The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Department of Health (DOH) are calling on the Commission on Audit (COA) to conduct a special audit on funds previously released for Public Health Emergency Benefits and Allowances (PHEBA) of health workers.
In a joint statement on Friday, the DBM said the special audit would help the DOH validate and consolidate all requests and disbursements related to the health emergency allowance (HEA) of medical workers.
“Despite the final and validated computation of HEA payments timely filed before the announced deadline, the DOH and DBM have received various appeals and additional requests for HEA payments from health facilities that were not covered by previous releases,” the DBM wrote.
“In light of these developments, including further appeals for additional funding requirements for PHEBA, the DBM, and the DOH agreed during the Monthly Economic Managers’ Meeting held on Feb. 17, 2025, to request the Commission on Audit (COA) to conduct a special audit of the previously released and disbursed funds for the payment of all PHEBA claims to ensure proper accounting of public funds spent for this purpose.”
The DBM has allotted and released to the DOH a total of P121.325 billion, covering all healthcare workers (HCW) and non-HCW worker benefits for eligible claims from 2020 to 2023.
The P121.325 billion covered the grant of Special Risk Allowance, HEA or One COVID-19 Allowance, COVID-19 Sickness and Death Compensation, and other benefits like meal, accommodation, and transportation allowances.
In 2024, the health department requested additional funds amounting to P27.453 billion to fully cover the requirements of the PHEBA program.
In the same year, DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman approved the release of a Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) amounting to P27.453 billion to cover the full requirement for the supposed final computation of the PHEBA arrears.
“Given this, we would like to emphasize that the DBM has fully released the additional funding to cover the total remaining unpaid HEA claims of health care workers since last year, in adherence to the directive of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.,” the DBM noted.
The two agencies said they raised serious concerns among economic managers about why the funding requirements to cover the incentives remain uncertain almost two years after the state of public health emergency due to COVID-19 was lifted by the President in July 2023 “This situation creates uncertainties regarding the government’s payment obligations for this purpose,” they pointed out.
Aside from the special audit, the DOH has agreed to finalize the list of health emergency allowance recipients to resolve the longstanding concern with finality.