MANILA — Health Secretary Ted Herbosa on Tuesday assured healthcare workers they will get their unpaid benefits, after a lawmaker urged him to settle the over P12 billion in allowances owed to them by the government.

Camarines Sur 2nd District Rep. LRay Villafuerte earlier urged Herbosa to release the P12.57 billion balance out of the P19.96 billion worth of COVID-19 benefits and allowances for health care and non-healthcare workers.

But during a briefing in Malacañang, Herbosa, citing internal reports, said "most of the benefits" had already been released especially in the government.

"Those who did not receive had technical issues with the hospital administration are directors of them and I was told it was mostly private hospitals," said Herbosa.

Watch more News on iWantTFC

"So sa government, naibigay lahat yan... Kasi the private hospitals don't have the same processes we do in government. Lahat ng papel yung gagawa ka, alam ng government director hospitals na mako-Commission on Audit sila every centavo niyan," he added.

"Yung documentation doon... is a problem, kawawa yung nurse. To me, kawawa ang nurse. I cannot change the process."

The health chief said he personally saw that "90 percent" of the benefits were already distributed.

"I'll get on top of this kasi I feel our nurses are our real priority... I really love the nurses because they are our health care system," he said.

"As long as the documentation is there, they should be paid," he added.

Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) President Robert Mendoza, however, disputed the figures.

"Yung ating, huling patawag nila nung February 22 tungkol sa health workers’ forum, ang update natin ay almost 69.41 percent pa ng mga health workers ang hindi pa po nakakatanggap," he said.

"Sa public hospital, including yung mga district, regional ay 31.6 percent, at sa private, meron pang marami pa talaga, 22.31 percent ang hindi pa nakakatanggap," he added.

(When we last met in February 22 at a health workers' forum, it was revealed that 69.41 percent of health workers have yet to receive their benefits. In public hospitals, 31.6 percent haven't received their benefits yet, and in private hospitals that figure was at 22.31 percent.)

On top of these, Mendoza added that they have also yet to receive their health emergency allowance for this year.

He said the government still owes them billions in allowances and other benefits.

"Ang nire-release pa lang ng (Department of Budget and Managment) ay P19 billion, na under siya sa programmed funds. Pero maliban doon sa P19 billion, the rest is unprogrammed. Kaya ito yung nahihirapan sila kung saan kukunin itong, yung dagdag pa na pondo," he noted.

(DBM has only released P19 billion, under the programmed funds. The rest is unprogrammed. And they are having a hard time sourcing these funds.)

Herbosa last week vowed to provide better working conditions for Filipino healthcare workers, saying they are the best in the world.

• New DOH chief: We need to pay our nurses correctly

He also promised he would work to give nurses a competitive salary and encourage them to stay in the Philippines.