Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Constitution Hills, Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No._____ 
________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by: REPRESENTATIVE EDWIN L. OLIVAREZ 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The security and welfare of our public health workers is of paramount 
importance.  Their resiliency and courage during the pandemic period are 
undeniable.   
This bill aims to grant a maximum of 25% of the monthly basic salary of 
public health workers who are directly exposed to matters of public health 
emergency as shall be declared by the President.  
In an effort to support our public health workers should a public health 
emergency occur again, the passage of this Bill is earnestly sought. 
EDWIN L. OLIVAREZ 
January 16, 2023
2:41 pm
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Constitution Hills, Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No._____ 
________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by: REPRESENTATIVE EDWIN L. OLIVAREZ 
AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE GRANT OF SPECIAL RISK 
ALLOWANCE TO FRONTLINE PUBLIC HEALTH WORKERS IN 
TIMES OF PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY 
Be it enacted in the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Republic of 
the Philippines in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Special Risk 
Allowance Act of 2023." 
SECTION 2. Grant of Special Risk Allowance. - National government 
agencies, government-owned or controlled corporations, and local government 
units are authorized to grant a Special Risk Allowance (SRA) equivalent to a 
maximum of 25% of monthly basic salary pay to Public Health Workers (PHWs) 
who are exposed tremendously to health risks and physical hardships while in the 
line of duty in times of Public Health Emergency. 
For purposes of this Act, “PHWs” shall refer to medical, allied medical, 
and other necessary personnel assigned in hospitals and healthcare facilities and 
who are directly exposed to matters of Public Health Emergency.  
“Public Health Emergency” shall refer to an event of an epidemic of 
national and/or international concern which threatens national security in order to 
mobilize governmental and non-governmental agencies to respond to the threat 
as shall be declared by the President of the Philippines. 
SECTION 3. Conditions on the Grant of Special Risk Allowance. - The 
grant of the Special Risk Allowance shall be subject to the following conditions: 
a. The PHWs provide critical and urgent services to respond to the
proclaimed public health emergency;
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b. The PHWs are either: 
 
i. 
Civilian employees occupying regular, contractual, casual or 
part-time positions; or  
 
ii. 
Workers engaged through contract of service (COS) or job order 
(JO) including barangay health workers (BHWs) regardless of 
the nature of engagement; provided that the workers are assigned 
to hospitals and other healthcare facilities. 
 
c. The PHWs physically report for work at their assigned work stations on 
the prescribed official working hours, as authorized by the head of 
agency/office during the period of public health emergency; and  
 
d. The grant of the special risk allowance shall be pro-rated based on the 
number of days that PHWs physically report to work during the period 
of the public health emergency in their respective places of assignment 
– the period of reckoning shall be determined by the proper government 
agency. The basis of the pro-rated grant of the special risk allowance 
shall be as follows: 
 
No. of Days Physically 
Reporting for Work 
Percentage of the 
Incentive 
3 to 7 
25% 
8 to 12 
50% 
13 to 17 
75% 
18 or more 
100% 
 
SECTION 4. Exclusion from the Grant of the Special Risk Allowance. - 
Those engaged without employer-employee relationship and funded from non-
personnel services appropriations and budgets, except those authorized in the 
preceding such as the following: 
 
a. Consultants and experts engaged for a limited period to perform specific 
activities or services with expected outputs; 
 
b. Laborers engaged through job contracts and those paid on piecework 
basis; 
 
c. Student workers and apprentices; and 
 


d. All individuals and group of individuals whose services are engaged 
through COS or JO. 
 
SECTION 5. Special Risk Allowance for Public Health Workers of National 
Government Agencies and Government Owned or Controlled Corporations. – 
The amount required for personnel occupying regular, contractual, casual or part-
time positions in national government agencies shall be charged against their 
available released personnel service (PS) allotments, while the amount required 
for COS/JO workers shall be charged against their available released 
Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) allotments, without need 
for prior authority from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), 
provided that all authorized mandatory expenses shall have been paid first. 
 
In case of insufficient PS or MOOE allotments, the agencies concerned 
shall submit to the DBM a special budget request duly supported by a list of 
entitled personnel with the corresponding amounts required. 
 
For GOCCs, the amount required shall be charged against their respective 
approved corporate operating budgets for the applicable fiscal year. A GOCC 
who does not have sufficient funds to fully cover the amount authorized herein 
may grant the same at a lower but uniform rate for all qualified personnel. 
 
SECTION 6. Special Risk Allowance for Public Health Workers in the 
Local Government Units. - The grant of the SRA to PHWs in the LGUs including 
BHWs shall be determined by their respective Sanggunians depending on the 
LGU's financial capability, at rates not exceeding the amounts authorized herein, 
subject to: 
 
a. The PS limitations under the Local Government Code of 1991 in the 
case of employees of the LGU; 
 
b. Available MOOE allotments in the case of COS/JO workers and 
BHWs; and 
 
c. Conditions set by the appropriate governmental agencies, chargeable 
against the funds of the local government unit during the fiscal year of 
the said public health emergency.  
 
Should there be insufficient funds to fully cover the SRA, a lower but 
uniform rate may be granted for all qualified personnel. 
 
SECTION 7. 
Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The 
Department of Budget and Management, in consultation with other concerned 


government agencies, including the Department of Health and the Department of 
Interior and Local Government, shall, within sixty (60) days from the effectivity 
of this Act, promulgate such rules and regulations necessary to implement this 
Act. 
 
SECTION. 8. Separability Clause. -If any provision of this Act is declared 
unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, the validity of the other provisions shall not 
be affected thereby. 
 
SECTION. 9. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules and 
regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or 
modified accordingly.  
 
SECTION. 10. Effectivity - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
after its s publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general 
circulation. 
 
APPROVED.