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No strings attached: ARTA backs P5,000 special risk allowance for all health workers

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="A health worker in a PPE cools herself in front of a fan at a testing center in Navotas City on August 20, 2020. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File" src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/business/09/10/20200820-covid-navotas-swab-test-7916.jpg"/><figcaption>A health worker in a PPE cools herself in front of a fan at a testing center in Navotas City on August 20, 2020. <em>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA - The government-mandated special risk allowance should be given to all eligible healthcare workers of both private and public firms, the country&#x27;s anti-red tape body said Friday.</p><p>A P5,000 SRA should apply to all healthcare workers without conditions to streamline the disbursement, Anti-Red Tape Authority Secretary-General Jeremiah Belgica told ANC.</p><p>&quot;It actually appears that the computation could also cost some bottlenecks since you know, you determine, you still need to debate upon yourselves who should be getting it or not, when in fact, with the global pandemic it’s really hard to distinguish who is at risk and who is not at risk,&quot; Belgica said.</p><p>He said all healthcare workers in a hospital have the same level of exposure to risks. It should also be given to all nurses whether or not they are assigned to the COVID-19 ward, he added.</p><p>&quot;Knowing that sa pintuan pa lang (at the door), when they get inside they are attending to them, so everybody was put at risk. We do believe that the P5,000 across the board for all would be very fair,&quot; he said. </p><p>Meanwhile, nurses across the country are complaining of meager SRA computed based on the hours of duty rendered. </p><p>Filipino Nurses United secretary-general Jocelyn Andamo earlier said the P5,000 SRA budget is still <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/01/21/not-p5000-nurses-decry-meager-special-risk-allowance">divided</a> to 22 days according to the Department of Budget and Management.</p><p>The government should release the COVID-19 risk pay without any conditions to make the process less complicated, the Philippine Nurses Association earlier said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/17/21/govt-urged-grant-covid-risk-pay-without-conditions">Gov’t urged: Give medical frontliners their COVID-risk pay without conditions</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/28/21/philippines-health-workers-special-risk-allowance-covid19">Funds released to DOH for health workers&#x27; special risk allowance, says DBM</a></li></ul><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1771123" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

The government-mandated special risk allowance should be given to all eligible healthcare workers of both private and public firms, the country's anti-red tape body said Friday.