Drilon, Hontiveros support nurses’ call for release of P43-M back wages

This photo shows the combination photos of Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Senator Risa Hontiveros. PRIB FILES

MANILA, Philippines — Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday supported the plea of nurses for the release of their back pay amounting to at least P43 million, and called on the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to resolve the matter.

Drilon urged the DBM to use the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund (MPBF) to address the salary differentials of public hospital nurses who were demoted due to the department’s circular released in 2020.

“Let’s use the MPBF to pay the salary differential of our nurses. They risk their lives each day attending to the growing number of COVID-19 cases. What the DBM did is an injustice to our frontline health workers,” Drilon said in a statement.

The senator pointed out that the DBM has an unused balance of P56.6 billion under the 2020 General Appropriations Act (GAA) and P29.3 billion in the 2021 GAA.

“I urge President Duterte to direct the DBM to fund the nurses’ backpay out of MPBF which is designed for such needs. The nation is forever grateful for the bravery and selfless act of our medical frontliners, most especially our nurses in crowded government hospitals, who lead the fight against COVID-19 every single day,” he said.

Hontiveros also shared the same sentiment, calling out the DBM and the Department of Health for supposed inaction.

“Hindi naman mahirap intindihin ang panawagan ng ating mga nurse: sapat na sahod at karampatang posisyon ayon sa batas. Ngunit gobyerno na mismo ang nang-dedemoralize sa kanila. Kung sino pa ang understaffed at overloaded sa trabaho, sila pa ang nagmamakaawa para sa mga benepisyong dapat ay matagal nang napakinabangan ng kanilang mga pamilya.” she said in a separate statement.

(It is not difficult to understand our nurses’ plea: enough salary and proper positions according to the law. But the government itself demoralizes them. The nurses are the ones who are understaffed and overloaded with duties yet they are the ones who beg for benefits that their families should have already received.)

Hontiveros said that if current laws such as the Philippine Nursing Act and the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers are followed, the government should have ensured the nurses’ humane working conditions.

“Sa antas ng kakayahan ng mga nurses natin ngayon, dapat may mass promotion pa nga, may dagdag pang training, at may sapat na compensation at benepisyo,” she added.

(Based on the current level of our nurses, they should even have a mass promotion, added training, and enough compensation and benefits.)

According to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) Nurses Association, the P43 million covers only the salary differentials of 823 nurses in Nurse II positions at the PGH.

“This is a small amount compared to their contributions to the fight against COVID-19. This is peanuts compared to billions of pesos that are lost to corruption each year. This is nothing compared to the P16.4 billion released to NTF-ELCAC,” Drilon added.

The DBM’s Circular No. 2020-4, issued on July 17, 2020, but made retroactive to January of that year, raised the salaries of entry-level nurses but demoted one rank from senior nurses holding Nurse II to Nurse VII positions and put a freeze on increases in their pay.

But Malacañang said Tuesday that the government may not have enough available funds for the back pay of nurses. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque nevertheless said they need not worry because their back pay may be included in the proposed budget for 2022.

Faith Yuen Wei Ragasa, Inquirer trainee

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