The House Committee on Labor and Employment swiftly approved during a hearing Thursday, Jan. 30 the measure calling for a P200 across-the-board daily wage increase.
Rizal 4th district Rep. Fidel Nograles, the committee chairman, presided over the hearing that lasted just over 20 minutes.
History in the making? House panel OKs bill for P200 across-the-board daily wage hike
At a glance
The House Committee on Labor and Employment swiftly approved during a hearing Thursday, Jan. 30 the measure calling for a P200 across-the-board daily wage increase.
Unanimously approved by the attending panel members was the committee report on the unnumbered substitute bill to House Bills (HB) No.514, 7568, and 7871, dubbed the Act providing for a legislated daily across-the-board increase in the salary rates of employees and workers in the private sector.
Rizal 4th district Rep. Fidel Nograles, the committee chairman, presided over the hearing that lasted just over 20 minutes.
The committee passage happened just two days after House Speaker Martin Romualdez himself said that the chamber would expedite deliberations on the legislated wage increase bill.
The last time that a wage hike measure was enacted in the country was back in 1989. Needless to say, the cost of basic goods and services have gone up exponentially since then.
The significance of the hearing was not lost on the congressmen, especially on House Deputy Speaker TUCP Party-list Rep. Raymond Democrito Mendoza, who had been deeply involved with the labor sector.
“Let’s make history together, and hopefully, after 36 years, this will finally be passed,” Mendoza said. "The Philippines deserves and demands a raise right now."
“We are now closer than ever to passing the first-ever legislated P200 daily across-the-board wage increase under the leadership of Speaker Martin Romualdez," said the deputy speaker, who was able to vote in the proceedings thanks to his capacity as ex-officio member.
He recalled that in 1989, Congress raised the minimum wage by 40 percent without triggering massive inflation or unemployment, despite political instability at the time.
“There were two coup d’états in 1989, economic fundamentals were so bad during the time of Cory Aquino. But there was no wave of unemployment, no collapse of businesses,” Mendoza said.
“For 36 years under the Regional Minimum Wage Board, almost all regional wages have remained below the poverty line. Is it our policy to give poverty wages that cannot provide a decent life for our families?” he added.
ALSO READ:
The total number of affirmative votes was no longer counted during the hearing. since it was already a foregone conclusion.
"In line with the declared policy under this Act, all employers in the private sector, whether agricultural or non-agricultural, regardless of capitalization and number of employees, shall pay their workers an across-the-board wage increase in the sum of two hundred pesos a day after the effectivity of this Act," the measure read.
It said that any person, corporation, trust, firm, partnership, association, or entity violating any provision of this Act shall be punished by a fine of not less than P50,000 or more than P100,000 or imprisonment or not less than two years but not exceeding four years, or both at the discretion of the court.
The violation is committed by a corporation, trust or firm, association, or any other entity, the penalty of imprisonment shall be imposed upon the entity's responsible officers including the president, vice president, chief executive officer, general manager, managing director, or partner.