‘We can’t play God’: Senators against limiting benefits to COVID ward workers

MANILA, Philippines — Some senators on Wednesday said the granting of special risk allowance (SRA) and active hazard pay should not be limited to healthcare workers serving in COVID-19 wards alone, adding that the government should “not play God.”

“We cannot play God here because this is a very serious pandemic and we would like to pay all these people,” Senator Richard Gordon said during a Senate hearing on Wednesday.

He issued this remark as they were discussing the granting of special risk allowance and active hazard pay to healthcare frontliners.

Gordon stressed that all medical workers in hospitals should be paid such benefits since they are exposed to the coronavirus, regardless of whether they are tending to patients in COVID-19 wards.

“Hindi ba toxic ‘yung situation sa ospital? Why are we playing God? Na pagka nandun ‘yung tao, doktor natin, nurse natin, kahit na wala siya sa COVID ward, mae-expose siya. mae-expose pati pamilya niya,” he added.

(Isn’t the situation in hospitals toxic? Why are we playing God? If our people are there, doctors, nurses, even if they are not serving in a COVID ward, they are exposed, their families are at risk of being exposed as well.)

Before this, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III told senators that the Department of Health (DOH) releases the SRA and the active hazard pay only to those in COVID-19 wards “as per the provision of the law.”

Duque was referring to the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or Bayanihan 2, which grants healthcare workers “catering to or in direct” contact with COVID-19 patients such benefits.

But Gordon said this gives the DOH “God-like powers.”

“You’re God. We don’t want to play God. We are assuming–and my colleagues can bear me out on this–we are assuming that COVID respects no boundaries, it respects nobody,” the senator said.

“Kung nasa ospital ka (If you are in a hospital) in a pandemic situation, ang (the) assumption [is], you are exposed,” he added.

According to Gordon, the law should be interpreted “liberally.”

“Once you’re inside the hospital, COVID does not recognize whether you’re vaccinated…even if you’re not working in the COVID area, you can get it. Therefore, the rules should be interpreted liberally,” he said.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Senator Risa Hontiveros agreed with Gordon.

“There should be a liberal interpretation of the benefit because this is a social benefit,” Drilon said.

For Hontiveros, interpretation of the provision on granting benefits should not be “restrictive.”

“Our health experts led by the DOH have taught us that kung saan closed, air-conditioned, high viral load environment, dun pinaka-vulnerable and those descriptions fit hospitals more than any other setting. Kaya dapat lahat ng hospital employees, as much as possible, mabebenepisyuhan doon,” she added.

(Our health experts led by the DOH have taught us that closed, air-conditioned areas have high viral load environment, these are areas where we are most vulnerable and those descriptions fit hospitals more than any other setting. That’s why, as much as possible, all hospital employees should enjoy these benefits.)

Duque said that the DOH had actually appealed the inclusion of all healthcare workers when the law was being deliberated on.

“Pinaglaban po namin ‘yan, ng DOH nung pagbuo ng batas (We fought for that when the law was being crafted). Number one, it’s very difficult to differentiate when we know the COVID virus is airborne,” the health chief said.

COA’s take

Commission on Audit (COA) chairperson Michael Aguinaldo said the body is willing and open to discussing with the DOH the possible expansion of benefit coverage meant for healthcare workers.

“Normally when you do issue a law and it provides for certain benefits of employees, the implementing guidelines are usually prepared by the DOH. So it’s, I guess, within the power of the DOH, to a certain extent, to provide who should be considered covered,” Aguinaldo explained.

“If there are areas of interpretation, like when you say, you use the words ‘at risk,’ then they do have some leeway on who can be covered by defining what is meant by ‘at risk’,” he added.

KGA