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P312m funds SRA claims
But nurses decry lack of guidelines delaying cash distribution By Willie Casas and Macon Ramos-Araneta
T
HE Department of Budget and Management said Wednesday it has released the special risk allowance (SRA) of over 20,000 health care workers to the Department of Health, which was set to download P311.79 million to its regional offices and hospitals yesterday. The hospitals would then be in charge of disbursing the SRA to medical frontliners, “first to healthcare workers who are directly affected [by COVID-19],” acting Budget Secre-
tary Tina Rose Marie Canda said during the Laging Handa briefing. H e a l t h workers Next page
VOL. XXXV • NO. 192 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 • THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
20 biz groups dun PhilHealth on P86b IOUs By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Willie Casas MALACAÑANG and 20 big business groups on Wednesday called on the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to resolve its differences with private hospitals amid the latter’s threat to cut ties with the state health insurer -- pos possibly by October. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said PhilHealth should im immediately reimburse the claims of pri private hospitals amounting to P86 billion. PhilHealth has said there are only P12.9 billion worth of unpaid claims, of which 15 percent were for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) benefit packages. Still, the business groups led by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, American Chamber Next page
ONLY ON PAPER. Health Workers of the Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center stage a ‘noise barrage’, pressing for the release of their special risk allowance and other benefits due them as medical workers at the front lines of the war on COVID-19. One of them (inset) shows off a copy of her pay slip for the month of August showing all the deductions and still not having received the SRA and hazard pay. Norman Cruz, Danny Pata
Sara dares Bong, Rody to confirm pairing, bares two options By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Vito Barcelo DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio yesterday challenged her father, President Rodrigo Duterte, and Senator Christopher “Bong” Go to publicly own up to their de-
cision to run as a tandem in did about it to the public,” Comelec awards poll the 2022 national elections, the mayor said. deal to F2 Logistics saying she refused to be a “They should simply preStory on A2 “political punching bag for a sent to the people what they party in complete disarray.” can offer to our country and “If they can confirm it privately, then I do how they can help our fellow Filipinos.” not see the reason why they cannot be canDuterte-Carpio also revealed she re-
spectfully advised them to stop talking about her and make her the reason for them running or not. She insisted that she is not a “last-twominutes” person, a reference to how easily she could be made to substitute as a Next page
P45-b budget for vax booster still unfunded THE P45-billion budget requirement for buying COVID-19 vaccine booster shots is not yet funded under the proposed 2022 national budget, pending solid findings that it is essential, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said Wednesday. Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto welcomed the administration’s request for standby authority to buy as much as P45.4 billion worth of vaccine booster shots. The booster shots fund is on top of the P30 billion earmarked for “drugs, medicines, vaccines” in the P157-billion Department of Health budget for 2022, Recto said. The amount is part of the P151.6 billion in unprogrammed funds in the proposed 2022 budget, he said. Recto said the pandemic’s “huge footprint” on the 2022 national budget Next page
1,883,088 13,573
125,378
32,492
228
1,725,218 15,820 (As of 4 PM, AUGUST 25)
Duque nudged to take the cue from Duterte By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Vito Barcelo
WELCOME HOME. About 22 overseas Filipino workers arrive at the Manila International Airport Terminal 2 on August 25, 2021 from
London. They are part of the group who have escaped Taliban control of Kabul and most of Afghanistan. They will be undergoing several days of isolation and test before going home to their respective provinces. Danny Pata
Postpone license exam, med students ask gov’t THE Philippine Medical Students Association (PMSA) on Wednesday called for the postponement of the September 2021 Physician Licensure Examinations amid the surge of COVID-19 cases in the country due to the Delta coronavirus variant. In a statement, the PMSA said pushing through with the exam will threaten the safety of the examinees, proctors, and administrators, and will put at risk their families, relatives, and the general public as well. “More than 1,000 individuals, 35 organizations, several doctors and personalities gave all-out support to the unified call of medical and health allied students, councils and organizations to postpone the Next page
HEALTH Secretary Francisco Duque III should take a cue from the statement of President Rodrigo Duterte that he would accept his voluntary resignation as a signal for him to quit his post, Senator Risa Hontiveros said Wednesday. A day after Duterte continued to vouch for Duque as his Health Secretary, Hontiveros said the President’s statement on Tuesday also signifies an “offer (for him) to resign… to give Next page
Deadline extended for aid payout THE Department of the Interior and Local Government has extended the deadline for the distribution of financial assistance or “ayuda” to low-income individuals and families in Metro Manila to August 31 upon the request of some National Capital Region LGUs. “Upon the request of the LGUs and with the concurrence of (Social Welfare) Secretary (Rolando) Bautista and (Defense) Secretary (Delfin) Lorenzana, we have decided to give the LGUs in the NCR until the end of the month to complete the distribution of ayuda,” Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said in a media release on Wednesday. Año said the decision to extend the
deadline for the payout was made after some Metro Manila LGUs requested more time in completing the payout given the limited mobility and manpower to finish the payout due to the increasing cases of COVID-19 in NCR. “The mayors also need more time to process appeals and grievances, so it is justified for us to give an extension,” he said. Local government units need help in shouldering the cost of handing out cash aid to residents affected by granular lockdowns, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairperson Benhur Abalos also said Wednesday. Next page
BUG-EATEN SAVINGS. Adonis Buemia (right) shows about P50,000 worth of 1,000 and 500-peso bills eaten by termites after he hid the money -- his life savings -- in a cabinet at home. After the 70-year-old ice delivery man approached a TV program for help, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas facilitated the replacement of Buemia’s mutilated banknotes with a bank near his home. Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho photo