Sotto nudges Duque over slow implementation of P1M death, P100K sickness benefits for health workers

Published June 03, 2020 03:56 PM By DONA MAGSINO, GMA News

Senate President Vicente Sotto III sent a strong-worded letter to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Wednesday after learning that affected health workers have yet to receive sickness and death benefits provided in the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.

In the letter, Sotto reiterated that the lack of implementing rules and regulation (IRR) is not an acceptable excuse for such delay.

"A law's effectivity does not and cannot rely on the IRR's existence or nonexistence, especially if the provisions of the law is clear and categorical," he said.

"Assuming arguendo that an IRR is indispensable in the implementation of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, particularly on the grant of compensation to affected health workers or their families, then what hindered your office to draft and approve the said IRR in the past two months?" he added.

On Tuesday night, several senators expressed dismay after discovering that not a single health worker affected with severe COVID-19 has received the P100,000 sickness and P1 million death benefit that were indicated in the Bayanihan law.

The provision has a retroactive application from February 1, 2020.

Sotto said these should have been implemented without delay and difficulty because the government has already provided funds for these.

"The efforts and sacrifices made by our health care worker-frontliners need not be more emphasized. Their being so-called COVID-19 heroes and the accolades they received each day are reminders for them to get noticed by everyone, including you. But it seems that you pay no heed to these facts," he told Duque in the letter.

"While I understand that this pandemic is an unprecedented crisis, let it not be the reason for your failure to do what is expected of you as the Secretary of Health and the Chairperson of the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force)," he added.

"May I remind you, that we, as public servants, are duty-bound to cushion the effects that this pandemic brings and not to add to the problem or worst, to be the problem and source of panic and further uncertainties in this already challenging world," Sotto further said.

Senator Panfilo Lacson also slammed the inaction which he called a "clear violation" of the Bayanihan law.

"The P1-million compensation is the least the government owes the families of these 32 fallen heroes. It’s in the law... This makes us wonder: How can we heal as one when they can’t heal their own?" he said.

"Worse, it makes us wonder as well if the Department of Health is busy procuring pricey medical equipment to neglect their front-liners," he added.

Last April, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the guidelines regarding the release of said benefits to affected health workers is still being crafted by the Department of Budget and Management, Department of Labor and Employment, Civil Service Commission, and the DOH.

"Ito pong ating listahan ng health workers na nasawi at saka nagkasakit mayroon na kami. Sa kasalukuyan po, pinagtatrabahuhan pa lang po ang guidelines natin," she previously said.—AOL, GMA News

 

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