Cainta mayor says he helped deceased nurse

August 14, 2020

Cainta mayor Johnielle Keith Nieto on Friday said his office did not neglect the nurse who succumbed from coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

In a Facebook post, Nieto said the local government of Cainta gave a P300 a day hazard pay for their frontliners, which is double of the P150  as claimed by the daughter of the deceased nurse in her social media post.

“According to the circular from the national (government), we have to allot an amount for hazard (pay) based on the capability of the municipality. So P300 a day or P18,000 per employee were given,” he said.

“If they (frontliners) are already receiving a hazard pay, the accounting office will give the difference to complete the P300,” he added.

Nieto said the nurse who died due to COVID-19 is working at Cainta Municipal Hospital where she was assigned at the pediatrics ward due to her existing health conditions.

“On the 60-day period that is the basis of the COVID timeline, if the frontliner works for 60 days, they will get P18,000… The nurse who died worked for 33 days… Her salary is P21,000 plus and she has been receiving hazard pay even before the COVID (pandemic),” he said.

According to the daughter of Ma. Theresa Cruz, instead of the expected P30,000 plus, what she received from Cainta LGU was P7,000 plus.

“Apparently, the COVID hazard pay of the nurses in their public hospital has been reduced to just P150 per day and on top of it were deductions that were not even properly explained by the hospital administration. In the end, it appears my mom was only given P64.18 per day for her COVID hazard pay for 41 days,” she said in her post.

The daughter also claimed that the local office denied her mother to undergo swab testing but Nieto said  Cruz  first refused to undergo testing.

In a text conversation included in his post, it was shown that Cruz last July 15 asked a local health officer if she can undergo swab test despite having negative rapid test results after she felt the COVID-19 symptoms.

Cruz decided to cancel it after feeling better the next day. She then again asked the officer for a swab test on July 17.

The officer told Cruz it is impossible as the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) does not accept specimens on weekends but he still asked her to go to the hospital to undergo swab test. Cruz said she was sent by her daughter to another hospital.

“It is not true that we refused her request for a swab (test). She is the one who decided to cancel her request because her condition improved,” Nieto said.

Nieto said the Cainta local government unit gave P50,000 financial assistance to her family.

Nieto said Cruz's daughter thanked him and asked if they can help them in looking for a priest which was handled by his staff.

“If the help of the hospital and my office was not enough, I would (like to) extend my apologies. But I will not just let this pass and be silent knowing the truth of what happened. The government extended its assistance that it can give to the family,” Nieto said.

Nieto said the Cruz family will still get the one million peso compensation for health workers who died  even if she is not assigned in a COVID-19 facility. Ella Dionisio/DMS