Raise in gov't nurses' wages adopted in proposed 2020 budget

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate's iteration of the national budget bill included an amendment by Sen. Panfilo Lacson that ensures the base pay of government nurses is not lower than Salary Grade 15, in compliance with the Supreme Court's earlier ruling. 

The new special provision entitled "Increasing the Salary Grade of Government Nurses" stipulates that the base pay of government nurses shall be at least P30,531 a month, good for Salary Grade 15.

"As the funds are already there under MPBF, government nurses need not wait for the passage of legislation or the availability of funds to be provided by the Department of Budget and Management," Lacson noted in a press release Thursday.

“The implementation of the salary adjustment shall take effect when the decision of the Supreme Court had become final and executory, but not earlier than the start of Fiscal Year 2020,” read the provision.

The Supreme Court on October 9 ruled in favor of nurses in government institutions after Ang Nars Party List said their salary grades were at around Salary Grade 11, which is contrary to stipulations in Republic Act 9173. With the ruling, the High Court "declared as valid" the aforementioned act. 

Section 32 of the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002 reads:

"In order to enhance the general welfare, commitment to service and professionalism of nurses, the minimum base pay of nurses working in public health institutions shall not be lower than salary grade 15 prescribed under Republic Act No. 6758, otherwise known as the “Compensation and Classification Act of 1989:” Provided, that for nurses working in local government units, adjustments to their salaries shall be in accordance with Section 10 of the said law."

"The public is assured that the president will carefully scrutinize whatever appropriations bill that will be transmitted to his office by Congress to ensure that the same would be in accordance with the imperatives of the Constitution and responsive to the needs of the Filipino people before it becomes a law," presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said Wednesday. 

This comes after the Senate on Wednesday approved the P4.1 trillion national budget for 2020, where separate amendments providing P150 million and an additional P644 million for the Veterans Memorial Medical Center and the Philippine General Hospital were also accepted, respectively.

Groups in October claimed that there was a “health crisis” in the Philippines in the wake of the slashing in the budget for health, the understaffing of nurses and the sudden resurgences of infectious diseases like polio.

"They don't have to wait six months or another year. By January once we enact the GAA for 2020, ang salary upgrade nila is taken care of," Lacson said in ending his statement.