Government Personnel to receive hazard pay during Luzon-wide quarantine

In line with the month-long enhanced community quarantine over the entire Luzon, President Rodrigo Duterte, through Administrative Order No. 26, has approved granting hazard pay to government workers who physically report for work while said quarantine is being implemented.

As per the Administrative Order (AO), the following departments or agencies are authorized to provide Hazard Pay to their workers who are physically on duty at their respective work stations while the quarantine is in place:

• National Government Agencies (NGAs)
• State universities and colleges (SUCs)
• Government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs)

COVID-19 Hazard Pay

A.O. No. 26 also states that each government worker will be given an amount not exceeding Php 500.00 per day.

Computation of Hazard Pay

COVID-19 Hazard Pay = Php 500.00 x no. of days physically reporting for work during the quarantine period

NOTE: Government employees who are already qualified to receive Hazard Pay, Hazardous Duty Pay, Hazard Allowance or other similar benefits provided by law, issuances, rules and regulations, must be given whichever benefit is higher:

• Public health workers
• Public social workers
• Science and technology personnel
• Military and uniformed personnel

Source: PIA Cordillera FB Page

Conditions on the Grant of COVID-19 Hazard Pay

Government agencies can grant their employees the COVID-19 Hazard Pay WITHOUT THE NEED OF APPROVAL from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) if:

1. The personnel are occupying regular, contractual or casual positions or working through a contract of service (COS), job order (JO), or similar schemes
2. The workers are authorized by the agency or office head to physically report to their respective work stations on the prescribed official working hours during the ECQ implementation in the area.

Hazard Pay for these workers must be computed in the same manner mentioned in the A.O.

Who are qualified to receive the COVID-19 Hazard Pay

Provided that the conditions mentioned above are met, the following government workers are entitled to the COVID-19 Hazard Pay:

• Employees in the:
  • Senate, House of Representatives
  • Judiciary
  • Office of the Ombudsman
  • Independent constitutional bodies vested with fiscal autonomy
• Employees of Local Government Units (LGUs), including barangays
  • to be determined by their respective Sanggunians, depending on the LGU’s financial capability
• Local Water District (LWD) employees
  • rates to be determined by their respective Board of Directors (BOD), but not exceeding Php 500.00 per day per person

NOTE: If an agency’s funds are not enough to fully cover the Hazard Pay, a lower but uniform rate may be given to qualified workers.

Where will the funds for the COVID-19 Hazard Pay come from?

FOR NATIONAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND STATE UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES

• For workers occupying regular, contractual or casual positions
  • from available released Personnel Services (PS) allotments
• Employees working through a COS, JO, or similar schemes
  • from available released Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) allotments

*No approval from DBM is required as long as all authorized and mandatory expenses are be paid first.

FOR GOVERNMENT-OWNED OR -CONTROLLED CORPORATIONS

• from their respective approved corporate operating budgets (COBs) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020