House Bill 5263 doctors’ wage hike gets Talisay support

CEBU, Philippines – The Talisay City Council is supporting a House bill that seeks to increase the salaries of and to grant monetary allowances to government physicians.

City Councilor Richard Francis Aznar, chairman of the Committee on Health and whose family owns a hospital, authored a resolution expressing support to House Bill 5263 known as "An Act Providing for an Increase in the Salary Grade of Government Physicians, A Grant of Monetary Allowance, and Appropriating Funds Therefor."

Aznar said raising government doctors' salaries was in line with Article 2, Section 15 of the Constitution, which states, "The State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them."

Under HB 5263, Rep. Scott Davies Lanete of Masbate said doctors in public hospitals and other medical institutions should receive at least P62,670 a month plus at least P2,500 monthly allowance on top of other existing allowances.

If the bill will be approved, the coverage of the provision will apply to all government physicians.

Government physicians refer to Doctors of Medicine duly certified by the Professional Regulatory Commission who are in the active practice of medicine, employed by the national government or a local government unit, either in public health institutions or in any government or a local government unit, either in public health institutions or in any government agency or instrumentality.

Lanete, vice chair of the House Committee on Poverty Alleviation, said his proposal would promote and improve the social and economic well-being of government physicians and their working conditions.

Aznar said the resolution of the City Council will help move the proposed bill a step closer to being a law.

HB 5263 is now pending at the Appropriations Committee chaired by Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab.