President Duterte signs admin order granting special risk allowance to COVID-19 healthworkers

(Courtesy: Presidential Communications Operations Office) President Rodrigo Duterte signed Administrative Order No. 28, authorizing the grant of Special Risk Allowance for public health workers in the forefront of the fight against COVID-19.

(Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte has signed Administrative Order No. 28, which grants special risk allowance (SRA) to health workers in the forefront of the fight against COVID-19.

Admin Order No. 28 authorizes national government agencies, government-owned or -controlled corporations, and local government units to grant a one-time SRA to public health workers (PHWs), equivalent to 25% of their monthly basic salary.

“For purposes of this Order, “PHWs” shall refer to 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”, the admin order read.

It covers regular, contractual, casual, or part-time PHWs, as well as those engaged through contract of service or job order, including barangay health workers, as long as they are assigned to a hospital or healthcare facility.

To qualify for the SRA, the health worker must provide critical and urgent services in response to the COVID-19 emergency, and physically report for work during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) period.

Under the order, the SRA will be pro-rated based on the number of days that the health worker physically reported for work during the ECQ, or not earlier than March 17, 2020.

Excluded from the SRA are consultants, laborers engaged through job contracts or paid on piecework basis, student workers and apprentices, and those not assigned in hospital and healthcare facilities.

(Eagle News Service)