The Department of Health-Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) MIMAROPA reported a 77 percent accomplishment in the disbursement of the Health Emergency Allowance (HEA) in the region,
HEA is a special risk allowance given to all health workers “in recognition of their valiant and untiring efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic”, according to a press release by the Department of Health (DOH).
According to Regional Director Mario S. Baquilod during the latest episode of Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas on July 2, a total of ₱2.5 billion worth of HEA had been disbursed to more than 400,000 health workers in MIMAROPA as of June 2024.
Baquilod assured that the remaining 23 percent of unpaid allowance will be given to the health workers saying, “I know may mga issues dito but we are trying our best [na] maibigay agad ang mga allowances.”
(I know that there are issues about this, but we are trying our best to give the allowances as soon as we can.)
He commended the efforts of barangay health workers and nutrition scholars (BNS) and underscored their huge role in extending medical and health services to the grassroots, particularly during the peak of the pandemic.
Wilma G. Abejo, a BNS in the barangay island of Pawican, shared that the pandemic time is the most demanding period in her 14 years of service as a healthcare worker.
“Mahirap din kasi kapag may mga kabarangay kami na galing ng Maynila, matik yon, ina-isolate namin sila. Matrabaho noong panahon ng pandemic…Nagkasakit din ako noon,” Abejo explained.
(The work is difficult, especially when there are people who are coming from Manila, it is a given that we need to isolate them. The pandemic is a strenuous time. Even I got sick.)
She said that the HEA is a huge help for her, particularly for her family’s needs and her children’s education expenses.
The DOH reiterated that the barangay health workers are volunteers, and they cannot be terminated due to political conflicts or without due process.
The Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas is a nationwide, simultaneous weekly forum spearheaded by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) through the Philippine Information Agency. The program is aired on multi-media platforms every Tuesday at 9 A.M.
The platform aims to amplify the policies, activities, and accomplishments of each featured department, consistent with the mandate of the administration’s Bagong Pilipinas (BP) governance and leadership agenda. (DSG/PIA MIMAROPA-Occidental Mindoro)
