EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Third Regular Session
SENATE
71 SEP 29 P2:41
COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 325-Jl 
.
Submitted jointly^4:1^ S°15V??i^ees on Finance' Hea,th and Demo9raPhy^ ar/d^Ways 
and Means on .vtr ^ V ciicl
Re: Senate Bill No. 2421 Prepared by the Committees
Recommending its approval in substitution of Senate Bill Nos. 2371, 2398 and 
2406
Sponsor: 
Senator Sonny Angara
MR. PRESIDENT:
The Committee on Finance jointly with the Committees on Health and 
Demography, and Ways and Means, to which were referred Senate Bill No. 2371, 
2398 and 2406 introduced by Sens Richard J. Gordon, Sonny Angara, Imee R. 
Marcos, Maria Lourdes Nancy S. Binay, Risa Hontiveros, Joel Villanueva and Juan 
Miguel F. Zubiri, entitled:
"AN ACT
GRANTING CONTINUING COVID-19 BENEFITS TO PUBLIC AND PRIVATE 
HEALTH WORKERS DURING THE PERIOD OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, 
PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES",
Senate Bill No. 2398, introduced by Senator Christopher Lawrence T. Go, 
entitled:
"AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR ALLOWANCES AND BENEFITS FOR HEALTHCARE 
WORKERS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, APPROPRIATING FUNDS 
THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES",
Senate Bill No. 2406, introduced by Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa, 
entitled
"AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR ALLOWANCES AND BENEFITS FOR HEALTH WORKERS 
DURING THE PERIOD OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, APPROPRIATING 
FUNDS THEREFOR",


iQ the Senate with the 
, prepared by the
have considered the same and have the honor to report 
recommendation that the attached Senate Bill No. .
Committees entitled;
"AN ACT
GRANTING COVID-19 BENEFITS AND ALLOWANCES TO PUBLIC AND 
PRIVATE HEALTH WORKERS DURING THE STATE OF PUBLIC HEALTH 
emergency PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES"
be approved in substitution of Senate Bill Nos. 2371, 2398 and 2406 with 
Senators Gordon, Angara, Marcos, Binay, Hontiveros, Villanueva, Zubin, 
Go, and Dela Rosa, as authors thereof.


RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED
Chairpersons
SONNYANGARA
Chairperson, Committee on Finance, Finance Sub-Committee A 
Vice Chairperson, Committee on Ways and Means
CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE T. GO
Chairperson, Committee on Health and 
Demography;
Vice Chairperson, Finance,
Sub-Committee F 
Member, Committee on Ways and 
Means
Vice Chairpersons
PIA S. CAYETANO
Chairperson, Committee on Ways and 
Means;
Vice Chairperson, Finance, Sub­
committee D and Health and 
Demography
CYNTHIA A. VILLAR
Vice Chairperson, Finance 
Sub-Committee B
\/
WIN GATCHALIAN
Vide Chairperson, Finance 
Sub-Committee E 
Member, Committee on 
Means
Ways and
RISA HONTIVEROS may interp/amend
Vice Chairperson, Finance 
Sub-Committee H
Member, Committees on Health and 
Demography and Ways and Means
DELA ROSA
:inance
RONALD T
Vice Chairp\__
Sub-Committee C 
Memb^ Committees on Health and 
Den^J!^phy ^n(;};Ways and Means
JORDON
Chairperson, Finance 
Sub-Committee G
Member, Committees on Health and 
Demography and Ways and Means
[MEETl. MARCOS
Vice Chairperson, Finance 
Sub-Committee I
Member, Committees on Health and 
Demography and Ways and Means
"may interpellate ami 
introilnce amemlmen fs"
JOEL mLANUEVA
Vice Cnmrperson, Finance 
Sub-C^mittee J
n GRACE POE
U Vice Chairperson, Finance 
Sub-Committee K
Member, Committee on Ways and Means


