The Department of Health (DOH) call for volunteers among medical and non-medical professionals or “healthcare warriors” posted before noon today drew the ire of the public for offering a measly P500 per day compensation.
Defend Jobs Philippines said the announced P500 daily pay for volunteers is “nothing but an insult to our COVID-19 frontliners.”
“We are enraged to know that DOH, as a government agency, violates our own labor policies as it does not comply to the minimum wage requirement mandated by law. Providing healthcare workers with personal protective [equipment] will never be enough to say that the DOH is concerned with the health and safety of our frontliners as benefits such as the hazard pay will not be given to its so-called ‘warriors and heroes,” said Thadeus Ifurung, Defend Jobs Philippines spokesperson.
The terms for volunteering for health workers (doctors, licensed medical/science professionals, nurses, nurse assistants and orderlies) are:
- To be assigned at one of the three COVID-19 Referral Centers: the Lung Center, Philippine General Hospital or Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital
- Work and 8-hour shift every day for 14 consecutive days
- Mandatory on-site quarantine for 14 days
- Be provided with personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Be provided with food and accommodation for one month
- Be paid P100,000 for volunteers who will contract “severe COVID-19 infection on duty” or P1,000,000 to those who may die
This was a trending topic on Twitter (P500), with posts mostly angered at the offer. Most questioned the low offer for a high risk job, the P275 billion that could be tapped with President Rodrigo Duterte’s approved additional powers. Many also compared the offer to frontliners with the estimated salary Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Deputy Executive Director Mocha Uson.
In the Philippines, the Department of Health is looking for volunteer “Healthcare Warriors.” For doctors, this means going to work for 8 hours x 14 days, with rest for 14 days after. Salary: Php 500 (~USD 10) per day, for putting our lives on the line. ? #COVID19PH pic.twitter.com/SyOc778dkR
— Ron Baticulon (@ronibats) March 27, 2020
Mocha Uson gets P135,000 a month or (÷20) nearly P7,000/daily to spread propaganda and you are asking professionals to risk their lives and families for Php 500? Tingin mo, ano sasagutin nila?
— Raffy Ledesma (@RaffyLed) March 27, 2020
The DOH is paying volunteer doctors Php 500 a day to be frontliners. Harap-harapang gaguhan na talaga to no??
— Josh Aguasin (@joshH2ONaCl) March 27, 2020
And you know what’s more frustrating? Php 500 is an insult to our health workers but they would still volunteer because the spirit of their job is calling them. They swore to save lives. I love them for that and hate the government for taking advantage of their Kindness.
— Nabila Mohamad (@maamnabs) March 27, 2020
Okay. Iloilo is hiring Nurses and Doctors. Salary 20,000 for nurses and 60,000 for Doctora. . Meanwhile, DOH is looking fot a volunteers with Php 500 allowance daily.
Luh. #COVID19PH pic.twitter.com/2LWDgUdeWy
— nikko ? (@heeeynicholas) March 27, 2020
ANO NA PILIPINAS PHP 500 / DAY FOR DOCTORS ARE YOU ACTUALLY SERIOUS I'M FUMING pic.twitter.com/VK5I4tqonB
— ???? (@magicalmikachu) March 27, 2020
Minimum wage already too low
Labor groups have long protested that the minimum wage is too low.
Independent research group IBON Foundation said the minimum wage is insufficient compared to the family living wage of P 1,022 as of February 2020. The family living wage is the amount needed by a family of five to live decently.
The regional minimum wage in the National Capital Region as of November 2018 stood at P500 to P537. Those in agriculture, retail/service with 15 employees or less and manufacturing establishments with 10 workers or less is mandated by law to receive P 500, while those in non-agriculture should get P 537 per day of work.
Portugal-based e-commerce firm Picodi said in a report on January this year that the Philippines ranked 39th out of 54 countries included in the report with the lowest minimum wage increase from the previous year. In 2020, the monthly net pay of P7,139 is 3.2 per cent higher than in the previous year. The basic shopping basket food cost as per Picodi’s report is at P4,447 or 62.3% of the monthly net pay.
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