Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 19) — After a Senate hearing that lasted almost seven hours, lawmakers expressed dissatisfaction over the explanations offered by the Department of Health on the nonpayment of benefits promised to healthcare workers.
In a text message shared to reporters on Thursday, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III pointed out that Health Secretary Francisco Duque “blames others and never their lack of responsibility.”
Senator Imee Marcos, in a strongly worded statement, asked the embattled Health chief to stop the blame game and get to work.
“Tumigil siya! Ilabas niya ang totoong kwenta ng bilyon-bilyong binigay sa DOH, kausapin lahat ng health workers at ospital nang malaman ang utang ng DOH sa kanila,” Marcos said.
[Translation: He should stop! Give an accounting of the billions of pesos given to the DOH and ask health workers and hospitals how much the DOH owes them.]
Duque and his colleagues told the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on Wednesday that the Department of Budget and Management did not give them sufficient time and funding to give all health workers their special risk allowance (SRA), hazard pay, meal, accommodation and transportation allowances, and other benefits.
Budget Undersecretary and officer-in-charge Tina Rose Marie Canda quickly rebutted, saying the DBM was able to release more than ₱9 billion for health workers’ SRA on June 25, the next working day after receiving the request from the DOH. Only ₱6.7 billion was disbursed by June 30, when the Bayanihan 2 lapsed, so the remaining ₱2.3 billion had to be reverted.
Canda also said the DOH had enough unutilized funds to pay for the benefits. Duque said he would “order an immediate determination” on how much of the agency’s savings can be used to compensate medical frontliners.
Two other Senate leaders said the DOH should address the problem soon, or else other government agencies can take on the job of downloading the funds to hospitals.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said funds can be handled by the Department of Labor and Employment, which has been giving COVID-19 cash aid to displaced workers.
“[I]f the DOH can’t give the SRA funds efficiently and effectively then why not give the funds next year to another agency that can give it to nurses on time and immediately. The DOLE is one example of this,” Zubiri told CNN Philippines in a text message.
“They should prove it before their budget is taken up by Congress, so we don’t need to raise that discussion by that time,” he added.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said aside from the funds for health workers, other pandemic allocations can be transferred to local government units if the DOH will not step up.
“If the DOH is unable to perform its task, we can transfer the responsibility of disbursing the budget to our LGUs…The other budgets for COVID-19 response can be executed by the LGUs,” Drilon said.
The Senate and the House of Representatives are investigating the DOH for “deficiencies” in the management of more than ₱67 billion, which the Commission on Audit said “contributed to the challenges encountered and missed opportunities” during the coronavirus crisis.
