Police personnel who rendered duty during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and modified ECQ since June are entitled to hazard pay, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief, Gen. Camilo Cascolan, said Wednesday.
“Aside from our enhanced medical system and supportive health care for personnel, the PNP leadership also ensures the welfare of our personnel who selflessly served the community and the Filipino people at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic,” Cascolan said in a statement.
This, he said, is consistent with the existing provision of the national government, under Administrative Order 26 that provides the Covid-19 hazard pay to personnel who physically reported for work during the ECQ.
Acting Director for Personnel and Records Management, Brig. Gen. Rolando Hinanay, issued a directive last September 15, instructing PNP units and offices to signify and submit their hazard pay claims.
Hinanay added that the hazard pay claim would cover June onwards, supported by the regional inter-agency task force (IATF) resolution declaring respective areas under ECQ or MECQ.
Aside from the hazard pay, the PNP also distributed protective gear and disinfectants and set up laboratories for the coronavirus testing of its personnel.
The PNP leadership has strengthened its anti-coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) measures amid the continuous rise in infections among police personnel.
As of Tuesday night, the number of Covid-19 cases in the PNP rose to 5,496 with 4,164 recoveries, 1,315 active cases, and 17 deaths.
Meanwhile, Cascolan said the PNP placed on standby contract tracing teams in every region that would assist local government units in case of an upsurge in infections.
He said the team of contact tracers was trained by experts, as well as the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, which is the police unit usually tapped for contact-tracing.
In a related development, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said it would accept until Wednesday applications for contact tracers in all its provincial and city field offices nationwide.
The department was earlier authorized under the Bayanihan 2 Law to hire at least 50,000 contact tracers to ramp up the government’s contact tracing program.
DILG spokesperson, Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya, said those whose employment contracts were not renewed, overseas Filipino workers whose employment was disrupted, local employees whose service has been recently terminated, and barangay health workers may be given priority in the hiring process if qualified.
Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree or are taking up an allied medical or criminology course.
Aspirants must also be skilled in data gathering and have assisted in research and documentation; able to interview Covid-19 cases and close contacts to gather data; possess the ability to advocate public health education messages, and have the investigative capability.
Under the guidelines drafted by the DILG, the contact tracers will earn a minimum of PHP18,784 per month under a contract of service. (PNA)
