THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said it has disbursed P27 billion to the Department of Health (DOH) to cover the emergency allowances of healthcare workers.
“The DOH requested an amount of more than P27 billion, so the DBM, under SARO (Special Allotment Release Order) No. BMB-B-24005240 dated July 5, 2024, as well as the corresponding cash requirement issued under NCA-BMB-B-24-009106 to cover the payment for public health emergency benefits allowance of eligible health care workers and non-health workers was released,” Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said.
As requested by the Department of Health, the DBM issued a Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) and a Notice of Cash Allocation (NCA) of P27.453 billion, which will cover payments for 4,283 COVID-19 Sickness and Death Compensation claims for eligible healthcare and non-healthcare personnel as well as 5,039,926 validated but unpaid Health Emergency Allowance.
“We thank Sec. Amenah for releasing the funds for the health emergency allowance. We expected in 2025, but she was able to release it now,” said United Private Hospital Unions of the Philippines (UPHPAP) spokesman Ronald Ignacio said.
