NKTI janitress who sought hazard pay gets COVID-19

A janitress working at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute who was among the hospital workers who asked for hazard pay amid the health crisis has contracted the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

According to Jun Veneracion’s Monday report on “24 Oras,” Rowena Maniquiz said she asked for hazard pay last month because she too was a frontliner.

“Mula noong nagka-COVID pandemic, nandoon na po ‘yong takot ‘pag papasok at uuwi para sa pamilya ko ‘yong takot,” she said last August 18.

After a month, she was infected with the respiratory illness and was placed under quarantine at their barangay facility.

“Hindi po talaga natin alam kung kailan eh. Lahat naman po tayo nag-iingat. Siguro po, lalo na lang po natin doblehin pag-iingat natin,” she said.

Maniquiz, who was a contract of service employee at a manpower agency, was the breadwinner of the family. Her husband Tony Boy and her son, both of whom tested negative for the virus, were persons with disabilities.

Fortunately, instead of discriminating against them, Tony Boy said their neighbors at Barangay San Isidro in Quezon City helped them get by.

“Lahat naman tayo kung sakaling mangailangan, tayo-tayo lang din naman magtutulungan, wala naman tayong inaasahang iba, ‘di ba? ‘Wag pandidirihan, dapat tulungan,” David Castillo, their neighbor, said.

Meanwhile, for Rowena, her family’s discipline was a big factor why both her husband and son were not infected with the disease.

“Tuwing umuuwi po ako, inuutusan ko silang mag-face mask. Hanggang sa pagtulog namin naka-mask kami,” she said. — Ma. Angelica Garcia/DVM, GMA News