(FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Wednesday said that it has already released over P91 billion to cover the benefits of healthcare workers from 2021 to 2023.
The DBM, in a statement, said P91.282 billion was released to the Department of Health (DOH) for the Public Health Emergency Benefits and Allowances (Pheba).
In a letter from the DBM to the DOH, the budget department said the total already included P73.26 billion for the Health Emergency Allowance (HEA) or One COVID-19 Allowance, P12.90 billion for Special Risk Allowance, P3.65 billion for COVID-19 Sickness and Death Compensation, and P1.4 billion for other benefits, such as meal, accommodation, and transportation allowance.
But the DOH, in response, said it has only been able to release P76 billion of the total funds so far.
The DBM said the Pheba releases per year were as follows:
- 2021: P12.1 billion
- 2022: P28 billion
- 2023: P31.1 billion
- 2024: P19.962 billion
Health Emergency Allowance mapping
In the same statement, the DBM said the DOH agreed in early 2024 to finalize its computation of HEA claims in arrears, allowing the DBM to determine if additional funding is necessary.
“DBM suggested that the DOH develop a HEA mapping that will capture and present all PHEBA claims and payments by Region/Health Facilities for the period covered by the benefit. The information gathered from the HEA mapping shall be used in expediting the final determination of the amount of deficiency to cover the full settlement of arrears,” the DBM said.
“The DBM likewise recommended that the said record be published on the DOH website for transparency to all claimants and stakeholders alike,” it added.
The DOH concurred with the suggestion, committing to submit the HEA mapping no later than March 2024.