No excuse for delayed release of health workers’ benefits — VP Robredo

Vice President Leni Robredo (Screengrab from OVP)

MANILA, Philippines — There is no excuse for the delayed payout of health workers’ special risk allowance (SRA), among other benefits, Vice President Leni Robredo lamented on Sunday.

“Ngayon, walang excuse kung bakit hindi natin naasikaso dahil last year pa nga ‘yung pandemic. ‘Yung 2021 budget ginawa siya, panahon na ng pandemic. So, inaasahan na natin na kakailanganin natin ito dapat nakahanap na tayo ng paraan para ibigay ito,” Robredo said during her BISErbisyong Leni radio program.

(There is no excuse for not working on the benefits since the pandemic started last year. The 2021 budget was made during the pandemic. So, we expect that we need it, and we should have found ways to distribute it.)

Robredo said that the delay in 2020, the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, is understandable as the health crisis was unexpected.

(Photo from the AHW official Facebook Page)

She added that the SRA is one way to show how the government appreciates the health workers’ efforts in battling the pandemic.

“Ito ‘yung pinaka-recognition ng pamahalaan na naiintindihan namin kung ano ‘yung sakripisyong ginagawa niyo. Naiintindihan namin ‘yung pagod na pinagdadaanan niyo. Hindi namin ‘yun maaalis sa inyo pero ito ‘yung pagpapakita ng pamahalaan na naiintindihan namin ‘yun kaya ‘yung pangangailangan mo, we will provide,” Robredo raised.

(This is the government’s way of recognizing their sacrifices. We understand the fatigue and the sacrifices you endure. We cannot take that away from you but here is something to show that the government recognizes such and will thus provide for your needs.)

As health workers are set to hold a mass protest on September 1, Robredo said that the government should not have waited for these actions to come and must have processed their benefits immediately.

“Parang hinintay pa natin para magkaroon ng mass actions para pakinggan sila. Dapat nga hindi na natin hinintay na nagreklamo sila. Dapat pagpapakita ng ating appreciation, inasikaso na kaagad natin,” Robredo shared.

(It seems like we waited for mass actions before listening to them. We should not have waited for their complaints. We should have worked on showing them our appreciation.)

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