Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
NINETEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session
HoUSEBILLNo.   7921
INTRODUCED BY: HONORABLE ROSEMARIE CONEJOS PANOTES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
This  bill seeks to  upgrade the  Salary Grades of Registered  Nurses  in  all  public health
institutions like government hospitals and medical centers, locally-funded hospitals, and Nurses
employed  in  government  agencies,  including  government-owned  and  controlled  corporations
Salary Grade 15 to  19.
The existence of Covid 19 pandemic worldwide has widely recognized the urgent need of
hiring health workers, specially Registered Nurses, to serve as frontliners in the fight against this
deadly contagious disease.  Many countries around the world have opened their hospital doors
to our country's Nurses due to their proficiency in the English language and proven competence
in their jobs.
This  situation  has  led  to  the  migration  of Filipino  Nurses to  look for greener pastures
abroad taking this matter as a golden opportunity to improve their standard of living. On several
occasions,  our government responded  by proposing to ban the employment abroad of health
workers  even  if our country  has  very  limited job  opportunities  for  Nurses  or our private  and
government hospitals are offering meager income when compared to the possible salary abroad.
Certainly, these Nurses will not seek job opportunities abroad at the expenses of their love ones
here if we have job vacancies for them here.
It  is  also  greatly  unfair  if  we  consider  the  current  equivalent  monthly  salary  for  our
government nursing positions as follows:  Nurse 1 -SG 15 (P36, 619.00 per month);  Nurse 11 -SG 16
(P39,672.00 per month);  Nurse Ill -SG  17 (P43, 030.00 per month);  and  Nurse lv -SG  19 (P51,357.00
per month).
This equivalent monthly salary of Nurses in our government hospitals when compared to salary
received by their counterparts, for example, in the United States, Canada and Singapore, is so miniscule
as can be gleaned from the following data:
1.    In  the  United  States,  the  lowest  paid  Nurses  receive  $61,790  annually  or  P2,134,968.00
(P177,914.00     per     month);     Average     Salary:     $77,600     annually     or     P4,345,600.00
(P362,133.33/month); and best paid Nurses: $97,580 (P5,464,480.00 (P455,373.33);
2.    In Singapore, the annual salary for entry level position is Singapore $33,000 or P1,388,970.00
annually at P42.09 per Singapore dollar or a monthly salary of P115,747.50; and for average
Nurses at Singapore $42,000 per annum or P1,767,780.00 yearly or P147,315.00 per month;
and
3.    In  Canada,    registered  Nurses  are  receiving  an  annual  salary  of  S72,874/ANNUM  P41.94
(P3,056,335.56 (P254,694.63)


Through  this  important  piece  of  legislation  therefore,  our  government  will  somehow
provide  a  reasonable  compensation  commensurate  to  their valuable  contributions  rendered
specially during the pandemic by upgrading the present salary grades of nursing  positions  in
order to alleviate their standard of living and to be able to cope with the needs of their families.
In view of the foregoing reasons, the approval of this bill is earnestly sought.
Representative
Second District, Camarines Norte


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
NINETEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session
HOUSEBiLLNo.    7921
INTRODUCED BY: HONORABLE ROSEMARIE CONEJOS PANOTES
AN ACT
UPGRADING  THE  ENTRY LEVEL  POSITION  0F  REGISTERED  NURSES  IN ALL  PuBLIC
HEALTH   INSTITUTIONS   LIKE   GOVERNMENT  HOSPITALS  AND   MEDICAL  CENTERS,
LOCALLY-FUNDED     HOSPITALS,     AND     NURSES     EMPLOYED     IN     GOVERNMENT
AGENCIES,  INCLUDING  GOVERNMENTOWNED  AND  CONTROLLED  CORPORATIONS,
FROM  SALARY  GRADE  15  TO  SALARY  GRADE  19,  AMENDING  FOR  THE  PuRPOSE
SECTION 32 0F REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9173, AS AMENDED, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE
"PHILIPPINE NURSING ACT 0F 2002"
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives
of the Philippines in congress assembled:
SECTloN 1. Section 32 of Republic Act No. 9173, as amended, otherwise known as the
"Philippine Nursing Act of 2002" is hereby further amended to read as follows:
"SEC. 32. Sa/any. - In order to enhance the general welfare, commitment
to service and professionalism of nurses, the minimum base pa of nurses working
in  the  public health  institutions shall  not be  lower than the salary grade  [15]  19
prescribed under Republic Act No. 6758, otherwise known as the "Compensation
and  Position  Classification  Act of  1989":  Prov7.ded,  That,  for nurses working  in
local government units, adjustments to their salaries shall be in accordance with
Section 10 of the said law."
SEC.  2.  Republic Act  No.  6758,  otherwise  known  as the  "Compensation  and  Position
Classification Act of 1989", and all laws, decrees, executive orders, budget circulars,  rules and
regulations  which  are  inconsistent  with  this  Act  are  hereby  amended,  repealed  or  modified
accordingly.
SEC. 3. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) after its publication in the Offlc7.a/ Gaze#e or
in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,