A lawmaker on Monday is pushing for a measure seeking to raise anew the salary of public nurses in response to the clamor of various nurses' groups for a wage boost to deter them from taking jobs abroad.

Quezon City Representative Marvin Rillo has filed House Bill 5276 seeking to grant public nurses a wage of P63,997 — a 75-percent increase from their current P36,619 monthly minimum basic pay.

Once enacted, the bill is expected to help slow down the rapid migration of Filipino nurses to "English-speaking overseas labor markets."

"Our measure will also encourage a greater number of high school graduates to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in college," said Rillo, who is also vice chair of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education.