1281st Meeting of the Board of Regents
July 26, 2012
Campaigns
Wage Fight
Attended a series of meetings and propaganda
actions calling for at least P6,000 salary increase of government personnel,
and the formation of multi-sectoral alliance called Wage Fight, composed primarily of
public sector unions The said
multisectoral alliance is spearheaded by COURAGE, Alliance of Concerned
Teachers, Alliance of Health Workers and the All UP Workers Union. In pursuance
of said campaign, Wage Fight is calling for the enactment into law of HB 3746,
HB 5149 and SB 2928 – An Act Providing for a P6,000 Increase in Minimum Pay of
Employees and Workers in the Public Sector Nationwide and for other Purposes.
Network Opposed
to Privatization of Public Hospitals and Health Services
Attended a series of meetings, conferences and
propaganda actions in the relaunching of a nationwide alliance called Network Opposed to Privatization of Public
Hospitals and Health Services. The alliance is spearheaded by
cause-oriented groups, public hospital based unions and professional groups, such
as the Alliance of Health Workers, Health Alliance for Democracy, Philippine
Nurses Association, Community Foundation, Council for Health and Development, All
UP Workers Union Manila, etc. This is a response of the various health groups
to anti-worker and anti-people policy of the Aquino Administration to privatize
public hospitals and the delivery of health services. Primarily the group calls
for the government to increase public spending in health care and oppose the
enactment into law of HB 6069, HB 6145 and SB 3130 – An Act Converting the 26 Government
Hospitals into National Government Hospital Corporation (or the National
Government Hospital Corporate Restructuring Act).
Campaign for the
Release of Benefits under the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers and for its
Inclusion in the Regular Budget Allocation of the National Government and LGUs
Attended various dialogues with DBM and DOH
officials, meetings, conferences and protest actions to dramatize the
continuing campaign of public health
workers for the release of their (our) benefits under RA 7304 – Magna Carta of
Public Health Workers which have been on hold since January of this year,
because the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) remained adamant in
approving the requests of the Department of Health (DOH) and its attached
agencies and hospitals for the use of savings for payment of Magna Carta
benefits (as required under the 2012 GAA) such as hazard pay, augmentation to
subsistence and laundry allowances, etc; stating among others that savings can
be only realized at the end of the year, and that there is a need to review and
rationalize the implementation of said benefits especially the Hazard Pay. This
non-payment of benefits amounted to P3,000-P9,000 decrease in monthly take home
pay for each public health workers under the DOH. The benefits under the Magna Carta
Public Health Workers is provided for by law (RA 7305), but the DBM refuses to
allocate annual funding for it and did not include in the preparation of the annual
National Expenditure Program submitted to Congress (enacted as the Annual General
Appropriations Act), except for PGH which has a separate line item of P116 million
(although actual expenditure exceeds P150 million annually). Without a regular
allocation, the payment of Magna Carta benefits are derived from savings but are
still given regularly starting in most agencies in year 2000. However, it was withheld starting January of
this year due to a provision in the GAA for 2012 that requires DBM approval
prior to use of agency savings.
Sectoral Consultation
Visited UP Los Banos on July 12-13, 2012, together
with some national officers of the All UP Workers Union for consultation and updates and confers directly with some
staff and REPS of various units such as the Institute of Biotechnology,
Institute of Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture and UP Police.
Raised issues:
·
Regularization
of farm workers
·
Inclusion
of contractual/casual services in the computation of the annual 10 day Service
Recognition Pay
·
Payment
of Hazard Pay
·
Career
path for REPS
Pertinent Meetings/Conferences Attended
UP President’s
Dialogue with the All UP Workers Union on UP-PGH Class D Rates
Attended the President’s dialogue on June 27, with
the All UP Workers Union on UP-PGH Class D Rates, together with some officials
of UP Manila and PGH. This is in accordance to the decision of the Board of
Regents 1280th meeting (June 4, 2012). Upon my request for clarification on the
Board’s decision, President Pascual admitted that the PGH proposal would indeed
result to imposition of additional charges/fees to Class D (Indigent) patients
and not merely a “quantification of services” as the the Board was told by PGH
Director Gonzales last meeting , he however clarified that it maybe waived by
responsible PGH officials for patients that can not really pay. The union and myself is continuing our appeal
not to impose additional charges to indigent patients. Another meeting was
scheduled for finalization of issues.
Meeting of the
National Management – Health Workers Consultative Council (NMHWCC)[1]
Attended the meeting of the NMHWCC as the National
President of the Alliance of Health Workers on June 29, 2012 at the DOH Central
Office to tackle various appeals in the classification as Public Health Workers
and made an initial comment on the proposed Joint DBM-DOH Circular on
Guidelines on the Grant of Compensation Related Magna Carta Benefits to Public
Health Workers under RA 7305. Agreed for a live-in meeting to finalize the
Council’s position on the draft Joint Circular.
Consultative
Meeting on the draft Joint Circular of the DBM/DOH on Compensation Grant of Compensation
Related Magna Carta Benefits to Public Health Workers under RA 7305 and other
matters
Attended a two-day live-in consultative
meeting of the NMHWCC on July 4-5, 2012 at Cuidad Christia Resort, San Mateo, Rizal to finalize the Council’s
position in the draft Joint DBM/DOH Circular. The Council agreed that the
circular should not result to diminution of any benefits, implemented or not
under the Magna Carta, and proposed for upgrading of all benefits in accordance
with the current cost of living.
Any changes in these benefits (rates,
entitlements, etc) have implications to employees of PGH, UP Manila and all
Health Service Units in all UP constituent units who are all receiving
addtional benefits under RA 7305.
Joint DBM/DOH
Meeting on Magna Carta Benefits
Attended the joint meeting of DBM Secretary
Abad and DOH Secretary Ona and other officials of said agencies to thresh out
the issues involving the release of Magna Carta benefits that have been pending
for most of the public health workers under the national government since
January of this year and a review of entitlement to compensation related Magna Carta benefits. Reiterated that at all hospital workers and all incumbents in office based agencies should continue to be entitled to regular payment of hazard pay. The meeting ended with both Secretary Abad and Secretary
Ona agreeing on imposing a 10 day time line to resolve the issues surrounding
the Magna Carta benefits and to came up with a policy decision that will be
approved by President Aquino including the inclusion of a separate line item
for the proposed 2013 national budget. Until this time however, this is no
authority yet to release the Magna Carta benefits.
Conference
Against the Privatization of Public Hospitals and Health Services
Attended the Conference Against the Privatization of Public
Hospitals and Health Services on July 18, 2012 held at the Social Hall, UP
Manila. This serve as the formal launching of the Network Opposed to
Privatization of Public Hospital and Health Services (NOP). The conference was
attended by about 250 leaders of public hospital based unions, professional
organizations, health based cause-oriented groups, academics and patient and
community organizations uniting to conduct a nationwide public awareness
building activities and mass actions against the ill effects of privatization
of public hospitals and against the enactment of HB 6069, HB 6145 and SB 3130.
MR. JOSSEL I. EBESATE, RN
Staff Regent
[1] The National Management Health
Workers Consultative Council (NMHWCC) is a body created under RA 7305 – Magna Carta
of Public Health Workers tasked to implement and monitor the implementation of
the Magna Carta but since imasculated by Joint Resolution No. 4 s. 2009 of
Congress transfering the implementation of compensation related benefits to the
Department of Budget and Management.
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