House panel urges PBBM to certify wage hike bill
Rizal Fourth District Representative Fidel Nograles on Thursday, May 1 renewed his call for President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to certify the pending wage hike bill as urgent.
Nograles, chairman of the House Labor and Employment Committee said the President’s certification would be a critical push to convince lawmakers to pass the bill on third reading.
The Lower House version of the wage hike bill calls for a P200 daily wage increase for minimum wage earners. It was approved on second reading before it adjourned sessions last February, 2025.
The Senate has already passed its own version of the wage hike bill on third and final reading in 2024. The Upper Chamber’s version calls for a P100 increase for workers in the private sector.
“As we commemorate Labor Day, I hope that we in government be reminded of the continued plight of workers who find it ever more challenging to make ends meet,” Nograles said.
“In this regard, I once again urge Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., to certify as urgent the pending wage hike bill,” he stressed.
“Once Congress resumes in June, we will only have six session days from June 2 to 14. The President’s certification could serve as a clarion call to the House of Representatives to rally to the cause of our workers and pass it in time,” he pointed out.
Nograles said an announcement of the president’s certification would be a meaningful gift especially to the over five million minimum wage earners across the country.
“Makabuluhang mensahe po ang pag-sertipika bilang urgent ng wage hike bill para sa mga minimum wage workers natin, na magpapahiwatig na isinaalang-alang ng pamahalaan ang kapakanan ng mga manggagawa (The certification of the wage hike bill as urgent for our minimum wage workers is a meaningful message that will indicate that the government has taken the welfare of the workers into consideration),” said the lawmaker.
Once the House is able to pass the wage hike bill on third and final reading before the closing of the 19thCongress, both houses of Congress would then proceed to a bicameral conference committee to thresh out their differing provisions of the bill.