Sotto asks Duque: Where is the aid for healthcare workers?
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 4:24 p.m.) — Health workers and their families who have contracted the novel coronavirus in the performance of their duties have not received the compensation owed to them as stipulated in the Bayanihan Heal as One Act, the law granting President Rodrigo Duterte special powers to address the COVID-19 crisis.
This was what Senate President Vicente Sotto III said in a letter addressed to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Wednesday afternoon, urging the latter to expedite the rolling out of aid to affected health workers and provide an update on his progress.
"It is very disconcerting to know that after more than two (2) months of the above-cited law's implementation no health worker and his or her family has received their supposed renumeration (sic.) for sacrificing their own lives for our own. The purported reason being the lack of an implementing rules and regulations (IRR) to effectively execute a provision of the law," Sotto wrote.
"Assuming arguendo that an IRR is indispensable in the implementation of Bayanihan to Heal As One Act, particularly on the grant of compensation to affected health workers or their families, then what hindered your office to draft and approved the said IRR for the past two months?" Sotto added.
Republic Act 11469 in Section 4(f) hands the chief executive the power to: "provide compensation of One hundred thousand pesos (P100,000) to public and private health workers who may contract severe COVID-19 infection while in the line of duty."
READ: Senate President Vicente Sotto III's letter to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on the reported failure of the government to compensate health and medical personnel who died or got sick with COVID-19 as mandated by the Bayanihan Act @PhilippineStar pic.twitter.com/pCYpO1yN4a
— Paolo S. Romero (@PaoloSRomero) June 3, 2020
Philippine jurisprudence has reiterated the doctrine that every law has in its favor the presumption of validity, which contends that the mere absence of implementing rules does not invalidate the provisions of a law.
The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation in an earlier exchange with Philstar.com said that it was not in charge of enforcing the provision.
For the past few months, Duque has been the target of much criticism over his performance as the country's health chief, which has materialized in the form of a Senate resolution calling for his resignation signed by 14 senators, including Sotto, where the senators slammed the health chief for his "failure of leadership, negligence, lack of foresight, and inefficiency in performance."
At the onset of the global pandemic, Duque was quoted as saying that the Philippines was a middle-income country and was thus not among the poor countries that the World Health Organization said were ill-equipped to deal with the new pathogen.
"May I remind you that we, as public servants, are duty-bound to cushion the effects that this pandemic brings and not to add to the problem or worst, to be the problem and source of panic and further uncertainties in this already challenging world?" Sotto said in his letter.
As of this publishing, the new pathogen has infected 18,997 patients in the Philippines.
The Department of Health has said that one in every five coronavirus cases is a health worker, who are among the most vulnerable to transmission.
Wednesday marks the third day of general community quarantine in Metro Manila sans mass testing and adequate mass transportation.
"The efforts and sacrifices made by our healthcare worker-frontliners need not be more emphasized. Their being so-called COVID-19 heroes and the accolades they received each are enough reminders for them to get noticed by everyone including you, but it seems that you pay no heed to these facts," Sotto added.
"Our government has provided funds for the programs under the Bayanihan to Heal As Otte Art, which include the subject compensation. So, all the more reason for it to be implemented without delay and difficulty." — Franco Luna with reports from Prinz Magtulis and Gaea Katreena Cabico
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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