F'ILIPINO

N URSES
U NITED

Unit 42 Jaime Cardinal Sin Building, Paco, Mia., Philippines; E-mail address: filipino_nurses 201S@yahoo.com

NURSES CALL FOR REPEAL OF CPO LAW 2016

The Filipino Nurses United rejects RA 10912 or the Contin uing Professional Development Law 2016 that will further
burden nurses and other professionals with costly and stri ngent obligations even as the State remains unresponsive and
indifferent to our legitimate petitions for living wage and better work conditions.

A central provision of the law that is most oppressive and harsh is Art Ill Sec. 10 that makes CPD a mandatory
requirement in the renewal of professiona l license and accreditation system for the practice of professions. This means
t hat a nurse will have to cough out roughly P15,000-30,000 to earn the required 45 CPD units for PRC ID renewal. This
is a considerable amount given that a regular nurse does not even have enough wherewithal for more basic needs with
an average take-home net pay of P10,000 monthly for those in the private sector and roughly P18,000-20,000 for those
in the public sector aggravated by heavy workload with little time for rest.

The FNU maintains t hat PRC ID renewal should not come with such costly condition because the act of renewing one's ID
is simply to affirm one's inclusion in the roster of his/her respective profession basically to help the state monitor and
keep tab of its hum an resource like nurses. Upon passing a rigorous board examination, a registered nurse earns the
distinction of being professionally capable for general pract ice. Competence, on the other hand, is developed in the
course of professional practice within the context of a work environment that enables and fosters genuine professional
development and career growth.

That is hardly the condition the Fi li pino nurses are in. Non-living wage, heavy workload, little or no work benefits,
contractual and insecure jobs, problems of understaffing and unsafe nurse:patient ratio, lack of or limited nursing job
opportunities - these are the glaring problems confronting the nurse then and more so now. Until and unless these
ra mpant and dominant problems are significantly resolved, the mandatory CPD units exacted on nurses and tucked in
the simple process of ID renewal is not only superfluous but even unjust and harsh.

Truth is, the CPD Law was drafted within the framework of the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement or ASEAN MRA
t hat commits member-states like the Philippines to pred icate professions (like nursing) on similar or uniform standards
of practice in order "to enhance mobility of professional services with the region" (Art.1Sec3.d). The Law's essential
intent is to create a pool of skilled manpower to supply the demands and needs of the international market for cheap
but competent professional workers like Filipino nurses.

Whil e Art. II Sec. 4 says the Law "recognize ... the contri butions of professionals in the nation's economic growth and
development," in reality, t he State has continually failed to promote and protect the interests of its development
workers like nurses w ho wallow in subsistence wages and dire work conditions that hardly edify nor ennoble. Up till
now we still await the promised "change" in terms of decent wages and humane work conditions commensurate to our
professional worth.

In lieu of CPD Law 2016, the State should institute a responsive and relevant CPD program that addresses the conditions
that pull back or block the development of nursing practice in the country. Responsible state agencies like the BON,
CHED, DOH, DOLE should more vigorously perform their mandate to monitor the implementation of nursing standards
and those found violating or non-compliant should be sanctioned accordingly. The problems of low wages, poor work
conditions, contractualization, insecure and low-quality jobs, lack of or limited nursing job opportunities should be
addressed with earnest alongside the creation of a CPD program that will entice our important human resource to serve
in t he country rather than be pushed to work overseas.

In thought, a similar provision to mandatory CPD requirement for PRC ID renewal was abolished in 2000 through PRC
Modernization Act (RA 8981) because it did not ensure continuing professional development while being a source of
rampant corruption. 04 Sept 2018

Reference: Eleanor M. Nolasco, FNU National President cp: 0915-5136080