Health workers continue to lament unpaid COVID-19 allowance

February 12, 2025 , 11:43 PM

By Clarist Mae Zablan

(February 12, 2025) – More than a year after COVID-19 was declared to be no longer a global health emergency, health workers continued to lament their still-unpaid health emergency allowance (HEA), prompting senators to open an inquiry into the issue.

During a Senate health committee hearing on Wednesday, Usec. Achilles Bravo of the Department of Health (DOH) said there are still around P6.7 billion unpaid HEA.

He told senators that the agency requested P5 billion from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to fund the payment of allowance to health workers under the 2025 national budget but it was denied due to lack of funds. Congress inserted P2.5 billion under the budget bill, but Pres. Bongbong Marcos vetoed it.

“On the part sa DOH, we have no more funds for that purpose (HEA). That’s the reason why we requested DBM. Unfortunately, DBM has no appropriation for that purpose. That’s the reason why (there is) the possibility of including it in the 2026 proposal,” Bravo said.

The United Private Hospitals Union of the Philippines (UPHUP) said they were saddened by the vetoing of the remaining HEA.

“Basing po doon sa sinabi niya (Marcos) doon sa inauguration, sabi po niya is there will be changes starting tomorrow. And for him to veto ‘yung para sa amin na P2 billion sana, nakakalungkot po sa amin iyon,” UPHUP spokesperson Ronald Ignacio said.

Roel Pahati of Makati Medical Center Employees Association also noted that most of the HEA being appealed likely came from agency workers such as hospital janitors and security guards.

“Kaya po lumobo po ‘yung appeal, sa totoo lang po, ito po ‘yung mga taong walang boses. Ito po ‘yung mga empleyado na nasa agency na kung saan napabayaan po ng mga head ng agencies nila,” Pahati told senators.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that COVID-19 was no longer a public emergency in 2023, more than three years after it was first detected.

At its wake, the pandemic cumulatively caused the deaths of 7 million people across the world, including more than 52,000 in the Philippines, based on data from WHO in 2022. The country also imposed strict lockdowns that caused an economic contraction in 2020.

(With reports from Ria Fernandez-Obina, News5)
(CD)

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