PGH health workers protest delay in COVID-19 hazard pay release

The workers’ union of the University of the Philippines staged a protest on behalf of the health care workers employed at the Philippine General Hospital who were still unable to receive their COVID-19 hazard pay and special risk allowance promised by the government.

According to a report on “Stand for Truth,” the All UP Workers Union-Manila demanded the release of the PGH employees’ daily hazard pay and special risk allowance from March to May.

“Nakaka-demoralize ‘yon kaya kumilos na po ang ating union sapagkat itinutulak na po tayo ng mismong ating mga empleyado kasi kung babalikan po natin ang period po nitong ECQ is March 17 to May 31 nasa Disyembre na po tayo,” All UP Workers Union-Manila vice president Benjamin D.L. Santos, Jr. said.

“Nararamdaman po namin na parang sa patalastas lang po nangyayari ang pagpapahalaga na sinasabing bayani at hindi po ito nagagawa sa aksiyon. Ito pong mga benepisyong ito hindi naman hiningi kundi pinangako naman ng gobyerno bilang pagkilala sa aming pagsisilbi,” he added.

The UP Workers Union-Manila said more than 4,200 health workers have not been paid their benefits.

Senator Risa Hontiveros had filed a resolution seeking a Senate investigation on the procedural or institutional bottlenecks that delay the release of the benefits of the health workers.

“Nasaan ang bottleneck? Matagal pa ang laban lalo na para sa health workers natin. We need to investigate so we can loosen the bottleneck and create policies that allow us to compensate them and their families fairly and immediately,” Hontiveros said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health said the delays were caused by the lack of P108.6 million needed to roll out all the benefits.

However, Hontiveros, who helped pass the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act of 2020 (BARO), said the P20.57 billion allocated for the country's health-related COVID-19 response, which includes compensation for health workers, has since then been released.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said there some confusion on the Bayanihan 1.

“Kasi may specific date lang at dapat para lang doon sa directly exposed sa mga COVID patient, March 15 to May 16. ‘Yong iba, na-hire sila beyond those dates pero dito sa Bayanihan 2, covered na sila,” Vergeire said. — Ma. Angelica Garcia/DVM, GMA News