PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte signed Administrative Order No. 43 that grants hazard pay for government workers who physically reported for work during the months that their place of work was under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ).
AO No. 43 is the amended version of AO No. 26, which only provides hazard pay to government employees required to physically report on their work place during the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).
In issuing AO No. 43, Duterte particularly hinted at paying those who have been consistently going to their workplace from April 12 until either May 14 — or May 31 as the case may be.
ECQ only allows essential trips and operations of essential businesses and services. MECQ, on the other hand, allows essential trips and downscaled operation of non-essential businesses and services.
The budget for the hazard pay for local government unit (LGU) workers, under AO 43, will be sourced from the 2021 local government funds.
Hazard pay for those in government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), meanwhile, will be funded by each GOCC’s corporate operating budget for 2021.
For LGUs and GOCCs facing budget constraints, they may reduce the ideal amount of P500 per day but it will remain mandated to grant a uniform amount of hazard pay for all qualified personnel.
Likewise covered under the expanded AO are government employees classified as contractual and “job order” status.
Government employees in the areas collectively referred to as NCR Plus are expected to benefit from the new AO. oreover, the AO effectively covers Santiago City in Isabela, Zamboanga City, Quirino, and Ifugao.