MANILA (SE): The Philippine Senate passed a landmark bill proposing a 100 peso [US$1.7] increase in the daily minimum wage of workers in the private sector bringing it a step closer to becoming a law, Inquirer.net reported on the afternoon of February 19
On its third and final reading, Senate Bill No. 2534 under Committee Report No. 190, received 20 affirmative votes during the chamber’s plenary session on February 19. There were no votes against or abstentions as senators, Imee Marcos, Lito Lapid, Cynthia Villar, and Mark Villar, were not present to cast their votes.
Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senate president and the bill’s co-sponsor, had earlier noted that should the measure be signed into law, it would be “the first time since 1989” that a legislated pay hike would be implemented nationwide.
Zubiri likewise emphasized the pressing need to increase the minimum wage of workers, particularly those in Visayas and Mindanao who are currently earning P360 a day.
The House of Representatives is looking at the possibility of an even higher wage increase of 350 pesos the Philippine News Agency reported. House deputy majority leader, Janette Garin, said, “This proposal is being deliberated in Congress because the intention is good. But PHP100 is relatively low. Because of how expensive basic commodities are, the amount may fall short of the actual needs of the citizens.”
A Filipino family needs at least 25,000 pesos [a month] for a decent living, UCAN reported, citing Caritas Philippines. However, Jing Rey Henderson, the agency’s head of communications and partnership development observed that “the minimum wage is only 14,000 pesos.”
“I have three children to feed. My salary can barely sustain our needs,” said Jan Raquiza, a utility worker in a school in Palo, Leyte. The 37-year old father of three gets 403 pesos (US$7) a day for his 10-hour job cleaning, doing repairs, maintenance, and other errands. He said he has yet to find extra money to pay into his pension fund, even the minimal amount of 500 pesos in voluntary contributions.
A kilogramme of rice now sells for 67 pesos, the highest in decades, reported. The price of gasoline has also soared, with globalpetrolprices.com quoting the February 12 price at 72.05 pesos per litre compared to 64.95 pesos only a month earlier.
In April 2023, the The Church People-Workers Solidarity [CWS] had urged the Philippine Congress the push forward with the bill, saying that workers deserve “substantial wage increase” for their toils and services.
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Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, the CWS chairperson, said in a statement for Labour Day last year, that raising the minimum wage at is about dignity and justice, according to CBCP News.
“Based on this dignity, workers have a legitimate claim to those essential material goods that meet basic needs for food, clothing, shelter, health, education, security, and rest,” Bishop Alminaza said.
“The rising cost of living and the insufficient wage are forcing workers to work more than 12 hours a day for an extra income to provide for their family,” he added.
Some 13.2 million families, classified themselves as living in poverty in the third quarter of 2023, according to a survey from pollster Social Weather Stations, UCAN reported.
