Cebu City Mayor Edgar Labella. | file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City is finally releasing the hazard pay for frontline workers in barangays three months after the peak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
The city government will be releasing P250 per day worth of hazard pay for all barangay frontliners from March 28 to May 30, 2020, which was the first few months of the hard lockdown of the city.
This was also the period when many of the government workers contracted the disease and some even died as a result of that.
Read: Pardo barangay captain passes away
Pardo Barangay Captain Manolita “Litang” Abarquez was among the barangay officials who died due to the COVID-19.
Mayor Edgardo Labella said the hazard pay was delayed because there were documentary requirements needed by the Commission on Audit (COA) for the hazard pay to be legal.
“We had to request some documents that we need to submit to the COA, but many barangays already complied. I urge all barangays to comply to these requirements so we can release the hazard pay soon,” said the mayor.
There are 23 barangays that have been completed their requirements and the workers in these barangays will be the first to receive the hazard pay.
These barangays include Pahina San Nicolas, Sawang Calero, Sudlon I, Suba, San Nicolas Proper, Sapangdaku, Inayawan, Kalubihan, Banilad, Bulacao, San Antonio, Pasil, Luz, Tabunan, Capitol Site, Kinasang-an ug Sto. Niño, Kalunasan, Hipodromo, Taptap, Tagba-o, Cambinocot, and Basak San Nicolas.
The amount they will receive will correspond to the days they served from March 28 to May 31, 2020.
It is not yet clear if the families of barangay workers who contracted the COVID-19 and died in the line of service will also receive the hazard pay, but the city government is smoothing out the details.
The Cebu City Council will also discuss in the regular session tomorrow, October 28, 2020, a supplemental budget worth P400 million that will include the hazard pay for the barangay workers. /dbs