EMPLOYEES of the Lung Center of the Philippines are appealing to President Aquino to look into their plight after they were allegely not given salary increases as mandated by Republic Act (RA) 7305.
Members of the Lung Center of the Philippines Employees Association asked Mr. Aquino to implement RA 7305, otherwise known as the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers, which mandates, among others, payment of hazardous pay and longevity pay for all employees in the public health sector.
Eleazar Sobinski, LCPEA president, said the employees at the government specialty hospital have not received any increase since 2007.
They were supposed to be given a 5-percent increase in their basic salaries.
Sobinski said LCPEA has also been appealing for payment of the increase in hazard and longevity pays from the hospital administration. “They are ignoring our appeals,” he said.
The LCP employees aired the appeal to Mr. Aquino after Malacañang announced that it will infuse P742 million to upgrade the medical services and facilities of three government specialty hospitals, including the LCP.
The two other hospitals are the Philippine Heart Center (PHC) and the Philippine Children’s Medical Center.
The release was part of the government’s commitment to provide efficient delivery of social services to the poor. The additional funding for public specialty hospitals is part of the P72-billion disbursements acceleration plan recently approved by Malacañang.
Of the P742 million, P357 million will be used to upgrade the aging infrastructure and medical equipment of the PHC.
Meanwhile, P105 million will support two important programs of the LCP: the Bio-Regenerative Program, which will require a budget of P70 million, to harness stem-cell research and technology to treat cancer patients, and the Pediatric Pulmonary Program which will require a budget of P35 million for children three months to 18 years who are afflicted with lung diseases.
However, Emily Tayao, a member of the LCPEA board of directors representing the Administration Department, said the budget that was ordered released does not cover personnel services.
RA 7305, signed into law on March 26, 1992, provides for corresponding salary increase every five years for, among others, hazard and longevity pay.
Sobinski and Tayao said demoralization is already sweeping the ranks of LCP employees because of the non-payment of their benefits.
LCPEA asked for a budget of P300 million for LCP for 2012, but Sobinski said they were told that their budget proposal was rejected by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
Their proposed budget of P300 million for 2012, he said, should be able to cover for the corresponding salary increase that will cover approximately 500 employees with Salary Grades 1 to 19 who are entitled to such benefits under the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers.
Meanwhile, LCPEA is also demanding the removal of two hospital officials who have been dismissed from the service by the Ombudsman for grave misconduct.
LCPEA said Albilio Cano, manager at the Administrative and Ancillary Department, and Angeline Roxas, chief of Finance Service, were both ordered dismissed in 2007 and their motions for reconsideration were denied in 2009.
However, the Ombudsman order has yet to be implemented.
The group showed a letter from the Presidential Management Staff signed by Herminio Bagro III, chief of staff, addressed to Health Secretary Enrique Ona dated October 14, 2011 enjoining him from implementing the dismissal orders.
(Jonathan Mayuga)
