The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday said it had compensated at least 13 health workers out of the 32 who had died fighting the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a day after President Duterte was reported to have been angered by the nearly three-month delay in the payments mandated by law.
The Bayanihan to Heal as One Act provides a P1-million compensation to health workers who die of COVID-19 and P100,000 to those who had fallen ill with the severe respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
At a press briefing on Friday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said one check for P1 million was delivered to relatives of one of the 13 health workers on Thursday night.
She said P1-million checks were sent on Friday to 10 others in Metro Manila and two in the Davao Region.
鈥淲e have sent the rest of the checks to our Centers for Health Development, or our regional offices,鈥� she said.
She did not say whether checks for those who had recovered from the disease had also been sent out.
鈥楻eally shameful鈥�
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Thursday said Mr. Duterte was 鈥渁ngry and frustrated鈥� after he learned about the delay.
鈥淭he President was furious,鈥� he said.
In his Thursday night meeting in Davao City with members of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), the President instructed Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to form a team to oversee the compensation payments.
Mr. Duterte said the delay was 鈥渢otally unacceptable.鈥�
During the meeting, which was recorded and broadcast on nationwide television on Friday morning, Mr. Duterte gave Duque 24 hours to form the team and a June 9 deadline to complete the compensation.
Duque, who promised to comply, blamed his staff for the stalled payments.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really shameful, sir,鈥� he told the President. 鈥淭he families lost their loved ones and my people are dillydallying with no sense of urgency. I really feel bad about it.鈥�
New reason to resign
The Filipino Nurses United (FNU) said the delayed compensation was another reason Duque should step down.
The Senate passed a resolution in April calling on Duque to resign for his alleged failure in leadership, lack of foresight and negligence as chair of the IATF, the temporary state agency tasked with leading the administration鈥檚 response to the pandemic.
FNU president Maristela Abenojar said no one expected Duque to be the one to craft the implemention guidelines for the compensation. The DOH cited the lack of guidelines as a reason for the delay.
But as the head of the DOH, it was Duque鈥檚 responsibility to check whether it was being done, she said.
鈥淚f he was just waiting for a report, he is an inefficient head because he is not on top of their priorities,鈥� Abenojar said.
Given how easy it was for Duque to pin the blame on his subordinates showed that he was no longer fit for the job, said Akbayan Youth chair Dr. RJ Naguit.
鈥淚n a state of pandemic, we need a leader who can take charge and assume responsibility. We need people who can inspire and keep the morale going. With these statements made by the secretary, how else can he lead the workers of the DOH?鈥� Naguit said.
Health reform advocate Dr. Minguita Padilla said not taking responsibility for failures of an office 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 say anything good about [its] leadership.鈥�
鈥業 REALLY FEEL BAD ABOUT IT鈥� Health Secretary Francisco Duque III confers with President Duterte at Thursday鈥檚 meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Davao City. 鈥擬ALACA脩ANG PHOTO
Duque owns up
鈥淎 good leader should be able to say 鈥榯he buck stops here.鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to add to the burden of the DOH and to its hardworking and often maligned men and women. It pains me to hear yet again that they are being thrown under the bus.鈥�
But several hours after his televised rebuke of his staff, Duque owned up to the delayed compensation.
鈥淲hile I expressed disappointment toward some members of my team, I acknowledge that this is still my responsibility as SOH (secretary of health),鈥� Duque said on Twitter.
鈥淚 will make sure that we comply with the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, with proper documentation and identification of HCWs (health-care workers),鈥� he added.
The President said Duque should not 鈥渞un his own errands鈥� and that the government was 鈥渨asting money paying for these idiots鈥� who fail to carry out their tasks.
鈥淲hen I give an order for something to be done, I don鈥檛 count months. I only count days. It鈥檚 teamwork,鈥� he said.
鈥淐an you imagine, two months? And the secretary is beaten up every day because he was unable to do anything. Who should Duque order to do this? It should be the DOH, not the Bureau of Fire Protection,鈥� Mr. Duterte said.
The President noted that Congress, to whom he reports weekly about the COVID-19 situation, had not called his attention about the delayed compensation sooner.
鈥淵ou should have seen it in the report that there鈥檚 no assistance to the dead extended yet, the P1 million for the dead doctors never came,鈥� he said.
Like 鈥楽t. Francis鈥�
Senators were the first to point to the delayed compensation during a hearing on the economic recovery plans of the government on Tuesday.
On Friday, several of them were bewildered that despite his alleged shortcomings, Duque still had the President on his side.
鈥淚鈥檓 happy [that] the President has pushed everyone to act on it because the bottomline here is we give more than lip service to our heroic health workers,鈥� Sen. Sonny Angara said in a Viber message to the Inquirer.
鈥淎s for Duque, it seems [that] he has been elevated to beatific levels already despite his numerous missteps,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n other words, let鈥檚 make Duque 鈥楽t. Francis鈥� since he has no sin. He who is without sin.鈥�
Angara, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senators Joel Villanueva, Sherwin Gatchalian and Nancy Binay, had demanded that Duque immediately distribute the compensation.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III had written to the health secretary, saying his inaction was 鈥渄efinitely unacceptable.鈥�
Sen. Panfilo Lacson said it was already 鈥渒ind of boring to see Duque鈥� passing the blame to his underlings.
鈥淲hat gives? Many of us are starting to wonder what 鈥榓mulet鈥� Duque has to deserve such a special treatment鈥� from the President, Lacson said.
Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto urged the DOH to relax its documentary requirements for families of the deceased health workers.
He said the DOH should immediately give 70 percent of the amount due to the families and release the balance after the required documents had been submitted.
鈥淭he loved ones of our heroes who died fighting COVID-19 will have a hard time compiling the documents they must submit before the cash aid is released to them,鈥� Recto said.