Health workers are preparing to file criminal charges against officials of the Department of Health for “criminal neglect” in failing to release their benefits as they continue to lead the fight against COVID-19.
Filipino Nurses United secretary general Jocelyn Andamo said this on top of the planned mass protest on Wednesday, September 1, if the DOH fails to meet the 10-day deadline given by President Rodrigo Duterte to give medical frontliners the Special Risk Allowance, hazard pay and meal and transportation benefits due them.
“We are now consulting with our lawyers. We are looking at what case can be filed because to us, this is gross neglect. Many lives were lost because there were no resources, there were no funds. You can already call this criminal neglect,” Andamo said.
Medical frontliners have vowed to stage protest actions until Aug. 31 – the deadline they set for the DOH to release their hard-earned COVID-19 benefits.
Labor unions belonging to four government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) and government financial institutions (GFIs) are also pressing for the implementation of their salary
hike that has been put on hold for several years now.
Officers of the Kapisanan ng mga Manggagawa sa GOCCs at GFIs (KAMAGGFI) have asked Duterte to implement the Compensation and Position Classification System (CPCS) that he suspended in 2017.
Labor unions from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PSCO), Philippine National Railways (PNR) and Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) will hold a briefing today (Sunday) to reiterate their demands.
For her part, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire appealed to health workers to reconsider their planned mass protest on September 1.
Vergeire said the mass action would strain the health care system and hospital operations, especially at this time when the country is experiencing a spike in the number of active cases.
"We appeal to our health care workers because this would affect hospital operations, and we all know the situation in hospitals nowadays,” she said.
“We hope this kind of action will be deferred in the meantime. Let us give way to caring for our patients. The DOH is doing all it can to provide the benefits and address the concerns of our health care workers,” Vergeire added.
The Alliance of Health Workers earlier warned that at least 2,000 health workers would stage a massive protest if the agency fails to meet the Aug. 31 deadline.
Vergeire said there is a process that the government follows in releasing the funds.
“We are doing everything to respond to their concerns. We're just asking for their patience and consideration not to immediately resort to the actions they are planning,” she said.
The DOH has downloaded P311 million to its regional offices for the SRA of at least 20,208 medical front-liners.
The department has also requested some P201 million for the allowances of an additional 17,670 medical workers who are not part of the initial batch.
