In a bid to better understand and reconcile the needs of the labor sector as well as the business sector, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano proposed the creation of an Executive-Legislative Labor Commission that will pursue a sustainable and transparent solution to the daily minimum wage issue.

Similar to the Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM), Cayetano said the proposed Labor Commission will convene representatives from Congress, the Executive branch, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), trade and industry experts, and the labor sector to collectively pursue a sustainable solution to the living wage issue.

Cayetano explained the proposed Executive-Legislative Labor Commission “would provide a comprehensive look at what the real wage should be, taking into account the actual expenses of a family for education, health, among others.”

“Not only will this bring us closer to realizing the just and humane society envisioned by our Constitution, it will also help end the endless stream of Filipinos who are forced to leave their homes and families for what they hope would be greener economic pastures continue,” the senator stressed.

Cayetano said he believes the aspiration of building a just and humane society will begin once the government looks beyond simply providing a minimum wage and start aiming for a living wage for all Filipinos instead.

He noted that while many factors contribute to building that ideal society— rules based peace and order, reliable and affordable public utilities, free healthcare—"the debate over wages remains.”

“The business sector argues that increasing minimum wage could lead to closures, particularly among small enterprises. Regional workers question why their work is less valued than their urban counterparts. Parents are forced to choose between staying with their children, or working abroad to provide for them. And millions of farmers, who for generations have relied on what they can grow from the land, are being lured to the city by the promise of a regular salary

“Then while the policy makers go on and on in endless, paralyzing cycles of debates, our people are left to suffer as we wrestle with finding a just and permanent solution to these labor and wages issues,” he pointed out.

The senator pointed out that these matters are in nature the same arguments the state officials face with problems in the country’s education.

This, he said, in effect is what the Executive-Legislative Labor Commission will seek to address when it deals with matters that seek to balance the interests of the labor sector and the business sector.

“With EDCOM 1 and 2, we were able to successfully bring together key stakeholders and produced effective, concrete, and actionable recommendations to address the learning crisis,” he said.

"The Labor Commission will come out with a consensus of what is really the living wage and take into account the part of the employer; what is the part of the business sector and what would be the part of the government," Cayetano said.