The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Tuesday committed to pay all outstanding health emergency allowance (HEA) obligations owed an army of healthcare workers by end-2025.
According to Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, the services delivered by public healthcare workers are of such value that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself has made the issue an integral part of his upcoming State of the Nation Address (SONA).
“He reminds me of that every time we meet. My promise is, by 2025, we will be able to pay it,” Pangandaman said.
The DBM has disbursed a total P91.283 billion to the Department Of Health (DOH) under the Public Health Emergency Benefits and Allowances (PHEBA) program covering all healthcare worker benefits from 2021 to 2023.
Of the amount, P73.261 billion have been allocated specifically for HEA.
PHEBA includes the special risk allowance (SRA), compensation for COVID-19 sickness and death, as well as additional benefits like meals, accommodation, and transportation allowances of healthcare workers.
At the Senate hearing on Monday, Pangandaman said the DBM plans tackling HEA arrears of P27.7 billion the DOH presented at a technical budget hearing held earlier this month. This involves using P2.3 billion in un-programmed appropriations (UA) fund contingent upon the collection of excess revenue.
“We will line it up [at UA]. We are just waiting for certification from the Bureau of Treasury on the excess revenue,” Pandandaman said, emphasizing the conditional nature of the UA.
Last year, an additional P7 billion, taken from the UA, benefited the HEA.
The DBM will likewise look into the internal budget of DOH and identify possible realignment for the program.
Pangandaman also committed resources addressing HEA deficiencies prioritized in the drafting of the 2025 National Budget.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa thanked the Senate committee on health and the DBM for helping resolve all HEA-related issues.
“We’ve received the budget from the 2022 and 2023 General Appropriations Act and we’ve been able to disburse almost 99 percent,” Herbosa said.
Thus far this year, the DBM has released P19.996 billion to the DOH. However, he admits there have been challenges in the disbursement of the fund.
Herbosa said the DOH has disbursed 48 percent of its budget this year.
But Pangandaman urged healthcare worker representatives to collaborate closely with the DOH to ensure the smooth implementation and timely disbursement of the HEA.
