Monetization of HCWs’ benefits lauded

SEN. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, on Friday lauded President Rodrigo Duterte’s approval of the provision of meals, accommodation and transportation (MAT) benefits for qualified health care workers (HCWs) in the form of cash equivalents.

Go said the measure will benefit 423,314 HCWs nationwide. Cash equivalents can reach up to around P3,500 per month.

He has urged the executive department to provide immediate applicable benefits to health care workers in the most convenient and efficient way possible.

“Mahirap maging health care worker lalo na sa panahon ngayon. Hindi basta-basta ang trabaho nila kaya dapat natin ibigay ‘yung dapat ibigay na mga allowances na nararapat sa kanila bilang mga frontliners (It’s hard to be a health care worker especially at this time. We should provide them with the allowances that they deserved to receive as frontliners),” Go said.

“Napakaliit na halaga ito para sa kanilang serbisyo sa ating mga kababayan. Sila ang isinabak natin sa giyerang ito kaya hindi natin sila pabayaan (This is a small amount for their service to our countrymen. We deployed them to this battle and we should not forsake them),” Go said.

The Department of Health (DoH) requested the Office of the President to monetize the MAT benefits in view of the clamor of the health care workers.

Go supported and pushed for the proposal saying, “kung ano ang pinaka-makakatulong at maginhawa sa kanila, iyon ang ibigay natin (we should give them whatever can help or make them comfortable).”

“Ako naman, ipaglalaban ko ang ating mga frontliners sa kahit anong paraan, bilang Senate Committee chairman on Health. Ipaglaban ko what is due o kung ano dapat na ibigay sa kanilang lahat (For me, as chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, I will fight for our frontliners in whatever way. I will fight for what is due them or what all of them deserve to receive) ,” he pledged.

To ensure that all HCWs are properly compensated, Go has been pushing for the immediate passage of Senate Bill 2421, which he authored and co-sponsored, to provide a fixed monthly allowance for HCWs during the ongoing state of emergency due to the pandemic.

“Lahat naman ng health care workers na naka-duty ay maituturing na exposed sa banta ng Covid-19. Hindi nakikita ang kalaban na ito kung kaya’t mahirap paghiwalayin pa kung sino ang exposed at sino ang hindi (All the health care workers on duty are deem exposed to the threat of Covid-19. This is an unseen enemy, thus, it is hard to separate those who are exposed and those who are not),” Go said.

In 2019, the lawmaker was instrumental in the enactment of Republic Act 11466 or the “Salary Standardization Law 5”. The measure gives all civilian government employees, including nurses, increased salaries broken down in tranches.

In the same year, he also ensured that enough funding was allotted for the implementation of the 2019 Supreme Court decision that upheld Section 32 of the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002, which sets the minimum salary grade of the Nurse 1 position at SG-15.