REALITIES OF HOUSE BILL NO. 8891
Hey everyone, regulatory pharmacist here.
By now, I’m sure most of you have seen House Bill No. 8891 making waves sa FB and other socmed. For those who haven’t, it’s the proposed law aiming to upgrade entry-level government pharmacists from Salary Grade 11 to Salary Grade 15. but, can we look on the other side of it especially on economic reality or sustainable ba to in the long run?
to be honest, Entry-level SG 11 is already a massive jump ahead of the private sector. isama mo pa ang Magna Carta benefits (25% hazard pay, longevity pay, laundry and subsistence allowances), plus guaranteed 13th/14th-month bonuses, and so gov pharmacist is easily walking away with a total package equivalent to ₱40k+ (well based on papers ito yun)
perooo your average junior pharmacist in a private community drugstore or local manufacturing plant is lucky to clear ₱20,000 to ₱25,000.
sooo if ever mag lapsed into law ito, every single peso used to fund that public salary hike is extracted directly from private businesses and corporate workers via corporate taxes, VAT, and heavy regulatory fees. tapos ang mga private MSME drugstores and distributors na maliit ang margin of profit will either have to spike medicine prices or face bankruptcy trying to match those gov-subsidized wages.
ang question ko din is ....does a higher salary grade automatically equal better competency? well depende! if the government wants to mandate higher wages, wag niyo gatasan ang private sector or even tax payer. Lower the cost of compliance for doing business para yung ibayad sa pesting permit na yan, pweding ipang sahod sa pharmacist. And more importantly, they need to crack down on the toxic "ghost pharmacist" culture where people rent out their licenses for cheap retainers, completely lowballing the profession and cementing the expectation that our fees should be dirt cheap.
Let me know your insights on this house bill