Marcos touts minimum wage hikes in 3rd SONA

The recent series of increases in daily minimum wages across various regions was among the accomplishments cited by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA).

“Sa lahat ng mga ginagawa nating ito, katuwang natin palagi ang pribadong sektor, lalo na sa mahalagang bagay ng trabaho at pasahod (In everything we accomplished, the private sector is always our partner, especially in the ambit of jobs and wages),” Marcos said in his report to the nation on Monday, July 22.

“With tripartite consensus, minimum wage levels have been increased in various sectors in all regions, including the BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao), for workers in private establishments,” the President said, adding that wage increases would ease the burden of four million minimum wage earners and their families.

Just this month, Metro Manila’s Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) approved the P35 hike in the daily minimum wage of workers in the National Capital Region (NCR), increasing it from P610 to P645 for the non-agriculture sector.

The last minimum wage increase in NCR was implemented on July 16, 2023. The daily minimum wage rate was hiked by P40 to P610 for the non-agricultural sector and P573 for the agriculture sector.

Data from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), as of May 2024, showed that all of the 16 RTWPBs across the country have issued wage orders increasing the minimum wage, ranging between P30 to P89.

Out of the 16 wage orders, the DOLE said, 10 were initiated motu propio by their respective RTWPBs.

Despite the recent wage hike, labor groups are still pushing for a legislated across the board P150 increase in minimum wage for private sector workers. 

The President, meanwhile, touted the increase in employment rate. 

“Our employment rate has increased to 95.9%. We also saw a significant increase in high-quality jobs,” Marcos said.

“Underemployment too has decreased from 11.7% in May of 2023 to 9.9% today, which is our lowest since 2005. Notably, we also saw an increase in middle-skilled employment, wage and salaried employment, and full-time jobs,” the country’s chief executive said.

In May, the Philippines Statistics Authority reported that the number of unemployed Filipinos rose to 2.11 million from 2.04 million in April.—AOL, GMA Integrated News