Fallen healthcare workers under the Manila City government’s district hospitals and health centers who succumbed to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) will receive P1 million worth of endowment benefit.

Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko ” Domagoso on April 30 announced that he has signed Ordinance No. 8639 or the Bagong Bayani Endowment Benefit Ordinance of 2020.

Under the ordinance, Domagoso said workers employed under the Manila Health Department (MHD) or the city government district hospitals will receive the benefits should they succumb to the disease.

“For purposes of this ordinance, health workers shall mean all persons who are engaged in health and health-related work, and all persons employed in all City-owned Hospitals and Manila Health Department (MHD), regardless of their employment status,” the ordinance stated.

Qualified beneficiaries of fallen healthcare workers include the following:

-surviving spouse and children whether legitimate or illegitimate;
-surviving parents, nearest ascendants, nearest descendants or surviving siblings;
-common law partner (30% will go to the partner and the remaining 70% will go to the children, whether legitimate or illegitimate).

In addition to the endowment benefit, surviving children—should the fallen healthcare worker have any—would be given a scholarship in the city’s schools and or universities.

“This shall cover deaths of health workers which occurred from the start of the declaration of public health emergency throughout the Philippines on 08 March 2020 and shall continue to be in full force and effect until a vaccine for the COVID-19 has been developed and certified by the Food and Drug Administration,” the ordinance reads./Stacy Ang