The Supreme Court upholds the petition of the group “Ang Nars” to increase the basic salary of government nurses.
The Philippine Nursing Act of 2002 or the Republic Act 9173 mandated that the basic salary of government nurses would be a Salary grade 15.
However, former Gloria Macapagal Arroyo back from 2009 signed an executive order that set the nurses’ salary grade to 10 to 11.
In 2015, the party-list “Ang Nars” appeal to the Supreme Court to proclaim unconstitutionally the said resolution.
In the latest Salary Tranche, government Nurses are only receiving ₱20,754 up to ₱22,829 a month under SG 11. SG 15 amounted to as much as P31,545.
Last October 8, 2019, government nurses secured a victory from the Supreme Court.
“In ruling in favor of the petitioners, the Court ruled that Joint Resolution No. 4, being a mere resolution, cannot amend or repeal a prior law such as RA 9173 or the Philippine Nursing Act. The same applies to EO 811 which is also not a law, but an executive directive,”
However, SC stated that law must pass by congress first providing the necessary funds for it.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon vows to look for P1-B to fund increase in base pay of gov’t nurses.
“We should look for ways to provide the necessary funding to implement the Philippine Nursing Act which we passed when I was Senate President in 2002,” Drilon mentioned on Thursday.
“There are excess fats in the P4.1-trillion 2020 spending outlay which we can use to augment the minimum base pay of thousands of government nurses in accordance with the Republic Act 9173 and pursuant to the ruling of the Supreme Court,” he stressed.
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