UNDERPAID The UP Manila labor union stages a protest in behalf of Philippine General Hospital health workers. —JOSELLE EBESATE
MANILA, Philippines — Contrary to the claim by health workers of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), the national government had already released funds to pay for their allowances and had even augmented the state-run hospital’s fund, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said.
In a statement, the DBM said it issued on May 26 a special allotment release order worth P400 million to PGH to augment its operational budget under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act or Bayanihan 1.
The Bayanihan 1 funds were released at the height of the longest and most stringent COVID-19 lockdown while the government struggled to contain the disease.
The DBM said that as of Nov. 17, just P176.98 million out of the funding released to PGH in May were obligated, which meant that this amount was ready to be spent after the specific projects it intended to finance have been successfully bid out to contractors.
As such, the DBM said PGH still has P223.02 million in unspent funds.
“With regard to the payment of the special risk allowance for front-line health workers as authorized under Bayanihan 1, it is clarified that the letter dated Nov. 11 addressed to the UP (University of the Philippines) president was not a disapproval letter. Instead, the letter affirmed that 1,918 front-line health workers of UP-PGH are entitled to the special risk allowance under Bayanihan 1 with a total funding requirement of P16.48 million,” the DBM said, referring to UP President Danilo Concepcion, whose UP system also oversees PGH.
“In the same letter, it was emphasized that the payment of the special risk allowance may be accommodated within available [employee] services allotments of UP system, which stands at P667.55 million based on its June 30 report and net of estimated requirements until the end of the year,” the DBM added.
The DBM said that under Administrative Order (AO) No. 28, which authorized the grant of the special risk allowance, the amount required for employees occupying regular, contractual, casual or part-time positions in national government agencies shall be charged against their available released employee services allotments, while the amount required for job order workers shall be charged against their available released maintenance and other operating expense allotments, without need for prior approval from the DBM.
“Since UP-PGH is under the UP system, it has more than enough [employee] services allotments to cover its special risk allowance requirements. Should there be any deficiency in allotments to cover the payment of the special risk allowance under Bayanihan 1, the DBM is committed to release the necessary funds in accordance with AO 28 and subject to the submission of usual documents establishing such [employee] services deficiency,” it said.
As for the special risk allowance and hazard pay provided under Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, or Bayanihan 2, the DBM and the Department of Health on Nov. 25 issued two separate joint circulars, signed by both Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, containing the guidelines on their releases.
On Nov. 16, President Rodrigo Duterte issued AO 35 granting the P3,000 monthly hazard pay and AO 36 for the P5,000 per month in special risk allowance to medical front-liners.