ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Modern heroes' enraged: Metro Manila healthcare workers rally for release of allowances, resignation of Duque

'Modern heroes' enraged: Metro Manila healthcare workers rally for release of allowances, resignation of Duque

Published Aug 30, 2021 12:09 pm

Often refered to as "modern-day heroes," healthworkers in major hospitals in Metro Manila held simultaneous protests on National Heroes Day on Monday, Aug. 30, to demand from the government the resignation of Department of Health (DOH) Sec. Francisco Duque III and the immediate release of their benefits stipulated in the Bayanihan Act to Recover as One (BARO) or Bayanihan 2.

A Manila health worker prepares to administer a single-shot Johnson & Johnson's Janssen coronavirus vaccine during the inoculative drive at the Justo Lucban Elementary School in Manila on July 21, 2021. (Ali Vicoy/Manila Bulletin)

Donell Siazon, union president of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Hospital, said they "have nothing to celebrate" despite the holiday due to the supposedly failed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) response of the government.

"We have always been referred to as 'modern heroes' for our hard work and dedication. Despite the worsening pandemic, are now the streets to demand benefits for all healthcare workers," Siazon said.

"We are outraged at the injustice and systematic neglect inflicted upon us by the government," he added.

In a rally along E. Rodriguez Avenue in Quezon City, the protesters pushed for the release of the medical frontliners' Special Risk Allowance (SRA); meals, accommodation, and travel allowances; life insurance; and other benefits under the Bayanihan 2.

The simultaneous protests were also participated by labor unions of St. Luke's Medical Center Global City, Metropolitan General Hospital, The Medical City, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Cardinal Santos Medical Center, and Calamba Medical Center.

They also called for the inclusion of all hospital employees in the coverage of SRA and demanded the removal of Duque from office.

Jao Clumia, president of St. Luke's Medical Center Employees Association, said many workers have not yet received their benefits under the Bayanihan 2 which already lapsed on June 30.

"The deadline of President Duterte to the Health and Budget departments is to expire as well but still, all we hear from Sec. Duque are alibis and more finger pointing," Clumia said, referring to the order of Duterte to Duque and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) last Aug. 21 to pay the allowances and benefits due to all medical frontliners within 10 days or until Aug. 31.

The labor leaders warned that if Malacanang continues to support Duque, they "will be forced to oust him from office themselves."

They said that the protests were part of a bigger rally for the planned "National Day of Action for the Protection of Healthcare Workers" in the first week of September.

The government and Secretary Duque have come under fire as the country battles a worsening COVID-19 situation, with daily cases reaching record-high in recent weeks.

The Commission on Audit also flagged the DOH due to "deficiencies" on the management of P67.3 billion worth of pandemic funds but the department clarified it already resolved "most" of the findings.

The Senate and House of Representatives also initiated independent investigations on the DOH's COVID-19 pandemic response.

Related Tags

rally 8292021 covid-19 pandemic Healthcare workers
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.