Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri on Thursday, August 31 said the Senate is committed to pass the measure seeking an across-the-board minimum wage hike by December of this year.

Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri (Senate PRIB Photo)

Zubiri made the commitment during a press briefing at the Senate despite the Marcos administration’s economic managers warning against the repercussions of passing the bill.

“We are pushing that before the year ends, again by December, we will pass the legislated wage bill. It may not be a priority of the LEDAC but what is important is that the Senate will make a stand,” the Senate leader told reporters in a press briefing.

“We will pass it here…Once we pass it here, I will approach our President and I will personally appeal to him and hope that he will agree, and hopefully the House of Representatives will be able to pass a similar measure,” Zubiri said.

“So that by next year it will be a great Christmas gift for Filipino people for 2024,” the Senate leader stressed.

“We need (to pass) it. Our people are having a hard time. They said the GDP was lower due to the high cost of goods. Had they increased the salaries of our workers, do you think they will keep the money? Of course, they will use the money and buy something for their family, their children,” he added.

“So it will go back to the economy, it may help increase the GDP of our country. And at no cost to the taxpayer. Because that will be taken from the big corporations and companies and MSMEs,” he pointed out.

Zubiri added he could not bear attending the budget hearing of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) “because it’s useless.”

“They will always stay neutral. The DOLE will always stay neutral which I think is a misconception and a wrong position to take. They should not be neutral, they should always fight for the welfare of the laborers,” he lamented.

During the Senate’s hearing on the DOLE budget, even Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva and Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III scored the agency over its lack of efforts to provide workers with decent living wage.

Villanueva said the DOLE should thoroughly study how to achieve living wage considering this is way below the minimum wage prescribed by the agency.

“I would just like to point out that despite the fact that we are shooting for the living wage with which is the most practical and perhaps fair judgment in determining the minimum wage, we're not able to achieve this,” Villanueva said during the hearing.

“Time and time again, we have been shooting for the stars and we know that this is the right thing to do. But unfortunately, for so many reasons, we cannot achieve the living wage,” he said.