Makati City has allocated P55.17 million additional budget for the salary adjustment of Nurse 1 from Salary Grade 11 to Salary Grade 15. This means that Nurse 1 will have a basic monthly pay of P32,053 from P22,316 effective July 1, 2020, Mayor Abigail Binay announced on Wednesday (October 14).
The additional budget was recently approved by the Makati City Council.
According to Binay, the LGU is in full support of the increase in the base salary for nurses in the government service. The city has hired 56 new nurses since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic started in March.
The pay hike amounting to P9,737 per month is a well-deserved reward for the nurses who have been working practically non-stop as frontliners in the country’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Binay stressed
"The salary increase is a welcome development for our nurses, and is a fitting recognition of their hard work and sacrifice that have been magnified by this crisis. The substantial salary differential they will receive will also bring immense financial relief, especially to struggling breadwinners of the family who can hardly make both ends meet,” the mayor said.
Binay hopes that the high salary will entice more nurses to work for government units and agencies where they are needed the most.
“We hope that with a more competitive salary, board-certified nurses who have opted to pursue a non-related career or go abroad will be inspired to stay and serve their fellow Filipinos," Binay said.
Since March, the city government has hired 56 nurses -- 38 for the Makati Health Department (MHD) and 18 for Ospital ng Makati (OsMak) bringing the total number of city-employed nurses to 493. To date, Osmak has 353 nurses; MHD, 114; Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, 5; Education Department, 14; University of Makati, six; and General Services Department, one.
Aside from nurses, the city also employed 13 Medical Officer III, two Medical Specialist I, three occupational/physical therapists, three respiratory therapists, two social workers, two medical technologists, two dietitians, a pharmacist, and two social workers for Ospital ng Makati to further boost the city’s fight against COVID-19.
Aside from the basic monthly salary, the LGU said nurses and health workers of the city also receive personnel economic relief allowance, hazard pay under the Magna Carta of public health workers, hazard pay/subsistence allowance (during enhanced community quarantine), and laundry allowance.
They have also been prioritized for free mass testing and vaccination against flu and pneumonia, and in the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE), free vitamins, including free transportation and lodging since March.
Under the new Salary Standardization Law (R.A. 11466), the base salary schedule of nurses in government service in the next three years will be as follows: January 1, 2021 -- P33,575; January 1, 2022 -- P35,097; and January 1, 2023 -- P36,619.
Data from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reveal that an entry-level nurse in the private sector receives an average salary of P8,000 to P13,000 monthly.