The Episcopal Commission on Health Care of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has expressed support for the demand of health workers for a wage increase.
“Kailangan talaga dagdagan kung ito po ay insufficient, meaning yung … mabigyan natin sila ng dangal,” pahayag ni Bishop Oscar Jaime Florencio, vice chairman of the commission.
The prelate said the country’s health workers can have peace of mind as they do their job, knowing that at the end of the day they will receive a decent pay.
The bishop’s statement over Radio Veritas 846 was a reaction to nurse May Parsons’ call for better wages for health workers.
The Filipino nurse based in the United Kingdom is the first person to administer the COVID-19 vaccine in the world.
Data from the country’s Department of Labor show that nurses receive an average salary of PhP8,000 to PhP13,500 per month even as the Philippine Statistics Authority said the latest poverty threshold, or the monthly requirement of a family of five for basic needs, is PhP12,030.