DBM: Enough funds for government health workers’ hazard pay

MANILA, Philippines — The government will have the budget to finance the grant of hazard pay to all government workers and health care workers in the frontlines battling the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, the Department of Budget and Management said yesterday.

Citing the provisions of Administrative Order (AO) 43, Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado said the President’s latest directive has allowed national government agencies, state universities and colleges and other government units to set aside portions of their funds for the additional special risk allowances for state workers.

The same goes for health care workers from private and government firms who are getting their special allowances up to the end of the month.

Avisado explained that the AO authorized the grant of COVID-19 hazard pay to all government workers who physically report to work during the period of implementation of an enhanced community quarantine and a modified enhanced community quarantine.

It covers qualified workers including regular, contractual, contract of service and job order positions, who shall receive an amount not exceeding P500 per day when they actually report for work.

“The funds will come from the national government agencies and the state universities and colleges; if you (have) regular and contractual employees, their allowances will be sourced from personal services allotments,” Avisado said at the Laging Handa program yesterday.

For employees who are under contract of service or job order, Avisado said the funds will be sourced from maintenance and other operating expenses – or MOOE – allotments.  All employees of government-owned and controlled corporations will get their funding from their respective approved corporate operating budget within the fiscal year.

As for local government units, Avisado said all local government employees including those in the barangays will be covered under the current year’s local government funds.

In case there will be an entity which will have insufficient funds to fully cover the COVID-19 hazard pay at the rate of P500 per day per person, Avisado said a lower but uniform rate may be granted to all qualified personnel.

“This newly approved administrative order effectively amends AO No. 26 issued last year which covers only employees who report to work during the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine,” the budget secretary said.