Blue Ribbon probe to prioritize health workers’ hazard pay, allowances –Gordon

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee will focus its investigation on the release of medical frontliners’ hazard pay and allowances in its motu propio probe set on August 18, Committee Chairman Senator Richard Gordon said Saturday.

In a radio interview, Gordon said he still had reservations about investigating the Department of Health’s use of its P67-billion COVID-19 fund as health authorities are still “occupied" considering the ongoing surge of COVID-19 cases.

However, he found out in a recent meeting with several health workers that some nurses have yet to received their allowances .

The meeting was also attended by Senators Risa Hontiveros and Francis Pangilinan, Gordon said.

“Madali lang ang hearing. Ang COVID-19 allowances para sa nurses bakit di nabibigay at may nagsasabi pa na ang nabibigyan ‘di qualified. ‘Yun ang titignan kong maigi, yun ang tatanungin ko sa kanila, for the moment,” Gordon said.

(The hearing will focus on the COVID-19 allowances for the nurses. We will ask why the allowances were not yet given to the healthcare workers. We will also look into reports, claiming some unqualified individuals received these benefits. Those are the questions that we will raise for the moment.)

“Sabi ko ituloy na natin basta i-focus muna natin [sa allowances] dahil general findings pa sa COA, they were given 60 days to explain. ‘Wag natin unahan ang COA,” he added.

(I decided to push through with the hearing as long as it will focus on the allowances issue because the DOH was given 60 days to explain their side on the general findings of COA. We should wait for the COA to finish their job.)

The lawmaker said the Senate panel had written the DOH, informing them that they will only ask questions on the COVID-19 allowances due to the medical frontliners.

But this doesn’t mean that DOH is already off the hook on the flagged “deficiencies” in the utilization of P67-billion COVID-19 funds, Gordon clarified.

He said the Senate panel will wait for 30 to 60 days before they resume the investigation and discuss the other COA findings.

Earlier Saturday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III expressed dismay over Congress’ apparent dismissal of the 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.)

On the other hand, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that the DOH will welcome all types of investigations on the agency’s use of funds to address the pandemic.

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee is set to hold a motu propio investigation on Wednesday, August 18 into the alleged deficiencies found by the COA in DOH’s utilization of its P67.32-billion fund to fight COVID-19.

In a statement, the DOH said they were given until September 27 to provide the documents being sought by the state auditors.

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 DOH COVID-19 funds.

Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo also filed a resolution in the Lower House to launch an investigation on the alleged failure of the DOH to release the P13.5 billion funds for the benefits and allowances due to our frontline healthcare workers under Bayanihan 2 Law. — DVM, GMA News