DBM to release P27B unpaid health emergency allowance on Friday

The remaining P27-billion arrears of government for the COVID-19 health emergency allowance (HEA) of healthcare workers is set to be finally released on Friday, July 5, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) announced Thursday. 

The DBM said that the Department of Health (DOH) in May requested for the issuance of a Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) and Notice of Cash Allocation (NCA) amounting to P27.453 billion. The same amount was proposed by the DOH to be included in their 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP).

This was to cover payment of 5,039,926 remaining validated unpaid HEA and 4,283 COVID-19 sickness and death compensation claims of eligible healthcare and non-healthcare workers who provided service at the height of the pandemic. 

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said that they strived to settle the long overdue HEA claims upon the directive of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. 

“This is a promise fulfilled. Kahit sa 2025 pa ito hinihiling ng DOH, sinikap po ng DBM na mas maaga itong tuparin, dahil deserve po ito ng ating mga manggagawa sa health sector,” Pangandaman said in a statement on Thursday. 

(Even though the DOH is asking for it in 2025, the DBM tried to fulfill it earlier because our workers in the health sector deserve it.) 

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa on Wednesday first announced the “good news,” saying that there will no longer be an allocated budget for the HEA under the 2025 NEP as the unpaid allowance may already be released this year.

Back in May, Pangandaman said that the DBM targeted to settle all the remaining P27 billion arrears for the HEA by the end of 2025.

To date, the DBM has released a total of P91.283 billion to the DOH for the Public Health Emergency Benefits and Allowances (PHEBA), covering all benefits for healthcare workers from 2021 to 2023. 

Of this amount, P73.261 billion has been allocated specifically for HEA.

The PHEBA covers Special Risk Allowance (SRA), compensation for COVID-19 sickness and death, and additional benefits like meals, accommodation, and transportation allowances for healthcare workers. —KBK, GMA Integrated News