A government workers union said Duterte’s executive order directing the full devolution of certain government functions is silent over thousands of contractual workers who are most likely to be laid-off when this order is implemented.
From 2016 to 2019 alone, the public health program’s total budget allocation has been reduced significantly, varying from 15-percent to 28-percent cut.
For one, the budget for Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, the lead public hospital in the government’s effort to address the looming outbreak, has been slashed from P263 million in 2019 to P115 million in 2020.
“If you do not have that certification, you cannot avail of hospital services.”