President Rodrigo Duterte has given the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and Health Department 10 days to release the funds for the benefits of medical frontliners.
HEARING the cries of medical workers, President Rodrigo Duterte has directed the Department of Health (DOH) to facilitate the immediate release of benefits of frontline health workers.
Duterte gave the fresh directive amid complaints from some groups of medical professionals from private hospitals about the non-release of their special risk allowance (SRA) and the removal of their other benefits amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a pre-recorded Talk to the People delivered Friday night and aired Saturday morning (August 21), Duterte told Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to use its available funds and look for other sources of funding to compensate healthcare workers.
“I am committed to leading our nation out of this pandemic, with the help of front-line institutions so that we can be victorious,” Duterte said. “Secretary Duque, bayaran mo (pay [the medical front-liners]. Use whatever money there is. Bayaran mo ‘yung hinihingi ng mga nurses (Give what the nurses are asking for), both in government and those outside of government volunteers.”
Duterte also gave the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) at least “10 days” to release the funds for the distribution of benefits to medical frontliners.
“Itong naghawak ng pera, DBM, I’m giving you 10 days [to release the money],” he said. “Ibigay mo yung pera kay Secretary Duque tapos bayaran niya (Give the money to Secretary Duque so he can pay the health workers’ benefits).”
Duterte likewise expressed willingness to use his office’s contingency fund to ensure the speedy release of health workers’ benefits.
He made the commitment to ensure that all medical frontliners would receive their allowances and other benefits amid the pandemic.
Under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2), medical frontliners are entitled to receive SRA and hazard pay, on top of their usual benefits under existing laws.
(ONT/With report from PNA)
Tags: #RodrigoDuterte, #DepartmentOfHealth, #medicalfrontliners, #financialbenefits, #hazardpay, #Covid19