MANILA — Health workers from the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), Philippine Heart Center (PHC) and Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP) lambasted the Duterte administration for “libing (burial) wage” increase.

The workers also lambasted the DOH for being unprepared over the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

“We are very much disappointed with the “barya baryang salary increase” among us health workers and other government employees. Duterte government has one-sidedly doubled the basic pay of uniformed personnel to about P30,000 monthly, while the  entry salary level of a civilian employee under Salary Grade (SG) 1 only gets P483 monthly increase or P16.00 per day raising the salary of P11,068 to P11,551. It is very clear that this government does not give importance to civilian employees especially those in the lowest ranks from SG 1-10. This move only served to distort further the already skewed salary scheme in government, leaving the great majority of civilian employees struggling to live or meet the cost of living while top officials bask on scandalous pay levels, like the President himself who gets more than Php400, 000 per month”, said  Edwin Pacheco, NKTIEA-AHW President.

The SSL of 2019 under Republic Act (R.A. 11466) is grossly deceptive, divisive and unjust salary hike  against the rank and file employees and favors those in the upper salary grade scale, said Pacheco. (S. Ang/IA/CPH)