MANILA, Philippines 鈥� More plantilla positions must be created for health workers to address the growing needs of Filipinos struggling with rising costs of basic goods and living expenses, Makabayan senatorial candidate and registered nurse Jocelyn Andamo said on Wednesday.
Plantilla positions refer to permanent government posts with corresponding budget allocations under the annual General Appropriations Act.
Andamo argued that promoting national industrialization would generate more stable jobs, particularly for healthcare workers like herself.
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鈥淜asi ngayon hindi nakakapag-create ng mga trabaho para sa ating mga kababayan. At ang mga na-kecreate ay puro temporary o contractual, job orders, walang seguridad sa trabaho, kaya sobrang hirap ng ating mga kababayan,鈥� she said during a forum at the FEU Institute of Technology.
(Right now, jobs are not being created for our fellow Filipinos. The ones that do exist are mostly temporary or contractual鈥攋ob orders with no job security鈥攎aking life even harder for our fellow Filipinos.)
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She added that even nurses suffer from this lack of security.
鈥淪a hanay ng mga nurses, ganoon din. May mga job order nurses din kami na three months, six months, wala na silang trabaho. Kailangan mag-create ng plantilla positions sa mga health workers, sa mga nurses, dahil matindi ang pangangailangan ng ating mga kababayan,鈥� Andamo emphasized.
(It is the same for nurses. Many job order nurses only have work for three to six months before their contracts end. We need to create plantilla positions for health workers, especially nurses, because our fellow Filipinos have urgent healthcare needs.)
The nurse-turned-senatorial aspirant stressed that plantilla positions provide health workers with job security, benefits, and a stronger reason to stay in their jobs鈥攁nd in the country.
鈥淎t taasan ang sweldo para sila ay manatili sa kanilang mga trabaho, dahil ang mga nurses ay minimum wage earners lang,鈥� she said.
(Salaries must also be increased so that nurses will stay in their jobs because right now, they are only earning minimum wage.)
She also pointed out that some nurses do not even receive the wages mandated by law.
鈥淜ung minsan pa ay hindi nila natatanggap ang naaayon sa batas. Kaya mahalaga ang plantilla positions at i-fill up ang mga plantilla positions sa ating healthcare system,鈥� she added.
(Sometimes, they don鈥檛 even receive the wages they are legally entitled to. That鈥檚 why plantilla positions are important, and vacant ones in our healthcare system must be filled.)
Andamo noted that the Department of Health itself has admitted that many plantilla positions remain unfilled.
Hence, if elected, she vowed to push for the creation and proper allocation of more plantilla positions for healthcare workers.