DEC.

20, 2014

NR # 3686B

Solon seeks upgrade of govt doctors pay to Salary Grade 27 or P62,670

To encourage physicians to serve in public hospitals and institutions, a lawmaker is
seeking to raise the salary grade of government doctors from the present Grade 16 or
P26,878 to Grade 27 or P62,670 a month, and provide them with at least P2,500 monthly
allowance on top of other existing allowances.
Rep. Scott Davies S. Lanete, M.D. (3rd District, Masbate) made the proposal, saying
the present salary of resident doctors discourages them from staying and continuing their
employment and service in government hospitals.
The reality cannot be denied that physicians are not encouraged to serve in public
hospitals and institutions because at present, the basic wage of doctors in provincial and
municipal hospitals is only P26, 878 a month, or Salary Grade Level 16, said Lanete.
Lanete, a vice chairman of the House Committees on Poverty Alleviation and on
Public Order and Safety, said his proposal seeks to promote and improve the social and
economic well-being of government physicians and their living and working conditions to
help ensure, promote and maintain the delivery of basic health services.
Through the proposal, more medical professionals will be encouraged to work in
government hospitals, Furthermore, the proposal aims to afford government doctors the
right to decent pay and benefits, and provide an incentive to them for their service to the
community, said Lanete.
He said his proposals to raise the salary grade of government doctors from Salary
Grade 16 to not lower than Salary Grade 27, and provide them with a P2,500 monthly
allowance are in line with Article 2, Section 15 of the Constitution which provides that
The State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health
consciousness among them.
The proposal also complements Article 2, Section 23 of the Constitution which
provides The State affirms labor as a primary social economic force. It shall protect the
rights of workers and promote their welfare.
As such, the State shall continuously promote and improve services in government
hospitals and public health institutions by encouraging the employment of competent
government physicians, said Lanete.
House Bill 5263, now pending at the Committee on Appropriations chaired by Rep.
Isidro T. Ungab (3rd District, Davao City), provides that the minimum base pay of
government physicians shall not be lower than Salary Grade 27 as prescribed under

Republic Act 6758, otherwise known as the Compensation and Classification Act of 1989.
Based on House Joint Resolution No. 4, which was passed by Congress and
approved by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on June 17, 2009 and provides
for Salary Standardization Rates for government employees, Salary Grade 16 is equivalent
to P26,878 while Salary Grade 27 is equivalent to P62,670.
House Bill 5263 further provides that in addition to the higher base pay,
government physicians shall receive at least P2,500 every month as allowance on top of
the existing allowances being given to government employees.
It provides that the proposed Act shall apply to all government physicians referred
to as Doctors of Medicine, as duly certified by the Professional Regulatory Commission
(PRC), who are in the active practice of medicine, employed by the national government
or a local government unit, either in public health institutions or in any government or a
local government unit, either in public health institutions or in any government agency or
instrumentality.
Lastly, the amount necessary to implement the Act for the first five years shall be
sourced out from the gross annual revenues of the Government Service Insurance System
(GSIS) and thereafter in a special fund to be included in the annual General
Appropriations Act (GAA).
At the Senate, a counter-part measure, Senate Bill 319, had been filed by Sen.
Antonio Trillanes IV, which seeks to adjust the minimum base pay of physicians working
in government to not lower than Salary Grade 27 or P62,670. He said the bill seeks to
discourage the steady exodus of Filipino physicians overseas to seek high-paying jobs.
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