau of Fire," Duterte said.
"Dalawang buwan - this is totally unacceptable to me. Now, I am asking Secretary Duque to form a new team that would focus on the immediate delivery of the assistance that should be given to those who were...yung namatay tapos yung nagkasakit and I expect it within 24 hours," the President added.
Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go, a long-time aide of Duterte, said he delivered a privilege speech at the Senate earlier Thursday to relay the President's order to expedite the release of cash assistance.
He said he had suggested that there are a lot of other people who would be willing to take on the tasks of DOH personnel who fail to deliver.
As of June 3, the DOH said a total of 2,703 healthcare workers have contracted the virus. Of this number, 1,206 are active cases, 1,465 have recovered and 32 had died.
Among the mortalities, 26 were physicians, 4 were doctors and 2 were non-medical staff.
Of the total number of confirmed infections, 993 involved nurses, 736 physicians, 176 nursing assistants, 109 medical technologists, 56 radiologic technologists and 336 non-medical staff. (Marites Villamor-Ilano/SunStar Philippines)