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Second district Rep. Aris Aumentado believes leadership is not a position or a title; it is action and example. Photo: Aris Aumentado’s Facebook Page

Rep. Erico Aristotle Aumentado of Bohol’s 2nd District files a bill proposing the institutionalization of hazard pay for medical and other frontliners in the fight against Coronavirus disease (Covid) and other pandemics, epidemics, and man-made or calamities that might impact the country in the future.

In his explanatory note for House Bill 6796, Aumentado started with Covid that has caused a “serious health crises that has disrupted our normal way of life, and the way we conduct work, business, and general day to day activities”.

The bill covers frontliners with direct patient contact, or with high risk exposure to hazards, private or public employees who are required to report for duty during pandemics, epidemics, outbreaks, and man-made or natural disasters. They will receive an additional P1,000 per day of work, and the hazard pay is exempted from taxes.

Those frontliners with indirect contact with patients, however, will receive such compensation but only at P500 per day of work.