PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte signed on Monday, November 16, Administrative Order (AO) 36, granting a monthly Special Risk Allowance (SRA) to all public and private health workers who are directly in contact with Covid-19 patients.
The AO was issued as a way to recognize the "heroic and invaluable contributions of our public health workers throughout the country who bravely and unselfishly risk their lives and health by being at the forefront of the national effort to address the public health emergency."
Duterte declared in March 2020, through Proclamation 922, a State of Public Health Emergency throughout the Philippines to address the Covid-19 threat.
On Monday, November 16, Duterte, through AO 36, authorized national government agencies, government-owned or -controlled corporations and local government units (LGUs) to grant the Covid-19 SRA not exceeding P5,000 per month to health workers who directly cater to or are in contact with Covid-19 patients.
According to the AO, the Covid-19 SRA will be in addition to any hazard pay, hazardous duty pay, hazard allowance or other similar benefits, and shall be exempt from income tax.
It defined the health workers as those medical, allied medical and other personnel who directly provide treatment and support care to Covid-19 patients.
Public health workers include civilian employees occupying regular, contractual or casual positions, whether full or part-time or workers engaged through contract of service (COS) or job order (JO), including duly accredited and registered Barangay Health Workers (BHWs), who are assigned to hospitals, laboratories, or medical and quarantine facilities.
Private health workers, on the other hand, are those assigned in the designated Covid-19 units of hospitals, laboratories or medical quarantine facilities as certified by the Department of Health (DOH).
It also stated that health workers covered by the order should report for work at their assigned work stations on the prescribed official working hours, as authorized by the head of agency/office during the state of national emergency, which place them in direct contact with Covid-19 patients.
The grant of Covid-19 SRA will be pro-rated based on the number of days that the public and private HWs physically report for work in a month as certified by the head of the hospital, laboratory, or medical and quarantine facility or his or her authorized representative reckoned from September 15 to until December 19, added the order.
Exempted from the SRA are consultants and experts engaged for a limited period; laborers engaged through job contracts and those paid on piecework basis; student workers and apprentices; and individuals and group of individuals whose services are engaged through COS or JO, including BHWS, who are not assigned to hospitals, laboratories, or medical and quarantine facilities.
AO 36 also stated that the fund to be used will be sourced from the P13.5 billion appropriated under Section 10 (a) of Republic Act 11494 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2).
The DOH and Department of Budget and Management (DBM) have been tasked to validate all claims for the payment of SRA to public and private health workers. They were also tasked to issue the guidelines necessary for the effective implementation of the order.
"This order shall take effect immediately following its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation," it stated. (Laureen MondoƱedo-Ynot/SunStar Philippines)