The government may not have enough funds to cover the back wages of thousands of government nurses for now, Malacañang admitted Tuesday following a reversal of a budget circular that affected the health workers' pay status.
According to Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, a budget allocation for the salary adjustment of nurses may instead be proposed under the proposed national budget for next year.
The Palace recently reversed a 2020 circular of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) that increased the salary of entry-level nurses but demoted the positions of Nurses II to VII to a lower rank.
The Palace memo issued last June 1 instead raised the salary of Nurse II position from salary grade 15 to 16 and kept the position titles of Nurse III to Nurse VII with their corresponding salary levels.
Roque has sought guidance from Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea on how the government will fund the adjustment in the government nurses' salaries.
"Doon po sa back wages ‘no, kaya nga po humihingi ng guidance kasi mukhang wala pong sapat na funding for that for now. So, but huwag naman tayong mag-alala kung ang guidance ng ES ay magbibigay ng back pay eh pupuwede naman po iyang isama sa 2022 budget (On the back wages, we are asking guidance because it seems there is no sffucieint funding for that for now. But do not worry. If the guidance of the ES is to give backpay, that can be included in the 2022 budget)," Roque said during a televised press briefing Tuesday, June 8.
On the prospective salary increase of nurses, Roque said there would be "no problem" on the matter. He said Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado has expressed confidence the funds could be sourced from the Department of Health's budget.
"Now iyong prospective naman po, hahanapan po ng DBM item sa DOH budget kung saan kukunin ‘no iyong halaga na kinakailangan para doon sa increase at kampante naman po si Secretary Wendel na makakahanap tayo ng pondo sa existing budget ng DOH (Now on the prospective pay, the DBM will look for an item in the DOH budget where the amount will be sourced for the increase. Secretary Wendel is confident we can find funds in the existing budget of the DOH)," he said.
READ: FNU says gov’t nurses will ‘no longer be demoted’
The Filipino Nurses United (FNU) earlier welcomed the reversal of the DBM circular that affected the status of government nurses, saying they “will no longer be demoted.”
The group said the nurses could now claim back their job positions prior to the July 2020 demotion while the Nurse 2 position will have one salary grade higher than their former salary grade.
“The Memorandum signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea last June 1, 2021 proves that the united voice of nurses and their righteous assertion of their legitimate labor rights is critical in claiming back what is due for them,” it said in a statement last Sunday, June 6.