More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
Senator Recto has revealed that PhilHealth spent no money on vaccines or health workers during the pandemic.
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| https://philstar.com/headlines/2024/08/14/2377826/philhealth-spent-nothing-vaccines-health-workers-during-pandemic-recto |
Philhealth spent nothing on vaccines and the healthcare emergency allowances of hospital workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Finance Secretary Ralph Recto on Wednesday.
During the Development Budget Coordination Committee’s briefing at the Senate, Recto was again questioned about the Department of Finance’s (DOF) memorandum circular to Philhealth ordering it to return idle funds amounting to P89.9 billion to the national government’s coffers.
Recto asserted that it was the order of Congress for the DOF to seek sleeping funds and reallocate it for better use.
Sen. Imee Marcos questioned if the reallocated funds will be used for health purposes as well. Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman answered that P27 billion was used to pay the overdue allowances of COVID-19 health workers,
Sen. Grace Poe, who chairs the Committee on Finance, asked why Philhealth was not the one to pay the allowances in the first place.
“It is not the obligation of Philhealth to pay the emergency allowances of our frontline workers. Like I said earlier, their reserve funds were not spent during the pandemic. Inako lahat ng national government. Philhealth did not spend for a single vaccine. Philhealth did not spend for a single frontline worker,” Recto replied.
However, Recto said that Philhealth has standby funds for the purposes of an emergency such as a pandemic.
“The emergency funds of Philhealth, it should be, precisely for something like a pandemic,” Recto said.
Recto said the previous admin opted to loan the money. The country’s debt ballooned during the pandemic. In 2019, the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio was 39.6%. In 2024, the rate reached 60.2%.
Poe questioned why the previous admin opted to loan the money when there were funds, to which Recto replied, “it was their decision to borrow the money.”
“We can say that now we are actually allocating properly what should have been done with the funds of Philhealth to begin with because that would have been a contingency fund for eventualities regarding health,” Poe said.
Recto also pointed out that Philhealth’s income has continuously exceeded its expenses, meaning it has made more and more money. By 2024, it could accumulate funds up to P546 billion.
Senator Recto also says the money was there and should have been spent but the Duterte administration decided to borrow the money instead.
Senator Poe says PhilHealth should pay what the government owes to health workers.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1231202 |
The unutilized funds of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) should be allotted to the government's remaining balance to the health emergency allowance (HEA) of health workers, Senator Grace Poe said on Wednesday.
Based on the figures presented by Finance Secretary Ralph Recto during the second briefing of the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) to the Senate Finance panel, PhilHealth's net income has been growing from PHP4 billion in 2019; PHP30 billion in 2020; PHP48 billion in 2021; and PHP79 billion in 2022.
By the end of 2024, Recto said PhilHealth would have a net income of PHP61 billion.
"With its increasing net income annually, PhilHealth should now shoulder the remaining payables of the government to our health workers," Poe said.
"We are now taking from PhilHealth what should have been given to our health workers long ago," she added.
Meanwhile, Recto revealed that PhilHealth was also not able to utilize its savings even during the pandemic which should have been used for health expenditures like the HEA.
"It was during the pandemic as well that PhilHealth had a lot of savings because it was the national government who spent for the pandemic. We did not use resources from PhilHealth, which is essentially the reserved funds are really for an emergency like a pandemic," he said.
Recto also said the reserve funds of PhilHealth could have also reduced the amount of borrowings of the national government during the pandemic.
He recommended for the government corporation to improve its benefit packages to better utilize funds for its members.
She says the government is now taking that money from PhilHealth's unutilized funds.
Health workers have returned to the Senate to demand their emergency allowance. This time the fight has gained international attention from UNI Global Union.
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| https://uniglobalunion.org/news/bhws-return-to-senate-philippines/ |
Barangay health workers (BHWs) and private healthcare workers recently returned to the Senate to press for the immediate release of their long-overdue Health Emergency Allowance (HEA). Frustration among these frontline workers has been mounting, as many have waited for more than a year without receiving the compensation promised to them for their crucial services during the pandemic.
Senator Bong Go, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, stressed the urgency of releasing the overdue Health Emergency Allowance (HEA), questioning the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on the delay. In response, DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman clarified that the agency had already fulfilled its obligations by releasing over P27 billion requested by the DOH under a Special Allotment Release Order in July 2024 to cover the payment for eligible healthcare workers.
Richie Ronald Ignacio, a health worker from Ugnayang Nagkakaisang Manggagawa – UST Hospital (UNM-USTH), highlighted the struggles faced by private healthcare workers. “We still haven’t received our HEA. The HEA dashboard in many hospitals barely shows any progress.” Ignacio also pointed out that several healthcare facilities have been waiting for over 18 months to receive their allowances.
Myrna Gaite, President of the Barangay Health Workers Federation – National Capital Region, revealed that many BHWs across the country are still awaiting their HEA. “Many of our colleagues have already passed away without receiving anything. What’s even more painful is that some BHWs were excluded by their LGUs from the list of HEA beneficiaries despite having served during the crisis. We served our communities, where is the compensation for our service?”
DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa assured that the DOH has already received the budget allotment from DBM and promised that all funds would be released by October 2024. DOH Undersecretary Achilles Bravo provided an update on the fund distribution plan, “The NCA (Notice of Cash Allocation) was released to us on July 15, and we immediately sub-allotted it to our regional offices. For July, PHP 10.1 billion. For August, PHP 9.8 billion. September, PHP 4.06 billion. And the balance by October, PHP 2.9 billion.”
The DOH also addressed the process for health workers contesting their HEA status, explaining that regional ad hoc grievance boards have been established to handle complaints and resolve disputes regarding eligibility and the amounts owed.
Rajendra Acharya, UNI Asia & Pacific Regional Secretary, welcomed these developments but cautioned that the work is far from over. “While we are encouraged by the progress in fund allocation, UNI will continue to work closely with our barangay health workers and private healthcare workers to monitor the situation until every eligible worker receives their rightful compensation.”
This initiative is backed by UNI Global Union through Together We Care, a groundbreaking initiative to enhance women’s economic security by fostering a skilled, empowered workforce in the health and care sectors supported by USAID, the Ford Foundation and the CARE Fund.
UNI Global Union
is a Global Union Federation for the skills and services sectors, uniting national and regional trade unions. It has affiliated unions in 150 countries representing 20 million workers.
That means the fight for health workers to receive their back pay has reached an international level.
The Philippine Red Cross has honored the Singapore Red Cross for offering assistance during the pandemic.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2024/8/16/philippine-red-cross-honors-singapore-red-cross-for-covid-19-support-assistance |
In recognition of the assistance provided during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) awarded the Singapore Red Cross (SRC), led by Secretary General and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Benjamin William.
Chairman and CEO Richard Gordon and Secretary General Dr. Gwen Pang at the PRC National Headquarters in Mandaluyong City on Aug. 14.
“The COVID-19 pandemic was a dark time for us all,” Gordon said. “Every country struggled to keep their health systems afloat with dwindling resources in hospitals, clinics, and health centers,” he added.
Despite the global challenges, Gordon noted that the Singapore Red Cross generously provided the Philippines with masks and protective equipment. “We are truly thankful for their friendship and support,” he explained.
In 2020, the SRC shipped 40,000 surgical masks, 10,000 N95 masks, and 2,500 coveralls to augment hospital supplies and assist health workers.
Pang, for her part, expressed that the Philippine Red Cross is “grateful for the solidarity” shown by the Singapore Red Cross during the pandemic.
“It was a time of hardship, but also a time for us National Societies to come together and help each other,” she added.
In addition to the award, the PRC presented the delegation with "Pula," the Red Cross bear.
In return, the SRC gifted the PRC a custom "Snoopy" stuffed toy, created through their ongoing collaboration with the Peanuts comic strip brand.
Before the pandemic, the SRC collaborated with the PRC on various relief operations, providing aid to those affected by Typhoon Ondoy (international name: Ketsana) in 2009, Typhoon Pablo (international name: Bopha) in 2012, and Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) in 2013.
Recently, the SRC donated PHP 2.9 million (approximately $50,000) to support the PRC's efforts in aiding families and individuals affected by Typhoon Carina (international name: Gaemi) last July.
During the event, the SRC delegation included Assistant Secretary General for Operations Charis Chan, Associate Director for Global Engagement Rebekah Lim, Assistant Head for Global Engagement Fauzia Amalia, and Executive for Global Engagement Liew Yi Chen.
That is a god relationship. The Snoopy toy is a bonus.
Monkeypox is back in the news and it could be the new COVID. There is a new case in the Philippines.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1231466 |
The Department of Health (DOH) has detected one new case of mpox in the Philippines, a 33-year-old male with no travel history outside the country.
In a news release Monday, the DOH said prior to this, the last case was found in December 2023.
“DOH will make the testing process as convenient as possible, so that suspect cases may be identified fast and allowed to stay at home,” Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said. “Our health system is working. We can handle the situation, and will keep the public well-informed."
All previous cases were isolated, cared for, and have since recovered.
The 10th laboratory-confirmed mpox case of a man who had close, intimate contact three weeks before the onset of mpox symptoms was reported to the DOH on Aug. 18.
The symptoms started more than a week ago with fever, which was followed four days later by findings of a distinct rash on the face, back, nape, trunk, groin, as well as palms and soles, according to the DOH.
The case was seen in a government hospital, where specimens were collected from the skin lesions and tested via real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. The test results came back positive for monkeypox viral DNA.
Common symptoms of mpox are a skin rash or mucosal lesions, which can last 2 to 4 weeks, the DOH said.
The rashes are accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes.
Mpox can be transmitted to humans through close, intimate contact with someone infectious, with contaminated materials like used clothes or utensils, or with infected animals.
"We can avoid mpox. Mpox is transmitted through close, intimate contact, and also the materials used by people who have mpox. Keeping our hands clean with soap and water, or with alcohol-based sanitizers will help," Herbosa said.
No mask will prevent this.
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