MANILA (UPDATE) -- The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said it will release P27 billion for the health emergency allowance (HEA) of medical workers on Friday, July 5.

The HEA is meant for public and private health workers who are caring for COVID-19 patients.

In a statement, the DBM said this is in line with the Department of Health's (DOH) request "for the issuance of a Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) and Notice of Cash Allocation (NCA) amounting to P27.453 billion to cover payment of 5,039,926 remaining validated unpaid HEA and 4,283 COVID-10 Sickness and Death Compensation claims of eligible healthcare and non-healthcare workers".

In May, the DOH requested P27.453 billion for the remaining unpaid HEA and Sickness and Death Compensation claims of eligible workers.

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said that healthcare workers could receive all the pending HEA they worked for during the COVID-19 pandemic by 2025.

This was also proposed to be included by DOH in its 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP).

Pangandaman said the release of the allowance is in adherence to the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

"This is a promise fulfilled. Kahit sa 2025 pa ito hinihiling ng DOH, sinikap po ng DBM na mas maaga itong tuparin, dahil deserve po ito ng ating mga manggagawa sa health sector," she said.

(Even though the DOH is requesting this for 2025, the DBM has made efforts to fulfill it earlier because our health sector workers deserve it.)

The HEA is provided for under Republic Act 11712 or the Public Health Emergency Benefits and Allowances for Health Care Workers Act, which entitles healthcare workers to receive HEA for every month of service during public health emergencies, like the COVID pandemic.

Under the law, those deployed in "low risk areas" shall be given at least P3,000, at least P6,000 for those in "medium risk areas", and at least P9,000 for those in "high risk areas".

According to the DBM, it has already released P91.283 billion to the DOH for the Public Health Emergency Benefits and Allowances (PHEBA), which covers "all benefits for healthcare workers from 2021 to 2023".

The DBM has so far released P73.261 billion for the HEA.

BARANGAY HEALTH WORKERS INCLUDED

The DOH said barangay health workers (BHW) who were assigned in health facilities involved with the COVID-19 response may also get their HEA.

"The Barangay Health Workers (BHW) assigned to licensed health facilities or health-related establishments involved in the COVID-19 response in accordance with the National Action Plan (NAP) against COVID-19 PDITR+ strategies are eligible for the Health Emergency Allowance (HEA)," the agency shared in a Viber message to reporters.

The Health Department said the DBM will transfer to them the P27 billion SARO.

"Once the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has downloaded the P27-Billion Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) to the Department of Health (DOH), we will immediately sub-allot it to our respective Centers for Health Development (CHD). The CHD will then facilitate the disbursement of HEA to the local government units and Private Health Facilities under their jurisdiction, subject to requirements such as liquidations from previous fund transfers and Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)," it explained.

'A GRAIN OF SALT'

The United Private Hospital Unions of the Philippines (UPHUP) is taking this development with "a grain of salt" amid "a lot of disappointments" from the government.

"With the election already looming on the horizon, we at the UPHUP, are somewhat skeptical. We are very concerned that the healthcare workers are just being baited by the very same money that they should have already had a long time ago. Or worse, it is just a smokescreen for unscrupulous officials to fleece the government coffers in the name of health care workers yet again.," the group said in a statement.

DBM says emergency allowance of health workers to be fully paid by 2025

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