P27 billion COVID-19 health allowances to be given this year, says Herbosa

COVID-19 frontliners in a Metro Manila hospital. (File photo)

MANILA, Philippines — The remaining P27 billion unpaid COVID-19 health emergency allowances (HEAs) for eligible medical frontliners will be released by this year.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa made the announcement on Wednesday at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon Pre-Sona special program.

He cited what the Department of Budget and Management said during the 17th Cabinet Meeting in Malacañang last Tuesday.

According to Herbosa, Budget Sec. Amenah Pangandaman relayed that the funds for the remaining emergency allowances will no longer be included in the proposed budget for 2025.

This means DBM is confident it can release the fund this year.

“Sabi ni Secretary Pangandaman, ‘wala na doon iyong budget ng allowance.’ Sabi ko, ‘Bakit wala?’ ‘Mukhang kaya na naming ibigay this year,’” said Herbosa, narrating his exchange with Pangandaman.

(Secretary Pangandaman said, ‘the budget for allowance is no longer there.’ I asked, ‘Why is it not there?’ ‘It looks like we can give it this year.’)

“This year, oo. Mukhang maibibigay na ng national government iyong remaining 27 billion na hindi pa namin na-allocate para mabayaran na lahat,” he revealed.

(This year, yes. It seems that the national government will be able to provide the remaining 27 billion that we have not yet allocated so that everything can already be paid.)

“So, iyon ang good news dito,” he noted.

(So, that’s the good news here.)

READ: DOH: P76.1 B COVID-19 allowance for health workers disbursed

Under Republic Act No. 11712, health workers who responded during a “state of public health emergency” shall be granted HEAs for every month of service.

The amount ranged from P3,000 for workers deployed in low-risk areas to P9,000 for personnel deployed in high-risk areas.

In March, Herbosa announced that a total of P76.1 billion allowance were already disbursed to eligible health workers.