By Charina Clarisse Echaluce



An estimated 12,000 nurses might lose their job this year because of lack of budget, while 5,000 already got unemployed last year, a party-list disclosed yesterday.

“[An estimated] 12,000 of 24,000 nurses under the DOH [Department of Health] nurse deployment program will lose their jobs this year because of lack of budget. Last year, 5,000 nawalan ng trabaho (lost their job),” Ang Nars Party-list Rep. Leah Paquiz said.

“Half of nurses will lose their jobs. Meron kaming sulat sa President [Rodrigo Duterte]. Gumawa kami ng sulat kay Sec. [Francisco] Duque [III] last week. And dinala namin sa Office of the President dahil naniniwala kami na meron s’yang pagbabago na magagawa (Half of nurses will lose their jobs. We wrote a letter addressed to the President. We wrote a letter addressed to Sec. Duque last week. And we brought it to the Office of the President because we believe that he can bring change),” Paquiz stated.

In the letter addressed to “Tatay Digong,” dated January 5, 2018, the nurses asked the President to end contractualization.

“We registered nurses and the human resource for health under Development Program of the Department of Health, believe that change is coming. As a means of eradicating poverty and contributing to economic growth, we fervently hold onto your development plan to stop endo [and] stop contractualization,” they wrote.

“Our current status is categorized as ‘without employer-employee relationship’ under various rhetoric such as job order, contract of service, or contractual workers. Our contract for DOH is for one year, subject to evaluation every six months based on the following health indicators accomplishment: Safe Motherhood Program, National Immunization Program, Nutrition and Integrated Health Control Program, Adolescent Health Program, Family Planning Program, National Tuberculosis Control Program, National HIV/AIDS/STI Prevention and Control, Rabies Prevention and Control Program, Health Emergency Preparedness Program, Lifestyle Related Diseases, Health Wellness Program, National Tobacco Control Program, National Voluntary Blood Services Program, Primary Eye Care Program, Local Health Systems Development, and Philippine Health Agenda Implementation,” they further stated.

Amid all the struggles, the nurses said their trust to the change that Duterte has promised remains.

“We are hopeless to secure permanent positions. We don’t know where to seek refuge anymore…. Naniniwala, sumusuporta, at kaisa n’yo po kami sa inyong adhikain na mapabbuti ang buhay at kalusugan ng bawat Pilipino! Asahan n’yo po, Tatay Digong, na kami ay magiging malakas ninyong katuwang sa pagbuo ng isang matatag at malusog na bayan (We are hopeless to secure permanent positions. We don’t know where to seek refuge anymore…. We believe in you and we are one with your goal to improve the life and health of the Filipinos! We assure you, Tatay Digong, that we will be your strong ally toward building a strong and healthy nation),” they expressed.

Paquiz said they do not want protest; they just want plantilla position.

Ang hiling namin ay gumawa ng plantilla position…. Wala pa sa plano ang mag-aklas (What we are asking is the creation of plantilla position…. We still don’t have a plan to protest),” she said.

Moreover, she stated that they are seeking help because they do not want the Filipino nurses to work abroad.

“Kaya natin ginawa ito ay para huwag ng umalis ang ating mga nurse. Sana ma-regular sila para magkaroon sila ng peace of mind. Hindi sila makatulog (We did this because we do not want our nurses to leave. I wish they would be regularized so they can have peace of mind. They cannot sleep),” she expressed.

Manila Bulletin tried to get the side of the DOH but still got no reply as of this posting.