Senator Joel Villanueva has renewed his push for better and timely pay raises through a living wage criterion that would set the minimum wage rates nationwide.

Villanueva, chair of the Senate Committee on Labor and Employment, reiterated that his bill on setting standards for a living wage would go hand in hand with the renewed drive for a legislated minimum wage increase, a measure that passed both houses in the 19th Congress.

“We welcome the good news for our workers in Metro Manila. We are pushing for the legislated wage increase, but I think the Living Wage Act will have a lasting impact because it will help regional wage boards set a decent minimum wage level within their respective jurisdictions,” Villanueva said.

“I want this bill to strengthen our regional wage boards and ensure they are using the right data and right parameters.

Villanueva also pointed out that the living wage policy is enshrined in the Constitution, which aspires for every worker to be “entitled to a living wage.”

Currently, wage reviews and determinations are made by regional wage boards, acting on petitions filed by various stakeholder groups. Villanueva's bill seeks to empower regional wage boards to review and determine living wage rates within their jurisdiction, without needing to be triggered by workers' groups and unions.

The senator also recognized the disparity of situations across regions, which is one of the major stumbling blocks in setting a uniform wage rate nationwide.

“We are also aware na hindi naman po pwedeng pantay-pantay yung sinusweldo ng isang manggagawa na nandoon sa far-flung areas na kulang ang kanilang imprastraktura, kulang ang mga negosyante o locators doon sa kanilang lugar at maliit o micro ang mga negosyo kaya talagang mas mababa, ” Villanueva said.

“But if we have a universal formula as to how we are going to compute itong mga pagtaas ng ating sweldo ng ating mga manggagawa,for me, ang pinakamahalaga ay ang pagkakaroon ng living wage criteria. Kasi kung dito nakabatay, matutugunan ang kinakailangang sweldo para sa disenteng pamumuhay ng ating mga manggagawa saan mang lokalidad,” he continued.

He expressed his readiness to tackle the measure in the labor committee, where the bill would likely be referred.

The bill seeks to amend a provision in the Labor Code, which currently sets the demand for a living wage as the basis for reviewing the minimum wage, but it is not the criterion per se in setting the minimum daily wage rate.

“Ultimately, legislating the living wage criteria is a step towards advancing the country’s labor framework from subsistence-based wage standards to a rights-based and inclusive model that affirms the inherent worth of every Filipino worker,” he said.

According to Villanueva, setting a living wage policy likewise aligns the country with prevailing international labor standards.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) describes an adequate living wage as “the wage level that is necessary to afford a decent standard of living for workers and their families, taking into account the country's circumstances and calculated for the work performed during the normal hours of work.”