The Marcos administration is set to settle all outstanding arrears for the health emergency allowance (HEA) owed to healthcare workers, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) announced.
In a statement on Thursday, July 4, Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said that the DBM will disburse approximately P27 billion in compliance with President Marcos' instructions.
Earlier in May, the Department of Health (DOH) formally requested the issuance of a special allotment release order (SARO) and notice of cash allocation (NCA) totaling P27.45 billion.
This funding will address the payment of outstanding HEA dues for approximately 5.04 million validated healthcare workers and settle 4,283 Covid-19 sickness and death compensation claims for eligible healthcare and non-healthcare workers.
"As a fulfillment of the directive of our beloved President Bongbong Marcos, we will release the additional P27 billion requested by the DOH for the settlement of unpaid HEA claims of our healthcare workers by Friday, July 5, 2024," Pangandaman said.
"This is a promise fulfilled. Even though the DOH requested this for 2025, the DBM made an effort to fulfill it earlier because our workers in the health sector deserve this," she added.
To date, the DBM has released P91.28 billion to the DOH for the Public Health Emergency Benefits and Allowances (PHEBA), covering all benefits for healthcare workers from 2021 to 2023.
Of that amount, P73.261 billion has been allocated specifically for HEA.
PHEBA includes Special Risk Allowance (SRA), compensation for COVID-19 sickness and death, and additional benefits like meals, accommodation, and transportation allowances for healthcare workers.