DAVAO CITY — After tongue-lashing words, President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday night ordered Health Secretary Francisco Duque to form a new team and release the financial support for the front-liners who dies of Coronavirus-19 pandemic.
“‘Sinasabi ko na noon na madalian ‘to.” Duterte stressed addressing to Duque. Duterte was reportedly very mad when he learned that the DOH has yet to release the P1-million each for frontliners who have died.
During his address to the nation Thursday night, Duterte ordered Duque to organize a team that will facilitate the delivery of assistance to the families of health workers who succumbed or fell severely ill to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“I am asking Secretary Duque to form a new team that would focus on the immediate delivery of the assistance that should be given to those who were — ‘yung namatay, tapos ‘yung nagkasakit,” President Duterte said in a taped public address aired on Friday.
“And I expect it within 24 hours. Kay kung wala pa kayong trabaho, mas lalo na — buti sana kung maabutan ng a new team who will take over na mayroon silang makitang trabaho ninyo. From there, they would add their kaalaman and their expertise and then directly deliver the assistance immediately,” Duterte emphasized.
Just hours after the Inter-Agency Task Force meeting was aired on television, DOH Davao Region posted a photo of DOH officials handing over a check to a family embers of a from liner who died due to Coronavirus-19.
The granting of financial assistance to families of health workers who due to Covid-19 is pursuant to RA No. 11469 otherwise known as Bayanihan to Heal As One Act wherein financial aid worth P100,000.00 shall be given to public and private health workers who may contract severe COVID-19 infection while in line of duty and P1,000,000.00 shall be given to public and private health workers who may die.
The release of financial assistance has been delayed for two months, but it took DOH hours to release the assistance hours after Duterte scolded them.-Editha Z. Caduaya
