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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Covid-19 allowance claims almost completely paid, DOH tells House

Covid-19 allowance claims almost completely paid, DOH tells House

Published Sep 4, 2025 10:43 pm

At A Glance

  • The Department of Health (DOH) is close to completing the payment of all health emergency allowance (HEA) claims from health workers during the Covid-1 9 pandemic, the remaining balance of which is P6.7 billion.
(MANILA BULLETIN)
(MANILA BULLETIN)


The Department of Health (DOH) is close to completing the payment of all health emergency allowance (HEA) claims from health workers during the Covid-1 9 pandemic, the remaining balance of which is P6.7 billion.
This was reported by DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa Thursday, Sept. 4 during the agency's 2026 budget hearing before the House Committee on Appropriations.
In his interpellation of Herbosa, Bulacan 6th district Rep. Salvador Pleyto asked the DOH when the HEA claims of the country’s "unsung heroes" during the pandemic would be paid.
According to Herbosa, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) recently released a Special Allotment Release Order or SARO for the final tranche of the HEA payments.
He said the P6.7 billion will be sourced from the unprogrammed funds of the current P6.352-trillion 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
"Ibibigay natin ito lahat sa lahat ng regional offices para bayaran yung mga nag-appeal na natitirang claims...Pero majority po bayad na (We will give all of these to all the regional offices so they may pay those who appealed from the remaining claims)," the DOH chief told Pleyto.
The DOH is now just wanting for the cash allocation to pay the remaining HEA claims, which is 6 percent of the total claims.
The government, through the department, had already paid P104 billion worth of fhe Covid-1 9 era allowance for health workers, Herbosa said.
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