lARl)^ LOURDES NAMfcV S. BINAY
Vice Chairperson, Conm{itte^on_Health 
and Demography 
Member, Committee on^nance
M^bers
LITO” M. LAPID
^mber. Committees on Finance and 
Ways and Means
AQUILINO "KOKO" PIMENTEL III
Member, Committees on Finance and 
Health and Demography
PANFILOJM. LACSON
Men^r^^ommittees on Finance, Health 
and Demography and W^vs and Means
EMMANUEL-^^MAMWP-DTPACQUIAO
Member, Committees on Finance and 
Ways and Means
N. TOLENTINO
mittees on Finance and 
Health and Demography
- -
FRANCIS "KIKq^^ NGILINAN
Member, Committees i Finance, Health 
and Demography,
ays and Means
ExjQffido Members:
RAMON BONG REVILLA, 3R.
Member, Committees on Finance and 
Ways and Means
LEILA M. DE LIMA
Member, Committees on Finance and 
Ways and Means
RALPH
Senate President Pro-Tempore
IIGUEL F. ZUBIRI
Majority Leader
HON. VICENTE C. SOTTO III
Senate President
/fI J^NKLIN M. DRILON
Ml lority Leader


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
Third Regular Session 
)
SENATE
*21 SEP 29 P2:42
s. No. 2421
(In substitution of Senate Bill Nos. 2371, 2398 and •2406)
Prepared and submitted jointly by the Committees on Finance; Health and 
Demography; and Ways and Means, with Senators Gordon, Angara, Marcos, Binay, 
Hontiveros, Villanueva, Zubiri, Go, and Dela Rosa, as authors thereof
AN ACT
GRANTING COVID-19 BENEFITS AND ALLOWANCES TO PUBLIC AND 
PRIVATE HEALTH WORKERS DURING THE STATE OF PUBLIC HEALTH 
EMERGENCY, PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines 
in Congress assembled:
1 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known and cited as "COVID-19
2 
Benefits and Allowances for Health Workers Act of2021."
3 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is the policy of the State to instill health
4 
consciousness among our people and to ensure that the general welfare of Filipino
5 
health workers is promoted through adequate compensation and benefits
6 
commensurate with the services they provide. The State recognizes the paramount
7 
importance of public and private health workers for the continuous delivery of health
8 
services, disease prevention and promotion of health in general. Towards this end,
9 
the State shall ensure the welfare and adequate support for our health workers and
10 
guarantee that all benefits owing to them shall be provided to them with utmost
11 
efficiency, especially during the existence of a national public health emergency.
12 
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. - For the purposes of this Act, the following
13 
terms are hereby defined as follows:
14 
a) Health facilities shall refer to any public or private institutions that have
15 
health care as their core service, function or business. Health care pertains to
16 
the maintenance or improvement of the health of individuals or populations


1 
through the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and chronic
2 
management of disease, illness, injury and other physical and mental ailments
3 
or impairments of human beings.
4 
For purposes of this Act, health facilities and other health related
5 
establishments shall refer to those duly licensed and designated by the
6 
Department of Health (DOH) for COVID-19 response in accordance with the
7 
department's guidelines.
8 
b) Health workers shall refer to all public and private medical, allied medical
9 
and other necessary personnel employed by, and assigned in hospitals, health
10 
facilities, laboratories, medical or temporary treatment and monitoring
11 
facilities, or vaccination sites and those who are involved in the national
12 
health care response to mitigate the transmission of COVID-19 and prevent
13 
further loss of lives;
14 
c) Risk Exposure Categorization refers to the following levels of exposure.
j) Low risk exposure - health workers performing administrative duties in
15 
non-public areas of health facilities, away from other staff members or
17 
away from patients, may be known as "clean areas".
ig 
jj) Medium risk exposure - health workers within the health facility that
19 
are providing direct physical care to the general public who are not
20 
known or suspected COVID-19 patients and working at busy staff work
21 
areas within a health facility.
22 
iii) High risk exposure - health workers entering a COVID-19 patient's
23 
room to directly provide care for COVID-19 patient whether involving
24 
aerosol-generating procedures, such as intubation, cough induction
25 
procedures, bronchoscopies, some dental procedures and exams, or
95 
invasive specimen collection as well as those collecting or handling
27 
specimens from known or suspected COVID-19 patients.
28 
SEC. 4. Coverage. — This Act shall apply to all public and private health
29 
workers, regardless of employment status, as defined under this Act during the state
30 
of public health emergency as declared by the President: Provided, That the COVID-
31 
19 compensation for sickness and death under Section 5 of this Act shall also apply
32 
to non-medical workers and outsourced personnel hired under institutional or


