Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
Nineteenth Congress 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _________ 
_____________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by Hon. Mark O. Go 
_____________________________________________________________________ 
 EXPLANATORY NOTE 
On October 21, 2002, RA No. 9173, or the Philippine Nursing Act, was enacted 
which provides under Section 32, that “the minimum base pay of nurses working in public 
health institutions shall not be lower than salary grade 15 prescribed under Republic Act No. 
6758”. The said provision has been the subject of a long-time legal battle, and it was only last 
October 8, 2019, that the Supreme Court declared the said provision valid, and that the 
subsequent Joint Resolution No. 4, dated July 28, 2009 and Executive Order No. 811, dated 
June 17, 2009, insofar as they purport to amend or repeal R.A. No. 9173 are void and 
unconstitutional.  
In line with the Court’s ruling, DBM issued Budget Circular 2020-4, which upgraded 
the entry level of nurse positions to Salary Grade 15. As a result of the upgrading, the  entry 
level nurse position now outranks other medical and health services positions in the 
government, which require the same, or even higher, qualification standards.  
Section 9 of R.A. 6758, or the Compensation and Position Classification Act of 1989, 
provides that the Salary Grade assignments for the government positions shall consider the 
following factors: (1) the education and experience required to perform the duties and 
responsibilities of the positions; (2) the nature and complexity of the work to be performed; 
(3) the kind of supervision received; (4) mental and/or physical strain required in the
completion of the work; (5) nature and extent of internal and external relationships; (6) kind
of supervision exercised; (7) decision-making responsibility; (8) responsibility for accuracy
of records and reports; (9) accountability for funds, properties and equipment; and (10)
hardship, hazard and personal risk involved in the job.In addition, RA No. 6758 provides
under Section 3(d) that a review of government compensation rates, taking into account
possible erosion in purchasing power due to inflation and other factors, shall be conducted
periodically.
The implementation of the upgraded salary of nurses is a welcome development, 
albeit long overdue. However, the same created a wide compensation disparity between 
nurses and other medical and health professionals serving in the public sector. The ongoing 
pandemic shed light upon the importance, struggles, and dedication of medical and healthcare 
professionals. Not only in response to the pandemic, but moving forward, it is essential in 
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maintaining a healthy Filipino public that we dignify medical and health care professionals 
with compensation that is reflective of the qualifications they worked for, the mental and 
physical strain demanded in ensuring the health and wellness of our people, and the multitude 
of risks that goes along with it. 
About 17,000 to 22,000 health professionals leave the Philippines annually to work 
abroad. This is mainly due to better employment opportunities and higher income abroad. A 
recent study on the salary of frontliners revealed that nurses and medical technologists in the 
Philippines are paid the lowest among six ASEAN member countries.  
Public health is ensured when multiple disciplines come together in practicing their 
distinct professional expertise. This bill seeks to adjust the salary grade of other medical and 
health professions, in accordance with their respective qualification standards, and in 
response to the wage distortion created by the salary upgrade of nurses. With this salary 
upgrade, we hope to boost the morale of our existing medical and health service personnel 
complement, and encourage competent medical and health professionals to remain in the 
country and join the civil service.   
In view of the foregoing, the approval of this measure is earnestly sought, 
MARK O. GO 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
Nineteenth Congress 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ________ 
_____________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by Hon. Mark O. Go  
_____________________________________________________________________ 
AN ACT UPGRADING THE MINIMUM SALARY OF MEDICAL AND 
HEALTH SERVICE PROFESSIONALS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION. 1.  Declaration of Policy. – It is the policy of the State to undertake 
appropriate health manpower development and research, responsive to the country’s health 
needs and programs.  To this end, this Act seeks to promote the social and economic well-
being of public health workers, and encourage competent medical professionals to join and 
remain in government service. 
SEC. 2. Upgrading of Minimum Salary Grade Level. – The salary grade of entry-level 
positions in the medical and health service shall be upgraded as follows:   
POSITION 
CURRENT SG LEVEL 
UPGRADED SG LEVEL 
Dentist 
14 
17 
Optometrist 
12 
16 
Medical Technologist 
11 
15 
Nutritionist-Dietician 
11 
15 
Occupational Therapist 
11 
15 
Pharmacist 
11 
15 
Physical Therapist 
11 
15 
Radiologic Technologist 
11 
15 
Respiratory Therapist 
10 
14 
Midwife 
9 
13 
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Medical Laboratory 
Technician 
6 
8 
 
To maintain internal equity, the Salary Grade of higher positions shall be adjusted 
accordingly.  
SEC. 3. Coverage. – This Act shall cover medical and health service positions in all 
government hospitals and entities, whether funded by the National Government or the Local 
Government Units. 
Medical and health service positions in agencies and other government entities 
exempted from R.A. no. 6758, as provided in their respective enabling law or charter, and are 
actually implementing their respective Compensation and Position Classification System, 
shall not be covered under this Act. 
SEC. 4.  Implementing Rules and Regulations. – The Department of Health and 
Department of Budget and Management shall promulgate and issue the Implementing Rules 
and Regulations (IRR) necessary to implement this Act within sixty (60) days after its 
approval. 
SEC. 5. Appropriations. – The Amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this 
Act shall be included in the budgets of the implementing departments/agencies in the annual 
General Appropriations Act. 
SEC. 6. Separability Clause. – Should any provision of this Act be declared 
unconstitutional, the remainder thereof not otherwise affected shall remain in full force and 
effect. 
SEC. 7.   Repealing Clause. – All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, 
proclamations or administrative regulations that are inconsistent with the provisions of this 
Act are hereby repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.   
SEC. 8. Effectivity.  –  This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in 
the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
Approved,