2025 budget, halos P10 billion para sa HMO benefits ng mga manggagawa ng gobyerno

KABILANG sa P6.35-trillion na panukalang national budget para sa 2025 ay ang alokasyon na nagkakahalaga ng halos P10 billion para sa health maintenance organization (HMO) benefits para sa mga manggagawa ng gobyerno.

“It’s almost P10 billion, or P7,000 per employee. Per year po. Because we [government workers] do not have health maintenance,” ayon kay Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman sa isang panayam.

“We don’t have HMO for check-ups and when we need to be hospitalized. We don’t have that incentive,”ayon sa Kalihim sabay sabing “This is in the 2025 budget for the medical allowance, so government workers will have HMO benefits.”

Aniya pa, kailangan lamang na magpalabas si Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr., ng executive order (EO) na magre-regularize sa ranks ng contract service workers sa government service.

“The EO, will supplant the Civil Service Commission Circular covering the government’s contract of service workers which is set to expire this year,” ayon kay Pangandaman.

“The President will issue an Executive Order which will be effective by January next year,” Pangandaman said.

“It will transition… those who we can enlist for plantilla positions in the national government…unti unti po natin sila ipapasok sa gobyerno,” dagdag na wika nito.

“Medyo marami po ito, and they need capacitating because there are those who don’t have civil service [exam] qualification. We’ll continue to provide help so they can ultimately meet the quality standards of civil service,” aniya pa rin.

Samantala, sa katatapos lamang ng ikatlong State Of the Nation Address (SONA) ni Pangulong Marcos, sinabi nito na ang kanyang administrasyon ay naglaan ng pondo para sa ‘adjustments’ ng sahod ng mga empleyado ng gobyerno. Nangako rin ang pamahalaan na magbibigay ng karagdagang benepisyo para sa mga ito. (Daris Jose)