DoH nudges DBM on frontliners’ allowances
Dubbed as ‘pandemic heroes,’ healthcare workers have been lamenting the delay in the release of their extra remunerations
The Department of Health (DoH) on Sunday bared that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has yet to release the hazard pay and special risk allowances of healthcare workers covering the first six months of the year.
“This is what we have been asking for with the DBM, the hazard pay and special risk allowances from January to June,” Health Undersecretary and testing czar Leopoldo Vega said in a radio interview.
Vega assured that benefits mandated by law for healthcare workers will be given to them by DoH once they receive the allocated funds from DBM.
“The (previous) hazard pay and special risk allowance was given to them through the Bayanihan 2, but none for January to June. It is still being processed,” he said.
“The DBM really needs to process it and the legislative (department) must know how they will provide (for) these hazard pay and special risk allowances,” he added.
Dubbed as “pandemic heroes,” healthcare workers have been lamenting the delay in the release of their extra remunerations.
Under Administrative Order 35, national government agencies, government-owned-or-controlled corporations and local government units are tasked to grant active hazard duty pay up to P3,000 per month to frontline human resources for health during the Covid-19 state of emergency.
“This shall be in addition to any hazard pay, hazardous duty pay, hazard allowance, special risk allowance or other similar benefits under existing laws, issuances, rules and regulations, and shall be exempt from income tax,” it added.