Given hazard pay, PNP personnel volunteer salary for COVID-19 cash aid
MANILA, Philippines — Members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) are taking the lead of other public officials and donating parts of their salary to government initiatives fighting the spread of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
This was confirmed by PNP Chief Archie Gamboa—now on his 14th and final day of self-quarantine after suspected exposure—who said that the funds raised would go to social amelioration programs for families affected by the lockdown of Luzon.
Gamboa said that some P34 million had been pledged and collected as of this writing, as members of the force had committed 50% of basic pay for the month of May for the challenge, which he said was strictly voluntary.
READ: Each soldier to donate portion of salary for COVID-19 efforts
"The fundraiser challenge I posed [aims to] generate some 200 million from our own pockets to augment government funds," Gamboa said at a livestreamed public address on Tuesday afternoon.
"We will give back dedicated service in providing the basic needs of the poorest of the poor."
Besides the PNP, each member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines had also donated parts of their salary to efforts against COVID-19, along with ranking lawmakers and local government units.
Despite his newly-granted emergency powers, President Rodrigo Duterte has admitted he did not know where to gather funds to keep the country afloat throughout COVID-19's onslaught.
"The P100 billion for one month or P270 billion for two months as estimated earlier is not enough. I'm calling on the secretary of finance to generate [revenues]. Steal it or borrow it. I don't know what happens after if this runs out too," he earlier said in a mix of Filipino and English.
READ: Aid woes reveal Philippines failed to learn its lessons
Luzon's enhanced community quarantine lasted a month, leaving much of its poorest without aid, owing to a muddled rolling out of the government's social amelioration program.
Hazard pay for cops granted
Gamboa's challenge came after he also disclosed that each member of the national police reporting to work would be given hazard pay amounting to P500 each day, along with the personal protective equipment needed.
RELATED: Anger at P500/day allowance for medical volunteers about more than money, advocates say
According to President Rodrigo Duterte's Administrative Order No. 26, COVID-19 hazard pay equates to P500 per day that a government employee physically reports for work during the quarantine period.
"On April 16, qualified personnel shall receive their hazard pay at a uniform rate of P500 per day. That should further boost the financial flexibility of our troops and their families," Gamboa said.
The PNP has also opened a quarantine facility at its headquarters in Camp Crame.
As of this writing, 50 police personnel have been confirmed to be carrying the new pathogen, according to Gamboa.
RELATED: PNP opens quarantine center as seven cops test positive for novel coronavirus
Gamboa also warned violators of the enhanced community quarantine that they would face justice upon the lifting of the lockdown.
Police data shows that in the first 11 days of the Luzon-wide quarantine, 42,826 arrests were made.
In his address, the police chief also said that some 100,000 residents have violated the quarantine and its protocols.
January data sent by the bureau to a user on the administration's freedom of information portal says that around 90% of prison detainees are either awaiting or undergoing trial, or waiting for their final judgement.
This, while 374 out of the country's 467 jail facilities—equivalent to 80.1% of all facilities—were listed as being congested. Calls from rights groups, government agencies and lawmakers alike to release on probation elderly and low-level prisoners have been mounting in the past week.
READ: DSWD backs temporary release of sickly, vulnerable prisoners during pandemic
"When this crisis is over, they will endure further the agony of judicial process," he said.
"But only because we cannot afford to add to the congestion of our jail facilities at this time."
If you believe you have come into possible contact with infected patients, you may be directed to the proper office of the Department of Health for advice through the following lines: (632) 8651-7800 local 1149/1150 or (632) 165-364.
You may also opt to call the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine at (02) 8807-2631/ 8807-2632/ 8807-2637
President Rodrigo Duterte signed the bill that grants him special powers to address the novel coronavirus outbreak in the Philippines. Bookmark this page for updates.
Strategies proposed by the inter-agency taskforce against the COVID-19 pandemic need the approval of President Rodrigo Duterte, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque says.
He made the statement after news of a shift to "granular" lockdowns that will be first implemented in the National Capital Region starting September 8.
The government should extend 'Bayanihan 2', the legislation intended to address the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Akbayan says as it joins the call of labor groups SENTRO and NAGKAISA for an extension.
"Millions of Filipinos are still without work thanks to the pandemic. Add the fact that the country is under recession for the first time since the Marcos years, and it becomes imperative that the State step in and continue to provide aid," the party-list says.
"We echo the view that terminating Bayanihan 2 now will push more Filipino families towards hunger and desperation. The government must realize that without a sustained comprehensive economic aid plan, people will be forced to leave their houses to get food, medicine and supplies, which increases the risk of getting COVID. And with hotspots multiplying outside the NCR, extending Bayanihan 2 is not only logical, but necessary," it also says.
The government should increase efforts to inform people about the benefits of getting vaccinated against COVID-19 instead of threatening to jail those who refuse or telling them to leave the country, Akbayan says.
"Mr. Rodrigo Duterte cannot jail his way out of this pandemic. Neither can he expel COVID-19 by throwing out of the country Filipinos who are hesitant of the vaccines. It is both sad and ironic that in the middle of a catastrophe, the President is so quick to threaten to expel his own people, yet chooses to remain silent on Chinese incursions in the West Philippine Sea," Dr. RJ Naguit, Akbayan spokesperson, says in a release.
"The global health crisis is not simply a law and order problem. The virus cannot be contained by penal servitude. This is exactly the simplistic and violent approach that continues to divide this country, the idea that there are only two kinds of people, those who obey, and those who don't. There is far more to this crisis than that," he says.
The government has often used the "pasaway" narrative, saying people are stubborn and do not follow guidelines, to explain surges in COVID-19 cases and other issues related to the pandemic. This, despite top government officials being among those often seen flouting the same safety guidelines.
Face shields are no longer required when leaving home, the Palace says.
People will still need to wear face shields in public transportation, markets and indoor establishments.
This change in policy comes after President Rodrigo Duterte told senators that the face shields should only be worn in hospital settings.
Prior to the president's remarks, agencies, inlcuding the Palace had insisted on the use of face shields, claiming wearing them over face masks is almost as good as being vaccinated against COVID-19.
A total of 1,415 golf workers in Metro Manila have received cash aid from the DOT and DOLE as part of the Bayanihan 2 act.
The golf caddies, golf workers and employees in five major golf clubs in the capital region received almost P7.075 million.
“For the beneficiaries of the cash assistance program with us today, I hope that this amount can help you and your families in this difficult time," Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat says.
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