THE chairperson of the Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources cited the need to develop legislation to improve the system being implemented in the country, primarily since no wage increase was implemented following the outbreak of COVID-19, the committee chairperson, Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada said.

At the public hearing conducted by the Senate panel, bills seeking to increase and rationalize the daily wages of private sector workers across the Philippines were tackled.

The Senate labor committee has begun panel deliberations on the proposed legislated across-the-board wage hike and other measures regarding the implementation of wage increases in the private sector.

“During these times, no wage increases have been implemented, but the constant call for wages that will truly meet the basic needs of the Filipino family cannot be denied,” the senator said in Filipino.

Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. said it is high time to pass a wage increase law, as he backed the proposed legislated wage increase after hearing the “grievances” of many Filipino workers against rising prices of basic goods and commodities.

At the public hearing of the Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development Wednesday, May 10, 2023, Revilla pushed for a “recalibration and reassessment” of present wage policies to help laborers.

“The salaries being received by workers are way behind the government’s conservative estimate of the cost of living a family needs in order to survive in these trying economic times,” Revilla said.

He added that because everyone – both in urban and rural regions – is experiencing economic hardships, an across-the-board wage increase is justified.

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva also backed a “decent wage increase” for Filipino workers, saying that the present minimum wage in the country is “not enough” for a family to live decently.

During Wednesday’s public hearing, Villanueva cited the current daily minimum wage ranging from P306 to P570.

However, according to a study by the IBON Foundation, a Filipino family of five in the National Capital Region (NCR) needs at least P1,161 daily or P25,248 monthly to have a decent life.

“The high inflation rate juxtaposed with the minimum wage further reduces the purchasing power of Filipino workers. With a high inflation rate of 6.6 percent in April 2023, the value of real income has failed to meet the rising cost of living,” Villanueva explained.

“As we continue with the hearing, let us keep in mind this basic but often ignored fact – all workers deserve a wage that is sufficiently high for them to maintain a decent quality of living and to keep their families out of poverty,” he added.

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma attended the public hearing.