Party-list group sues DBM over nurses’ pay

MANILA, Philippines - Party-list group Ang Nars, which represents nurses, has sued the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) over the basic pay of its constituents working in government hospitals.

The group has filed a case with the Supreme Court (SC) to compel the DBM to follow Republic Act 9173 or the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002.

Ang Nars Rep. Leah Paquiz said that Section 32 of the law provides that the basic pay of nurses working for hospitals owned by the national government “shall not be lower than Salary Grade 15.”

Under a directive from the DBM, Paquiz said government nurses receive compensation equivalent to Salary Grade 11, or P18,549 to P19,887 a month.

Salary Grade 15 provides a monthly salary of P24,887 to P26,868 depending on the employee’s length of service.

Paquiz said the additional P6,000 to P7,000 that government nurses would receive if Section 32 of RA 9173 were followed would mean a lot to them.

They could spend it for food for their families or for the education of their children, she said.

She said the government should recognize the important services rendered by nurses by giving them the salary that the law mandates.

Ang Nars was forced to bring its case to the highest court after the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Justice (DOJ) and the DBM rejected its appeal for the government to follow the law.