1 
individual contract of service or job order basis and assigned in health facilities who
2 
are similarly exposed to COVID-19.
3 
SEC. 5. Grant of COVID-19 Risk Allowance, Compensation Package
4 
and Other Benefits. - The national government shall grant the following benefits
5 
to covered individuals under Section 4 hereof:
6 
a) Provision of COVID-19 Risk Allowance for every month served, regardless of
7 
quarantine status; with the following amounts depending on risk exposure
8 
categorization:
9 
i) Those deployed in "low risk areas" shall be given Three Thousand
10 
Pesos (P3,000);
11 
ii) Those deployed in "medium risk areas" shall be given Six Thousand
12 
Pesos (P6,000); and
,3 
iii) Those deployed in "high risk areas" shall be given Nine Thousand
14 
Pesos (P9,000).
15 
Provided, That the COVID-19 Risk Allowance shall be in addition to the
16 
benefits for health workers under Republic Act No. 7305 or the "Magna Carta of
17 
Public Health Workers" and other forms of hazard pay as a result of collective
18 
bargaining agreements with private employers: Provided, further. That the
19 
allowance shall be released in full if a health worker physically reports for at least
20 
twelve (12) days in a month, otherwise, the benefit shall be prorated: Provided,
21 
further. That the COVID-19 Risk Allowance shall be released monthly;
22 
b) Provision of compensation to those who have contracted COVID-19 in the line
23 
of duty with the following amounts:
24 
i) In case of death of the covered individual. One million pesos
25 
(P1,000,000) shall be provided to the heirs of the covered individuals;
26 
ii) In case of sickness, for a severe or critical case. One hundred thousand
27 
pesos (P100,000) shall be provided to the covered individuals; and
28 
iii) In case of sickness, for a mild or moderate case. Fifteen thousand
29 
pesos (P15,000) shall be provided to the covered individuals:
30 
Provided, That the compensation provided herein shall be given to the
31 
beneficiaries not later than three (3) months after the date of confinement or death
32 
and upon submission of complete and compliant documentary requirements.


1 
c) Regular COVID-19 testing of health workers by PhilHealth: Provided, That the
2 
frequency of which shall be determined by the DOH; and
3 
d) Full PhilHealth coverage for direct healthcare costs of hospitalized health
4 
workers due to COVID-19.
5 
SEC. 6. Retroactivity - The benefits under this Act shall have retroactive
6 
application from July 1, 2021 and shall remain in full force and effect during the
7 
state of national public health emergency as declared by the President.
8 
SEC. 7. Appropriations. — The amount necessary for the implementation of
9 
this Act shall be charged against the current year available appropriations of the
10 
DOH and any sources available as may be identified by the Department of Budget
11 
and Management (DBM). Thereafter, the amount necessary for its continuous
12 
implementation shall be included in the Annual General Appropriations subject to
13 
existing budgeting, accounting and auditing rules and regulations.
14 
SEC. 8. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within thirty (30) days
15 
from the effectivity of this Act, DOH, DBM and the Department of Finance (DOF), in
16 
consultation with other government agencies and concerned stakeholders, shall
17 
promulgate the Implementing Rules and Regulations to carry out the provisions of
18 
this Act: Provided, That the non-promulgation of the rules and regulations provided
19 
under this section shall not prevent the immediate implementation of this Act upon
20 
effectivity.
21 
SEC. 9. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, executive
22 
issuances or letters of instruction, rules and regulations or any part thereof
23 
inconsistent with or contrary to the provisions of this Act are hereby deemed
24 
repealed, amended or modified accordingly.
25 
SEC. 10. Separability Clause. - If, for any reason or reasons, any part or
26 
parts of this Act shall be declared unconstitutional or invalid by any competent court,
27 
other sections or provisions hereof not affected thereby shall continue to be in full
28 
force and effect.
99 
SEC. 11. Effectivity Clause. — This Act shali take effect immediately after
30 its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
31
Approved,