(Eagle News) — Government officials have until June 9 to release the compensation to COVID-19-positive health workers and to the kin of those who died in the line of duty.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte himself gave the deadline, upon learning the P100,000 for each public and private health worker infected with the virus, and the P1 million for each family of the health worker deceased due to COVID-19 had not yet been distributed more than three months after the Bayanihan We Heal As One Act that stipulates the same was passed into law.
“Hanggang Martes lang po ang binigay ng Presidente para sa mga kinuukulan na ibigay ang compensation sa mga health workers na nagkasakit ng COVID-19 in the line of duty at sa mga pamilyang naiwan ng mga namatay,” Roque said.
Roque warned government officials they needed to deliver, also noting that the President was “angry” and “frustrated” about the news.
“Ngayon ko lang nakita na talagang medyo uminit ang ulo ng Presidente nung nalaman niya,” Roque said.
Earlier, Senate President Tito Sotto called out Health Secretary Francisco Duque III for not distributing the amount, noting the sacrifices of health workers for the country.
He said the argument no implementing rules and regulations had been passed did not hold as “as a legislator for more than two decades, I am fully aware that generally, a law becomes effective 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.”
According to Sotto, assuming for the sake of argument the IRR were needed, “then what hindered your office to draft and (approve) the said IRR for the past two months?”
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire has said the Department of Health, the Department of Budget and Management and the Department of Labor and Employment would craft a Joint Administrative Order this week to implement the provision.