MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang yesterday said it is still too early to push for a “Bayanihan 3” emergency legislation to cushion the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to the country’s economy.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said it still remains to be seen how the proposed P4.56-trillion 2021 budget would fare if additional interventions were needed.
Senators have been urging government to spend Bayanihan 2 already but the Department of Budget and Management explained that it only could release the funds after the requirements are complied with.
Roque said it would be premature to push for Bayanihan 3 because the proposed 2021 budget has not been finalized yet. He believes that the measure is not necessary if additional interventions will be included in the final version of the proposed 2021 national budget.
Bayanihan 1 and 2 were passed by Congress in March and September, respectively. Bayanihan 2, which expires in December, provides a P165.5-billion relief package to finance efforts against the pandemic.
Meanwhile, with 16,764 frontline health workers yet to receive their hazard pay and risk allowance worth P108.3 million under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act (Bayanihan 1), Sen. Francis Pangilinan said the Senate needs to immediately figure out how to provide funding for frontliners who continue to risk their lives every day.
Speaking late Wednesday night during the Senate plenary deliberations for the budget of the Department of Health (DOH), Pangilinan noted that the amount can no longer be paid under Bayanihan 1 since its funds have been used up.
“So that would be outstanding obligations and, again, I understand the good sponsor would want these matters settled precisely because these are our frontliners and they continue to risk daily their lives as we combat this pandemic, this virus,” Pangilinan said, addressing Sen. Pia Cayetano, who is sponsoring the budget of the DOH.
Cayetano said 58,003 regular employees and 28,345 job order employees have been paid, amounting to over P842 million. However, there are still 16,764 frontline health workers who are yet to receive their hazard pay due to lack of funding.
“This is concerning because a chunk of the Bayanihan 1 project was precisely dedicated to ensure we are honoring the hazardous duty of our frontline health workers as we continue to battle this pandemic. Bayanihan 1 passed June 25 – almost five months ago now. This means their pay is five months late. Funding this should be a priority,” Pangilinan stressed.
He also questioned why the administrative order to issue active hazard pay and special risk allowance for frontline health workers under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2) was only issued this week.
Administrative Order 35, dated Nov. 16, 2020, provides for an active hazard pay of up to P3,000 per month to all frontline Human Resource for Health (HRH) while Administrative Order 36 mandates an additional COVID special risk allowance (SRA) not exceeding P5,000 to public and private health workers who directly cater to or are in contact with COVID-19 patients.
“The virus cannot be managed effectively (without the aid of our frontliners), and therefore everything else, like a domino, will fall in terms of our inability to provide confidence and of course, open our economy. So the support for our frontliners is critical,” Pangilinan said, to which Cayetano replied that 43,908 regular employees and 16,774 job order employees for a total of 60,682 HRH have already received their SRA.
The delay, according to Cayetano, is because the DOH is seeking clarification from the Department of Justice and various agencies as to whether public health workers at the Central and Regional Offices of the DOH are also entitled to receive the SRA under Bayanihan 2. – Cecille Suerte Felipe