PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte appealed to healthcare workers (HCWs) for patience and understanding over the delay in the payment of their benefits and allowances, saying the government has “other expenses” to make aside from those related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
“Give us time to adjust to the finances because ang fluctuation of events hindi natin malaman kagaya nito bigla na lang. Sino ba nag-akala na mayroong pandemiya? We have to spend in a short notice, we had to collate whatever was left or whatever was available for Bayanihan 1 and 2,” he said during his weekly Talk to the People which was aired on Wednesday morning, September 8, 2021.
“Tapos kayo bigla magreklamo. Di ko naman sinasabi mali iyan. Tama iyan. Kaya lang konting pag-unawa lang kasi kung meron lang talaga bakit namin hindi ibigay. Anuhin naman namin yung pera hindi man amin?” he added.
In his report to Duterte, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III said the government has disbursed a total of P14.3 billion for HCW benefits from September 2020 to June 30, 2021.
For the period covering September to December 19, 2020, Duque said P6.4 billion was released for the active hazard duty pay of 384,159 HCWs and special risk allowances (SRA) for 306,314 others, while 103,096 HCWs also received meals, accommodation, and transportation (MAT) allowances worth P990.9 million.
For the second period from December 20, 2020 to June 30, 2021, P6.9 billion worth of SRA was disbursed for 379,117 healthcare workers while a total of 32,281 healthcare workers received life insurance benefits worth P16 million. Checks amounting to P570 million were also issued to 24,034 HCWs as sickness and death compensation.
Duque said HCWs who suffered from mild to moderate symptoms of Covid-19 received P15,000 while those who developed severe and critical symptoms were given P100,000.
At least 103 frontline HCWs died from Covid-19. Their families received P1 million each.
Duque said this is on top of the P311.79 million disbursed for the SRA.
He said the Department of Budget and Management recently transferred to the DOH P888.12 million for the benefits of the HCWs.
Earlier, various HCW groups conducted protests over the government’s failure to pay their benefits and allowances under Bayanihan 1 and 2.
They called for the resignation of Duque and Duterte. (SunStar Philippines)