Navotas frontliners get P500 hazard pay

MANILA, Philippines — All Navotas City Hall employees and health workers who form part of the skeletal workforce during the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine will receive a P500 daily hazard pay from the local government.

Under City Ordinance No. 2020-13, all employees of the local government who physically report for work during the extended lockdown, regardless of their status, will be granted a daily hazard pay to be sourced from the supplemental budget of Navotas.

Also covered are garbage collectors, street sweepers, and utility personnel.

“Our frontliners had to leave the safety of their homes and risk exposure to the coronavirus disease to be able to fulfill their duties and serve Navoteños. It is but right that we honor and recognize their sacrifices,” Mayor Toby Tiangco said in a statement.

City Ordinance No. 2020-10, on the other hand, also grants the same incentive to barangay health workers who report for work at city health centers and a temporary medical facility.

The hazard pay is on top of the other benefits they are entitled to under the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers.

Both ordinances were approved during the city council’s special session on April 1 and took effect immediately. As of Monday, Navotas recorded 14 COVID-19 cases with five deaths.

—Meg Adonis