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DOH, DBM play blame game on delayed release of special risk allowance for health workers
By HANA BORDEY, GMA News The officials from the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) have pointed their fingers at each other on the delayed release of special risk allowance (SRAs) of healthcare workers.
In a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing Wednesday, Health Assistant Secretary Maylene Beltran claimed in her presentation that the DOH was only given five days to obligate and disburse the P9.7 billion SRA for the medical frontliners.
She said the DBM has only released the Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) for the SRA on June 25, leaving them only five days to disburse and obligate the funds as the Bayanihan 2 Law was set to expire on June 30.
“So ilang araw lang po ‘yon may mga kailangan ho kaming i-settle na mga [Memorandum of Agreement], kailangan po naming kausapin ‘yung mga private sector. Kailangan po namin kausapin ang iba’t ibang LGU hospitals po,” Beltran said.
(So that is just a short period to settle all the MOA and to speak with the private sector. On top of that, we need to talk to different LGU hospitals too.)
Beltran and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III both answered “yes” when Senate Blue Ribbon panel chairman Richard Gordon asked them if the DBM has caused the delay.
Beltran further noted that June 25 was a Friday, prompting them to coordinate with partner-hospitals nationwide on weekends.
Gordon said disbursing the multi-billion funds for SRAs nationwide cannot be done in just five days.
“So the inefficiency is… intra-government. 'Di nabibigay ng DBM on time tapos pipilitin kayo na tapusin ninyo on a weekend pa gagastusin ninyo at i-obligate ninyo in five days na may weekend pa,” Gordon pointed out.
(The DBM was not able to release the documents on time then the DOH will be forced to finish the obligation and disbursement in five days and on a weekend.)
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He told the DOH and the DBM officials that they “lack vision” in performing their duties on the disbursements of funds for the medical frontliners’ SRA.
Beltran’s statement, however, was contradicted by DBM officer-in-charge Tina Rose Canda, saying the DOH took 13 days to sign a joint circular for the guidelines on the grant of SRAs.
According to Canda, the Office of the President has released an Administrative Order on June 1 for the guidelines of the SRAs.
The DBM has received the AO on June 3 and was signed by former Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado the same day.
“Umabot po ng June 16 sa DOH ang pirmahan ‘yung joint circular. Pagkatapos po nu’n ang submission ng request is June 23. Hindi naman po kami mag-release without the request,” Canda said.
(It took until June 16 for the DOH to sign the joint circular. After that, the submission of request was made on June 23. We cannot release without the request.)
“Ililinaw ko lang ho ‘yun kasi ‘yon ang kulang sa pagsasaad ng kuwento ng taga-DOH that they submitted the request on June 23. Being a holiday June 24, we released the document but it was ante-dated to June 25,” she added.
(I will just clarify that because the DOH did not include it in their narration. They submitted the request on June 23. Being a holiday, June 24, we released the document but it was ante-dated to June 25.)
Gordon said both DOH and DBM were “all victimized by bureaucracy.”—AOL, GMA News