DND eyes hazard pay for disaster, arsenal personnel

The Department of National Defense (DND) on Thursday asked lawmakers for a special provision allowing it to give overtime and hazard pay for its civilian disaster and arsenal personnel.

DND Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. made the request during the budget hearing of the House Committee on Appropriations for the department.

“We have a little bit of lambing to you, some special provisions to allow us to pay our civilian employees overtime pay and, in situations where warranted, hazard pay,” Teodoro said.

“For example, for our first disaster needs assessment teams of the OCD, they don't get hazard pay but PHIVOLCS and other employees do. Government arsenal personnel need hazard pay because they work in a very hazardous environment,” he added.

He also asked for a special provision to allow the government arsenal to barter or sell scraps to generate funds, lessen environmental hazards and remove long and complicated processes in disposing of them.

Aside from this, Teodoro called for some amendments including the re-establishment of hospitals in the government arsenal.

“For example, the re-establishment of trauma hospitals and other kinds of hospitals in the government arsenal to respond if there is a fire or an explosion, they are not equipped to handle the emergency,” he said.

The DND has a budget of P229,934,819,000 under the proposed National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2024. —VAL, GMA Integrated News