Health workers from various government hospitals in Manila staged a protest action in front of the Department of Health gate on Monday to underline their grievances against the COVID-19 Active Hazard Duty Pay.
They also protested the Special Risk Allowance under Bayanihan Law 2 and its subsequent Administrative Orders 35 and 36, and DBM-DOH Joint Circulars 1 and 2.
“We are disappointed with the provisions for health workers’ benefits under Republic Act 11494 or known as the Bayanihan 2 which is reiterated in Joint Circulars 1 and 2, series 2020 of the DOH and the Department of Budget and Management. The law is selective which deceives and divides our ranks. It does not show its recognition for health workers’ sacrifices for helping in the mitigation of COVID-19,” stated Robert Mendoza, AHW National President.
The pertained benefits of “Special Risk Allowance” is given to “health workers directly catering to or in contact with COVID-19 patients for every month that they are serving” while “Active Hazard Duty Pay” is given to temporary hired Human Resources for Health to augment the current health workforce.
Another is the benefits are prorated, meaning to be calculated on the actual number of days in a month of actual duty.
“As we enter the hospital gate, the threat of being infected due to COVID-19 is already there since this virus is aerosol-borne. In a hospital setting, the virus does not select who and where to infect.
Some of our ranks in non-COVID-19 areas and wards are infected even if the patient has been screened before,” added Ernesto Bulanadi, President, Tondo Medical Center Employees Association-Alliance of Health Workers.
Implementing guidelines
The Administrative Order 35 and 36 — which serve as the implementing guidelines for the grant of Active Hazard Duty Pay and COVID-19 Special Risk Allowance respectively – further bring more confusion and false hope to all health workers that they will all receive and enjoy the said benefits, they said.
The DOH even went further in its press release on November 28, 2020: “As health workers, many of us in the DOH – including members of our Executive Committee- have experienced working on the ground, in our health facilities, which is why we understand the challenges in the frontlines — being overworked, underpaid, demoralized, and in this pandemic, even more vulnerable.”
Bulanadi said: "We ask the DOH Secretary why he cannot defend and justify that all health workers reporting for duty within the premises of the hospital and health facilities deserve to get an equal COVID-19 Special Risk Allowance and Active Hazard Duty Pay.
“Where is the DOH's concern for health workers during this difficult time of pandemic and health crisis, when one of our feet is already buried in the grave to help our government mitigate this virulent disease? We are not given with even a slightest benefit as a token recognition for the dangerous threat to our safety and lives.”
Income tax discount
The House Committee on Ways and Means on Monday approved in principle the consolidated measure seeking to provide a 25 percent discount to the personal income taxes of COVID-19 medical frontliners.
During its meeting, the panel approved the unnumbered substitute bill consolidating House Bills 7351, 984, 2901, 3751, 7523, and 7978, which all sought to provide various forms of incentives to medical professionals providing services amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
House panel chair Joey Salceda said the committee agreed to approve the measure “because we do not want to tax the hazard pays and other allowances earned by the frontliners from COVID-19.”
House Bill 7351 initially sought to exempt from taxation for 2020 medical and non-medical frontliners who are directly serving, treating, caring, aiding and assisting COVID-19 patients.
However, the Department of Finance pointed out that doing so would entail a revenue loss of P9 billion.
Foreign tourists
The Philippines will reopen its doors to foreign tourists once a coronavirus vaccine is found and immunity can be provided, Malacanang said Monday.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, who is also COVID task force spokesperson, said foreign tourists are still barred from entering the country to prevent the spread of the disease.
Roque made the statement due to persistent appeals from concerned groups to the government to further relax the country’s travel restrictions for foreigners, especially the fiancés of Filipinos seeking to enter the country.
“Let’s be frank so there will be no expectations. As long as tourist visas are banned, I don’t think there can be a way for them to come in,” Roque said.
At present, Roque said that only Filipinos, their spouse and minor children holding tourist visas are allowed to enter the country.
Step-by-step
Current restrictions likewise allow foreign children with special needs of Filipinos, foreign parent of minor Filipinos, and foreign parent of Filipino children with special needs to enter the country, he added.
“The country is not yet ready to open to foreigners,” saying “that it is a step-by-step process,” he said.
The Palace spokesman urged groups to be patient as the government is studying to ease the travel ban on foreign tourists to the availability of coronavirus vaccines.”
“Our only hope is the vaccine. Once the vaccine is there, maybe we can reopen our territory to tourists. Let’s wait. We’re getting there because the vaccine is here,” he added.
Hazard pay
Amid reported delays on the release of the active hazard pay and special risk allowance benefits for COVID-19 medical frontliners, Senator Christopher Go urged concerned government agencies to ensure and expedite the implementation of the provisions stated in the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act as well as other commitments that should be delivered to benefit the public.
Go said the release of the funds must be hastened with or without a Senate resolution calling for the investigation on the alleged delay.
In his Administrative Order 35, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the government to provide active hazard pay to all human resources for health, such as medical, allied medical staff and other personnel in the public sector involved in the country’s health care response to contain COVID-19 transmission.
“They can receive up to P3,000 per month depending on the number of days they have worked from September to December,” said Go.
COVID updates
The Philippines logged on Monday 1,574 new coronavirus disease 2019 cases, bringing the total to 441,399, as 10 laboratories failed to submit their data on time, DOH reported.
This is the 8th straight day that the daily tally is fewer than 2,000. Top cities and provinces with new cases are Davao City, 187; Rizal, 96; Pampanga, 80; Quezon City, 69; and Pasig, 59.
While it is not in the top 5, Baguio City is being closely monitored by the DOH because of its high positivity rate at 13.5 percent.
The DOH said the earlier easing of borders contributed to the slight increase in COVID-19 cases in the city, but border control, contact tracing, and isolation are already being strictly enforced.
The DOH also reported 80 persons who recovered, bringing the new recoveries to 408,702, which is 92.6 percent of the total cases.
DOH reported 18 new fatalities, bringing the death toll to 8,572, which is 1.94 percent of the total cases.