More than 13,000 UP employees to get more medical benefits – official

University of the Philippines Diliman. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)

MANILA, Philippines — University of the Philippines (UP) President Angelo Jimenez announced on Labor Day that more than 13,000 employees working in the state university’s constituent units around the country will now enjoy P100,000 per year financial aid for hospitalization expenses incurred during confinement.

According to Jimenez, this came after the UP Board of Regents (BOR) approved on April 27 the proposal to add P20,000 to the P80,000-assistance provided by UP under its Enhanced Hospitalization Program (eHOPE).

“Very focused tayo on hospitalization and health; meron tayong dagdag na P20,000 na benefit sa kanilang hospitalization, plus P10,000 for medicines upon discharge,” he said in a statement Monday, May 1.

(We are very focused on hospitalization and health; we have an extra P20,000 benefit for their hospitalization, plus P10,000 for medicines upon discharge.)

Aside from the 20,000 pesos in additional medical coverage, the BOR also approved the inclusion of non-permanent UP employees in the eHOPE program, as long as they have rendered at least one year of continuous service to the state university, Jimenez added.

He noted that “after COVID, very important ‘yung kanilang health issues (their health issues are very important.”

Jimenez further disclosed that UP would also increase its monthly counterpart contribution to the UP Provident Fund (UPPF) from P200 to P300 per month per UPFF member. He said more than 10,000 UPPF members would benefit from this increase.

Jimenez, who took over as UP President in February, pointed out that improving benefits is also part of the state university’s initiative to attract and retain the best professors and staff.

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