BONG GO SLAMS DELAYED BENEFITS FOR FRONTLINERS
SEN. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Thursday slammed officials and personnel behind the delayed release of legal compensations to frontliners who got sick with or died of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), daring them to leave their jobs.
In a strongly worded privilege speech, Go demanded the Department of Health (DoH), Department of B”dget and Management HDBM) and the Department of Labor and Employment coordinate for the speedy release of compensation for virus-stricken frontliners.
The chairman of the Senate health and demography committee said he was dismayed by the conflicting statements of the DBM and DoH.
“kailangandawng g” idelines bag oil ab a sang per aN Sabina man ng DoH, hindi na kailangan HOne said g” idelines are needed before funds could be released. But the DoH said there is no need),” he lamented.
“M ar ahil hindi po ala mn g Pang ”( Rodrigo Duterte), patay-patayan kayo.Ngayonnana- expose nasap”bliko iss”e kayo ng joint issuance parai- implement angisangb ag ayn a noon pan in yo dapatginawa HThe President may not know that you are working without focus. Now that the problem has been exposed to the public, you should issue a joint declaration that you should implement the things yo” sho”ld have done),” the senator said.
Under the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act enacted on March 24, the government will provide P100,000 compensation to public and private health workers who get infected with
Covid-19 in the line of duty, and P1 million will be given to those who die fighting the pandemic.
“Kun gay awn’ yong mag-t rab a ho, eh ‘di um al is na kayo. Gina ga wan an gang Panguloang la hat,e hang mg at a os a baba ayaw tumulong, ayaw gumalaw, umalisnakayo (If you refuse to work, yo” better leaveN The President is doing everything b”t his s”bordinates refused to help, refused to move, you better leave) ,” Go fumed.
Senators learned on T”esday that no benefits for health workers have been releasedN
“Thirty- two naangnamatay na health workers, ilangdaannaang na gk as akit,il an glib ongp ami ly aang ape kt a do. Pa hi hi rap ann iy op adahil s amata gal nap roses ongp ag bi bi gay ngserbisyo (Thirty-two health workers have died, hundreds have been infected, thousands of families have been affected. You are making their lives difficult because the extension of assistance is slowed down by red tape),” Go said.
“Dumaan ang Abril, dumaan ang Mayo, ngayon Hunyo na. Hanggang n gay on, hindi pan ai bi bi gay angbenep is yo health workers on gk a nil an gm gap amil yang na”lila (April and May have passed. Now, it is June. Why has the financial assistance to the frontliners not given yet?)” he asked.
“Gu mi sing na man kayo. Na g tutu lugtu lug an kayo? O ta la gang pat ayn aka yo( Wake up. Are you feigning sleep or death?)” he addedN
“Our health workers are doing one of the most difficult and dangerous jobs against an unseen enemy — a sickness [that] until now has no cure. They have paid the ultimate price — their lives — so that the rest of their countrymen and women will continue to live,” he pointed out. “I call upon the concerned agencies to remedy this immediately and release the rightf”l compensation for our health workers who have died of and have been infected by Covid-19, as provided by lawN Maawanamankayo HShow some compassion).”
Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto on Thursday said a new provision of the Senate version of the bill extending the validity of the Bayanihan Act requires payment of compensation to health workers not later than 90 days after their confinement or deathN
Recto said senators have amended the law to speed up the release of the cash aid and make it tax-exempt.
“We are imposing a deadline. Its release should not be at the mercy of red tape,” he said.
“‘Yung mga pabuya nga sa mga atletang nagkamedalya walang bu wis, it op aka yang para sam ga tot oongH cash rewards granted to bemedalled athletes are free from tax, what more for those who sacrificed their lives)?”
President Rodrigo D” terte gave health a” thorities ” ntil T” esday, June 9, to compensate all health workers who died battling the coronavirus disease, Malacañang said on Tuesday.
Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said Duterte was “furious” over the delay in the release of the compensation benefits for health workers.
“Hanggang Martes lang po ang bin igayng Pres id en tep ar a sam ga kinuu ku lannai big a yang compensation sam ga health workers na nagkasakit ng Covid-19 in the line ofd” ty at sam gap ami ly angnaiw an ngmganamatay HThe President is giving only ”ntil T”esday for those in charge of giving the compensation for health workers who got sick with Covid-19 in the line of duty and to the families of the health workers who died),” Roque said.