Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto on Thursday appealed to the government to promote and increase the salaries of state health workers as a reward for their service amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
"How can government reward medical frontliners? Let us count some of the ways. Release of hazard pay, now na (right now). Regularization. Promotion," Recto said in a statement.
"As to promotion, kung di pa kaya ng mass testing sa tao, mass promotion muna sa mga nagta-trabaho (if they cannot implement mass testing yet, maybe a mass promotion of these workers will do for now)," he added.
Recto said the promotion could be the upgrading of their ranks, or the raise in their salary grade (SG).
There are 33 SGs under the Philippine government pay scale, with the SG-33, occupied by the President, receiving the highest pay. Except for SG-33, each SG has eight salary steps, which equate to the employees' monthly basic pay based on his or her tenure in the position.
Nurses in state-run hospitals in SG-15 -- their lawfully-mandated base pay -- receive a minimum of P32,053 to a maximum of P34,801 per month.
"Although they are in the same SG, a nurse in Step 1 category is paid almost P33,000 lower than what a Step 8 holder gets in a year," the lawmaker noted.
"Maraming mga empleyado sa pamahalaan, kabilang na sa DOH hospitals, ang stranded sa kanilang salary step (Several workers in government, including those in Department of Health hospitals, have been stranded in their salary step). They have been marooned in that category. Pandemic or not, they deserve to be bumped up the pay scale," he pointed out.
Recto said that the current inter-agency government rules amid the pandemic "call for step increases for meritorious service rendered."
"Our health workers stand in the line of fire every day. In a workplace teeming with lethal pathogens, one mistake can be fatal. But there are no Purple Hearts for the wounded white coats," he said.
"Ang dapat ibigay sa lahat ng frontliners ay hindi lang step increase (Our frontliners should be given no only a step increase), but promotion to the next rank, or even two SGs higher," he appealed.
Recto also called for the release of the hazard pay public health workers.
"At yung hazard pay, pakibigay na rin po please. Lumiit o lumaki na ang sukat ng hazmat suit, wala pa ring hazard pay," he lamented.
Those who have been laboring for years as casuals or contractuals, Recto said they should be rewarded with regularization.
"If academic qualifications bar the regularization of non-medical but essential staff in hospitals, waive them...In the battle of our lives, brave ones with no job security are in the front protecting us and saving lives," he said.
It was reported that as of July 28, 4,691 health care workers have been infected with COVID-19. Of the number, 36 died while 3,534 recovered from the disease.