Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 16) — The Department of Health (DOH) has requested an additional ₱1.23 billion budget for the special risk allowance (SRA) of another batch of healthcare workers, Secretary Francisco Duque III said.
“Sa ngayon, mayroon tayong karagdagang request na pondo sa DBM (Department of Budget and Management) upang mabigyan ng SRA ang ikalimang batch o grupo ng atin pong mga mapagsakripisyong health workers,” Duque said in a taped Cabinet meeting that aired on Thursday.
[Translation: As of now, we have an additional request, so the fifth batch or group of sacrificial healthcare workers can be given SRA.]
Bayanihan to Recover As One Act, also known as Bayanihan 2, specified that “all public and private health workers directly catering to or in contact with COVID-19 patients” shall get SRA. This law expired on June 30.
Despite the expiration of the validity of appropriations under Bayanihan 2, many healthcare workers have yet to receive their SRA.
The DOH previosly asked for additional SRA funds a number of times.
The DBM released the supplemental SRA budget to the DOH in tranches — ₱311 million in August and ₱888 million this month.
Of the funds released this September, ₱882 million has been transferred to health facilities, Duque said. The DOH is processing the release of the remaining ₱6 million, he added.
The government has so far disbursed a total of ₱15.1 billion for the health benefits of medical workers, Duque said.
The benefits include the SRA, hazard duty pay, life insurance; and accommodation, meal, and transportation allowances.
