NEWS | PGH workers protest for the release of stalled hazard pay and allowance
By Rowz Fajardo
Several health workers of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and members of All UP Workers Union-Manila (AUWU-Manila) staged a picket at the PGH atrium last November 20 calling on their administration to immediately release their COVID-19 hazard pay and special risk allowance (SRA), which are delayed for six months now since the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) ended. Today, the AUWU-Manila will stage a Black Friday Protest in front of the PGH Oblation Plaza to condemn the maintained ignorance of the PGH administration.
Ineptness of PGH Administration
According to the workers, most of the hospitals and health facilities retained by the Department of Health (DOH) and local government units (LGUs) already received the COVID-19 hazard pay and the SRA, except for PGH. The two benefits are under the Administrative Order (AO) №26 of 2020.
“The said AO authorizes the grant of Hazard Pay to government personnel who physically report for work during the period of implementation of an Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) relative to the COVID-19 outbreak. The PGH Administration has not released the said benefit to the health workers,” the AUWU-Manila said.
Moreover, the healthcare frontliners denounced the alleged ineptness of the PGH administration to provide their COVID-19 benefits. Despite the efforts of the AUWU-Manila to clarify issues regarding the delay of their benefits with the PGH administration, through formal writing and requesting for dialogue, it is unclear why these benefits are delayed and when they will be released.
“For how many months now, our Union has been asking for a dialogue with PGH Director Gerardo D. Legaspi but he remained numb to our request,” Karen Mae Faurillo, the union’s newly-elected president, said in a statement.
With the ongoing pandemic, PGH remains to be one of the most referred hospitals in dealing with COVID-19 and its health workers continue to risk their lives fighting the pandemic. According to Faurillo, providing them the benefits justly and on time is already a recognition of their contributions in ensuring the safety of the people.
“It has been six months of waiting! These benefits were supposedly a recognition to our heroic and invaluable contribution as we bravely and unselfishly risk our lives and health to be at the forefront in addressing COVID-19,” Faurillo explained.
Additionally, Faurillo mentioned the fatigue felt by the health workers during this prolonged pandemic and how they are demoralized by the delay of their benefits.
PGH’s response
The PGH Director Gerardo Legaspi released a statement on November 23 addressing the concerns of PGH workers during the protest.
In his statement, Legaspi assured the workers that the PGH administration did not fail to convene with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the University of the Philippines (UP) System regarding the issue. He added that several letters were sent to DBM clarifying that the hospital will be needing ₱49 million as funds for the SRA and the COVID-19 hazard pay of the workers.
However, the DBM explained that they cannot favorably respond to the request regarding the funding for the SRA and the COVID-19 hazard pay. Instead, they advised the PGH that the fund should be taken from the savings of the hospital or the UP System.
Legazpi then revealed that the PGH is not capable of funding the SRA and the COVID-19 hazard pay of workers due to the maximization of all the hospital’s revenue for the patients and the allotment of funds for the improvement of the facility’s infrastructures and equipment. He added that the unreleased funds and improper reimbursement due to the pandemic, along with the recent Philhealth issue also affected the funding for the said benefits. Legazpi mentioned that he already reached out from the UP President Danilo L. Concepcion for help.
PGH health workers remained vigilant and slammed the statement of Legazpi saying that what they need is assurance through immediate action and not just an appeal to trust the PGH administration. The AUWU-Manila is set to stage a Black Friday Protest today, November 27, in front of the PGH Oblation Plaza to hold the government and the UP administration accountable for ignoring their demands.
