Negrense lawmaker calls for probe on gov’t nurses’ ‘demotion’

By Dolly Yasa

 

BACOLOD City – Heeding the call for help of embattled nurses in Negros Occidental, House Minority Leader and Abang Lingkod Partylist Rep. Joseph Stephen “Caraps” Paduano filed a resolution seeking an inquiry in aid of legislation on the controversy created by a Department of Budget and Management circular.

Paduano said Tuesday that the resolution stemmed from a letter sent to him by nurses of the provincial government of Negros Occidental who asked for congressional intervention in the implementation of Budget Circular 2020-4.

In a privilege speech, Paduano said the DBM circular “must be dissected to determine whether additional legislation is necessary to fully implement and comply with the pay grade increase of our nurses.”

In their letter, the group questioned the propriety of Budget Circular 2020-4 that implemented the pay hike of entry level nurses from salary grade 11 to 15, but at the same time ordered the reclassification of positions in government hospitals and other health institutions.

The petitioning nurses appealed for a status quo on the salary increase and the subsequent reclassification, claiming that the move would result in demotion and diminution of positions.

Paduano said that it was in 2002 when the Philippine Nursing Act or RA 9173 was enacted. Section 32 of the law provides that the minimum base pay of nurses working in public health institutions shall not be lower than salary grade 15. 

However, Congress, via Joint Resolution 4, repealed the law and authorized the president to modify the compensation and position classification system of civilian personnel in 2008, he said.

Paduano said that the following year, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Executive Order 811 which implemented Joint Resolution No. 4.

The EO modified the salary grade of entry level nurses from salary grade 10 to 11.

On the other hand, Section 32 of RA 9173 provides that “In order to enhance the general welfare, commitment to service and professionalism of nurses the minimum base pay of nurses working in the 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’.”

“Aggrieved, the Ang NARS party-list filed a petition in the Supreme Court questioning the legality of EO 811 in 2015. Eventually, the High Court ruled in favor of the petitioners and ordered the government to implement Section 32 of RA 9173,” Paduano said.

He also said that pursuant to this decision and upon reaching the stage of finality, DBM issued Budget Circular 2020-4 to comply with the ruling.

However, after finding absurdity in the circular, the Department of Health suspended its implementation through Department Memorandum 2020-0466 dated October 21, 2020.

“If followed through, the circular reclassifies a Nurse 2 to a Nurse 1, making it appear that they have been demoted one rank lower. The same is true with Nurses 3, 4, 5 and 6,” Paduano pointed out.

He lamented that unlike members of the Philippine National Police whose salary increase did not affect their positions, the nurses cried foul as they claimed otherwise.

“Pressured by numerous petitions, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III issued the suspension order, but this did not cover hospitals and other health facilities run by local government units which were compelled to comply with the circular. Duque, in his memo, even admitted that the circular has created massive confusion among government nurses,” Paduano said.

He further said that he received several complaints and appeals from various groups and individuals seeking clarification on what they claimed as demotion and diminution of positions as prescribed in the DBM circular.

“Very awkward as they described it, a group of nurses in Negros Occidental had appealed that the reclassification be held in abeyance. In their letter addressed to this humble representation, they raised four legit arguments. Our nurses are our frontliners who have been hailed as modern-day heroes. They deserved pay hike without distorting their positions” Paduano said.