THE Commission on Human Rights (CHR) supports the filing of Senate Bill No. 2694 by Senator Raffy T. Tulfo, aimed at increasing the pay of Filipino nurses. The proposed Act seeks to amend Republic Act No. 9173, or 'The Philippine Nursing Act of 2002,' upgrading the minimum salary grade of nurses from SG 15 to SG 19.

Currently, nurses employed in government hospitals earn at least 36,000 pesos monthly, the lowest wage among Southeast Asian countries according to news reports. This situation drives our local nurses to leave the country in search of better-paying jobs and opportunities abroad.