House allays fears of d:te"i"Ti?:Bfln"A::lrffitl! TheHouseof Represenlatives has assured govemmentnurces to increase their basic n^v, I ,, ski'ed Filipino even those nurses i uNc uu.'.6 .!e "-- 11?,:i;::"H#:6e " | ;;t;;u,"" 1 enrollment in nurs- ,,Jr.,y ;;" ;,ir ;;;;;; Reo. Mike Defensor o[ party-list I as low as P9,000 ^.^-r,'.r.,.,,-.- ceid errlt'ut,r.rern despite ihe hike's II said rtecnirp ing courses ing- among monthlv salarv," monthly salary" he exclusion [-rom the DOH budget, the collegta.te schools said, when govem- national Bovernmenl could still source i:l?.t: _tl-".:"Ylj? ment,nurses have c-gnti:ru-es to dwin- i;;;; i"; it f rom the Miscellaneous i dle, Defensor said'- sarq'. already been com- plaining ot plalnrng of tn€lr their ir"ir.r."f Benefits Fund Personnel national I Fund of the nahonal ote'-L'erensor budset. , "The number of P20,754 entry-level "-;fi-tttut our nursing gradu- monthly salary' fund is not enough then (the Deoirtmentof Budgetand tr4-anagement) | a-tes is now Soing "We wilI -be ;rtii;;;;;;;;ptro$riation for t6at pur- | dor'r'nwards onthe pushing for the ;;;i;b;;;J.',"ild. I 1:^"jiq",-jl:1_:: ll..:.1':,^:tl1:.i rhelawmakeraddedthatwhiletherewas alsothepossibilitv fi:8JS l:56:tTJ il';1"ifr"';*il: th"i t]";;;;ia;"thappen with deliberation: t$ll9l99i"F il graduates. But now (5atary iirt.ong."rr-utt lhe Senale, "rye can immed iately increase with the 55L it has gone down to vowed, by elevat- su"auiaLudo" by oy the utE President." rEDrucrrL d,000 IOr only Y/UUU the for tne ing tne lng the curtent CUrrent Law) and Only Standardizabon LaW, as aS stated Srate(] r. "';i"-^r."1" q-eaier "';'i"o.r."=t" speaier Alan Peter Cayetano abo,utabout it and nasi t*o pasi vears." he two y"ars," he Saiirv crade Saiiry Grade 11 to he is aiready coordinating with Sen Bong Go ot the. be-nate iold reporters in a 15 as endorsed by committee 6n health and the DBM to discuss Possrbrlltles briefing. the Supreme Court He assured me that the increase will deilnrtely napPen, And as the na- whenitacted favor- Defensor said. "';ii"iiSait tional govemment ably on a nurses' possibly this year or latest is next year with rnorres"to pre rrent groirp's petition. aoprovalbf the law," he added. ' -Di; the "ra further the exodus SG 15 is equiv- aity Rep. Isidro Ungab, chairman of the -House ap- of nurses going alent to P30-,531 orooriatjons committee, can coordinate with the DBM on ihis abroad for gieenei under the govern- i"",,i.ro tftut frtras canbe released for such purpose. pastures b! sub- menfls Salary Stan- ln an interview with The Chiefs over 24-hour cignal caDle itantially increasing dardization Law. Secretary Francisco their pay, Defensoi , news channel, Heatthwerc Turn to Page 9 Duque III said they not.able to in- hmented that even
'- ruling during the budget the favorable SC exploitinA has been deliberations. well. nurses as P AeLt - q, The low pay of Filipino nurses has "They are really also cut in huf the ttuiirber of nursing pitifut a|a if t tt) - qraduates in the Past two school years' ""ry unfortunate that iccording to government data' The exploitation and low Pay ot rugh- HOUSe Frompaee2 the Philippine Nursing AcL of 2002, wfuch 9u.pgq,rp ro Salary Grade 15 (p30,531) rne mlrumum pay of nurses retained bv ^ notedthat no less.than the the national government, mostlv in hoi_ SC-Defensor acknowledged the dispariry in ihe pay pitals run by the Depa.tment ofHealth. scare or nurses-employed in govemmlni N.urses bul. was only limited to ruliig in nurses, ,employed by local guvern_ _ menLs are atsoexpected to benefil hom the ravor and could not compel govemment rulmg, though their higher entrvievel oav as ltwould encroach on the independence would_be less than p-:O,fSt, ina wolti ot a co-equal branch_ rnstead depend on how big the province, The Si recently upheld the validity of crty or municipality is. _Delori porcalla