(MANILA BULLETIN)

Teachers, doctors, and nurses are among the prospective beneficiaries of several salary hike bills filed in the House of Representatives by Quezon City 5th district Rep. PM Vargas. 

Vargas said the proposed salary increases will function as an “all-year-round Christmas gift for dedicated public servants”. 

“Our public servants serve as the backbone of the State’s services for the people and deserve all the recognition for their invaluable contributions,” Vargas said in a statement on Sunday, Dec. 3. 

“They spend a big chunk of their lives serving other people. The least we could do to give back to them with increase in their salaries to foster a more efficient and motivated workforce,” he added. 

Among the measures filed by Vargas were House Bill (HB) No. 1680 or Government Medical Doctors Salary Upgrading Act, HB No. 3776 or Salary Increase for Public Dentists Act, HB No. 4070 or Upgrading the Salary of Teachers Act, and HB No. 5806 or Nurse Appreciation Through Raised Salaries Act. 

These measures remain pending at the House Committee on Appropriations. 

“The sooner these bills will move forward the sooner we can grant our professionals the gratitude for their dedication to service for the people, all year round. More than providing them higher wages, it’s making sure they are paid competitively among fellow professionals internationally,” the rookie lawmaker noted. 

Vargas cited that teachers, doctors, and nurses in the Philippines remain among the lowest-paid compared to their professional counterparts in many parts of SoutheastAsia including Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore. 

The Quezon City solon said these proposals serve as continuity of those championed by the former representative Alfred Vargas, who is the legislator’s older brother. --Dexter Barro II