Let’s pay tribue to healthcare workers on Labor Day — solon
HEALTHCARE workers including those in the barangays deserve more than others to be honored in this year’s celebration of Labor Day.
This is according to Manila Rep. Manny Lopez as he urged Filipinos to make time to pay respect and express gratitude to all our healthcare workers.
Lopez, chairman of the House committee on Metro Manila Development, asked the national government to ensure that all commitments and benefits due to healthcare workers must be given.
Earlier, the solon pushed for the construction of a national monument to honor the sacrifice of healthcare workers with the “Bantayog ng mga Bayaning Frontliners” under his House Bill No. 9159 or “Frontliners Recognition Act.”
He also called for a legislative inquiry into the reported delay in the release of allowances and other medical benefits due to them under House Resolution No. 1704.
“Throughout our nation’s history, May 1st or Labor Day, has seen significant events or passages of laws that have made this holiday even more meaningful,” Lopez pointed out.
In NCR, as of April 28, 2021, there were 7,629 claims received by the DOH from health workers who have contracted COVID-19 and only 3,727 of these claims were paid.
Out of the 7,000+ claims, 1,814 claims were said to have not qualified, 796 for evaluation, 99 for verification, and 250 considered to have incomplete documents.
“Gusto ko po malaman bakit hindi nag-qualify yung halos dalawang libong health workers. Ito ba ay dahil hindi sila directly assigned sa COVID-19 ward or patients? Hindi po ba sapat na ikaw ay nagtratrabaho sa isang health facility sa panahon ng pandemya? Nais din nating alamin kung paano ba ang computation ng mga Hazard Pay at Special Risk Allowance (SRA), may mga quarantine leave ba ang ating mga health workers o ibinabawas ito sa kanilang sick leave at vacation leave? he stressed.
“Like our military and police forces, our healthcare workers have paid the price for fighting the Covid-19 virus – an unseen and most unforgiving foe – in blood, sweat, and tears. Now, we add our healthcare workers in the same sentence as our other traditional frontliners,” the solon added.
