Led by the Alliance of Health Workers (AHW), health workers and their unions launched a protest on August 25 in Mandaluyong City to slam the Marcos regime. They timed the action with the marking of National Heroes Day, since health workers are often hailed as one of the country’s modern-day heroes.
The group condemned the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for their failure to address the demands of health workers. AHW also denounced Marcos Jr’s recent statement urging health workers to continue serving the country as modern-day heroes.
“If the government truly wants Filipino health workers to remain, it must go beyond rhetoric and address their long-standing demands,” AHW said. According to the group, the government squanders billions of pesos on questionable projects but allocates only a meager amount to the country’s health system.
AHW called on the Marcos regime to grant long overdue benefits, address low salaries, solve the severe shortage of hospital staff, and increase the health sector budget. “Despite their sacrifices during and after the pandemic, our modern-day heroes have been forgotten,” AHW declared.
Health workers have long been demanding the DBM for the immediate release of the delayed Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) for 2021 to 2023. “This delay is unjust and demoralizing, especially for health workers who consistently serve without fail,” National Center for Mental Health Employees Association-AHW president Reynaldo Villamater said.
AHW also demanded the ₱7,000 medical allowance in cash and exempted from taxes. The group is also pushing for a ₱36,000 entry salary for health workers in both the private and public sector, and a ₱50,000 entry salary for nurses and other health professionals.
A few days earlier, AHW members held a protest in Quezon City to highlight their demands. Unions from the Philippine Heart Center, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Lung Center of the Philippines, and Philippine Children’s Medical Center joined the action.
