Government workers entitled to hazard pay during quarantine

MANILA, Philippines — Government personnel who physically report for work during the implementation of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine are now entitled to hazard pay, based on an administrative order signed by President Duterte yesterday.

“Government employees and workers engaged through contract of service or job order whose services are urgently necessary and who physically report for work during the period of an enhanced community quarantine are inevitably exposed to health risks and hazards,” Duterte said in Administrative Order No. 26.

Government personnel will receive P500 for every day they report for work during the quarantine period. The hazard pay is retroactive to March 17.  

Personnel who are already entitled to hazard pay, hazardous duty pay, hazard allowance or other similar benefits under existing laws, issuances, and regulations like public health workers, social workers, science and technology personnel, and uniformed personnel will continue to be entitled to such benefits or the COVID-19 hazard pay, whichever is higher.

Duterte said heads of agencies may grant the COVID-19 hazard pay to their personnel without the approval of the budget department provided that the personnel are occupying regular, contractual, or casual positions or are engaged through contract of service, job order or similar schemes; and personnel have been authorized to physically report at their respective offices or work stations on the prescribed working hours by the agency head during the quarantine period.

The funds for the hazard pay may be charged against available personnel services allotments for regular, contractual or casual positions and maintenance and other operation expenses (MOOE) allotments for contract of service or job order workers.

For government-owned and controlled corporations, the amount required shall be charged against their respective approved corporate operating budgets for fiscal year 2020.

Employees in the legislature and judiciary, Office of the Ombudsman and other independent constitutional bodies vested with fiscal autonomy who physically report for work during the quarantine period and have adopted similar work arrangements may also be granted the COVID-19 hazard pay chargeable against the available released personnel service allotments of their respective agencies.