Healthcare workers from the Philippine Heart Center, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Lung Center of the Philippines, and Philippine Children's Medical Center hold a protest on Wednesday to push from salary increase and immediate release of COVID-19 benefits.

In a statement, the healthcare workers said their COVID-19 allowances are not yet provided.

This despite the Department of Health released a Department Order #2023-0538 or Guidelines on the Transfer and Disbursement of Funds to Philippine General Hospital, PHC, NKTI, LCP, and PCMC as payment of Health Emergency allowance covering the period from July 2021 to July 2023 amounting to P537.5 million.

"Previously the process was, after the Department Order was released in a week and the [memorandum of agreement] will follow and the check with the corresponding budget per hospital. But sadly, it's almost 2 months now, no fund was being transferred to our hospitals," Sally Ejes, president of the Philippine Heart Center Employees Association-Association of Health Workers.

"We fully demand that the funds for our COVID-19 allowances amounting to P537.M to be released," Ejes pressed.

The healthcare workers are also pushing for salary increase amounting to P33,000 per month as an entry salary for public and private health workers.