House panel okays more benefits for health workers

MANILA, Philippines — A House panel has approved several bills seeking benefits like special risk allowance, hazard pay, insurance, compensation, etc. for healthcare workers who are at the forefront in the fight against COVID-19.

In an online hearing on Tuesday, the House health committee unanimously approved in principle five bills providing benefits to both public and private health workers during the state of public health emergency.

Batanes Rep. Ciriaco Gato Jr. moved for the approval of House Bills (HB) No. 9640, 10198, 10285, 10331 and 10365, which will be consolidated to include changes in style and amendments.

The bills were filed from July to October this year by the six-member Makabayan bloc, Reps. Joy Myra Tambunting, Angelica Natasha Co, Alfred Vargas and Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr.

The approval of COVID-19 benefits for health workers — touted as the country’s heroes amid the pandemic—came five months after the expiration of a law, which provided for these benefits.

House health committee chair Rep. Angelina Tan stressed that 2021 was designated as the International Year of Health and Care Workers.

“The World Health Organization has called on the public to ensure that our health and care workforce are supported, protected, motivated, and equipped to deliver safe health care at all times, not only during COVID-19,” she said.

Data from the Department of Health showed that under the Bayanihan 2, a total of 475,723 out of more than 526,000 health workers had received special risk allowances from Dec. 20, 2020, to June 30, 2021, amounting to P7.567 billion.

Of the five measures, HB 9640 by the Makabayan bloc proposes a P15,000 special risk allowance and P5,000 active duty hazard pay monthly to each health worker during a state of public health emergency.

Vargas’ HB 10331 proposes that the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. cover all medical expenses of medical front-liners in case of exposure to COVID-19, any work-related injury or disease.