A group of health workers staged a noise barrage Tuesday calling for the immediate release of COVID-19 allowances and performance-based bonuses for their services during the pandemic.
The demonstrators at the Philippine Orthopedic Center (POC) and National Children’s Hospital (NCH) also urged the administration to grant a pay hike, demanding a P33,000 entry-level salary to all public and private health workers in the country.
Alliance of Health Workers (AHWs) President Roberto Mendoza said this is part of health workers’ series of protest actions before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s 2nd State of the Nation Address.
On June 23, specialty hospital health workers held a lunch break protest with the same demands.
“Health workers deserve salary increase. We are conducting a noise barrage to break the deafening silence of President Marcos, Jr for not responding to the just calls of public and private health workers for pay hike,” said Mendoza.
“President Marcos Jr has been in power for almost a year now, but we have not even seen any steps taken by his administration to heed our long-time demands for a living wage, job security, mass hiring and release of unpaid benefits,” stated Ricardo Antonio, president of the National Orthopedic Hospital Workers Union-Alliance of Health Workers.
“If there is anything that is urgent that DOH Secretary (Ted) Herbosa should recommend to the President, it should be the increase of health workers’ salaries and mass hiring of permanent health workers and not the lifting of state of health emergency,” the group said.
Senator Christopher Go, meanwhile, said the proposed lifting of the state of public health emergency due to COVID-19 should be evidence-based and dictated by good science.
“We have to consider everything,” said Go, chairman of the Senate committee on health and demography.
Go said this includes ensuring that the present health care system is strong enough in case of an alarming increase again in the number of COVID-19 cases.
Go noted that declaring the end of the emergency state would have an impact on the emergency funds for the use of vaccines and the Department of Health’s current order from the President to ensure that health workers continue to receive their COVID-related allowances, even though the state of calamity has expired.
Go also appealed to the DOH and other concerned agencies to hasten the release of all applicable COVID-19-related allowances to health care workers.
He said the government should immediately give to health care workers what were due to them for their services during the pandemic.
He said this will include the death benefits of medical frontliners who offered their lives to ensure the safety and welfare of fellow Filipinos.
“Their allowances which we fought for in the Senate were measly compared to the huge sacrifices and heroic deeds of our health care workers,” Go said.
With or without the State of Public Health Emergency, he said the government should fulfill its obligations to protect the lives of Filipinos, safeguard their health, and give what is due to them especially to the medical front liners.
On May 5, the World Health Organization (WHO) lifted the global health emergency on Covid-19.
In the Philippines, Proclamation No. 922 issued on March 8, 2020 will remain in effect until the President lifts it.
The Philippines has recorded 27 additional cases of Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16, bringing its tally to 292, the Department of Health said.
XBB.1.16 is a descendent lineage of XBB, a recombinant of two BA.2 descendent lineages. It is considered a variant of interest by the World Health Organization.
The DOH earlier said the strain is capable of evading immunity and appears to be more contagious than previous variants.