DELAYED RISK ALLOWANCES

Duque: Congress seems ignoring DOH side on health workers' woes

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Saturday expressed dismay over Congress’ apparent dismissal of Department of Health’s justifications on the delayed release of medical workers’ risk allowances and benefits.

“Sana maipaliwanag na 'yan sa Kongreso sa darating na imbestigasyon nila. May hearing diyan e para doon na magkalinawan dahil paulit-ulit na ng paulit-ulit. Kapag nagpapaliwanag ang DOH, parang di naman nakikinig 'yung kabila e. ‘Yun naman ang mahirap,” Duque said in an interview on Dobol B TV.

(We hope to explain this to Congress in the upcoming hearing and we will explain and clarify the issue because they are raising it over and over again. It appears that the other side is not listening to DOH's explanation.)

He pointed out that all these allowances in question are well-documented and the funds for it are not sitting idly with the Health Department.

According to Duque, the DOH regional offices are in charge of downloading the funds to the hospitals, then the hospital chiefs are tasked to pay their medical frontliners.

“Di naman pwede ang DOH ang magbayad sa mga tao. So kailangan padaanin yan [sa mga ospital] dahil may accountability ang mga hospital chief, so sila ngayon ang tutukoy,” Duque explained.

(Disbursing the money to the healthcare workers is not the DOH’s job. So we need to funnel these funds to the hospitals, and hospital chiefs have the accountability to distribute the allowances to identified hazard pay recipients.)

On the other hand, Duque pointed out that there is a formula in computing each healthcare worker’s hazard pay and risk allowance.

There are some hospital workers who demand for higher hazard pay even though they do not cater directly to COVID-19 patients, Duque noted.

“‘Yung mga direktamente na nangangalaga dahil nga mas at risk sila, mas nakasasalay ang buhay nila [mas malaki ang allowance], ‘yung iba galit kasi hindi sila nakakauha ng pareho. May formula ‘yan so ‘yun ang iniingay nila,” Duque said.

(Those who directly cater to COVID-19 patients have higher allowances because their risk of getting the disease is higher. Some demand for higher risk pay but they don't understand that there is a formula in computing their allowances.)

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee will hold on Wednesday, August 18, a motu propio investigation into the alleged deficiencies found by the Commission on Audit (COA) in the DOH's use of its P67.32-B COVID-19 response fund. 

Earlier, Senator Grace Poe and Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon filed separate resolutions seeking an investigation into the alleged deficiencies in the use of the multi-billion funds.

Last Thursday, Malacañang ordered Duque to respond to the state auditor's findings on spending "deficiencies" in the pandemic response fund.

On Friday, Duque told COA that the transfer of funds in question was supported by documents, and that all the DOH needs to do is to organize and complete the documents. —LBG, GMA News