Solon seeks speedy release of frontliners’ benefits
THE chairman of the House committee on Metro Manila development has asked the Department of Health (DoH) to step up efforts and speed up the release of all benefits to our frontliners and to their families, especially those who have lost their lives in the battle against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“As some of you may know, I am a newly-minted COVID-survivor. I know and experienced firsthand the difficulty this disease brings to those it afflicts as well as to their family members and loved ones. I also realized, even more now, the strain and difficulty this disease brings to our healthcare workers. Every day they go to work putting at risk their own safety and well-being and that of their families so that they can take care of the sick. We can only imagine the risk, fear and anguish that they unnecessarily have to go through in the performance of their duty. All of us owe our healthcare workers our deepest gratitude,” said Manila Rep. Manny Lopez, panel chairman.
As of March 26, 2021, DoH data shows that a total of 15,662 healthcare workers have been afflicted with COVID-19, with 82 deaths.
Considering the current surge of infections, particularly in Metro Manila, this number has definitely increased.
With these figures and pursuant to a House Bill (HB) and House Resolution (HR) recently filed, Lopez demanded and asked the DoH NRC Director to provide the committee with a list of all health workers who have contracted COVID and those who have lost their lives because of this deadly disease so that we may properly honor our fallen heroes, the healthcare workers manning our hospitals, health centers, and other health institutions, including our very front line first responders in the community, our barangay health workers, who are often wrongly forgotten and forsaken, who practically work with minimal honorarium and allowances.
Lopez stressed that the “least we can do for our frontliners, both in the private and public sector, is to make sure that the benefits and allowances due them under the laws are provided in full and with dispatch such as some of the following provisions of law that mandates a compensation to public and private health workers who have contracted COVID-19”in the line of duty: (1) in case of death of the health worker, One million pesos (P1,000,000.00) shall be provided to the heirs of the health worker; (2) in case of sickness, for a severe or critical case, One hundred thousand pesos (P100,000.00); (3) in case of sickness, for a mild or moderate case, Fifteen thousand pesos (P15,000.00).
“Dapat siguraduhin ng pamahalaan na inaasikaso natin ang mga pangangailangan ng ating mga bayaning frontliners, lalo na ang ating mga health workers at mabigyan natin sila ng nararapat na benepisyo, kompensasyon, at sustento gayundin ang kaukulang rekognisyon at parangal. Ito man lang ang maisukli natin sa kanilang kahanga-hangang sakripisyo at di matatawarang serbisyo sa bayan,” Lopez stressed.
