Imee Marcos pushes for nationwide equal minimum wage

Senator Imee Marcos vowed to push for a uniform national minimum wage if re-elected in the 2025 midterm elections, arguing that wage disparities between Metro Manila and the provinces are unjustified.

“Yung una kong legislation yung talagang magkaroon ng iisang pantay-pantay na minimum wage kasi hindi ako naniniwala na malaki ang pagitan ng gastos sa probinsya at saka sa syudad," Marcos said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview on Saturday.

"Ngyaon [ang agwat ng minimum wage] lagpas P200 kada araw. Kasi P640 na sa Maynila, samantalang P440 lamang sa probinsya. Kaya nais ko maging pantay yan.” 

(My first legislation will ensure a single, equal minimum wage because I don’t believe the cost of living differs significantly between the provinces and the city. The current gap is P200 per day—P640 in Manila versus P440 in the provinces. I want to make it equal.)

While acknowledging that rent and traffic make living in Manila expensive, Marcos pointed out that certain costs are higher in the provinces.

Another key proposal in her platform is a universal wage for the poor, which she believes would eliminate political interference in aid distribution.

“Mas maigi kung ibigay na lang ang ayuda sa talagang nangangailangan. Panawagan ko nga, sabi nila, aabot sa P300 billion ang mga pamigay at ayuda, AICS, TUPAD, AKAO. Pwede ba ilista na lang mga pinakamahihirap sa atin at magkaroon ng pangkalahatang sahod sa mahihirap yung universal wage. Yung mga nahuhulog sa poverty line," she suggested.

(It’s better to give assistance directly to those who truly need it. They say government aid—AICS, TUPAD, AKAO—amounts to P300 billion. Why not simply list the poorest Filipinos and establish a universal wage for those falling below the poverty line?)

On healthcare, Marcos said she is advocating for regional lung and kidney centers to reduce the burden on patients who currently need to travel to Manila for treatment. — DVM, GMA Integrated News