[FEATURE] Filipino Health Workers Protest for Alleged Misuse of COVID-19 Funds
Written by Sophia Manubay
“Overworked yet underpaid” would be the best term to describe our health workers during this pandemic.
An audit report released by the Commission on Audit (COA) last August revealed an amount of P67 billion worth of misused and unused funds allotted for COVID-19 purposes. P11.89 billion of the said funds were left unobligated since the health department lacked programs it could commit payments to despite the sufficient funds.
This sparked health workers’ attention from private and public hospitals, which led to their protest against the Department of Health (DOH), demanding to release their unpaid benefits despite being in the frontline of our country’s battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last September, several protesters gathered at the DOH wearing protective medical gear while raising placards seeking to demand their risk allowances, hazard pay, and the resignation of Health Secretary Fransisco Duque III. Furthermore, this was a call for an end to government neglect and better pandemic response.
WATCH: Nurses in the Philippines: Underpaid and unprotected from COVID-19 while saving lives | by CNA Insider via YouTube
The Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) also held its online protest, demanding better work conditions and more hospital staff. As the surge of the Delta variant has rapidly affected health sectors, medical staff are overwhelmed, with several hospitals almost reaching their maximum capacity.
Moreover, hospital desertions have also started to reach a critical point as the Delta variant transmission continues to soar. The Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines (PHAPi) revealed an estimation that 40% of private hospital nurses resigned last year. Still, more are expected to follow as new waves of infections emerge. Public hospitals, on the other hand, face similar challenges. In an interview by Reuter, PNA President Melbert Reyes said he fears that hospitals could see more nurses resign if their demands for improved benefits and working conditions are left unheard by the government.
Duque, however, still resists the calls for his resignation, insisting that he still has the trust of President Rodrigo Duterte after the president refused to fire Duque, insisting that there was no corruption whatsoever at the health ministry.
President Duterte further criticized the Commission on Audit (COA) for releasing the audit reports. He says that it puts government officials in a bad light and that COA should stop publishing such reports until his job is done.
At present, the COVID-19 cases in the country had gone down to an average count of 4,000 reported cases a day from the high soar of 20,000 cases per day, which were reported last September. The Philippines remains at the moderate risk classification for COVID-19 as Metro Manila stays under Alert Level 3 until November 14, 2021.
OPINION
The strike of our health workers serves as a call for better governance in our country and as a reminder that in times of the pandemic, our actions bear consequences that mainly affect our health sectors.
THE AUTHOR
Hi there! I am Sophia Anne U. Manubay, a feature writer and one of the head editors for this year’s Tiger cubs. My hobbies include drawing, cooking, playing video games, and reading.
As a writer, I am very passionate about advocating for what I believe especially when I use my voice to echo justice and righteousness for our society. For me, Tiger cubs is a gateway that connects writers like me to the realities of our world wherein we learn new things while simultaneously spreading our knowledge. Furthermore, Tiger cubs is home to where my skills are honed which enables me to use them to better our society.
