The heroic public health workers battling the coronavirus in the front lines will receive a special risk allowance based on a new order issued by President Duterte.
Duterte has issued Administrative Order No. 28 authorizing government agencies, government -owned and -controlled corporations, and local government units to grant a one-time COVID-19 SRA equivalent to a maximum of 25 percent of monthly basic pay to the frontline public health workers.
The additional benefit for public health workers is among the temporary emergency measures Duterte can implement under Republic Act No. 11469 or the “Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.”
“There is a need to recognize the heroic and invaluable contributions of public health workers throughout the country, who bravely and selfishly risk their lives and health by being at the forefront of the national effort to address the public health emergency,” Duterte said.
Under the latest AO, public health workers are referred to the medical, allied medical, and other necessary personnel assigned in hospitals and healthcare facilities and who are directly catering to or in contact with COVID-19 patients, persons under investigation, or persons under monitoring.
These are the health workers have “great exposure to health risks and physical hardships in the line of duty, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the President said.
Duterte has imposed certain conditions on the grant of the special risk allowance for public health workers.
These are:
– The public health workers provide critical and urgent services to respond to the public health urgency.
– The public health workers are either civilian employees occupying regular, contractual, casual, or part-time positions; or workers engaged through contract of service or job order, including barangay health workers regardless of the nature of engagement, provided they are assigned to hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
– They physically report for work at their assigned work stations on prescribed official working hours.
– The grant of COVID-19 SRA shall be pro-rated based on the number of days the health workers report for work during the quarantine period. (Genalyn Kabiling)
