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SPEAKER SAYS

House to push for P200 daily minimum wage hike bill


Speaker Martin Romualdez on Tuesday said the House of Representatives will push for the passage of a bill granting a P200 daily minimum wage hike.

Speaker Martin Romualdez on Wednesday said the House of Representatives will push for the passage of a bill granting a P200 daily minimum wage hike.

Romualdez made the announcement a day after the House leaders’ meeting with labor groups on Tuesday.

“Ang lumalabas na consensus dito sa House of Representatives, pending ongoing public consultation, baka kayang dagdagan ng P200 bawat araw ang minimum wage. This is a critical step toward achieving inclusive growth and addressing the immediate challenges faced by Filipino families,” Romualdez said.

(The emerging consensus is we can implement a P200 daily minimum wage hike.)

“If we were able to do this in the past, there is no reason why we cannot do it now, especially with careful planning and collaboration with all sectors,” Romualdez added, referring to the Wage Rationalization Act of 1989, which hiked daily minimum wage back then.

The Senate already approved a P100 legislated daily minimum wage hike for private sector workers in March 2024.

In the House, Cavite lawmaker Jolo Revilla has said there are at least 77 House members who support the P150 legislated daily minimum wage hike.

Revilla’s pronouncement was made in February 2024, or ahead of the Senate’s third and final reading approval on the said measure.

The proposed daily minimum wage hike bills in the House, however, are stuck before the House committee on labor chaired by Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles.

The Speaker, however, said on the same statement issued Wednesday, January 29, that the House “is working tirelessly to craft a wage increase measure that meets the needs of our workers while ensuring that businesses, particularly micro, small and medium enterprises are provided support during the transition.”

In separate statements, opposition lawmakers said the Speaker’s announcement is a long time coming.

“Our bill is actually for a P750 minimum wage increase across the board, in accordance with the P1200 family living wage. But if a P200 wage increase will be granted across the board nationwide, that is a step in the right direction. This will be a great help for our workers amid the rise in prices of basic commodities,” House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro said.

“We will still push for the P750 just the same,” she added.

House Assistant Minority Leader and Gabriela Women's Party Rep. Arlene Brosas, for her part, said Congress should act on the Speaker’s announcement as soon as possible.

"We welcome any step towards increasing workers' wages, as this positive development stems from our workers' persistent demands for a legislated wage increase. The passage of a legislated wage hike into law is the government’s primary duty to its people,” Brosas said.

"Further, we need a legislated national minimum wage that will standardize wages across regions. Workers should not be divided based on their regions since price increases affect the entire country equally,” she added.

Nagkaisa Labor Coalition also welcomed the Speaker’s favorable position on legislated wage hike.

“We cannot afford to wait any longer. With every passing day, the value of our wages continues to diminish as inflation continues to rise,” the group led by labor leader Sonny Matula said in a statement.

Also present during the House leaders’ Tuesday meeting with the labor groups were House Deputy Speaker and TUCP Partylist Rep. Democrito Raymond Mendoza and Tingog Partylist Rep. Jude Acidre.

Among the labor leaders present in the Tuesday night meeting were: Michael Mendoza – President, ALU (Associated Labor Unions); Gerard Seno, President-APSOTEU (Associated Professional, Supervisory, Office and Technical Employees Union) ; Cecilio Seno, Jr.- President, ALU – Metal; Atty. Allan Montano, Vice President- FFW (Federation of Free Workers);  Josua Mata, Secretary General-SENTRO (Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa);  Luis Corral-TUCP (Trade Union Congress of the Philippines) VP for national and international affairs; Arturo Basea- President, FUR (Federations of Unions of Rizal); Temistocles Dejon, Jr. - President, AWATU (All Workers Alliance Trade Union); Alvin Fidelson - President, KKKP (Kapisanan ng mga Kawani sa Koreo sa Pilipinas); Roland dela Cruz -President, NACUSIP (National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines); Arthur Juego -President, KILUSAN (Pambansang Kilusan ng Paggawa; Atty. Arnel Dolendo - President, PTGWO (Philippine Trade and General Workers Organization) and TUCP Secretary General; and Shirley Yorong- Assistant Secretary General, TUCP. —VAL/AOL, GMA Integrated News