MAY pananagutan sa batas si Health Secretary Francisco Duque III dahil sa pagbibitin nito o pag-delay sa pamamahagi ng Special Risk Allowance o SRA sa mga pampubliko at pribadong health workers.

Ito ang inihayag ni Atty. Neri Colmenares, chairperson ng Bayan Muna kaugnay sa hindi pa maipamahagi ng DOH na SRA na nararapat makuha ng medical frontliners partikular ngayong panahon ng pandemya.

“Criminally, pwede siyang kasuhan under Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices law for ‘causing any undue injury through gross inexcusable negligence.’ It is gross inexcusable negligence kasi may pera naman nakalaan, meron naman sinabi kung kanino ibibigay, health workers, may term pa nga na ‘Special Risk Allowance,’ so bakit siya hindi nadistribute?” saad ni Colmenares.

“Our health workers were supposed to receive up to P5,000 per month from December 2020 to June 2021 and released no later than June 30, 2021. Kung hindi pa umalma ang mga health workers baka hindi pa rin ito ibinibigay. The DOH has admitted that there are at least 120,000 health workers who have yet to receive the SRA. The problem with Secretary Duque is with the risks the health workers undergo, he did not act with urgency,” paliwanag pa nito.

Dagdag pa ng dating mambabatas, hindi lamang nahaharap si Duque sa kasong kriminal sa bigong pamamahagi ng SRA kundi lumabag din ang kalihim sa Code of Conduct for public officials dahil sa pagpapabaya nito.

“Aside from criminal and administrative complaints, Duque should expect civil cases for damages due to gross negligence and incompetence. Perhaps the Health Secretary should now resign and not wait for the audit findings to conclude,” giit pa nito. (JG TUMBADO)