Fulfilling a promise: Cebu City gov’t to release financial aid for private hospital nurses next week

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City government said it will release the financial aid it promised private hospital nurses assigned in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) wards by next week.

Cebu City spokesperson Rey Gealon said the papers and requirements of the 1,800 beneficiaries of the financial assistance are now with the City Administrator’s Office for final review. This means that financial assistance is now in the payroll process and will soon be released.

“If dili madala rung semana, siguradong next week makasugod na tas distribution kay tumanon gyod ni Mayor Labella iyang saad sa mga nurses,” said Gealon.

(If it cannot be done this week, surely we can start the distribution by next week because Mayor Labella will fulfill his promise to the nurses.)

It can be recalled that a group of nurses, the Philippine Nurses Association Cebu City Chapter, reminded the city government of its promise of a P10,000 financial assistance for three months, from June to August 2020, for nurses assigned in COVID-19 wards.

Read: Nurses in Cebu City private hospitals still waiting for financial assistance promised by gov’t

Labella said that the delay of the release of the aid was because of the documentary requirements needed from the beneficiaries of the financial assistance.

This is the first time the city government would be providing financial aid to nurses, and so the process for the listing and verification of the beneficiaries will take some time. The city government cannot skip the process because this is required by the Commission on Audit (C0A).

Gealon echoed the previous statement of the mayor, saying that the delay was caused by the documentary process needed to justify the financial assistance to the CoA.

Gealon said that the auditing rules and regulations strictly uphold a protocol and a process for these kinds of financial assistance, and since this is relatively new for the city, the processing of the documents took time.

Read: Cebu City mulls P10K incentive for medical augmentation force

The city did not have a list of the private hospital nurses assigned in COVID-19 wards unlike other beneficiaries of financial assistance like the senior citizens or persons with disabilities.

Still, the city ensures that once the financial assistance to the nurses will be released, it will be in accordance to CoA rules and regulations.

Gealon pleaded for patience from the nursing community as the budget is already allotted and ready for the distribution. He said that as long as the beneficiaries have provided the requirements to the city government, they can be assured to receive the financial assistance.

/bmjo