DBM: Difficult to accommodate P13 billion for health workers’ meal, transport allowance

The Department of Health's request for P13 billion to cover health workers allowances for meals, accommodation, and transportation is difficult to accommodate, Department of Budget and Management officer-in-charge Tina Rose Canda said on Wednesday.

In a Palace briefing, Canda said could not be accommodated under the DOH's allocation.

“Ang meal, accommodation and transportation allowance kasi at transportation is supposed to be charged ‘yan against DOH budget," DBM Undersecretary Tina Rose Marie Canda said at a Palace briefing.

"‘Yan ang malinaw doon sa approval galing sa Office of the President. Kaya lang sobrang laki at dami ng claims. So, medyo mahirap i-accommodate ‘yan sa loob ng budget ng DOH,” Canda said.,” she added.

[The meal, accommodation and transportation allowance is supposed to be charged against the budget of the DOH. That is clearly stated on the approval, which came from the Office of the President. However, the size of funds needed and number of claims are huge.]

[The amount is difficult to accommodate within the DOH’s budget.]

The DBM has released P311 million additional funds for health workers’ COVID-19 special risk allowance (SRA) amid resounding calls from medical groups for the release of their long-sought-after benefits.

The DOH on Tuesday said it already disbursed over P237 million of the additional P311 million funds released for the COVID-19 special risk allowance (SRA) of an additional 20,000 health workers.

The releases, however, did not include those for MAT allowance.

On Monday, health workers from various hospitals staged protests to demand the release of their benefits including the SRA, active hazard duty pay, and allowances for meals, accommodation, and transportation.

Canda said the DBM was still looking for funds required to disburse the MAT allowance of health workers.

“‘Yung actual grant na lang siguro doon sa mga taong entitled sa allowance na ‘to ‘yun ang hindi pa nagawa,” she said.

[The actual grant for those entitled for this allowance is still undone.] --NB, GMA News