ON THE KILLING OF KIETH AND NOLVEN ABSALON GORDON TO FILE MEASURE THAT LEGISLATES WAGE ADJUSTMENTS FOR NURSES

On the killing of Kieth and Nolven Absalon

Senator Richard J. Gordon had earlier denounced the senseless killing of Kieth Absalon and his cousin Nolven, who both died due to injuries sustained when an IED exploded along the way they took in Masbate. This happened last June 6, 2021.

Calling this type of indiscriminate killing an “assassination”, Gordon said that these killing must stop. Citing the International Humanitarian Law, which was adopted in the Philippines through a law he authored, Republic Act No. 9851, the perpetrators of this dastardly act which the National People’s Army (NPA) claims to be their handiwork, are liable for war crimes under Section 4, paragraph 25 of the said law:

25) Employing means of warfare which are prohibited under international law, such as: Xxx

(iv) Weapons, projectiles and material and methods of warfare which are of the nature to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering or which are inherently indiscriminate in violation of the international law of armed conflict.

Gordon called on the authorities to bring those responsible to justice with deliberate dispatch and hold them liable for their crime and issue the call to the NPA to respect civilians at all times and observe International Humanitarian Law.

In the long term, Gordon said, we must strive to resolve this longstanding insurgency and work for lasting peace, so we freely develop our economy and make a better country.

Gordon to file measure that legislates wage adjustments for nurses

Following Malacañang’s reversal of a Department of Budget and Management (DBM) circular on the adjusted salaries for Filipino nurses, Senator Richard J. Gordon said he will file a measure that will legislate the just salary of nurses from entry-level to senior nurses.

“We care for our nurses as they are vital to our healthcare system; they are at the forefront. We are glad that finally, they will get what they deserve, but we want to make sure that the memo issued by Malacañang will not be easily amended or retracted, so, we will file a bill that will make that regulation a law. This is one significant way of protecting our nurses,” said Gordon.

As an advocate of Filipino nurses, Gordon pushed for the measure that increased their salaries. On July 17, 2020, he filed the bill amending Republic Act No. 9173 or The Philippine Nursing Act of 2002 that states that the minimum base pay for nurses working in the government hospitals and health institutions should start at salary grade 15 or roughly P33,000 per month.

Before the enactment of the bill, an entry-level nurse only receives a salary of P8,000 to P13,500 on a monthly basis. This, Gordon stressed, is not commensurate to their labor, thus, they are forced to work abroad where they can earn more.

“I always say that our nurses should be compensated fairly so that they would no longer go overseas to work. The Philippines is a major source in exporting nurses. In the United States alone, about 150,000 nurses are Filipinos. And so, it is imperative that we create policies that are beneficial to them and will make them choose to stay in our country because we want them to be with their families and we are also in need for healthcare workers especially now that we are facing a pandemic,” said Gordon.

DBM Circular No. 20204, issued on July 17, 2020, raised the salary of entrylevel nurses to SG 15 but also demoted the positions of Nurses II to VII to one rank lower.

The memorandum issued by Malacañang on June 1, 2021 reverted the circular and increases the salary of Nurse II from SG 15 to SG 16, while it retains the position titles of Nurse III to Nurse VII with their corresponding salary grades. June 5-11, 2021 | 67