79% of speech therapist posts in DOH hospitals vacant — EDCOM 2

Nearly eight in 10 speech therapist positions and 66% of occupational therapist posts in Department of Health (DOH) hospitals are vacant, the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) reported.

DOH data as of September 2026 showed that 61 of 77 speech therapist positions and 262 of 395 occupational therapist positions remained unfilled.

“Our hospitals feel this shortage every day. Unless we make these careers viable in public service and expand training beyond Metro Manila, learners with disabilities will continue to wait for the support they need,” DOH Health Human Resource Development Bureau Director Lindsley Jeremiah Villarante said.

The shortage is compounded by a limited supply of licensed professionals. Professional Regulation Commission data showed that only 845 speech-language pathologists passed licensure examinations from 2023 to 2025, compared with 2,014 occupational therapists and 8,060 physical therapists who passed from 2021 to 2025.

Access to therapy services is also limited outside Metro Manila. PhilHealth data as of 30 September showed that only four of the country's 18 regions had contracted facilities offering occupational and speech therapy under its Z Benefits package for children with developmental disabilities.

The other 14 regions accounted for 389,497 learners with disabilities, or 74% of the national total covered by the mapping, but had no contracted facilities offering the services.

Calabarzon had the highest number of affected learners at 58,272, followed by Bicol with 37,068, Central Luzon with 35,616 and Zamboanga Peninsula with 34,977.

EDCOM 2 cited low government salaries as one factor affecting the recruitment and retention of therapists. Entry-level occupational and physical therapists are classified under Salary Grade (SG) 11, while speech therapists are under SG 10, compared with SG 15 for Nurse I.

The Commission is proposing to raise the starting grades of all three professions to SG 15, which would increase entry-level salaries by 33% for occupational and physical therapists and 57% for speech therapists.

The staffing gaps could also hamper the implementation of Republic Act 11650, or the Inclusive Education Act, which mandates Inclusive Learning Resource Centers to conduct multidisciplinary assessments, prepare Individualized Education Plans and facilitate services such as speech, occupational and physical therapy.