‘PAYROLL CRISIS’: Antique hospital workers protest months-long salary delays

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor and Juliane Judilla

Nurses and other contract of service employees at Angel Salazar Memorial General Hospital in San Jose de Buenavista staged a mass absence starting Oct. 1 to protest months-long delays in their salaries.

Workers said they have not received pay for nearly four months despite repeated follow-ups with the provincial government, and while they initially vowed to skip work until Oct. 2 some indicated the protest may extend to Oct. 4.

A nurse who requested anonymity said some staff felt compelled to join after seeing colleagues from other wards absent, and the nurse also expressed concern over alleged threats of nonrenewal of contracts for those who joined the strike.

Antique Governor Paolo Javier said Thursday that ASMGH workers have every right to protest but warned that hospital services could be compromised.

“No problem if the COS goes on strike. That is their freedom of expression. I sympathize with them, but I hope it is done off-duty so as not to compromise services,” Javier said.

Javier said that when he assumed office only PHP 19,000,000 remained from the budget allotted for COS salaries in provincial health facilities and that an additional PHP 229,000,000 is needed to cover salaries from July to December 2025.

“There’s a possibility that the health services will collapse because of what’s happening with the budget. We don’t have a budget. We have PHP19 million left,” he said.

He said the amount must be stretched until December across at least nine provincial health facilities.

Javier said the province still hired to maintain staffing levels required to avoid downgrading hospital licenses, and he blamed the previous administration for alleged fund mismanagement, including irregularities in catering contracts and the use of calamity funds.

The governor promised workers would be paid before his 100th day in office this October and said the provincial government would augment staff from other districts if the strike continues to keep the tertiary hospital operating.

“If we are going to deal with the problem, nothing will happen. We need to find a resolution.If they will not report on duty, we need to augment,” he added.

A supplemental budget of PHP 163,490,000 was approved in September to cover wage increases for regular employees, COS salaries and expenses for the 51st Binirayan Festival, of which PHP 103,400,000 will go to employee wages, utilities and other operational costs.

In August, a supplemental budget of PHP 574,240,000 was passed, allocating PHP 425,000,000 for the Provincial Electric Subsidy Program and PHP 149,000,000 for COS salaries in hospitals and the Integrated Provincial Health Office.

The IPHO earlier said salary releases were delayed due to the transition to the new administration.

Some COS workers reported receiving messages threatening immediate termination for those who joined the mass absence, and in a Facebook post user Stephen Louie Ramos Checa shared staff messages expressing concerns.

“It’s devastating to know that we are being threatened with non-renewal of our contracts because of the mass absence. Are we wrong, Sir, for not being compensated properly?” one anonymous user asked via Messenger chat.

“As healthcare workers, our priority has always been our patients—but how can we care for others when we ourselves are neglected, overworked, and unpaid?” the user added.

Another user said they were being threatened instead of having their legitimate concerns addressed.

“Pamahog tana anda ubra imbes buligan solbar,” one said. “Wala tana ang admin ga kulbaan maduraan hosp kang nurses. In fact, mas duro pa ang COS kesa sa permanent para matigayunan ang serbisyo sa hospital.”

One user commented, “Three months without salary is unacceptable, regardless of the reason. How can our nurses work without pay? Don’t their needs matter? Wara tana sanda pagbakal bugas haw? Excuses won’t fill their empty stomachs or put food on their table. And now they’re even being threatened with non-renewal of contracts? Sa diin ang hustisya?”

The Alliance of Health Workers–Panay said it will look into the issues and noted that many health workers in Panay face delayed or insufficient salaries and that budgets for social services, including health, remain underprioritized.

Javier said both the provincial government and hospital management are “in the middle of a crossfire” over the salary mess and cited alleged technical issues such as server failures in ASMGH’s accounting system that delayed contract processing and payroll.

“There is something wrong in the system. These were inherited by this administration. We saw lapses, and we are investigating them,” he said.

Messages circulated that absent COS workers were being warned to return to duty or face legal consequences, which Javier dismissed as “twisted stories,” saying contract renewals would still be based on performance.

He suggested political opponents may be exploiting the issue as protests intensified near his 100th day in office, saying, “Compared to before, in the previous administration, there was a four to six months delay, but there was no strike. And now, in one month and a half, why is there a strike? And then, our 100 days are nearing.”

While he did not name anyone, Javier said “detractors” are trying to sabotage his administration by “trying to take advantage of the factors that are involved.”

Contract of service workers are hired on fixed terms without the tenure and benefits of regular civil service positions, making them especially vulnerable to payroll delays and budget lapses during government transitions.