Iloilo 1st district Rep. Janette Garin (PPAB)

Iloilo 1st district Rep. Janette Garin said the Marcos administration, particularly through the Department of Health (DOH) headed by Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, was able to release the remaining health emergency allowance (HEA) for Covid-19 frontliners left unpaid by the previous administration.

“Nangyari ang Covid-19, andaming inutang ng gobyerno pero yung allowances ng ating healthcare workers ay hindi binayaran,” Garin said during the budget deliberations on Wednesday, Sep. 4.

(When Covid-19 happened, the government borrowed a lot of money but the allowances of our healthcare workers were not paid.)

“Kaya nga P87 billion ang talagang pinagtulung-tulungan ng DOH at ng kasalukuyang administrasyon, including Sec. Herbosa, para bayaran ito,” she added. 

(That's why the DOH and the current administration collectively contributed P87 billion, including Sec. Herbosa, to pay for it.)

Under Republic Act (RA) No. 11494 or the Bayanihan to Recover As One Act, health workers who directly catered to Covid-19 patients are entitled to a special risk allowance for every month they served during the state of national emergency in relation to the pandemic.

Herbosa noted that the total amount for allowances and benefits was about P103 billion.

Of the amount, about P87 billion was needed to be picked up once President Marcos assumed office in 2022, according to DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.

“Ibig-sabihin sa P103 billion na dapat binayaran natin ‘yung ating mga healthcare workers na ‘yung buhay nila ay namiligiro noong panahon ng Covid, P87 billion ang hindi binayaran,” noted Garin, who also served as a Health secretary.

(It means that out of the P103 billion that we should have paid to our healthcare workers whose lives were in danger during the time of Covid, P87 billion was not paid.)

According to Herbosa, the Marcos administration was able to make good with the unpaid P87 billion allowance through funding made in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) from 2022 to the present year.

“Sa (In) 2022, we were able to put up P22.9 billion. 2023, P30.9 billion. 2024, P22.4 billion,” the DOH chief said. “After this, ang kulang pa was P27.4 billion”.

(The balance was P27.4 billion.) 

Following the directive of President Marcos to settle all unpaid claims for the HEA of healthcare workers, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) earlier released the remaining P27.4 billion—which is expected to be finalized by October.

In a statement, the DBM said this amount shall cover the payment of 5,039,926 remaining validated unpaid HEA and 4,283 Covid-19 sickness and death compensation claims of eligible healthcare and non-healthcare workers.

“Sa susunod, can you assure us na kapag mayroong pera ang gobyerno at malaki naman ang inutang ng gobyerno, dapat unahin ang sweldo ng ating mga manggagawa sa kalusugan,” stressed Garin.

(Next time, can you assure us that when the government has money and the government has borrowed a lot, the salaries of our health workers should be given priority.)

“Yes, madam chair, I’ll assure that,” replied Herbosa.