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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Pro-labor solon San Fernando blasts ECoP head for 'heartless' remarks on wage hike

Pro-labor solon San Fernando blasts ECoP head for 'heartless' remarks on wage hike

Published Jul 23, 2025 04:17 pm

At A Glance

  • Kamanggagawa Party-list Rep.Eli San Fernando is up in arms over the recent remarks of Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECoP) President Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr., who has urged President Marcos to reject all future legislated wage hikes.
Kamanggagawa Party-list Rep.Eli San Fernando (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)
Kamanggagawa Party-list Rep.Eli San Fernando (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)


Kamanggagawa Party-list Rep.Eli San Fernando is up in arms over the recent remarks of Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECoP) President Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr., who has urged President Marcos to reject all future legislated wage hikes.
“Shameless. Walang puso. Walang kahihiyan. Sagad sa buto ang pagkaganid (No heart. No shame. Greedy to the bone). Sergio Ortiz-Luis serves as the mouthpiece of abusive employers in this country. Let me remind you, Mr. Ortiz: you cannot take your wealth to the grave,” San Fernando said in a scathing statement Wednesday, July 23.
In a statement over the weekend, Ortiz-Luis urged President Marcos to use his upcoming State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 28 to oppose any national wage hike legislation.
According to him, efforts to pass such laws should stop altogether because they would likely be vetoed anyway.
“ECoP is giving orders to Malacañang, as if the President is a lapdog to businessmen. They are dictating policy at the direct expense of workers’ dignity and survival,” San Fernando warned.
“While millions of Filipinos endure starvation wages, skyrocketing prices, and no job security, Ortiz-Luis wants to slam the door on even the tiniest hope of relief. This is cruelty masquerading as policy,” he added.
San Fernando also denounced Ortiz-Luis for his long record of public remarks that belittle workers’ struggles and justify poverty wages. “His entire career has been about defending corporate profit at the cost of workers’ lives. He has consistently mocked the very idea of wage justice.”
The rookie legislator said that the regional wage board system — which Ortiz-Luis praised — has long failed to deliver fair and livable wages to Filipino workers, especially those outside Metro Manila.
“The provincial wage rate system is precisely why a nurse in Mindoro earns far less than one in Metro Manila, even if they work the same hours and do the same life-saving tasks. It is institutionalized discrimination. And people like Ortiz-Luis want to keep it that way,” San Fernando added.
Kamanggagawa Party-list recently filed the House Bill (HB) No. 94, or the National Minimum Wage Act. It seeks to abolish the outdated and unjust provincial wage rate system and establish a unified national minimum wage based on the principle of "equal pay for equal work".
In addition, San Fernando confirmed that Kamanggagawa will co-author HB No. 88, or the legislated wage increase bill filed by TUCP Party-list.
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