P40 increase in minimum wage is too low, senators say
Published Jun 30, 2023 10:11 am
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Updated Jun 30, 2023 10:11 am
Senators on Friday, June 30 said the current minimum wage that has been set by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in the National Capital Region which is at P40 is too low for a Filipino family to live on decently. "Hangad natin ang sahod na makapagbibigay ng isang buhay na may dignidad para sa bawat manggagawang Pilipino (Our aim is to give a wage for a Filipino family to live on decently), . Hindi sapat ang wage hike para maibigay sa kanila ito (The new wage increase of P40 a day}- is not enough for them)," Senator Grace Poe said in a statement. Poe said increases in commodities and petroleum products have outdistanced pay hikes. "Nananawagan tayo sa mga employer na may kakayahan na magbigay ng karagdagang allowance o benepisyo sa ibang paraan (we ask employers with the means to give additional allowance or benefits through other means)," she added. In a separate statement, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva maintained that "there is no sugar-coating the situation of Filipino workers – the minimum wage as determined at present is not enough for a family to live on decently." Villanueva said Filipinos who receive the current daily minimum wage from P306 to P570 have to make do with these amounts for the family’s daily needs such as food, transportation, medicine, shelter and education. Following the approval of a P40 increase in the minimum wage in Metro Manila, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III called on other regional wage boards across the country to follow suit and implement reasonable wage adjustments. “I earnestly call upon the wage boards to establish minimum wages that not only uphold fairness for our dedicated workers but also empower them to live a life of dignity,” he said. Pimentel issued the statement on Friday as he lamented the very low minimum wages in several regions. He emphasized “the urgency of reviewing and reassessing current wage rates to ensure they are both reasonable and realistic for workers across all provinces.” “Today’s minimum wage rates across the country are unacceptable,” Pimentel said. “To increase our wage rates in every corner of the nation today is a matter of social justice given the prevailing challenges of inflation and its adverse effects on purchasing power.” With the P40 increase in the National Capital Region (NCR), the minimum wage rate in the region now stands at P610 per day. Citing data from the National Wages and Productivity Commission, Pimentel drew attention to the very low minimum wages in nearby regions such as the P460 minimum wage for the non-agricultural sector and P430 for agricultural workers in Region III and P470 and P429 for non-agricultural workers and agricultural workers in Calabarzon, respectively. “It is essential that these boards consider the economic realities faced by workers in their respective regions and take appropriate steps to help our countrymen who struggle to make ends meet,” Pimentel said. Even in rural areas, residents are experiencing the impact of rising prices, including more expensive gas and electricity bills, he added. “Paano naman sila? (What about them?). Paano naman ang mga kababayan natin sa probinsiya na kailangan ding kumain ng tatlong beses sa isang araw? (How about our countrymen living in the provinces need to eat three times a day?). Hindi naman pwedeng ‘altanghap’ na lang forever (Eating Altanghalp’ daily is forever?), ” he said Pimentel. "Altanghap", short for almusal, tanghalian and hapunann (breakfast, lunch and supper), refers to the single meal that the poorest Filipinos could afford to eat.