MANILA — Healthcare workers may receive all the pending health emergency allowance (HEA) they worked for during the COVID-19 pandemic by 2025, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman gave this commitment in a Senate hearing led by the Committee on Health and Demography. 

“We will commit po, lahat po mabayaran 2025 po. Kung hindi po kaya this year, 2025 po kino-commit po namin,” Pangandaman said. 

(We will commit to pay everything by 2025. If it cannot be done this year, we commit for 2025.) 

According to the official, P73.261 billion has been given to DOH for HEA from 2021 to 2023. 

Government still needs P27.7 billion to fund the unpaid HEA, P2.3 billion of which will come from unprogrammed appropriation. 

Other potential fund sources include the savings of the Department of Health (DOH), which it will still have to determine, and possible excess revenues from the Bureau of Treasury. 

Asked by Committee Chairperson Senator Bong Go if the HEA will be given priority, Pangandaman said, “Depende po sa amount ng excess revenues na makukuha natin from the Bureau of Treasury. I know this is important, but marami rin pong equally important programs din. Ang budget is very limited, may limited fiscal space, kaya nga po ipipila natin siya.”

(It depends on the amount of excess revenues we will get from the Bureau of Treasury. I know this is important but there are a lot of equally important programs as well. The budget is very limited, there is limited fiscal space, that’s why we will line it up.) 

Roel Pahati, President of the Makati Medical Center Union, lamented the way healthworkers have been treated. 

“Masakit po yun kasi po nung may mga sakit po ang mga Pilipino, priority namin kayo lahat. Naiiyak kami kasi para kaming namamalimos,” he said. 

(This is painful for us because when Filipinos were sick, we prioritized all of you. This brings us to ears because it’s like we’re begging.)

Go agreed with him and said, “Parati kong sinasabi, sila po ang hero ng panahon ng pandemya. Pinaghirapan na po nila ito. Services rendered na po ito, dapat po ay ibigay sa kanila kung ano po ang nararapat sa kanila. Hindi na sila dapat magmakaawa para sa benepisyo na para naman po sa kanila ayon sa batas.” 

(I always say, they are the heroes of the pandemic. They have worked hard for this. This is services rendered already, they should get what is rightfully theirs. They shouldn’t beg for benefits that is theirs according to law.)  

Pangandaman answered, “Priority po namin kayo. Ika nga ni Senator, nasa SONA po ng ating Presidente. Tuwing nagkikita po kami (ni Presidente) sinasabi niya pinapaalala niya po ‘yan. Priority namin kayo. Ang promise ko po, by 2025, tapos na mababayaran na po natin. Pero ang implementation po, sa DOH yung listahan. Makipagtulungan po tayo sa DOH para tamang listahan po because we want the money.”

(You are our priority. As the Senator said, that is in the SONA of the President. Whenever we see the President, he reminds us of that. You are our priority. I promise, by 2025, we will be able to pay that. But the implementation is with the DOH. We will help the DOH for the right list because we want the money.)

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said, “Tatlong beses akong nagka-COVID. Alam ko pinagdaanan niyo, pinagdaanan ko rin po yan…Papangako ko na aayusin natin ang sistema basta’t nandadiyan ang budget.”

(I had COVID three times. I know what you went through, I went through that too. I promise to fix the system so long as the budget is there.) 

DOH Undersecretary Achilles Bravo said they will come out with a HEA mapping that will be available online. It will contain the list of those who requested and received HEA. Their data will also show why a certain person has not received his allowance. 

Bravo said they would instruct their regional directors to follow up with hospitals the release of HEA to healthcare workers, after some pointed out that a problem in disbursement remains. 

He also said workers could appeal to be included in the list.