City to release Thursday incentives for frontliners

CEBU, Philippines —  After all the waiting, private medical frontliners will get partial of the cash incentive promised by the Cebu City government on Thursday.

This was disclosed by Mayor Edgardo Labella yesterday after the delay of the release due to stringent requirements set by the Commission on Audit.

Labella said the incentives will be given through the hospitals for distribution.

Set for release is for the month of August in the amount of P10,000 per private medical frontliner.

There are about 2,000 private medical frontliners who have been approved to receive the incentives.

The city government initially agreed to give cash incentives for three months in appreciation to the medical frontliners who are in the battlefield of COVID-19.

It was during the time when Cebu City was tagged as the epicenter of Covid-19 in the country that the compensation of private hospital workers and that of the government hospitals where tackled.

There were even medical frontliners who quit or have threatened to quit due to exhaustion that paved the way for Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, the COVID-19 overseer here, suggested to give out incentives which Labella agreed.

According to Labella, Cimatu said in jest that other local government units might be pressured to give incentives to private hospital workers too because of the example set by Cebu City. — GMR (FREEMAN)