Presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo on Thursday, March 10, proposed a review of the country’s minimum wage, which has not moved since 2019, to “cushion” the blow of the rising fuel prices arising from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Aside from giving “ayuda (cash aid)” and suspending the excise taxes on fuel, the Vice President also wants to assess the current minimum wages if these are still “enough” to cushion the “blow of inflation.”

“Kailangan nang i-assess. Marami 'yung humihingi ng pagtaas ng minimum wage pero kailangan na siyang upuan (It needs to be assessed. Many are asking for the increase of minimum wage but this needs to be reviewed),” Robredo said, warning that delaying the process will lead to more hunger and “challenging times” especially for the farmers who suffer from the rising prices of fertilizers and other supplies.

The presidential aspirant is in Romblon for a campaign sortie there.

“Binabasa ko 'yung mga opinyon ng mga economists na ang sinasabi nila 'yung minimum wage ngayon actually, 'yung actual value niya mas mababa sa kung ano talaga 'yung wages ngayon dahil sa pagtaas ng presyo ng mga bilihin (I was reading the opinions of the economists and they’re saying that the minimum wage now actually, the actual value is lower than the real wages because of the rising prices of products),” she added.

READ: PH braces for Ukraine conflict’s inevitable impact

She shared that most farmers would be happy to “break even” because their capital is being eaten up by the high cost of supplies. The fisherfolk are also heavily impacted by the higher fuel prices since they use motorized bancas in their livelihood.

But Robredo admitted that there needs to be a “balancing act” so employers won’t suffer, too, highlighting the need to start the negotiations to give ample time for employees and employers to air their sides.

“Kailangan isaalang-alang sa lahat– 'yung lahat kasi balancing act naman ito. Pero 'yung sinasabi lang natin, pumalo na 'yung pagtaas ng presyo, huwag na tayong maghintay na grumabe pa 'yung sitwasyon bago tayo umaksyon (Everything has to be considered—because all of these is a balancing act. But what we are saying, the prices have gone up, let’s not wait for the situation to worsen before we act),” she said.

The Philippines has a daily minimum wage that varies per region, although the national minimum wage for 2021 was P537. This has not changed since the increase in 2019.

For weeks, Robredo has called on the Duterte administration to suspend the excise taxes on fuel, which can result in a reduction of up to P11 per liter.

READ: Robredo urges govt anew to suspend excise tax on fuel

But the government has dilly-dallied with the Department of Finance (DOF) saying the move will be detrimental to the economy.